imiesa july 2012

IMESAIMESAThe official magazine of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY

Winner of the 2011 PICA Non-professional writer of the year

I S S N 0 2 5 7 1 9 7 8 V o l u m e 3 7 N o . 7 • J u l y 2 0 1 2 • R 4 0 . 0 0 ( i n c l V A T )

MEDIA

Blue DropReport card

Sol PlaatjeWWTW upgrade

Trenchless contract completed in Port Elizabethcompleted in Port Elizabeth p55p55

OpinionEngineering challenges

Excellence in motion

IMIESA JULY 2012 1

VOLUME 37 NO 7 JULY 2012CONTENTS

9Blue Blue DropDrop

36Reservoir Reservoir

constructionconstruction

KwaZulu-Natal-based multi-disciplinary group Aqua Transport & Plant Hire continues its national expansion strategy in the construction sector, adding to its extensive plant holding with the recent acquisition of a fleet of new Cat 140K motor graders, supplied and supported by Southern African Cat dealer Barloworld Equipment.

5525Kamfers Kamfers

DamDamTrenchless Trenchless technologytechnology

Regulars3 Editor’s comment5 President’s comment

Cover article6 Aqua’s civil excellence

News9 Blue Drop analysis for 2012

IMESAThe official magazine of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MAINTENANCE SERVICE DELIVERY


I S S N 0 2 5 7 1 9 7 8 V o l u m e 3 7 N o . 7 R 4 0 . 0 0 ( i n c l V A T )

MEDIA



Trenchless contract completed in Port Elizabeth


Baarloowworrlld Eqquipmmeeennt


Government perspective12 Streamlining legislation

with development

Industry perspective13 In the footsteps of giants

Opinion15 How many degrees are there

in a half circle?

Water and waste water 19 Digging deep at De Hoop21 Automation innovation23 Hydroscrew introduced

to the market25 Water storage overhaul27 Zeekoegat WWTW update30 2012 National Water

Conservation Awards33 Managing the coastal zone

Water infrastructure34 KZN losing 40% of its water35 Innovations and best

practice boosted

Mangaung36 New Bloemfontein reservoir38 Andries Pretorious

Street upgraded

Sol Plaatje40 WWTW upgraded

Project news42 South African engineering in

Lesotho

Panel discussion43 Introduction: Blue and Green

Drop – what does it mean to you?

44 Department of Water Affairs: Leonardo Manus

47 ERWAT: Fortune Mabunda49 CSV Water Consulting

Engineers: Charl van der Walt 51 Grundfos: Albert de Vos53 BKS: Dr Gideon de Villiers

and Gerna Clifford

Pipes pumps and valves55 Port Elizabeth goes

trenchless62 SAPPMA releases revised

technical manual64 Name change for water group65 Protection for pipelines

Products and services67 Irrigation products for

all markets68 Lighting up Tzaneen

IMIESA JULY 2012 3

EDITOR'S COMMENT

Richard Jansen Van Vuuren

Infrastructure forums to be rolled out regionally

PUBLISHER Elizabeth ShortenEDITOR Richard Jansen van VuurenASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ferdie PieterseHEAD OF DESIGN Frédérick DantonSENIOR DESIGNER Hayley MendelowSENIOR SUB-EDITOR Claire NozaicSUB-EDITOR Patience GumboCONTRIBUTORS Candice LandiePRODUCTION MANAGER Antois-Leigh BotmaPRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jaqueline ModiseFINANCIAL MANAGER Andrew Lobban (ACIS, FCIBM)MARKETING AND ONLINE MANAGER Martin HillerADMINISTRATION Tonya HebentonDISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa MasinaDISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha PursothamSUBSCRIPTIONS [email protected] United Litho Johannesburg +27 (0)11 402 0571___________________________________________________

ADVERTISING SALESJenny Miller Tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223___________________________________________________

PUBLISHER: MEDIA No. 4, 5th Avenue, Rivonia 2056PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 E-mail: [email protected] www.3smedia.co.za

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: R480.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR.© Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.___________________________________________________

IMESA CONTACTSIMESA Administration Officer: Ingrid BottonP O Box 2190, Westville, 3630Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263Fax: +27 (0)31 266 5094Email: [email protected]: www.imesa.org.za

BORDER BRANCHSecretary: Melanie MatroosTel: +27 (0)43 705 2401Fax: +27 (0)43 743 5266E-mail: [email protected]

EAST CAPE BRANCHElsabé KoenTel: +27 (0)41 505 8005Fax: +27 (0)41 581 2300E-mail: [email protected]

KWAZULU-NATAL BRANCHSecretary: Rita ZaaymanTel: +27(0)31 311 6382

NORTHERN PROVINCE BRANCHSecretary: Cornel TaljaardTel: +27 (0)82 899 8341Fax: +27 (0)11 675 1324E-mail: [email protected]

SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO BRANCHSecretary: Henrietta OliverTel: +27(0)79 390 7536Fax: 086 536 3725E-mail: [email protected]

WESTERN CAPE BRANCHSecretary: Erica van JaarsveldTel: +27 (0)21 938 8455Fax: +27 (0)21 938 8457E-mail: [email protected]

FREE STATE AND NORTHERN CAPE BRANCHSecretary: Wilma Van Der WaltTel: +27(0)83 457 4362Fax: 086 628 0468E-mail: [email protected]

REST OF SOUTHERN AFRICARepresentative: Andre MullerE-mail: [email protected]

All material herein IMIESA is copyright protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa or the publishers.

Cover opportunity In each issue, IMIESA offers advertisers the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or service on the front cover of the journal. Buying this position will afford the advertiser the cover story on pages and maximum exposure. For more information on cover bookings contact Jenny Miller on tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223.MERCEDES-BENZ

IMESA

The official magazine of the Institute

of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa


Winner of the 2011 PICA

Non-professional writer of the year

Engineering

Job losses

Johannesburg

Flood

alleviation

InsightEngineering

prosperity

I S S N 0 2 5 7 1 9 7 8 V o l u m e 3 7 N o . 6 • J u n e 2 0 1 2 • R 4 0 . 0 0 ( i n c l V A T )

Peter Newmarch, president of SAGI: “There is huge scope for rapid

turnaround times and cost-effective solutions in infrastructure mapping”p18

MEDIA

he hiinn th

Introduces TruckMobility

tN

DDDD

f t

hoe

NN o 6 J u e 22 00 1 22 •2

T )0 ( i n c l V A T

0 0R 4 0

ere is huge scope for rapid

olutions in infrastructure mapping”

olutions in infrastructure mapping”

olutions in infrastructure mappingppp

kM





MEDIA



Trenchless contract completed in Port Elizabeth


Baarloowworrlld Eqquipmmeeennt


ON 21 AND 22 JUNE, 3S Media,

in conjunction with Akanya Media,

held the inaugural national Public-

Private Infrastructure Forum in

Johannesburg. Presentations were made by the

following people:

• Phumelele Motsoahae – executive manager

of group planning: Transnet

• Andrew Etzinger – senior general manager:

Eskom

• Chris Campbell – president: Engineering

Council of South Africa

• Manglin Pillay – CEO: The South African

Institution Of Civil Engineering

• Gregory Mofokeng – secretary: Black

Business Council Built Environment

• Sarah Rushmere – special projects manager:

Green Building Council of South Africa

• Neville Gurry – executive director: South African

Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors

• Mfezezko Gwazubue – acting COO: Public

Works (on behalf of Minister Thembelani

Nxesi)

• Ursula Ntsubane – CEO: Construction

Industry Development Board

• Tumi Dlamini – executive director: Master

Builders South Africa

• Frank Stevens – deputy president: IMESA

• Naren Bhojaram – president: Consulting

Engineers South Africa.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, delegates and

speakers were split up into groups to workshop

the following topics:

• job creation, transformation and empower-

ment in the construction industry

• unlocking infrastructure spend for new pro-

jects and for maintenance

• how the public and private sector can work

together to achieve infrastructure develop-

ment and maintenance goals, and how to

access funding.

Each group presented the problems they had

identified followed by proposed solutions –

these will be highlighted in the August edition of

IMIESA.

Following the suc-

cess of the inaugural

event, we will now be rolling the

event out on a regional level

beginning with Mpumalanga,

from 23 to 24 July, and Limpopo

in August.

As this is a water-focused

edition of IMIESA, we highlight

a massive challenge facing

KwaZulu-Natal. It is estimat-

ed that 9 000 Mℓ/month of water is being lost

in the Durban area alone.

Government statistics released by Water

Affairs Minister Edna Molewa indicate that more

than 50% of purified pipe water supplies go to

waste in most KwaZulu-Natal municipalities,

largely from burst pipes and leakages, thefts

or other unauthorised use. In the Newcastle

area, 76% of treated municipal water supplies

is considered “non-revenue water”, while more

than 65% of treated water in three other munici-

palities is also leaking away or used illegally.

Although the percentage of non-revenue water

in eThekwini is considerably lower at 36.8%, the

Durban area nevertheless accounts for the larg-

est waste by volume. The Blue Scorpions, the

special government unit set up to protect water

resources, is understaffed and did not lay a

single criminal charge against water thieves and

polluters last year, according to a new report by

the Centre for Environmental Rights.

The report, titled “Stop Treading Water”, says

there are between 14 and 21 specialist mem-

bers of the Blue Scorpions dealing full-time with

a wide variety of water law violations. Last year,

the Blue Scorpions were asked to investigate

more than 100 violations.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS

ABOVE Non-revenue water remains a significant challenge for municipalities

Theme: Engineering for Change

REGISTER & PAY BEFORE 31 JULY TO QUALIFY FOR EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

2012 IMESACONFERENCE

24 - 26 October 2012

G E O R G E

031 2663263

[email protected]

Choose your Technical Tour from a selection of Award Winning projects or the rare opportunity to visit PetroSA:

Eco Project: Touw River

Re-use of Waste Water: George Ultra-Filtration Plant

New Water Sources: Mossel Bay Desalination Plant

Safety / Acquisitions:PetroSA

Share ideas and experiences with over 650 municipal engineers & stakeholders.

