Pipe burst disrupts water supply at Narraville, Walvis Bay

A pipe burst has temporarily interrupted the water supply to Narraville at Walvis Bay as of Saturday morning.

The burst required extensive excavation efforts but water supply is now being restored.

The pipe was identified as a 250mm bulk supply line and crew was on the ground to begin repairs as early as Saturday morning. While the water supply was initially expected to be restored around 17h00 on Saturday, the need for specialised equipment delayed the efforts.

Henock Shikongo, the acting general manager of the department of water, says a construction team was deployed as soon as the burst was detected, but they soon found that the repair would require additional equipment.

“The delay was mainly related to availability of dewatering pumping equipment for which I understand the team managed to solve quite late. In general, the team’s response time is four to six hours when they work on this kind of pipeline. At this stage, the line was a little bit deeper than anticipated. Eventually, they required external help in the form of an excavator.”

The team reportedly continued excavation efforts throughout the night and was able to repair the bulk supply line.

“We extend our sincere appreciation to our dedicated team for their hard work and commitment in ensuring that repairs were completed despite challenging conditions,” the Walvis Bay Municipality wrote in a statement on Facebook.