Following the large number of calls and e-mails received from residents in Kleinmond regarding low water pressure and intermittent supply, especially in the Palmiet area and Sea Avenues since the weekend, Overstrand Municipality ensures residents that the Kleinmond Water Maintenance team is available 24/7 to attend to emergencies. The problem of low pressure in some areas can however not be fully resolved in the short term, as there are still many smaller diameter old pipelines in the network.
Low pressure can be expected to continue during periods of high demand due to the influx of holidaymakers.
Pipe bursts unfortunately also occur regularly on the aging pipelines in the system. The teams are repairing these bursts as quickly as possible.
SMS updates are distributed to residents in cases where a long repair time is envisaged. In the case of a planned maintenance water interruption the municipality provides 48 hours’ notice prior to commencement of work.
Residents must ensure that their contact details (one cell phone number per household) are registered on the municipal SMS database to receive these updates. The form is available on the municipal website www.overstrand.gov.za > Application Forms > Financial Services: Various.
A permanent solution will require completely replacing the aging smaller diameter asbestos pipelines in the area, which can unfortunately not all be done at once due to budget constraints. Until these upgrades are completed, residents will continue to experience pipe bursts and water outages.
Residents are aware of the water pipe replacement programme, as discussed in public meetings during 2025. This is unfortunately a capital-intensive project spanning over many years and will remain on the budget until all the critical areas across the Overstrand have been addressed.
The following table summarizes the pipe replacement work completed in the Overstrand over the past more than a decade:
The rate of future water pipe replacement will solely depend on the budget made available for this purpose. Priorities are mainly determined in accordance with the frequency of pipe bursts and network upgrade priorities in the Water Master Plan when a new phase of budget provision becomes available.
Overstrand Municipality is actively pursuing alternative funding options to speed up the process and is committed to resolve water related issues in the shortest possible time.
