Fluid conveyance company Incledon is providing underprivileged communities in the Free State with improved hygiene standards and sanitary conditions as part of a multimillion-rand sewerage upgrade project across the province that involves the replacement of portable toilets with permanent structures that are linked to municipal sewerage lines.

The project is funded by regional water authority Bloem Water, with freestanding toilet structures valued at R15-million, polyvinvyl chloride (PVC) piping products and sewerage fittings.

Incledon sales representative Dewald Hattingh notes that work on this project began in mid-2013 and the company is aiming for completion in mid-2015.

“This is an enormous project that involves the upliftment of thousands of Free State residents that have previously been using the portable toilet system in their communities,” he says, adding that Incledon is bettering socioeconomic conditions in the province through the supply of more than 1 500 permanent toilet structures and over 40 km of infrastructure and PVC piping.

The toilet structures consist of a low-level toilet pan with a plastic seat and cistern that comes standard with sewer fittings and a stainless steel sink. The toilets are also fully enclosed by three brick walls and a steel door, as well as a roof.

In addition to offering the user greater privacy and dignity, the structures also improve health and safety conditions, as all waste is transported to municipal sewerage lines through the South African Bureau of Standards-accredited Durodrain PVC pipes supplied by Incledon.

Incledon has supplied communities in Botshabelo, Trompsburg, Smithfield, Bethulie and Steynsburg with more than 1 000 toilet structures and several kilometres of PVC pipe to date. The company will also be supplying about 700 more units in Botshabelo during September.

Incledon Bloemfontein sales representative Dumpie Oerson says this is a large-scale project that involves considerable logistics, and ultimately some distribution and logistical challenges. “Incledon’s scope of work within the communities has been running smoothly to date, thanks to a good working relationship and mutual understanding between all parties involved throughout the supply chain.”

Hattingh is confident that the project will be completed within agreed deadlines and budgets. “The outlook for this project is overwhelmingly positive and I believe that its success may prompt other provincial authorities to implement similar initiatives. This, in turn, creates further growth opportunities for Incledon in the municipal sector – a market in which the company already boasts an impressive track record and unrivalled reputation,” he concludes.