Discover the latest in technology with over 60 confirmed exhibitors!

Submit a paper extract for consideration to [email protected] to share knowledge, and gain exposure and recognition for your contribution to engineering.

Acknowledge the best in the industry by attending the Excellence Awards & Opening Function!

Network and socialise with suppliers and customers during the conference and at the informal Gala Function at De Vette Mossel.

Enjoy an extended weekend in the beautiful Garden Route with your partner– see website for details of the spectacular Companions Tour on offer!

To register or for comprehensive information visit www.imesa.org.za

IMIESA JULY 2012 5

PRESIDENT'S COMMENT

WE WERE PROUD when the

event went of f almost flaw-

lessly, and every person who

contributed to this great pro-

ject deserves a par t of the credit, including,

to no small extent, members of our institute.

In par ticular we have been left with a legacy

of magnificent stadiums. A question that

was often asked before the World Cup is

how successful these stadiums would be

after the FIFA caravan had folded its tents

and gone; and now, even more per tinently,

we are asking what we are left with: a monu-

ment to infrastructural planning or a collec-

tion of white elephants?

The various stadiums built for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup are assets for the future.

Utilising the legacy

by Jannie Pietersen, president of IMESA

IMESA and CESA 2012 Biennial Project Excellence Awards

I am pleased to confirm that entries are open for the IMESA and CESA 2012 Biennial Project Excellence Awards.

As advised on the institute’s website, the general objectives of the awards are to:• give recognition to well-engineered civil

engineering projects for infrastructure• portray the art and science of civil

engineering for infrastructure to the general public• illustrate how the profession finds

answers to challenging infrastructure engineering problems.

Award categories are:• structures and buildings• water/wastewater• roads/stormwater• environmental• community upliftment.

I encourage members to submit entries. These awards are the shop window not only of the entrants and winners, but of the institute as well. Entries and supporting documentation and material must be submitted by 31 July. Winners will be announced at the annual conference in October.

Towards the end of 2011, the minister

of sport was able to give an indication: the

answer is that we are left, it seems, with some

vibrant successes, but also a couple of large

pale pachyderms. Among the latter are the Ellis

Park and the Free State stadiums, which have

hosted 10 and 12 events respectively since the

World Cup (and this must be balanced against

the fact that both of them are South African

Rugby Football Union Test Venues that host

Currie Cup and Super Rugby franchises).

Apart from Royal Bafokeng and Cape Town

stadiums with 29 and 25 events respectively,

all the others, including Port Elizabeth, have

held between 12 and 19. At the other end

of the scale, the iconic Moses Mabhida

stadium in Durban, despite not landing the

Sharks rugby franchise, has hosted over

90 events, more than three times the next

best, Royal Bafokeng, thanks to an impres-

sive feat of marketing. Events have included

music concerts, political and religious rallies,

Twenty20 cricket and, of course, soccer.

Moses Mabhida has also successfully hosted

the Top Gear Festival, a spin-off of the world-

renowned BBC TV series. A track was laid

inside the stadium, and adjacent streets were

closed to form a circuit on which Top Gear dis-

played a range of events and cars, including

Formula 1 demonstrations.

It is this sor t of imaginative coopera-

tion between municipalities, marketers and

promoters that will ensure the success of

these stadiums.

Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban, despite not landing the Sharks rugby franchise, has hosted over 90 events... thanks to an impressive feat of marketing

6 IMIESA JULY 2012

COVER STORY

KWAZULU-NATAL-BASED multi-disci-

plinary group Aqua Transport &

Plant Hire continues its national

expansion strategy in the construc-

tion sector, adding to its extensive plant

holding with the recent acquisition of a fleet

of new Cat 140K motor graders, supplied

and supported by Southern African Cat dealer

Barloworld Equipment.

These units join Aqua’s extensive and diver-

sified plant holding of over 1 000 units in sup-

port of the company’s Plant Hire division and

rapidly growing Civil Contracting arm. Aqua’s

Plant Hire division is one of the largest in the

country, serving a broad range of industrial,

construction, civil engineering and quarrying

clients, many of whom have been customers

since Aqua’s inception in 1986.

A privately owned company and a BBBEE

contributor, Aqua has an 8 CE PE grading

from the Construction Industry Development

Board, with plans in place to position the

group for a move into the 9 CEP bracket soon.

This will provide unlimited scope for project

activity nationally.

“Historically, the group started out as a plant

hire business with a focus on bulk water tank-

ers for downstream delivery to industry and

communities, hence the name ‘Aqua’, Latin

for water, in our company name,” explains

Kevin Naicker, CEO of Aqua Transport &

Plant Hire. “Today this remains an important

business activity.”

“Alongside our other business activities,

Aqua has built a solid reputation in the civils

industry based on our ability to successfully

complete end-to-end projects,” adds Naicker.

The civils project scope includes bulk earth-

works, road construction, municipal storm- and

wastewater, and structural concrete works

such as bridges, reservoirs and water treat-

ment plants.

“Our ongoing capital equipment modernisa-

tion programme keeps pace with our capacity

to tender on new projects,” says Naicker.

In its home base of KwaZulu-Natal, Aqua has

been involved in creating new road infrastruc-

ture, as well as maintaining and repairing sur-

faces for major municipalities for many years.

Work in progress includes a major reha-

bilitation and upgrade contract awarded in

November 2011 by the South African National

Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) on a section

of the N11, in joint venture with Stefanutti

Stocks, while work on the John Ross Highway

Aqua’s civil excellence Solid foundations lay the groundwork for ongoing expansion of roads, municipal infrastructure and plant hire.

ABOVE Standard on all K-Series models, the variable horsepower feature increases machine productivity by matching power to ground speeds

IMIESA JULY 2012 7

COVER STORY

in Richards Bay for the KwaZulu-Natal

Department of Transport is at an advanced

stage of completion. Aqua has also recently

been awarded the N2/KwaMashu Interchange

project by SANRAL.

Growth in the roads business was fur-

ther strengthened in 2010 following Aqua’s

acquisition of Sanyati’s Asphalt Division. The

amalgamation of these technical skills and

plant assets within the Aqua Group, together

with a comprehensive equipment modernisa-

tion programme, has subsequently led to the

formation of an asphalt manufacturing and

surfacing entity branded as the Aqua Road

Rehabilitation Division.

Aqua’s Asphalt Division provides a turnkey

black top surfacing solution, from asphalt

manufacturing to truck delivery, laying and

finishing, backed by the company’s milling,

recycling and paving fleet. Current capacity is

around 1 200 t of asphalt daily.

Supporting Aqua’s market growth, Naicker

says that the Cat 140K was determined as the

optimum grader choice for its construction and

plant hire businesses.

“The Cat 140K builds on the excellent

track record of the previous generation 140H

model with noticeable improvements in terms

of overall operator productivity,” comments

Naicker. “This is a machine that’s designed

to keep on delivering, providing a good return

on investment.”

Compared to the 140H’s Cat 3306 engine,

the 140K’s C7 ACERT power plant provides a

torque increase of 8 to 10%, depending on the

application. Additionally, customised torque

curves increase

peak torque

for improved

lugging per formance and responsiveness.

“The torque rise on the Cat 140K is around

47% in contrast to 33% on the previous

generation H-Series,” points out Barloworld

Equipment Cat sales professional, Sanjeev

Rampersadh, based at the Durban branch.

“Standard on all K-Series models, the vari-

able horsepower feature increases machine

productivity by matching power to ground

speeds,” Rampersadh continues, highlighting

key features. “For example, in the lower gears

where the machine is traction-limited, engine

horsepower is automatically reduced, and this

helps to lower fuel consumption while minimis-

ing tyre slippage.”

These features help to keep owning and

operating costs down, which are important

considerations from both contracting and plant

hire perspectives.

Aqua’s Plant Hire division plays a key role

in major South African infrastructure projects,

which in the recent past included the Gautrain

Rapid Rail Link development and the Gauteng

Freeway Improvement Project. For the

Gautrain project, for example,

Aqua supplied more than

in motion

Naicker. “This is a machine that’s designed

to keep on delivering, providing a good return

on investment.”

Compared to the 140H’s Cat 3306 engine,

the 140K’s C7 ACERT power plant provides a

torque increase of 8 to 10%, depending on the

application. Additionally, customised torque

curves increase

peak torque

for improved

Freeway Improvement Project. For the

Gautrain project, for example,

Aqua supplied more than

60 items of plant, including 14 readymix

trucks. Longer-term plant hire contracts were

also recently completed for various consortium

contractors at Eskom’s Medupi and Kusile

power station developments.

“Going forward, we continue to refine our

capabilities in civil construction, plant hire, as

well as the supply of asphalt products, ensur-

ing that we have the expertise and technolo-

gies in place to meet current and future project

requirements,” concludes Naicker.

ABOVE Aqua Transport & Plant Hire recently added to its extensive plant holding with the acquisition of a fleet of new Cat 140K motor graders

IMIESA offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Companies are afforded the opportunity of publishing a two-page cover story and a cover picture to promote their products to an appropriate audience. Please call Jenny Miller on +27(0)11 467 6223 to secure your booking.

