Water treatment solutions company Veolia Water Technologies South Africa is supplying a turnkey water treatment plant, the Shemula water treatment plant, to produce 20 Mℓ/d of potable water to assist the Jozini-Ingwavuma bulk water supply project, which is a government initiative to create a sustainable solution for the water shortages experienced in the uMkhanyakude district municipality, in KwaZulu-Natal.
Veolia was contracted by the uMkhanyakude district municipality to design and build the new Shemula water treatment plant to address the severe water shortages in uMkhanyakude and surrounding districts.
The project is part of the new Ingwavuma Bulk Water Jozini Scheme – a key priority of the Department of Water and Sanitation.
Deemed a Presidential project, the initiative will also entail the company educating surrounding communities about the importance of water, as well as employing local community members during construction and maintaining the plant.
Situated in northern KwaZulu-Natal, the Pongola dam, in Jozini, has historically been a single-purpose dam providing water for irrigation requirements for the surrounding farms.
Through the national government intervention in response to the dramatic increase in rural development and the increasing population in the area and surrounding districts, such as Nkandla, this project has become the key to unlock service delivery in the region, such as the consistent supply and provision of potable water for the people.
Veolia’s involvement in the project began in January 2014 and will be integrated with Phase 1A, which is currently being constructed by an external company, which consists of all civil works and infrastructure for bulk reticulation.
Veolia is responsible for Phase 1B, which entails the turnkey water treatment solution, including civil, mechanical and electrical work.
The new water treatment plant will be capable of producing 20 Mℓ/d of potable water. It addresses all facets of water treatment, from sedimentation and clarification to filtration and disinfection.
“The water extracted from the Pongola river is highly turbid – with an extreme turbidity count of 280 NTU. “We were required, therefore, to implement an adequate sedimentation process that will produce consistent-quality water with acceptable turbidity levels that will meet SANS 241 standards,” says Veolia Water Technologies South Africa project engineer Blake Cooley.
The process will reduce the turbidity level to a count of just 1 NTU with the use of two Veolia clariflocculators for the sedimentation process, followed by five bed rapid gravity filters, with monolithic floor panels for the filtration stage. The result is potable water with regular backwash of the filters.
“Apart from the critical potable water supply, this project is also geared towards connecting districts and educating the rural communities on the importance of water conservation, and on the correct process for extracting clean water from the source,” adds Cooley.
In light of this commitment to the community, Veolia has also employed local engineers and local labour to work on the plant. In addition, Veolia will remain on site for 12 months after the project has been completed to instruct the engineers on proper maintenance techniques.