Four contracts along the full length of Durban’s Western Aqueduct (WA) bulk water pipeline have been awarded and work was well under way, eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) head Neil Macleod said on Monday, confirming that the project was on track to be completed in 2017.
The more than R700-million pipeline was Durban’s largest-ever bulk water pipeline project and was intended to replace and augment existing infrastructure that brought water from various dams surrounding Durban into the growing city.
“The Western Aqueduct is intended to provide an additional injection of much-needed water to the Durban municipal area and provide for the bulk water-distribution needs of the area for the next 30 years. The completed Western Aqueduct is expected to significantly strengthen the capacity of bulk water supply to the western regions of eThekwini, initially injecting up to 80-million litres a day into the system, with the ultimate capacity exceeding 400-million litres a day,” said Macleod.
The first phase of the Western Aqueduct, which measured 20 km, had been completed at the end of 2010; however, the full effect of this would only be felt once the second phase – which would stretch between Inchanga station and Ntuzuma with spur pipelines leading to Mount Moriah and Tshelimnyama – had been commissioned.
Macleod stressed that construction of the Western Aqueduct Phase 2 was logistically complex in that the large-diameter pipeline was constructed through extremely hilly terrain and along suburban roads.
“Competent contractors have been appointed to execute the work and this is augmented by a large consulting engineering team that has extensive experience in this type of work,” he said.
According to project manager, Martin Bright, work on the first contract, which covered the 7 km stretch between Inchanga station and Alverstone Neck, which had been awarded to Cycad Pipelines, was progressing well with 2.5 km of pipe already in the ground.
Bright added that this contract was well on track for completion in 2015.
Work was also proceeding well on the second contract, stretching from Alverstone Neck to Ashley drive, in Hillcrest, with WK SA Construction already having completed 2.5 km of pipeline.
Meanwhile, the contract for the third and largest segment of the pipeline, reaching from Ashley drive to the NR5 Reservoir at Ntuzuma, was awarded to Esor Construction earlier this year.
Work on this contract had started at three fronts in Kloof, KwaDukuza and Ntuzuma, with 0.5 km of pipeline having been laid to date.
Bright further confirmed that work on the 20 mega litre break pressure tank at Ashley drive had been awarded to Icon Construction. The duration of the contract was one year with completion scheduled for the first quarter of 2015.
“At this point, earthworks had been completed and the start of concrete works was imminent,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 16-month contract for the spur pipeline to Tshelimnyama went out to tender last week and was expected to be awarded during the fourth quarter of 2014.
The tender for construction of the Wyebank Reservoir and the spur pipeline to Mount Moriah was due to go out in the fourth quarter of this year, with construction expected to start at the beginning of 2015.