“Aqua has built a solid reputation in the civils industry based on our ability to successfully complete end-to-end projects”

BELOW In its home base of KwaZulu-Natal, Aqua Transport & Plant Hire

has been involved in creating new road infrastructure, as

well as maintaining and repairing surfaces

for major municipalities for many years

IME

SA

AFF

ILIA

TE M

EM

BE

RS

Afri-Infra [email protected]

AJ Broom Road Products [email protected]

Arup SA [email protected]

Aurecon [email protected]

Bigen Group Africa [email protected]

BKS Consulting Engineers [email protected]

BMK Consulting [email protected]

Bosch Stemele [email protected]

Bosch Munitech [email protected]

BVI Consulting Engineers [email protected]

CBI Consulting Engineers [email protected]

Civilconsult Consulting Engineers [email protected]

Civil & Blasting Solutions [email protected]

Concrete Manufacturers [email protected]

Corrosion Institute of Southern Africa [email protected]

CSIR Built Environment [email protected]

Davies Lynn & Partners [email protected]

Development Bank of SA [email protected]

DPI Plastics [email protected]

EFG Engineers [email protected]

Elster Kent Metering [email protected]

EnviroServ Waste Management [email protected]

Geotechnologies [email protected]

GLS Consulting [email protected]

Goba [email protected]

Hidrostal SA [email protected]

Huber Technology [email protected]

Hydro-comp Enterprises [email protected]

I@Consulting [email protected]

Iliso Consulting [email protected]

Infraset [email protected]

Jeffares and Green [email protected]

Johannesburg Water [email protected]

Kgatelopele Consulting [email protected]

Knowledge Base [email protected]

Lektratek Water [email protected]

Makhaotse Narasimulu & Associates [email protected]

Maragela Consulting Engineers [email protected]

Much Asphalt [email protected]

Nyeleti Consulting [email protected]

Odour Engineering Systems [email protected]

PD Naidoo & Associates Consulting Engineers [email protected]

Power Construction [email protected]

Pumptron [email protected]

Pragma Africa [email protected]

Rocla [email protected]

SBS Water Systems [email protected]

Sektor Consulting [email protected]

Sight Lines [email protected]

SiVEST SA [email protected]

SNA Inc [email protected]

Siza Water Company [email protected]

SRK Consulting [email protected]

SSI [email protected]

Sulzer Pumps Wastewater [email protected]

Syntell [email protected]

Thm Engineers East London [email protected]

TPA Consulting [email protected]

UWP Consulting [email protected]

Vela VKE [email protected]

WorleyParsons [email protected]

WSP Group Africa [email protected]

WSSA [email protected]

WRP [email protected]

Zebra Surfacing [email protected]

IMESAIMESA

IMIESA JULY 2012 9

NEWS

BLUE DROP ACCREDITATION and

the annual Blue Drop report and

awards have had a significant

impact on the water sector during

the last four years. The report is prompted

by the desire to be transparent and ensure

that credible information is communicated

between municipalities, the Department of

Water Affairs (DWA) and the end user.

This year, the DWA has clarified that:

• Blue Drop certification goes beyond the

quality of drinking water alone; it ventures

into other spheres such as risk manage-

ment, operations and asset management.

• If a small town does not have Blue Drop cer-

tification, this does not necessarily indicate

that the water is unsafe to drink.

• The 2012 report provides information on

the drinking water quality management

performance of all South African water

services authorities for the period: January

to December 2011.

• The certification programme is a non-volun-

tary, incentive-based regulatory initiative.

National overview• Limpopo: 79.4%

• North West: 78.7%

• Gauteng: 98.1%

• Mpumalanga: 60.9%

• KwaZulu-Natal: 92.1%

• Eastern Cape: 82.1%

• Western Cape: 94.2%

• Northern Cape: 68.2%

Eastern CapeBuffalo City Metropolitan Municipality is the

best performing municipality in the Eastern

Cape with support from Amatole Water Board

as its water service provider.

Free StateMatjhabeng Local Municipality is the best

performing municipality in the Free State with

support from Sedibeng Water Board as its

water service provider.

GautengEkurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is the

best per forming municipality in Gauteng

with support from Rand Water as its water

service provider.

KwaZulu-NataleThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is the

best performing municipality in KwaZulu-Natal

Blue Drop analysis for 2012This year saw the fourth Blue Drop accreditation process come to fruition at the Blue Drop Awards, which was held in conjunction with the WISA 2012 conference and Exhibition. by Richard Jansen van Vuuren

BLUE DROP ASSESSMENT ANALYSIS (NATIONAL)Category 2009 2010 2011 2012

Municipalities audited 107 153 162 153

Water systems audited 402 787 914 931

Number of Blue Drop awards 25 38 66 98

National Blue Drop score 51.4% 67.2% 72.9% 87.6%

The Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA) and Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) have pleasure in inviting local, provincial and government/semi-government authorities and / or

their engineering consultants to submit entries for the 2012 biennial Project Excellence Awards competition.

Entry forms can be downloaded at: www.imesa.org.za/2012-excellence-awards/

Completed entries must be sent to Debbie Anderson at [email protected] before 31 July 2012

C ompleted entry forms must be submitted together with the hard copy submission and CD by 31 July 2012 to:

IMESA House, 2 Derby Place, WESTVILLE, 3629Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 for more information

IMESA

IMESA/CESA Excellence AwardsCALL FOR ENTRIES

IMIESA JULY 2012 11

NEWS

with support from Umgeni Water as its water

service provider.

LimpopoLephalale Local Municipality is the best per-

forming municipality in Limpopo with private

sector support from Exxaro and Eskom as its

water service providers.

MpumalangaSteve tshwete Local Municipality is the best

per forming municipality in Mpumalanga

with support from Eskom as its water

service provider.

North West Tlokwe City Council is the best performing

municipality in the North West.

Northern Cape Hantam Local Municipality is the best perform-

ing municipality in the Northern Cape.

Western CapeCity of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality

is the best performing municipality in the

Western Cape.

Speaking at the release of the National Blue

Drop Water Quality Assessment Report, the

Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs,

Edna Molewa, stated that water quality in the

country is a key priority for the DWA.

“We take our mandate as custodian of the

nation’s water resources very seriously and

we have, over the years, sought to perfect our

strategies and planning initiatives to ensure

only the best water is supplied to citizens,”

she stated.

Molewa highlighted that she is pleased that

South Africa’s tap water remains among the

best in the world, pointing out that South Africa

is one of only a handful of countries where

people can drink water directly from the tap.

“We are therefore committed to doing eve-

rything in our power to ensure this does not

change but instead improves further. The Blue

Drop certification programme is the depart-

ment’s own innovative means of regulation,

designed and implemented with the objective

of improving tap water quality management.

This is a flagship innovation of the department

and it has been embraced by the majority of

our municipalities over the past four years.

This is borne out by the marked improvement

in the submission of performance portfolios

by municipalities.

“I must however stress that a town or city

whose water is not given a Blue Drop cer-

tificate is not necessarily unsafe for human

consumption. The certificate is awarded as

an acknowledgement of excellent drinking

water quality management that surpasses the

requirements of national norms and standards

by a significant margin. In fact there are a num-

ber of water systems in many towns where the

water complies well with set standards, but

there are certain shortcomings identified with

the overall risk management aspect,” pointed

out Molewa.

The report of 2012 shows significant

improvements, which serves as evidence

of the positive impact this incentive-based

regulation approach is having on the South

African water sector. The first Blue Drop

report of 2009 indicated that the national

microbiological compliance for South African

tap water was measured at 93.3% against the

National Standard (SANS 241). Notably this

has increased to 97.3% in the 2012 reporting

cycle. The overall national drinking water com-

pliance figure is recorded at 98.93% (based

upon microbiological, chemical, physical and

organoleptic data).

Molewa has since drawn attention to what

has become a key performance area in the

Blue Drop assessment process: Water safety

planning. This is a fundamental component of

the Blue Drop certification programme; it was

introduced by the World Health Organisation

and first implemented in South Africa country

in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

PERFORMANCE LOG OF THE MUNICIPAL BLUE DROP SCORES FOR 2012 AND 2011Water services authority Province 2012 national log position Blue Drop score 2012 2011 national log position Blue Drop score 2011

Ekurhuleni Gauteng 1 98.95% 4 97.44%

City of Johannesburg Gauteng 2 98.92% 1 97.69%

Mogale City Gauteng 3 98.79% 8 96.19%

eThekwini KwaZulu-Natal 4 98.77% 13 95.71%

Tlokwe North West 5 98.45% 5 96.87%

City of Cape Town Western Cape 6 98.14% 2 97.61%

Bitou Western Cape 7 97.74% 9 96.12%

Witzenburg Western Cape 8 97.63% 3 97.56%

Randfontein Gauteng 9 97.54% 17 95.24%

George Western Cape 10 97.41% 7 96.26%

In 2011, it was reported that 154 systems

have water safety plans in place, while during

the 2012 audits it was confirmed that 579

water supply systems had water safety plans

in place.

The significance of water safety planning

is that it is a safety net to ensure people’s

lives are not placed at risk when issues of

contamination occur in the drinking water sup-

ply. An example of this is when contamination

of water occurred at Diepsloot in Gauteng;

because safety planning was in place, authori-

ties were able to shut down the water supply

until they were satisfied the water was again

safe to drink.

The department is measuring per formance

of municipalities on the key per formance

indicators of the Regulatory Per formance

Measurement System. This year, the depart-

ment released the Municipal Water Services

Per formance Assessment repor t together

with the Blue Drop report to allow the pub-

lic a view on the status of municipal water

services and allow the authorities to com-

pare their per formance with other similar

sized municipalities.

12 IMIESA JULY 2012

GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE

THE BACKLOG NOW STANDS at 5.3%,

or some 710 000 households, com-

pared to the 3.9 million households in

1994. This trend illustrates that the

government’s performance is on an upward

trend. In spite of this, there are still many

rural areas and informal settlements close

to our urban areas without water. Even more

worrying is the fact that there are areas where

post-1994 infrastructural deficiencies are still

characterised by taps that have run dry due

to poor maintenance or operational problems.

Such an unacceptable state of affairs dictates

that functional water infrastructure and quality

services to the remaining 5.3% of the popula-

tion become a task to be undertaken with a

sense of urgency. It is critical that our water

policies should support and act in unison with

the goals of a democratic developmental state.

We are conducting a policy review during this

financial year, in parallel with a review of the

three pieces of legislation that fall under our

jurisdiction: the National Water Act, the Water

Services Act and the Water Research Act.

