GIBB, South Africa’s leading black-owned consulting engineering firm will bring desperately needed relief to the community of the Midvaal and Vaal Marina (Mamello) low cost housing areas by providing multi-disciplinary engineering services for bulk water and an aged sewerage infrastructure.
As a result of service inequality in the two areas, a large number of people have been left without access to adequate water and sanitation. This poses health related and environmental risks for the community at large.

Carel Davids, Project Leader at GIBB said, “Both the Mamello and Midvaal bulk water and sewerage infrastructure projects began in 2012 and are currently underway. Environmental approvals are underway for both the Sicelo Bulk Sewage and Sicelo Bulk Water projects and the projects will be completed by 2017.”

Mamello Project

Davids said, “In an effort to alleviate the water crisis in the area, GIBB was approached to provide an innovative, state-of-the-art concrete tower of 135kl capacity and 22m height in the area. The tower, shaped like a lilly, is funded by the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements, Midvaal Local Municipality funds and Municipal Infrastructure funding.”

He added that the tower will alleviate the challenge of low water pressures that the low cost housing development faces while not detracting from the aesthetics of the area. GIBB will also be instrumental in installing pumps and ancillary pipes works to supply the tower. The project also included the construction of a sewerage pump station, 110mm rising main, an outfall sewer to the Vaal Marina Waste Water Treatment Works and refurbishments at the Vaal Marina WWTW. The concrete water tower will aesthetically light-up at night to provide a focal structure to the area. The lighting will be powered by batteries charged during the day by solar panels to reduce the electrical usage of the tower and the carbon footprint of the project.

Midvaal/Sicello Project

Sicelo informal settlement lies to the west of the R59 and is adjacent to Meyerton. The area of Sicelo is serviced by several bulk sewers along the Kliprivier and onwards to the Rothdene Sewage Pump Station which pumps sewage to the Meyerton Waste Water Treatment Works. Historically, the sewers and pump stations have overflowed and currently, the existing sewers are nearing capacity. GIBB has been contracted to increase the pumping capacity at Rothdene Pump Station, install flow meters, duplicate the 500mm diameter rising main to the Meyerton WWTW, provide new sewers for drainage from new areas to the west of the R59 highway and investigate localised areas where blockages are frequent.

Davids said, “To alleviate the water problems in the area, GIBB will construct a 10Mℓ reservoir with a new Rand Water connection to the reservoir, a 700m long access road to the reservoir and the construction of bulk and supply pipelines of approximately 9.9km in length, with diameters varying between 700mm and 250mm with their associated valves and control. The estimated project cost is R75 million with the first phase of the project amounting to approximately R9 million.” The project will service 12 700 existing indigent residents and 10 000 future low cost houses.