Niël Terblanché
The municipality of Walvis Bay has issued a notice to inform residents about an unexpected disruption in the water supply due to repair and maintenance work on the electricity supply network by NamPower.
“Kindly note that some areas may be experiencing an interruption in water supply while others are experiencing low water pressure. This is due to power supply issues being experienced by our bulk supplier, Namwater,” reads the notice.
The municipality also urged residents to conserve water and be patient as they work with NamPower to address the situation.
The initial plan was for the scheduled power outage to start at 07h00 on Tuesday and last until 19h00.
However, NamPower encountered technical problems while attempting to restore power to the Ruby Substation, resulting in an extended shutdown.
The affected areas include the Walvis Bay Airport, the Rooikop Army Base, the Rooibank Water Supply, and surrounding regions, all of which are supplied with electricity from NamPower’s Ruby Substation.
NamPower’s spokesperson, Irene !Hoaes, explained that the scheduled outage was intended for work on the new Kuiseb-Sekelduin 132kV line to cross over the existing Ruby 66kV line.
“Unfortunately, technical difficulties with the breaker during the power restoration process have necessitated the replacement of a faulty breaker pole,” she said.
!Hoases added that efforts are underway to resolve the issue and restore power as swiftly as possible.
Along with the notification about the prolonged electricity supply issues, !Hoases cautioned the public to treat all power lines and electrical points as live during the outage, as no prior notification will be given when the power supply is restored.
“NamPower would like to apologise to the residents of the affected areas and the general public for any inconvenience caused by the extended outage,” she said.