The streamlining of these three pieces of

legislation will ensure that they too serve

the purposes of the developmental state

effectively and enable us to meet the needs

Streamlining legislation with developmentIn 1994, only 59% of the population had access to clean and safe drinking water. Eighteen years later, we have progressed to a national average of 94.7% with access to basic water services for all South Africans – an increase of 35.7%. By Edna Molewa, minister of water and environmental affairs

REJOICE MABUDAFHASI, the deputy minister of water and

environmental affairs, received the Global Award for Women

Leadership in Sustainable Development at the recently held

United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio

de Janeiro, Brazil.

The award ceremony aimed to capture the spirit

and momentum of women’s and gender champions’

efforts toward equality and sustainability over the last

10 years.

The award is awarded for esteem work and dedica-

tion, and is bestowed in memoriam of Marie Aminata

Khan – previous executive head of the Convention on

Biological Diversity and human rights activist.

“In recognition of your extraordinary effort and contri-

bution towards equality and sustainability, we request

you to accept this award, as our gesture of appreciation

and inspiration,” said Cate Owren, executive director of

Women Environment and Development Organisation,

which jointly hosted the awards with the International Union of the

Conservation of Nation and Global Gender and Climate Alliance.

In her acceptance of the award, Mabudafhasi stated that she had

never seen her contribution to women empowerment and environmen-

tal protection as an award-seeking activity, for

her it simply pushes her to do more for the

plight of other women.

The award comes amidst mounting pres-

sures from gender and women’s group on

the negotiating and developing partners to

increase and scale up interventions aimed

at the emancipation of women, including the

‘women’ Millennium Development Goals of

water and sanitation.

of our people in relation to water services,

economic growth and development. Flowing

from this review, the effective involvement of

all stakeholders – particularly the poor and the

marginalised – in decision making processes

is one of the indispensable and critical com-

ponents that will ensure that we manage our

water in a way that supports the purposes of a

developmental state. To this end, we are find-

ing innovative ways to incorporate the inclusive

consultative and participatory mechanisms

in the law. Together, we owe it to future gen-

erations of our country to find viable ways to

ensure water security.

GLOBAL AWARD FOR DEPUTY MINISTER

LEFT Rejoice Mabudafhasi, the deputy minister of water and environmental Affairs

IMIESA JULY 2012 13

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

THE AUTHOR of the book, Lani van

Vuuren, who is the editor of The Water

Wheel magazine, says her research

took her on a nationwide tour to meet

the people involved in the construction of

South Africa’s dams.

The book launch, held on 30 May, was

attended by many of the country’s most

experienced engineers who have first-hand

knowledge of South Africa’s largest and most

innovative dam projects.

The glossy, full-colour 340-page publica-

tion takes the reader on a journey through

the history of South Africa’s largest dams,

starting with the traditional attitudes and

indigenous knowledge around water resources

prior to European settlement and ending with

a glimpse into the future of dam building in

the country.

The vast majority of the population of this

country get its drinking water from dams, and

water from dams is used to generate electric-

ity, power industries and grow food. In fact,

South Africa has the largest number of dams

in Africa (over 500 large dams) and was at one

time one of the leading dam-building countries

in the world. Yet, few of us know which dams

serve us, how they got there and who built

them. The aim of the book is to educate and

raise awareness about the country’s dams.

The big era of dam construction is now over

and, apart from a few more projects, such as

the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands

Water Project, we are unlikely to see any new

large dam projects in future. They form an

important part of our national water heritage,

and just like other water infrastructure, such

as water and wastewater treatment works,

they need to be maintained and looked after.

We also need to use the water from the dams

wisely – to make sure the people who toiled

hard in the sun and extreme weather to build

them did not do so in vain.

“South Africa has developed a large per-

centage of its water resources and there will

be limited dam developments in the future.

However, we need to look after our multibil-

lion rand dam assets by way of maintenance

and rehabilitation,” says Danie Badenhorst,

chairperson of the South African National

Committee on Large Dams (SANCOLD).

“Dam safety is cardinal in this respect. Highly

developed skills are required for rehabilitation,

which is often more difficult than constructing

a new dam. SANCOLD and the International

Committee on Large Dams resources are in

place to assist with such skills and information

transfer,” explains Badenhorst.

“The book actually started as a series of

water history articles in The Water Wheel. I

first wanted to see how people would react to

the articles, and what the demand for such a

book would be. My first history article was on

the Hartbeespoort Dam, which was originally

completed in 1924, and it appeared in the

May/June 2008 edition of the magazine. I

have been researching dam-related history for

four years,” explains Van Vuuren.

On a lighter note, she points out that she

realised she had been working too long on

the book when the staff at the national library

began greeting her by her first name every time

she walked through the door!

“The book has confirmed to me that, like

other people working in the water sector, engi-

neers are hard-working, passionate people.

Every dam project they tackle they do so in

the hope that it will make a real difference to

people on the ground. Without our extremely

sophisticated water resources infrastructure

network, this country would not have been able

to develop. And for that we owe our engineers

a great deal,” maintains Van Vuuren.

Following four years of painstaking research, a comprehensive book about dams in South Africa, In the Footsteps of Giants – Exploring the History of South Africa’s large dams, is available from the Water Research Commission.

The history behind South Africa’s large dams

RIGHT Dr Theo von Robbroeck (honorary president: ICOLD); Dora Ndaba (board member: WRC); Lani van Vuuren; Dhesigen Naidoo (CEO: WRC); Drinie van Rensburg (multimedia publisher: WRC); and Danie Badenhorst (chairman: SANCOLD) at the launch of the book

ABOVE The cover of In the Footsteps of Giants – Exploring the History of South Africa’s large dams

IMIESA JULY 2012 15

OPINION

SIMULTANEOUSLY, SOUTH AFRICA

is losing qualified engineers to

other countries and disciplines.

And Sanral (South African National

Roads Agency Limited) almost lost a

valuable asset.

The loss of competent professionals is dam-

aging to South Africa, whether through a lack

of project roll-out, economic downturn, greener

pastures within and outside the country, or

personal frustration with inadequately quali-

fied government officials in charge of procure-

ment procedures. A concerted effort should

be made to avoid further loss of this scarce

resource. For South Africa to meet the needs

of service delivery to communities, it will be

imperative for all tiers of government to make

use of the existing resource, which primarily

consists of pale, ageing males with loads of

knowledge, experience and wisdom. The much

sought-after turnaround strategies, which have

been tried in recent years, can only come to

fruition with the application of this wisdom

through direct intervention, knowledge trans-

fer to young engineers through the ENERGYS

programme of the South African Institution

of Civil Engineering (SAICE) – this will affect

adequate and appropriate service delivery well

into the future.

What lies at the heart of producing civil

engineers with the professional expertise,

managerial competencies, experience and wis-

dom to start a world-class business/venture?

What is the impetus that would activate this

process? Where does the responsibility belong

– home, school, university or the industry? Are

mentoring and coaching the links to creating

this ‘creature’?

How does it work?Manglin Pillay, CEO of SAICE, sketches a scary

scenario: At a university of technology, the lec-

turer asks the cream of the crop of first year

civil engineering students: “How many degrees

in a half circle?” He points to a youngster

sitting in the third row. The student whispers

something; the lecturer draws closer and says:

“Louder please.” The student mumbles: “Sir, it

depends on the size of the half circle.”

In 2011, about 495 000 learners sat for

their matric examinations. Only 12% passed

both core maths and physical science with

more than 40%. This is the pool from where

all professions come to drink. According to

Allyson Lawless’ research document, Numbers

and Needs, about 1% of those who write this

examination will enter into tertiary engineering

programmes. However, if we think that the

threat to engineering sustainability is limited to

core maths and science performances and a

floundering education system, we are mislead-

ing ourselves.

“Engineers operate within a balance of group

work and focused independent work. Written,

spoken and visual communication is critical,

as are group dynamics. Asking questions and

challenging ideas are part of what we do. We

are professionally obliged to provide creative

and cost-effective solutions in a well thought

through process, in an ethical manner. It is not

up for debate – core maths, science, accuracy,

excellent general knowledge and appreciation

for local and national political and business

environments are absolute requirements. But

there are also those uncomfortable compo-

nents associated with emotional awareness:

respect, ethics and interdependent profes-

sional human relations. These are the people

issues – being able to effectively communicate

with the boss, other seniors, contemporaries

We are constantly confronted with the news that civil engineering is one of the priority scarce skills that South Africa needs to ensure the creation, maintenance and development of infrastructure that would lead to social and economic growth.

How many degrees in a half circle?

Only 12% passed both core maths and physical science with more than 40%

Infrastructurene.ws brings together the communities from our three magazines – IMIESA, Water&Sanitation Africa and ReSource. It is a leading news hub, with in-depth articles, videos and podcasts, an events calendar, and full social media functionality.

Have your say or get the conversation

started about anything and everything related to the infrastructure and service delivery industries.

The @infrastructure4 tweets will keep you updated on all the latest, exciting and, of course, interesting happenings in the infrastructure and service delivery industries.

READY FOR MORE?To advertise on infrastructurene.ws, contact Jenny [email protected]: +27 (0)11 467 6223Fax: 086 587 6247

For editorial enquiries contact Candice Landie [email protected]: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7275

VISIT www.infrastructurene.ws TODAY

STAY IN TOUCH A weekly newsletter keeps you up to dateSign up online for our FREE weekly newsletter and get an instant summary of the latest news, events and developments in the infrastructure and service delivery industries.

