Name and Location
eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) projects, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa.

Client
EWS.

Project Description
The eThekwini projects include a Water and Sanitation (W&S) project, an Asbestos-Cement (AC) water-pipe replacement project and the Western Aqueduct (WA) project.

The W&S project aims to establish water and sewer links throughout the province to ablution blocks in 317 informal settlements, which have been selected for future development by the Department of Housing. One prefabricated ablution block, with water and sewer links, is installed for every settlement comprising more than 50 dwellings. This will give about 800 000 people living in 240 000 informal settlements access to running water and toilet facilities.

The AC pipe replacement project entailed the replacement of 1 600 km of the eThekwini municipality's old undipped AC water pipes between Tongaat, Umkomaas and Cato Ridge. These water mains had reached the end of their economic life, resulting in bursts that inconvenienced consumers and damaged property. In most areas, the old burst-prone pipes were replaced with modified polyvinyl chloride (mPVC) pipes. However, in the central business district, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes were used, as this type of material is more suited to the trenchless technology methods used in these areas.

The new mPVC and HDPE pipes have an estimated 50-year life span. The project is expected to reduce water loss by an estimated 10.6%, which translates into savings of about R248-million a year. The municipality aims to reduce leaks each year so that, within ten years, the water loss can be kept at 23%.

The WA project comprises about 74 km of steel pipes, welded in 18 m sections, with diameters ranging from 0.5 m to 1.6 m, laid from Umlaas road to Ntuzuma, mostly along a route that traverses urban areas in the existing pipeline servitudes and road reserves. This project will add a further 470-million litres of water a day to the current consumption of the city, which is currently 950-million litres a day. As an offshoot of the pipeline project, excess pressure contained in the pipeline will be converted into hydropower by building two electrical generators along the pipeline route that will collectively generate10 MW.

The first 20 km of Phase 1 of the project, completed in February 2011, runs from Umlaas road, near Pietermaritzburg, to the Inchanga railway station, generally along a route parallel to the N3 freeway.

Phase 2 will run from Inchanga station, crossing Drummond, Assegai and Hillcrest, after which it will continue to the M13 freeway through Everton and Kloof, heading towards Ntuzuma through Wyebank and branching through New Germany to Mount Moriah reservoir, in the Mountain Ridge suburb. There will also be a branch feed to Haygarth road, in Kloof, heading to Tshelimnyama.

Phase 2, comprising 55 km, will be divided into six construction sectors, and construction activities are expected to take place simultaneously on each of these sectors over four years.

Value
The W&S project currently has a budget of R396-million, of which R132-million was spent from January 2009 to June 2010. About R129-million was budgeted for the 2010/11 financial year, with the balance having been allocated to the 2011/12 financial year.

The AC pipe replacement project was initially valued at R850-million; however, it increased to R1.6-billion as the scope of the work expanded. The cost of the project will be recovered in about nine years, as water losses from the old infrastructure decreases after the installation of the new pipes.

Phase 1 of the WA project cost an estimated R191-million.

The estimated cost for the WA Phase 2 and associated branch pipelines is R1.8-billion.

Duration
The W&S project was completed in December 2011.

The AC pipe replacement project started in July 2007 and was completed in June 2010.

The first phase of the WA project was commissioned at the end of 2012.

The final stage of the project is expected to enter full service by 2017.

Latest Developments
More than half of the second phase of the WA project has been completed.

An estimated 26 km of a total 40 km of pipeline has been laid of which 14 has been handed over to the city, ensuring a reliable bulk water supply to Alverstone Neck, Knelsby and Emoyeni road reservoirs.

The 14 km length of pipeline extending from Inchanga to Alverstone Neck and then to Ashley drive, in Hillcrest, was completed in June and July respectively this year by Cycad Construction and WK SA Construction.

To date, 12 km of the 25 km section of the pipeline stretching from Ashley drive to Ntuzuma has been laid by Essor Construction. The balance of the contract is expected to be completed in mid-2017.

The link to Botha’s Hill reservoir off the WA pipeline will be completed by the end of this year, ensuring that Botha’s Hill and Kearsney College have a sustainable bulk water supply system to the reservoir.

Icon Construction has also completed the large Ashley drive break pressure tank. Commissioning will take place once construction of the pipeline from Ashley drive to Makaranga Lodge has been completed. Completion is expected by the end of 2016.

Essor has also laid 1.8 km of the 7-km-long Tshelimnyama pipeline. This brach line running along Haygarth road and under the N3 to the water reservoir in Tshelimnyama will alleviate water shortages in this area and is scheduled for completion in the last quarter of 2016.

The final, main component of the WA – the 10 Ml Wyebank break pressure tank – will begin in the first quarter of 2016.
                                                                         
Key Contracts and Suppliers
W&S project:
Aurecon (project management); WK Construction, Icon Construction, Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) and Sanyati Construction (main contractors); Old Town Investment, Ekuhawukeni Trading Enterprise, Nomangisi Construction, Abangani Projects, Royal Africa Trading, Sbonisiwe Investment, Emzini Projects and Madondo-Hughes (subcontractors); European Investment Bank (EIB − finance); and Lwazi Projects (mentorship).

