eThekwini Water & Sanitation (EWS) says a 14 km stretch of pipeline from Inchanga station to Ashley drive, in Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal, which forms part of the first two contracts of the R1.8-billion Phase 2 of the Western Aqueduct project, has been commissioned and tested and is expected to be fully operational by midyear.

EWS head Ednick Msweli in February said that the city’s biggest-ever bulk water pipeline project was proceeding according to the project plan, adding that he was confident that all the contracts that make up the full 39 km Phase 2 of the pipeline – including its branch pipelines – would be completed on time.

The Inchanga station to the Ashley drive portion of the pipeline comprises two 7 km segments and was completed by pipeline contractors Cycad Pipelines and WK SA Construction.

The largest segment of the Western Aqueduct, which was constructed by pipeline contractor EsorFranki, measures 25 km and stretches from the Ashley drive break pressure tank to the NR5 Reservoir, at Ntuzuma. This portion is scheduled to be complete and fully operational, with all construction and road reinstatement finalised by mid-2017.

Further, extensive work is scheduled to begin along the railway line servitude from Alverston to Kloof station, explains Western Aqueduct project manager Martin Bright, adding that construction will take place along the servitude, and will not affect traffic flow.

Bright adds that work on the Ashley Drive break pressure tank is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2015 and that the tank is expected to hold 20 Mℓ of water.

Construction of the break pressure tank began in January and contracts for two further sections of the Western Aqueduct – the Wyebank break pressure tank and the pipeline that will link the Western Aqueduct to Mt Moriah – are expected to be awarded in the third quarter of 2015. The contracts will run for 15 months.

The first phase of the Western Aqueduct, which measures 20 km and stretches from the Umlaas Road reservoir to Inchanga, was commissioned at the end of 2012.

Combined, the two phases of the Western Aqueduct are intended to replace and augment existing infrastructure that brings water into Durban from the Midmar and recently constructed Springrove dams.

The Western Aqueduct is expected to significantly strengthen the capacity of bulk water supply and meet the needs of the greater eThekwini region for the next 30 years.