JOIN THE INFRASTRUCTURENE.WS COMMUNITY FOR FREE

IN ASSOCIATION WITH


Water storage solutions for Africa




WaterLooming crisis

EkurhuleniUrban infrastructure

LitterLurking danger


Dirk Meyer, managing director of Corobrik:

MEDIA

Complete water resource and wastewater management

Think water, think WISA!The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa

MEDIA

Africa

Dean Mulqueeny, managing director NCP Chlorchem, discusses the company'swater treatment solutions

THE HOT SEAT P12

y'

P1's

12

TT

SEMBCORPVital partners,

essential water solutions

MUNICIPALITIES Water metering reference guide

WATER REPORTCradle of Humankind

Scan here to go to website

IMIESA JULY 2012 17

and subordinates, under all circumstances,”

explains Pillay.

“I am not sure that the university can teach

coming to work on time, respecting com-

pany resources, having regard for seniors,

colleagues and clients, dressing appropriately

and such like. This used to emanate from

being part of a wholesome community, which

includes healthy family units, involvement in

faith-based organisations, schools and other

community-related avenues. Engineering sen-

iors need to take into account that many

engineering graduates come from single- or

no-parent homes. The challenge is enhanced

by the cultural differences that South Africa so

richly enjoys.

“Furthermore, learners are starting to suf-

fer serious written and spoken impediments.

Thanks to instant communication devices,

the English language, which is the dominant

engineering language in South Africa, is being

reduced to phonetic and guttural sounds.

‘Lrnrs cum ot of skol spelng lik dis… ROTFL’

[Learners come out of school spelling like

this… rolling on the floor laughing]. The inability

to converse or write is pervading young peo-

ple like a transmitted disease – what with

Facebook, SMSing, tweeting and other simi-

lar e-communication products available. The

instant information age is upon us, like a thief

in the night. I recently interviewed a young lady

and requested an essay on a pertinent civil

engineering issue. Chunks of the essay were

copied verbatim from online articles – Google

helped us both,” says Pillay. “Previously the

paradigm differences between the youth, the

middle-aged and seniors were limited to differ-

ences in appreciation of music, hobbies and

taste in clothing. But the youth and young engi-

neers think and communicate differently from,

say, 10 years ago. I have noticed, however, that

our training and development methods in the

engineering environment have remained almost

unchanged over the past 30 years – review the

report or drawing over and over again, write the

same lengthy compilations, advance the intel-

ligent engineering graduate, marginalise the

misfit and misunderstood graduates until they

leave,” asserts Pillay.

Being civil engineering professionals who

boast about being solution-oriented, finding

solutions for these complex issues should sure-

ly be a priority if South Africa intends on hav-

ing home-grown civil engineering professionals

answer the call for service delivery in future.

“While some wrestle the education system,

perhaps it’s time we recreated ourselves,

revised our operations and started accommo-

dating new succession planning methods for

sustainable civil engineering,” concludes Pillay.

Perhaps then the question: “How many

degrees in half a circle?” would not be

as daunting.

OPINION

Finding solutions for these complex issues should surely be a priority if South Africa intends on having home-grown civil engineering professionals

To advertise 011 467 6223 / [email protected] To subscribe 011 233 2600 / [email protected]

IMIESA is an award-winning magazine that promotes ser vice deliver y and the knowledge and practice of infrastructure development in Africa by reaching consul ting engineers, municipal engineers and managers through i ts coverage of the following topics

Environmental Engineering Mechanical Engineering Sani tar y Engineering

Civil Engineering Computer Engineering Chemical Engineering

Electrical & Electronics Engineering Geotechnical Engineering Transpor t Engineering


Scientifically engineered environmental solutions

RESOURCE RECOVERYA Dedicated Team Committed to Effective Water and Wastewater Management

Sustainable solutions with the aim of driving down production costs

OUR BUSINESS DIVISIONS

Talbot & Talbot focuses on water management, industrial and municipal wastewater and water treatment, plant operation and maintenance

Our SANAS accredited analytical laboratory supports these services and offers a wide-range of water and waste related chemical and microbiological analyses of water, wastewater

four integrated business units, we offer turnkey solutions in water and wastewater

of water and wastewater treatment plants

from effluent streams

a SANAS accredited laboratory committed to

and municipalities

>> Evaluate treatment and recycling options

>> Optimise water and wastewater management

>> Design, implementation and operation

IMIESA JULY 2012 19

WATER AND WASTEWATER

THE DAM, which has a planned capac-

ity of 300 million cubic metres, is the

14th largest in South Africa, and the

project – which began in 2008 and

was concluded in 2011 – was the second-

biggest in the company’s history.

According to Royden Webster, B&E

International’s director of operations, the task

was not without its challenges, especially

in light of the complex geology prevalent in

the region.

“The topography was very brown and soft,

and we had to remove more than 1.2 million

cubic metres of overburden to a depth of 17 m

to expose the material required for aggregate

production. To do the job in the shortest

possible time we brought in a 385 excavator

and four B40s to remove the overburden and

poorer quality material, and by November we

were able to assemble and commission the

crushing plant,” says Webster.

With construction poised to begin, the timing

was perfect for B&E International to com-

mence the production of 120 000 tpm.

The plant included nine crushers, three

Hydrasander washers, three washing screens

and five dry screens, all linked by a complex

but efficient network of conveyors.

Local geological conditions again caused

some initial production problems owing to

the variable quality of feed coming from

the quarry.

“We had to constantly change crusher set-

tings and alternate screens to stay within spec-

ification. However as our production increased

we were soon able to grow stockpiles to take

the pressure off,” explains Webster.

The urgency may have eased, but output was

prodigious. During the project life cycle, B&E

International produced nearly two million tonnes

Digging deep at the De Hoop Dam projectB&E International is continuing its long-standing relationship with the Department of Water Affairs after winning the contract for the supply of all aggregates to the De Hoop Dam scheme.

of aggregate and over a million tonnes of high

specification <4 mm washed sand, all of which

went into the construction of the dam wall.

In addition, its quarry supplied a further

87 000 t of G1 material for the construction of

the R555 by-pass around the dam. By the end

of the operation, the quarry footprint, which

will soon be under water, extended a massive

400 x 250 m.

This high level of productivity also helped the

national water regulator to stake its own claim

to fame by pouring over 133 000 m³ of con-

crete in 28 days, a new South African record.

“B&E International was one of our most

reliable and honest subcontractors, with a

‘first-time right’ approach. Aggregate was

delivered on time and within specification,”

says Department of Water Affairs’ design rep-

resentative, Jaco van Niekerk.

The dam is located near Steelpoort in the

water-stressed Sekhukhune region of the

Limpopo province.

ABOVE De Hoop Dam Primary Crushing Station RIGHT De Hoop Primary Screening Station

The task was not without its challenges, especially in light of the complex geology prevalent in the region

IMIESA JULY 2012 21


THE MEULWATER WTW is a newly

constructed purification plant locat-

ed in the ecologically sensitive Paarl

Mountain Nature Reserve.

The plant, capable of treating 8 Mℓ of potable

water per day, is situated beneath the Paarl

Rock overlooking the Paarl valley below. To

ensure that the beauty of the surrounding land-

scape remains undisturbed, Meulwater WTW

required a system that would be both aestheti-

cally pleasing, and environmentally friendly.

“We supplied and installed automation equip-

ment for the plant filtration and backwash

recovery systems. The components form part

of a concept that ensures the plant can use a

hybrid centralised and decentralised approach

to control, implementing a ‘best of both worlds’

approach,” explains Brian Abbott, Festo prod-

uct manager.

The pneumatic equipment boasts a quiet

operation and uses clean compressed air

technology. The valve actuators are simple

in construction, with few moving parts, and

have a long life expectancy. The system also

features low energy requirements, all of which

contribute significantly to the ‘green’ aspect of

the system.

“Festo installed key products due to their

reliability and ability to minimise long-term

maintenance,” notes Abbott.

The system comprises polyimide air reticula-

tion piping from compressors to valve termi-

nals, to minimise air leaks, simplify installa-

tion and increase longevity through its high

corrosion resistance, as well as MPA valve

terminal technology from Festo that ensures

that all pilot valves controlling compressed air

to the actuators are centralised and protected

from the harmful elements of the environ-

ment – weather, UV lights and moisture, for

example. Festo PLN flexible tubing from the

valve terminals to the actuators also offers

high resistance to UV sunlight, thus increas-

ing durability even more. Service units and

automatic moisture purge valves were installed

at key locations to maintain instrument air qual-

ity at all times.

“The Meulwater WTW installation is another

example of the type of complete automation

solutions that Festo is proud to offer custom-

ers in addition to our traditional pneumatic

products,” maintains Abbott.

Innovative automation equipment for purifi cation plantFesto South Africa was subcontracted by Bateman Engineering Technologies to supply and install a state-of-the-art pneumatic system for Meulwater Water Treatment Works (WTW).

RIGHT The state-of-the-art pneumatic system in the Meulwater Water Treatment Works

FAR RIGHT The pneumatic equipment boasts a quiet operation, uses clean compressed air technology and the valve actuators are simple in construction, with a long life expectancy. The system has low energy requirements

ABOVE The automation equipment for the plant filtration and backwash recovery systems form part of a hybrid centralised and decentralised approach to control

ZEST Electric Ghana LimitedCAPE A division of ZEST Electric Motors

Cora

lynne

&Ass

oci

ate

s+27

(011

)422

1949

0861 00 ZEST | www.zest.co.za

IMIESA JULY 2012 23


HYDROSCREW IS manufactured by

WAMGROUP’s Italian sister com-

pany Roncuzzi and is an environ-

mentally-friendly and cost-effective

reversible volumetric machine designed for

the production of electrical energy by con-

verting hydro energy into mechanical energy.

WAM South Africa general manager, Emilie

Marchand, explains that the Hydroscrew is

ideal for numerous applications, including

the replacement of damaged water-wheels,

clean water discharge in wastewater treatment

plants, utilisation of water power in channels

and for process water in paper and water mill-

ing applications.

“The operation of the machine is based on

the difference in potential energy between two

varying points in a water flow. Thanks to the

drop from the highest point of its natural flow,

the water is used by

the rotor to transform

the energy, before

flowing back to its

bed,” she explains.

