An 18-month-long planning study to investigate and assess the viability of a bulk water supply scheme for the Southern Ndwedwe area, in KwaZulu-Natal, is under way.

Having been commissioned by State-owned water utility Umgeni Water, project management and engineering consultants Royal HaskoningDHV is responsible for the two-stage planning study, which started in November.

In 2007, Umgeni Water, in close liaison with the iLembe district municipality, conducted a reconnaissance study to assess the viability of a more reliable water supply to this area, which is home to more than 140 000 people. Several water supply options were listed, which now need to be investigated at feasibility level to determine water supply options for the Southern Ndwedwe area.

Being responsible for the prefeasibility and detailed feasibility study, Royal HaskoningDHV study leader Ian Rushton says the company has expertise in water services master planning, together with specific supporting disciplines, as well as local area knowledge.

“The area is mountainous, with difficult accessibility, and it spans numerous catchments, which means that different water supply solutions may need to be found for different catchments. A single large bulk water supply of treated water would simplify operations, but this would involve pumping water up over several watersheds, with associated high energy costs that will be unsustainable in the long term. The study will seek a balance by locating suitable water sources for the supply of each area so that the pumping of water is kept at a minimum,” explains Rushton.

He adds that the company assigned 18 employees to the project’s organisational structure and specialist subconsultants were assigned to work on the project to provide survey and geotechnical services and cathodic protection design. “The personnel will not all be involved simultaneously, as the project is flowchart-managed, and most personnel will provide their inputs at the relevant stages of the project,” he highlights.

The study is comprehensive and will take into consideration a wide range of institutional, social, technical, financial, economic and environmental issues, as well as all relevant cadastral and land-ownership details, regulations and constraints that are likely to impact on the implementation of the preferred solution.

“We are required to define, evaluate and cost all mitigation measures required to address these impacts. Following the acceptance by the client of the prefeasibility recommendations, the second-phase detailed study will confirm the findings and elaborate on the base information in terms of suitability, feasibility and cost structure,” concludes Rushton.