South Africans and thirsty Nelson Mandela Bay residents, the numbers are in, and they paint a critical picture of Nelson Mandela Bay’s water supply. Whilst one significant dam level has increased, the biggest leak isn’t in the Western Region; it’s in our municipal infrastructure.
Here are the facts:
- 65% of Nelson Mandela Bay’s water comes from the Gariep Dam, which saw rising levels throughout 2025.
- Nelson Mandela Bay has a TOTAL reliance on external water sources (Free State and Sarah Baartman Districts).
- 35% of the municipalities water comes from dams to the west, four of which fall within the Sarah Baartman District.
- BUT… 60% of that water is lost BEFORE it reaches consumers taps due to municipal infrastructure failure.
What does that mean? The municipality is responsible for wasting 223 Million Liters per day (MLD).
That is equivalent to losing 90 OLYMPIC-SIZED SWIMMING POOLS DAILY.
We are importing water from across the country, only for more than half of it to disappear through broken pipes. We cannot afford this waste.
How We Fight Back:
We must turn this data into collective action. We can’t wait for the municipality to fix it; we have to develop our own pressure map.
- Join the Discussion: What is the water pressure like in your street? Have you reported a leak with zero feedback?
- Report the Leaks: Share your municipal reference number on the forum. We use this data to escalate entire neighborhoods, bypassing the call center queue.
Don’t just watch the 90 Olympic size pools drain daily. Take control.
Join the MyNMB Forum to express your feelings, share solutions and vent!
#NelsonMandelaBay #Gqeberha #NMBWaterCrisis #ServiceDelivery #CommunityAction #TheMyNMBWay
Infographic:
Links:
My Press Release (MyPR) provides free South African targeted content and press releases for on and off line publishers and media.
Registering on MyPR enables public relations companies and practitioners to post articles under their own author name.
Public Relations Companies and practitioners, event organisers, sports and political writers use MyPR as a distribution mechanism for their press releases, content, images and news.
A forever free subscription allows publishers and media free access to all press releases, content and images on MyPR.