“The Hydroscrew is

fed by the weight of the water, which moves

from top to bottom by force of gravity. The

mechanical energy generated by the liquid

Hydroscrew introduced to SAA new hydrodynamic screw has been introduced to the South African market by WAMGROUP, an internationally recognised specialist in the manufacture of screw conveyors and various bulk material handling and processing equipment.

ABOVE Hydroscrew is placed into a river or stream with a minimum decline of 1 m and a weir is built to divert water into the screw

moving the rotor is transformed into electric

energy by a power generator, which is connect-

ed through a panel to the local power network.”

Marchand notes that the Hydroscrew can be

placed into a river or stream with a minimum

decline of 1 m and a weir is built to divert water

into the screw.

“While one single machine is able to produce

up to 300 kW of renewable energy and can

handle a head of up to 6 m and a flow rate of

up to 7 000 ℓ/s, several machines can be com-

bined to handle more water or higher heads”

she continues.

“The operation of the machine is based on the difference in potential energy between two varying points in a water fl ow”

From ITT comes Xylem. Xylem is a world leader in the design, manufacturing and application of highly engineered technologies for the water industry. We are 12,000 people unified in a common purpose: creating innovative solutions to global water challenges. We know this is only achieved when partnering closely with our customers. We are committed to continuing the product innovation and forward thinking you’ve come to expect from the collection of market-leading brands in the Xylem portfolio. For more information on what this transformative shift can mean to your business, go to xyleminc.com.

Xylem Water Solutions South Africa (Pty) Ltd Tel: +27 11 966 9300

IMIESA JULY 2012 25


A WATER QUALITY STUDY, conducted

by Dr Jan Roos from Water Quality

Consultants in Bloemfontein, has

found that Kamfers Dam’s water

quality has deteriorated significantly. According

to Roos, the Kamfers Dam aquatic system is

under severe pressure because of a massive

cyanobacterial (algal) bloom and extreme oscil-

lations in oxygen concentrations driven by poor

water quality.

Not only is the water quality the worst it

has ever been, the water is reported to be at

its highest level. More than two-thirds of the

Lesser Flamingos’ breeding island remains

flooded and two important railway lines are

at risk. “This is a disaster,” explained Jahn

Hohne, chairman of the Save the Flamingo

Association. “Kimberley is about to lose one

of its most important assets and tourist attrac-

tions and the massive displays of thousands of

flamingos which greet visitors as they arrive in

Kimberley may soon be gone forever.”

Water qualityAccording to Roos, the nitrogen, ammonium,

fluoride and phosphates of the inflowing sew-

age water are exceptionally high and way

above the Department of Water Affairs’ allow-

able standards. The non-compliance to treat-

ment standards by the Homevale sewerage

treatment works is still the biggest problem

to ensure an acceptable water quality in

Kamfers Dam.

Kamfers Dam is a nutrient-enriched system

because of an excessive inflow of nutrients

(sewage) and consequent high algal biomass.

The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), for

example, in the discharge water is very high

(206 mg/ℓ) and above the maximum allowable

limit of 75 mg/ℓ. The composition of algae

is changing from mainly blue green algae,

Spirulina platensis, which is the dominant food

of the Lesser Flamingos, to Chlorella, one of

The rising levels of the Kamfers Dam have been flooding a major railway line in the Northern Cape, affecting its stability. The rising levels have also begun flooding the Lesser Flamingos’ breeding island in the dam, causing a deterioration of the water quality.

New rising main, pipelines and pump station for Kamfers Dam

the green algae – leaving room for concern that

toxin-producing algae, such as Microcystis, may

also soon be present in this polluted wetland.

Of further concern is that faecal coliform

bacteria in the outflow water were unacceptably

high (>241 900 cfu/100 mℓ) and too numer-

ous to count at the Institute for Ground Water

Studies laboratory in Bloemfontein. The gen-

eral limit for faecal coliform in sewage effluent

is 1 000 cfu/100 mℓ. These bacteria are often

an indication of human pathogens in the water,

so people who come into contact with the water

could be in danger of being infected with sev-

eral diseases. The E coli concentrations were

also too numerous to count.

WWTW upgradeThe rising water level resulted in the flooding

of the island and thousands of chicks drowned

and eggs were lost. The Homevale WWTW has

been fixed at a cost of R60 million, hence water

of a significantly improved quality will be flowing

into Kamfers Dam. The pipeline, which will be

used to pump excess treated water away from

Kamfers Dam, is currently undergoing reha-

bilitation. The dam’s water level will therefore

be maintained at an acceptable level, which

means no flooding of the flamingo breeding

island and surrounding railway lines.

Project overviewThe rising main, pump station and gravity south

and north pipelines was a combined effort of

Sol Plaatjes Municipality and Transnet. The

contractor, Entsha Henra Construction, was

commissioned to carry out the installation, and

it purchased the pipes from Fiberpipe.

Fiberpipe supplied the physical pipes and fit-

tings for all the phases as well as trained the

contractors’ staff on the proper installation of

the glass reinforced pipes (GRP). In addition,

the company provided a monitoring service

to ensure that installation procedures were

correctly adhered to and provided technical

assistance to the contractor.

For the performance required from the pipe-

line, GRP was decided upon as the best

material – complying with technical and design

requirements – and was the rated the most

economical. The installation of GRP is also

much quicker. The cost of the pipes for this

project was R35 million.

We are proud

to be the

appointed

MECHANICAL

CONTRACTOR for

the Zeekoegat

WWTW

IMIESA JULY 2012 27


WWTW UPGRADE AND EXPANSION ON TRACK

Zeekoegat WWTW complete by year endThe construction and commissioning of Stage 1 of the upgrading and expansion of Tshwane’s Zeekoegat Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) is on schedule for completion in November this year.

BELOW An aerial view of the construction of Zeekoegat Wastewater Treatment Works

28 IMIESA JULY 2012


THIS IS ACCORDING to Pierre van

Vuuren, Concor Civils’ contracts man-

ager responsible for this contract,

which is being carried out in joint

venture with Power Construction. Concor Civils

forms part of Murray & Roberts Construction.

“Completion will be two years from project

start-up in October 2010, which is six months

ahead of the scheduled contract period,” Van

Vuuren says.

Work on the stressed 30 Mℓ/d plant has

been split into four stages for budgetary

reasons. Stage 1 comprises the construction

of a new 40 Mℓ/d biological nutrient removal

activated sludge module.

The elements of the first stage comprise

additional screens and degritting chambers

at the existing inlet works; three primary

settling tanks; 10 000 m³ balancing tank;

30 000 m³ biological nutrient removal reactor

with associated air blowers, diffusers and pipe

work; four secondary settling tanks; chlorine

contact tank; various small pump stations

and sumps; all interconnecting pipework and

valves; and the upgrading of the bulk electrical

and reticulation systems.

“The project started on 21 October 2010

and from November to March 2011 we record-

ed 476 mm of rain, causing a delay as a result

of the works being flooded.”

A challenge of a more technical nature com-

prised setting up the formwork to allow for the

varying angles of walls to accommodate the

design shape of the bioreactor. One side of

the wall is vertical, while the other side is at

an angle. In addition, the angles are different

where walls cross. A total of 46 572 m² of

formwork is required for Stage 1.

The Concor Civils/Power Construction JV

has set up a batch plant on site to produce

the 14 239 m³ of concrete required for stage

one of the project. Concrete mix designs were

finalised with the assistance of Cyril Atwell,

concrete and research manager at Murray &

ABOVE Concor Civils is constructing two identical biological reactors, each capable of handling 20 Mℓ/day. The reactors are being configured to incorporate several different process configurations. A diffused aeration system will be installed because it is more energy efficient

LEFT Concor chlorine contact channels at Zeekoegat. The new chlorine contact tank will have the capacity to handle total flow of 85 Mℓ/d and has been split in two separate units to allow disinfection to take place when one unit is out of operation for maintenance

IMIESA JULY 2012 29


WINNING TEAM FOR THE ZEEKOEGAT PROJECT

BAKV3 joint venture is the professional service provider

appointed by the City of Tshwane for the design and

supervision of the Zeekoegat Wastewater Treatment

Works.

The joint venture consists of the following:

- Bigen Africa Services (Pty) Ltd;

- Worley Parsons (formerly KV3 Engineers); with

- DJJ Conradie as electrical and electronic subconsultant

The appointed contractor is a joint venture of Murray and

Roberts and Power Construction as the main contractor,

and they are supported by Lektratek (as mechanical

subcontractors) and EDSE (electrical).

The team is proud to be responsible for

of Tshwane.

Enquiries: Mr Corrie Marx

012 842 8786

[email protected]

Roberts Group. AfriSam’s high-strength cement from the company’s

Roodepoort blending plant is used for the concrete mix and aggre-

gates are supplied from its Olifantsfontein quarry.

Van Vuuren points out that the concrete mix design is stipulated

at 35 MPa. An average strength of between 45 and 48 MPa is being

achieved after 28 days.

The Concor Civils/Power Construction JV has overall respon-

sibility for all aspects of the first stage of the project, including

electrical and electronic

(subcontracted to EDSE) and

mechanical (subcontracted to

Lektratek Water). The plant

will be fully automated with

a SCADA system controlling

operational parameters.

The consulting engineers,

BAKV3 – a joint venture com-

prising Bigen Africa, KV3 (the

latter now part of the interna-

tional Worley Parsons Group)

and DJJ Conradie as specialist

electrical consultant – were briefed to plan the project to ensure there

was an overlap of work on each of the stages.

David Turner, divisional director responsible for water and waste-

water treatment at Worley Parsons, says the overall objectives of the

four-part project are to increase plant capacity from 30 to 85 Mℓ/d,

improve the quality of effluent entering the Roodeplaat Dam to meet

more stringent phosphate limits of 0.035 mg/ℓ in order to better

manage the treatment of raw water into potable water and to upgrade

sludge handling capabilities at Zeekoegat to comply with the latest leg-

islation. The contract also specifies the creation of job opportunities.