AC pipe replacement project:
Aurecon (programme manager); BKS, CBI Consulting, GOBA and Stemele Bosch Africa (SBA − design consultants); Icon Construction; Sanyati Construction; WBHO/InSitu Pipelines joint venture (JV) and WK Construction (contractors); Lwazi Projects (mentorship); Abangani Projects, Bright Idea Projects, Chimurenga Projects & Services, Hlanganani Civils, Imvusa Trading, Inyameko Trading, Madondo-Hughes, Makhathini Projects, Nomangisi Construction, Pule Civil Engineering & Construction, Qambothi Development, Royal Africa Trading, Sbonisiwe Investments, Sibusiso Projects, The Business Zone and Ubuqha Civil Contractors (subcontractors).

WA project:
Knight Piésold Consulting, Naidu Consulting and Royal Haskoning DHV Joint Venture (engineering and environmental services consultants) and WK Construction (main contractor); Shirley Williams Communications (official media liaison for WA project); Extreme Turf Systems (environmental rehabilitation subcontractor) for Phase 1; and Cycad Pipelines (Phase 2 contract for the 7 km stretch between Inchanga station and Alverstone Neck), WK SA Construction (Phase 2 contract for the segment of the pipeline that begins at Alverstone Neck and continues to Ashley drive, in Hillcrest), Esor Construction (Phase 2 contract for the segment of the pipeline from Ashley drive to the NR5 Reservoir at Ntuzuma) and Icon Construction (Phase 2 contract for 20 Mℓ break pressure tank at Ashley drive).

On Budget and on Time?
The AC pipe replacement project was completed on schedule in June 2010.

Phase 1 of the WA project was completed on schedule in February 2011.

Phase 2 was delayed in 2011 by a protracted legal battle following an appeal by the now liquidated Sanyati after the initial contract had been awarded to Esorfranki Construction. The eThekwini municipality decided to re-evaluate the entire project and, at the beginning of 2013, unbundled it into six individual contracts that would be rolled out over a seven-year period.

Phase 2 of the WA project is on schedule to be completed by mid-2017.

Contact Details for Project Information
W&S project:
Aurecon, tel +27 31 714 2500 or fax +27 31 702 0287.
WK Construction, tel +27 11 206 2000/2052 or fax +27 11 206 2154/316 4961.
Icon Construction, tel +27 31 579 9370, fax +27 31 579 9371 or email iconcon@mweb.co.za.
WBHO Construction, tel +27 31 700 9050, fax +27 31 700 9094 or email wbhokwaz@wbho.co.za.
Sanyati Construction, tel +27 31 534 5000, fax +27 31 534 5063 or email coastal@sanyati.co.za.
Old Town Investments, tel +27 21 791 0821, fax +27 86 615 4842 or email rob@oldtown.co.za.
Madondo-Hughes, tel +27 31 308 8367 or email wendy@h-m.co.za.
EIB, tel +352 43 79 82155, cell +352 621 55 57 58 or email r.willis@eib.org.
Rand Merchant Bank, tel +27 11 282 8108.

AC pipe replacement project:
Aurecon, tel +27 31 714 2500, fax +27 31 702 0287.
BKS, tel +27 31 204 3800, fax +27 31 204 3818 or email bksdbn@bks.co.za.
CBI Consulting, tel +27 31 208 7171, fax +27 31 208 7072 or email CBI.Durban@CBIconsulting.co.za.
GOBA, tel +27 31 583 3400, fax +27 31 583 3401 or email infodurban@goba.co.za.
SBA, tel +27 43 721 1717 or fax +27 43 721 1719.
InSitu Pipelines, tel +27 11 786 8099, fax +27 11 786 8084 or email insitu@global.co.za.
Inyameko Civils and Contractors, cell +27 79 544 3248 or fax +27 86 565 0758.
WK Construction, tel +27 11 206 2000/2052 or fax +27 11 206 2154/316 4961.
WBHO Construction, tel +27 31 700 9050, fax +27 31 700 9094 or email wbhokwaz@wbho.co.za.
Sanyati Construction, tel +27 31 534 5000, fax +27 31 534 5063 or email coastal@sanyati.co.za.
Makhathini Projects, tel +27 31 207 4778, fax +27 31 208 3486 or cell +27 82 891 5797.
Bright Ideas Projects, tel +27 21 593 9324, fax +27 21 593 1487 or email apangarker@absamail.co.za.

WA project:
Shirley Williams Communications on behalf of EWS and WA, Shirley Williams, tel +27 31 564 7700 or email Shirley@swcommunications.co.za.
Cycad Pipelines, tel +27 11 363 1023, fax +27 11 818 4147 or email info@cycad.co.za.
Esor Construction, tel +27 11 776 8700, +27 11 822 1158 or email info@esor.co.za.
Extreme Turf Systems director, Shaun Renton, cell +27 83 453 6771 or email shaun@rietvleilandscapes.co.za.
Knight Piésold, tel +27 31 276 4660 or fax +27 31 262 2950.

Naidu Consulting, tel +27 31 262 0272, fax +27 31 262 2547 or email info@naiduconsulting.com.

Rocla, tel +27 11 670 7600, fax +27 11 472 2141 or email info@rocla.co.za.
SSI, tel +27 33 846 1000, fax +27 33 386 3635 or email pmb@pmb.ssi.co.za.
Top Crop Nursery, Mike Kruger, cell +27 83 560 2639, fax +27 33 569 1333 or email mmike@superlawn.co.za.