Water And Power Disruptions Set For This Week For Newcastle

Newcastle residents are in for some disruptions this week, as the Municipality embarks on critical maintenance to upgrade the town’s infrastructure—this means both water and electricity outages are on the horizon.

In an official announcement from the Newcastle Municipality’s Communications Unit, uThukela Water has confirmed a major planned shutdown of the Ngagane Water Purification Plant on Thursday, 14 November 2024.

The reason for this disruption is the installation of a new 5MVA Electrical Transformer, an essential upgrade to improve the water supply system.

As explained by the Municipality’s Communications Unit, the main pump station at the Ngagane Water Purification Plant will be temporarily isolated from 6 am until 6 pm, causing a potential water shortage across Newcastle, Madadeni, Osizweni, Kilbarchen, Alcockspruit, and Ekuseni. This means that residents will need to prepare for a full 12-hour period without a steady water supply.

In response, the Newcastle Municipality will deploy water tankers will be deployed throughout the day to affected areas. However,residents are strongly encouraged all households to stock up on water in advance for essential daily needs, such as cooking and personal hygiene.

While water outages are expected due to the work, looking at the long term benefits, the new electrical transformer the work would mean a suitable supply of power to feed the necessary equipment for the water treatment plant.

Furthermore, another disruption will affect Barry Hertzog Park on Tuesday, 12 November 2024, when multiple streets will face an electricity outage from 8 am until 4 pm. This is due to urgent repairs being carried out on the area’s electrical infrastructure, ensuring long-term stability and efficiency in the system.

Cllr Musa Ndlovu explained that residents living along Grobler, Sampson, FW Beyers, Tielman Roos, Cresswell, Havenga, and Tommy Boydell streets will be directly impacted. He urged caution, reminding residents to treat all electrical installations as live during the outage.

As Newcastle Municipality works to safeguard the future of its infrastructure, residents are advised to plan ahead and adjust their routines accordingly. What are your thoughts on these planned outages?

Feel free to share your opinions in the comments below.