“The BAKV3 JV was appointed to undertake the detailed design and

supervision of the entire upgrading and extension of the Zeekoegat

plant. The completion of the overall project is set for 2015/16,”

he explains.

The plant will be fully automated with a SCADA system controlling operational parameters

ABOVE One of the four 35 m diameter secondary settling tanks being constructed at the Zeekoegat Wastewater Treatment Works by Concor Civils

ABOVE One of three new primary settling tanks measuring 25 m in diameter. The tanks will be equipped with rotating bridges and scrapers

30 IMIESA JULY 2012


EARLIER THIS YEAR the deputy min-

ister of Water and Environmental

Af fairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi,

announced the 2012 winners

of the Water Conservation and

Water Demand Management

Sector Awards.

Through the awards, the

department seeks to create

a platform and an enabling

environment for all role play-

ers and stakeholders from all

sectors to start appreciating

and understanding the impor-

tance of conserving water.

This is the third event of its type that rec-

ognises excellence in the field of water con-

servation and demand management, and this

year 44 nominations were received across

four categories, namely:

• agriculture

• industry, mining and power

• domestic or local government

• business.

In the local government category, 15 entries

were received and the top three received

awards on the evening. Johan Vorster and

Slindokuhle Habede from Ekurhuleni were

2012 National Water Conservation The Department of Water Affairs has a vision of a South Africa that has an embedded and actively applied culture of water conservation and water demand management in which all sectors share water resources in an equitable and sustainable manner.

AR the deputy min-

and Environmental

ce Mabudafhasi,

e 2012 winners

on and

ment

e

e

g

y-

all

ng

or-The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng was named the overall winner in the Local Government Sector

IMIESA JULY 2012 31


The only SABS-approved dry-cast kerb in SA.

At Bosun, our approach to resolving engineering

challenges has always been to simplify and innovate.

That’s why we’ve taken the manufacturing of kerbs

further with our revolutionary dry-casting process. This

allows us to compact the kerb, making a stronger, more

durable end product.

And, making kerbs the Bosun way is kinder to the

environment. No acids and chemicals are needed as

mould release agents. Another great reason to specify

Bosun kerbs on your next civil engineering project.

Visit www.bosun.co.za for even more ideas.

GautengTel (011) [email protected]

Eastern CapeTel (041) [email protected]

North West ProvinceTel (012) [email protected]

E+I 1

7008

Kerbs Dry-casting means no exposed aggregate or blowholes on the

surface of our kerbs. present to receive the top honour in the most competitive category

of the annual Water Demand Management (WDM)awards. The award

was presented in recognition of its revenue meter enhancement

project involving the investigation and consolidation of the Top

500 consumers.

This project is one of the largest industrial meter auditing projects

undertaken to date in Africa as it involves the main industrial areas

of Ekurhuleni, which in turn includes some of the largest industries

in South Africa.

The project has been highly successful in identifying the numerous

broken or missing water meters which have since been replaced

or repaired where necessary. In this manner, Ekurhuleni intends to

ensure that all water supplied to its large consumers is properly

measured and billed each month. The increase in revenue from this

exercise is such that it has a pay-back period of between six months

and a year, making it one of the most effective water demand man-

agement interventions in the overall WDM programme.

Tshwane Metro came second in the local government category

after finishing first in the previous award event, held two years ago,

Awards

LEFT The City of Tshwane, came 2nd in the Local Government Sector. Pictured are Trevor Westman, Nico Schmulian and Darryl Cassell from City of Tshwane, together with some of the WRP team members who supported Tshwane on its WDM efforts

ABOVE The Drakenstein Municipality in the Western Cape received recognition for its implementation of an indigent leak-repair programme to save water and promote efficient use among households in the town of Saron, located in Paarl. Pictured are Andre Kowalewski and Raymond Vermeulen

This project is one of the largest industrial meter auditing projects undertaken to date


32 IMIESA JULY 2012

With a solid track record spanning over half a century, GIBB has established itself as a partner of choice. Backed by a Level 2 BBBEE rating, GIBB provides engineering solutions to a diverse range of markets across the African continent.

[email protected] | www.gibb.co.za | +27 11 519 4600

and was recognised for its continued WDM

interventions that have helped to reduce

its water losses and non-revenue water to

approximately 25%, which is one of the low-

est for any major city in South Africa. Trevor

Westman from the City of Tshwane was pre-

sent to receive the award on behalf of the

city, and it was the first time that any city has

been recognised in consecutive years for its

WDM effor ts. Tshwane is aiming to reduce its

leakage levels even fur ther in years to come

and has created an internal unit dedicated to

the efficient use of water throughout the city.

The third award was presented to Andre

Kowalewski from the Drakenstein Municipality

in the Western Cape. This was the first time

that Drakenstein received recognition for its

effor ts in the WDM field, having beaten many

of the large municipalities and metros such

as City of Cape Town. Kowalewski has been

actively involved in reducing water wastage

for many years, with his municipality being

one of the first in the Western Cape to

introduce pressure management on a large

scale using some of the most advanced

equipment available, imported from Europe.

Drakenstein has driven its non-revenue water

down to approximately 10%, making it one

of the lowest levels in South Africa. The

award was presented in recognition of the

municipality’s recent effor ts to lower leak-

ages even fur ther in specific areas that expe-

rienced very high levels of plumbing leakage

within the households. This is a problem

issue in many par ts of South Africa and the

effor ts of Kowalewski demonstrate that pro-

gress can be made on a sustainable basis if

properly implemented.

In summary it was a very positive outcome,

par ticularly for Tshwane with its second place

overall. In addition, all three winners are

being supported by the Pretoria-based WRP

Consulting Engineers and its local subsidiary

4Water in the case of Klein Drakenstein. This

is the third time in a row that a project sup-

por ted by WRP has taken the top honours in

the national awards with previous recipients

being Emfuleni Local Municipality and the City

of Tshwane. The awards are becoming more

prestigious each year and cer tainly one of the

top accolades in the Water Conservation and

Water Demand Management arena.

Drakenstein has driven its non-revenue water down to approximately 10%, making it one of the lowest levels in South Africa

IMIESA JULY 2012 33


TO ASSIST WITH the task, the West

Coast District Municipality (WCDM)

has appointed leading consult-

ing engineers and scientists SRK

Consulting to assess the current situation and

propose a strategy going forward, in keeping

with the National Environmental Management

Integrated Coastal Management Act (No 24

of 2008).

The work, which focuses on preparing and

adopting a municipal coastal management

programme, will involve the local municipalities

of Bergrivier, Cederberg, Matzikama, Saldanha

Bay and Swartland.

According to Scott Masson, environmental

consultant for SRK in the Cape Town office,

the status quo assessment is the first phase

of the project and will investigate aspects

such as coastal livelihoods, the management

of marine living resources, sustainable and

unsustainable coastal development, sources

of pollution and waste management, and

Managing the coastal zone The West Coast District Municipality is getting to grips with the management of the coastal zone in a sustainable and integrated way.

access to the coast. “This will include look-

ing at aspects of coastal management pro-

grammes within and outside South Africa and

practices and procedures at municipal and

provincial level,” says Masson. “We will also

be evaluating the capacity of the five local

municipalities and the district municipality to

address the requirements of the Act.”

Input from the private sector, parastatals

and civil society has already been gleaned

through a series of stakeholder workshops,

to identify key areas of concern and start

building a common vision to manage the

coastal zone.

In the second phase of the project, a strat-

egy will be developed to address the priority

issues, clarify the roles and responsibilities of

various relevant state agencies, and consider

the costs and benefits of priority options. It

will also lead to the establishment of a

Municipal Coastal Committee to help imple-

ment the strategy.

“In the third and final stage of the work, the

current by-laws governing the management of

the coast will be evaluated and a new coastal

management by-law will be drafted to address

priority issues,” explains Masson.

ABOVE Stakeholders provide input at a series of workshops held along the coast

BELOW Main beach at Yzerfontein

BOTTOM Illegal coastal access between Doringbaai and Standfontein

34 IMIESA JULY 2012

WATER INFRASTRUCTURENo need for Maintenance

Contact details:KROHNE South Africa8 Bushbuck CloseCorporate Park SouthRandjiespark, MidrandTel: 011 314 1391 Fax: 011 314 1681John Alexander E-Mail: [email protected]

KROHNE WATERFLUX 3070 C, a battery powered, and maintenance-free electromagnetic water meter.

The WATERFLUX3000 combined with the IFC070 battery powered converter is a reliable solution for remote water monitoring needs in the water industry where no power connection is available and provides certainty in case of power failure.

The IFC 070 compact signal converter is available in aluminium and polycarbonate housing. The signal converter in a polycarbonate housing is suitable for submersion in

NEMA 6P.

Non-wearing and maintenance-free thanks to RILSAN®-lined measuring tube without moving measuring inserts and no need for repair therefore reducing the operating

resistant to pressure or vacuum conditions, to corrosion and aging. The meter can be installed with 0 inlets and 0 outlets before and after the meter due to the rectangular measuring section.

Meter complies with (SABS) now NRCS approval for billing

KROHNE – Water engineering is our world.

THIS CAME TO LIGHT after the minister of Water Affairs, Edna

Molewa, replied in writing to a parliamentary question. In it she

stated that the 14 water service authorities in the province

had lost, in total, more than 22 million cubic metres of water

each month in the past financial year.

This was out of the 55.5 million cubic metres of water that were

pumped into the province’s supply systems each month during the

period 1 July 2011 to the end of April 2012.

The term “lost” includes pipe leakage and illegal abstraction, as well

as water not billed for by the authority.

According to an annexure attached to Molewa’s reply, the authority

with the highest loss was the Newcastle Local Municipality, which lost,

on average, about 70% of its input a month. Of the 1.83 million cubic

metres put into its water system each month, 1.28 million was lost.

