OVERVIEW
Water Two new dams are under construction.
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wo new dams will add 800-million litres of water per day to the available supply in KwaZulu-Natal. As part of the lower uMkhomazi bulk water scheme, utility Umgeni Water will spend about R26-billion on the Smithfield Dam and R2.4-billion on the Ngwadini Dam. Umgeni Water currently supplies more than 400m³ of potable water to its six large municipal customers: eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, iLembe District Municipality, Sisonke District Municipality, Umgungundlovu District Municipality, Ugu District Municipality and Msunduzi Local Municipality. The company has five dams, 10 waterworks, five water-treatment plants and two waste-water works. Large parts of the northern part of the province are served by Mhlathuze Water. The utility has assets valued at more than R3-billion and its area of supply covers 37 000m². Clearing pit toilets in remote rural areas and on steep inclines presents an engineering challenge. In response to a Water Research Commission project on the subject, Partners in Development, a Pietermaritzburg-based engineering and project management company, has developed the eVac pit-emptying machine. It’s lightweight, mobile and has strong sucking power. New technology has been installed at the Verulam Wastewater Treatment Works of the eThekwini Municipality. Murray & Roberts Water and its European technology partner, Organica Water, has installed an environmentally-friendly system that uses 30% less energy and produces 30% less sludge. Richards Bay has installed a 10-container desalination plant next to the municipal water-treatment plant at Alkanstrand. The first mobile sea-water purification unit in South Africa, it comprises 10 containers and is located adjacent to the water-treatment plant at Alkantstrand. It can deliver 10 megalitres of drinking water. However, the high cost of electricity means that the unit is used sparingly. Solar energy is being investigated as a possible alternative. In 2018 JG Afrika delivered a R72-million desalination plant to South32’s Hillside aluminium smelter in the same town. The area north of the Durban central business district is one of the fastest-growing urban areas in South Africa, with a
Online Resources Mhlathuze Water: www.mhlathuze.co.za National Department of Water and Sanitation: www.dwa.gov.za Partners in Development: www.pid.co.za Umgeni Water: www.umgeni.co.za Water Research Commission: www.wrc.org.za
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Sector Insight Pietermaritzburg engineers are tackling pit toilet clearance. number of large office and accommodation projects going ahead simultaneously. This is a welcome development for the economy, but the new buildings also create pressure on infrastructure.
Image: Umgeni Water The multi-year, R250million Northern Aqueduct Augmentation project was initiated in 2014 and the fifth phase of the project is underway. This will provide water for Durban North, Umhlanga, Newlands, KwaMashu, Phoenix and Cornubia. Nedbank sponsors the clearing of alien vegetation in the country’s water-catchment areas, including in KwaZuluNatal. The Nedbank sponsorship of the WWF’s Water Balance Programme has seen water flowing more freely in the Umgeni catchment area. ■
KWAZULU-NATAL BUSINESS 2020/21
