Name and Location
uMkhomazi Water project Phase 1 (uMWP1), KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa.

Client
The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) and Umgeni Water.

Project Description
The uMWP1 is a feasibility study for the transfer of water from the undeveloped uMkhomazi river to the existing Mgeni system to further augment water supply to the Durban and Pietermaritzburg areas.

It comprises three modules.

Module 1 comprises a raw water module developing the resource and the transfer infrastructure, Module 2 an environmental-impact assessment (EIA) module and Module 3 a treated water module.

The module will address the following aspects related to a major water development:
• water resources – the uMkhomazi, uMlaza and uMngeni river catchments;
• water requirements – water users in the uMkhomazi and uMngeni river catchments;
• engineering investigations – proposed dams at Impendle (only for costing purposes) and Smithfield, the raw water conveyance infrastructure from Smithfield dam through the proposed balancing dam at Baynesfield to the water treatment plant, and potable water conveyance infrastructure to the Umlaas road/Cato Ridge reservoir;
• the EIA – Smithfield dam to Umlaas road/Cato Ridge reservoir, including all conveyance infrastructure; and
• the socioeconomic-impact assessment – regional, provincial (KZN) and national.
Once complete, the uMkhomazi water transfer scheme will be the largest water transfer scheme in South Africa, comparable to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project in terms of water volume, and tunnel lengths and diameters.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
If the scheme is deemed feasible it might be implemented by 2023.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Aecom (Module 1: technical feasibility study – raw water), Nemai Consulting (Module 2: EIA) and Knight Piésold (Module 3: technical feasibility study – potable water).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
DWA project leader Kobus Bester, tel +27 12 336 8071 or email BesterK@dwa.gov.za.
Umgeni Water project leader Gavin Subramanian, tel +27 33 341 1271 or email Gavin.subramanian@umgeni.co.za.
Aecom study leader Hermien Pieterse, tel +27 12 421 3500 or email Hermien.Pieterse@aecom.com; or study coordinator Andriëtte Combrinck, tel +27 12 421 3500 or email Andriette.Combrinck@aecom.com.
Nemai Consulting study leader Donavan Henning, tel +27 11 781 1730 or email donavanh@nemai.co.za.
Knight Piésold study leader Ian Watson or Amal Doorgapershad, tel +27 31 276 4660 or email iwatson@knightpiesold.com or adoorgapershad@knightpiesold.com.