State-owned water utility Umgeni Water has called on competent contractors to tender for the construction of the 55 Mℓ/d Lower Thukela Bulk Water Supply Scheme (LTBWSS) adjacent to the Thukela river, in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Corporate stakeholder manager Shami Harichunder told Engineering News that the R1.4-billion project was aimed at extending Umgeni Water’s bulk infrastructure system along the KZN north coast to meet the growing water demand in the area.
He said the LTBWSS would comprise infrastructure to abstract raw water from the Thukela river, treat it and distribute it into the existing network to provide water to various surrounding district and local municipalities.
As part of the LTBWSS, the successful bidder would have to construct a gatehouse, an administration building, a chemical dosing building, a chlorination building and a centrifuge building.
In addition, the electrical wiring and lighting of these buildings would also have to be installed.
Harichunder said other principal components to be constructed were reinforced-concrete water retaining structures, a high-lift pumpstation, continuously welded steel pipelines, high-density polyethylene interconnecting pipework and sludge return pipelines, service water reticulation, sewerage reticulation systems, stormwater pipes and canals.
The preferred bidder for the construction of the treatment plant will be announced in June, with construction to start a month later and end in November 2015, when the LTBWSS will also reach operational stage.
Interested parties have until May 9 to submit their bids.