Large parts of Nelson Mandela Bay have been without water since Thursday after two major water sources were disrupted.

Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki confirmed that water supply from the Scheepersvlakte Dam, which is treated at Addo, had been disrupted and in turn affected the Nooitgedacht treatment works. At the same time, the main supply from the dams to the west of the city had been affected by a pump breakdown at the Loerie Water Treatment Works.

The disruptions meant the city had lost as much as 60% of its normal, daily water supply and has seen a number of the city's reservoirs run dry, while the water pressure in other suburbs has dropped drastically.

This comes as the city is facing a worsening water shortage problem, with mayor Athol Trollip pleading with residents to limit their water usage to 50 litres per person per day as the combined dam levels dipped below 24%.

By Friday evening the situation remained dire, although the supply to the Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Works had been restored and water was being pumped through.

Work continued throughout the night at the Loerie Water Treatment Works, but repairs were only expected to be completed by mid-morning on Saturday.

Mniki said the municipality had been rerouting water to reservoirs overnight and some areas were stabilising, but there remained areas that were still completely cut off from water distribution.

"The municipality would like to plead with those residents who still have water to use it only for essential purposes.

"Failure to do so in the current circumstances will lead to more areas being cut completely from water distribution," he said.

Mniki said residents and businesses affected by the water outages could contact 0800 205 050 to report outages and check for water tankers in their respective areas.

He said the water system will take at least two weeks to fully stabilise.

Source: News24