DAMS & RESERVOIRS
Fast-tracking bulk water delivery Tango’s Consultants has helped devise a unique means of accelerating the completion of two new reservoirs in the City of Ekurhuleni. The method also ensures a high-quality final structure and provides construction cost savings.
T
he structures for the reservoirs are being prefabricated in a controlled factory setting far removed from the many variables encountered on a traditional construction site. This passes on savings in terms of formwork and staging, in addition to reinforcement bar and concrete. Guaranteed precision by the manufacturer and installer of the system has also eliminated the risk of wastage due to errors on-site. The precast concrete reservoir systems are being manufactured and erected by
The ring-beam supports the wall panels and is being built by an emerging contractor who is also being trained by the principal contractor and Corestruc
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IMIESA July 2020
The centre portion of the roof structure is constructed first and the wall as well as the floor slab are constructed next
Corestruc as the specialist subcontractor, working alongside principal builders Anita Building and Selby Construction, for the Pam Brink and Selcourt projects, respectively. The works form part of the Ekurhuleni Water and Sanitation Department’s strategy to significantly strengthen water supply to these rapidly developing areas. The new 30 Mℓ reservoir in Selcourt will bolster the existing 11.4 Mℓ of water storage capacity and sustain new and planned large developments, including a megacity in the larger Springs area. In Pam Brink, a 25 Mℓ structure is being constructed to strengthen available supply from a 11.4 Mℓ reservoir. Existing bulk and distribution water infrastructure in this expanding area of Ekurhuleni has also come under extreme pressure over the years.
Both projects are 18 months in duration, with the reservoir in Selcourt due for completion by the end of this year, and the other in Pam Brink by the beginning of 2021, despite the Covid-19 lockdown and other extenuating circumstances that halted operations for periods. Certainly, this bears testament to the ability of the unique system to significantly accelerate the construction of reservoirs, which are notoriously complex and timeconsuming to build. Up to five months have been shaved off the works programme by enabling the construction of the floor, walls and roof simultaneously. Using conventional construction methods, only two trades would have overlapped. These include the construction of the wall, a complicated undertaking that demands
