Transformer fire cuts water supply to Dysselsdorp households

What happened

On 17 October 2022 a 500 kVA Eskom transformer supplying the Dysselsdorp purification works caught fire and was destroyed, the Oudtshoorn Municipality said. About 1,500 households in Dysselsdorp and rural areas east of Oudtshoorn lost their water supply. Areas named were Rooiheuwel, Vlakteplaas, Middelplaas and Oudemuragie. Eskom said a mini-substation had caught fire because of storm damage, that only the water treatment plant was affected, and that electricity restoration was expected at about 6pm the following day. The municipality arranged water tankers and asked residents to use water sparingly.

Contributing factors

Eskom attributed the mini-substation fire to storm damage. No further cause was reported.

Lessons learned

1. A single transformer serving a water treatment works can interrupt water supply even when the wider network is not affected, so operators should know which essential loads depend on one unit.
2. Storm damage can destroy a distribution transformer. A spare unit and a clear restoration path shorten the time communities are without an essential service.
3. Interim water tankers and a clear public warning to conserve water can limit harm while power to a purification works is restored.

Source

IOL (iol.co.za)