The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality lost 9.39 million cubic

metres of the 26.15 million cubic metres put into its system each

month (35%).

Annualising the total of the monthly averages for all 14 of the authori-

ties gives a total loss for the year of about 266.4 million cubic metres.

In comparison, the capacity of the province’s Midmar Dam is 235 mil-

lion cubic metres. The water losses are also almost twice as large as

the gross storage volume of the new Spring Grove Dam, which is being

built on the Mooi River and expected to be completed next year.

Water authorities in the province are also looking to the desalination

of sea water to help augment supply in what they describe as a “very

stressed” system.

It has been revealed that 40% of KwaZulu-Natal’s water supply water is being lost.

KZN losing 40% of its water

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

IMIESA JULY 2012 35

THE CENTRE OF Expertise is hosted by eThekwini Water and

Sanitation (EWS), the water utility for the greater Durban

area, and will introduce innovations and best practices to the

Southern African water and sanitation sector. It is an initiative

by EWS and Dutch parties Vitens-Evides International, World Waternet,

Wateropleidingen and Your Man on Site.

Through the centre, a series of pilot projects will be executed to show-

case the implementation of new technologies and facilitate knowledge

transfer. For the individual pilot projects, contributions and support

from various partners will be combined. The Centre of Expertise, which

aims to unlock innovative solutions for the benefit of the Southern

African water sector, is partly funded by the Dutch government through

the Transition Facility.

Targets for the centre include improving the performance of Southern

Africa’s peer utilities and assist in implementing innovations, best prac-

tices and technologies.

EWS and the Dutch partners are aiming to establish a long-lasting

cooperation. The partnership program will run for a four-year term,

which will act as a general framework for the individual activities,

projects and pilots. The initial focus is on non-revenue water, asset

management, sanitation and the reduction of energy consumption. Four

pilot projects have already started for 2012 and more exciting develop-

ments are waiting to be explored.

The ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Andre Haspels, and the head of eThekwini Water and Sanitation, Neil Macleod, have launched a Centre of Expertise.

Innovations and best practices boosted

TOP RIGHT Neil Macleod, head of EWS, and Andre Haspels, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

BELOW Neil Macleod, head of EWS; Hugo von Meijenfeldt, deputy director general and special envoy for climate change within the Dutch ministry of environment and ministry of foreign affairs; and Andre Haspels, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, at the launch of the centre

MANGAUNG

36 IMIESA JULY 2012

THE MANGAUNG CITY council identi-

fied the need for additional storage

capacity in the south of Bloemfontein.

Funded by the Development Bank of

Southern Africa and the Urban Settlement

Development Grant of Mangaung Municipality,

construction of the new Longbridge Reservoir

rings in at a total cost of R61 million.

The scope of works includes:

• the erection of a large 45 Mℓ prestressed

concrete reservoir

• bulk earthworks (excavation and backfilling)

Construction of the 45 Mℓ Longbridge Reservoir, with pipeline links to neighbouring suburbs, is currently under way.

New reservoir for Bloemfontein

MANGAUNG

IMIESA JULY 2012 37

Tel: 082 6777 469 / 487 • E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.corestruc.co.za

Design and construction of precast concrete structures

Corestruc is the industry leader in South Africa at providing more cost effective design and construction methods in shorter time schedules. Associated companies Coreslab precast concrete manufacturing and Twin Structures steel construction allows Corestruc the opportunity to provide clients with a total structural solution. The experienced and extremely innovative and competent design team combined with the precast concrete and structural steel factories allows Corestruc the opportunity to construct the most economical structure for clients who in the past only had the option in South Africa of the conventional in-situ concrete method.

• sub-reservoir drains

• inlet and outlet structures

• valve chambers and linking pipelines

• automatic level control valves

• a portion of a decommissioned existing

700 mm Ø cement mortar lined steel pipe-

line will be excavated and relaid as part of

the works

• provision has been made for a concrete

block paving access road, utilising local

labour where possible.

Project designThe proposed reservoir is a 45 Mℓ circular

reservoir with an internal diameter of 76.3 m

measured at the base of the wall. The wall

height is 11.3 m, with the internal face sloping

from a 700 mm thickness at the bottom to a

350 mm thickness at the top of the wall. The

wall is designed as a prestressed concrete

wall with a sliding base on elastomeric bearing

at the bottom and the roof slab supported on

elastomeric bearings at the top.

The roof will be a precast structure includ-

ing columns, beams and roof slabs. The floor

slab is 200 mm thick and is divided into 10 m

x 10 m reinforced concrete panels centred

on column positions, with expansion joints

between the panels. The wall, on the other

hand, is founded on a circular foundation on

dolerite, which is expected to be found at a

depth varying between 1.4 and 1.7 m. The floor

is to be founded on engineered layer works onto

dolerite rock.

Corestruc became involved in the project

after an alternative design to the roof structure

was proposed to Ruwacon, the main contrac-

tors on the project. The alternative design

proposed a precast prestressed concrete roof

structure instead of the proposed in situ roof

structure. Ruwacon found it financially viable to

appoint Corestruc as a subcontractor as it was

competitive in both direct costs and timesaving.

The bases, foundations, walls and floors of the

reservoir are done in situ. The roof structure

(columns, beams and roof slabs) of the reser-

voir is a precast structure done by Corestruc.

The roof slab consists of 4 750 m2 prestressed

250 mm hollow core slabs with a span of 11 m

between the beam centres. The roof structure

was designed by Corestruc’s engineers and

approved by VBL Engineers and Bigen Africa.

The dominating materials used in the construc-

tion are in situ concrete for the foundation and

walls, precast cement for the columns, beams

and roof slabs, stainless steel for all the internal

pipework, and steel for all the external pipework.

Construction commenced on 27 October

2011 and the estimated completion date is 27

August 2013.

PROJECT TEAMClient Mangaung Local Municipality

Civil engineer Bigen Africa

Contractor Ruwacon

ABOVE AND RIGHT Construction of the new R61 million Longbridge Reservoir in Mangaung

MANGAUNG

38 IMIESA JULY 2012

ANDRIES PRETORIUS STREET is cur-

rently one of the main arterial streets

in Mangaung, Bloemfontein. It pro-

vides access between the city centre

and the N1, the north-western outskirts of

Bloemfontein, Noordhoek residential area and

the Hilton industrial area, and traffic volumes

are high on this four-lane street. The project

includes the rehabilitation and upgrading of

2.2 km of the street, redesigning and construc-

tion of the traffic circle at the intersection with

Willcocks Street, as well as the upgrading

of the Alexandra Avenue intersection. Various

other intersections with turning lanes will also

be upgraded.

Commissioned by the Mangaung Metropolitan

Municipality and funded by the Urban Settlement

Development Grant, the project mainly includes

limited excavation of unsuitable pavement

layers, in situ reconstruction of the existing

layers, construction of a new base layer, and

asphalt surfacing. Concrete block paving will

be constructed at the traffic circle. Ancillary

works include stormwater kerb-inlets and

pipes, concrete kerbing and channeling, road

signs, the relocation of traffic signal lights and

underground services.

Andries Pretorius Street backgroundRiding quality of the existing street is exception-

ally poor due to pavement failures and numerous

patches, making it clear that the pavement has

reached the end of its design life. The rounded

shape of the existing street creates an undesir-

able large cross slope on the outside lanes,

High traffic volumes in Andries Pretorius Street, Mangaung, resulted in the

rehabilitation of 2.2 km of road network, including intersections.

R29.6 million upgrade ANDRIES PRETORIUS STREET

ABOVE Completed G1 base layer in Section 1

IMIESA JULY 2012 39

MANGAUNG

which will also be improved with the upgrading of

the street. The current geometrical layout of the

traffic circle is not suitable for large trucks and

high traffic volumes, and requires upgrading to

facilitate smooth traffic flow during peak hours.

Traffic impact during constructionConstruction commenced on 13 February 2012

and will continue for approximately 12 months.

Although a concerted effort is being made by

the contractor to keep traffic disruptions to a

minimum, construction work has to be carried

out on half of the street while traffic is accommo-

dated on the other half. Two of the existing four

lanes of the street will thus have to be closed for

construction purposes. The remaining two lanes

will be used to accommodate the traffic in both

directions. Construction will be carried out in sec-

tions, meaning that only a portion of the road will

be partially closed for traffic at any given time.

Challenges experiencedAs with the most urban construction projects,

the relocation of municipal and other services

poses a major challenge. Numerous shallow

copper pipe house connections need to be

lowered before major construction of the layer

works can commence. Other services include

the relocation of fibre optic cables, a main water

pipe and electrical high mast lights.

It is also interesting to note that the pres-

ence of a rock layer on one side of the road,

approximately 200 mm below the existing sur-

facing, suggests that it could have been the

foundation of an old tramline. The rock layer

is being removed where it is too shallow and

encroaches into the new in situ reconstructed

sub-base layer.

Construction materialsThe pavement design makes

provision for the existing

base and sub-base layers

to be in situ reconstructed

and stabilised with cement

as the new sub-base. Where

unsuitable in situ materials

are encountered, these will be excavated and

replaced with imported natural G5-G6 gravel

material. A new base layer of imported G1

crushed stone will be constructed on the recy-

cled sub-base. Continuously graded asphalt will

be constructed as the final surfacing layer.

Concrete paving blocks, which have to com-

ply with a high durability specification, will be

installed at the traffic circle. Significant quanti-

ties of concrete are being used in the kerbing

and stormwater channeling along the recon-

structed street.

PROJECT TEAMClient Mangaung Local Municipality

Civil engineer Vela VKE

Contractor Q-Civils/Jodan Construction JV

RIGHT Preparation for cement stabilisation of sub-base layer in Section 2 (traffic accommodated on inbound lanes)

FAR RIGHT Indication of the condition of the existing road to be rehabilitated

www.velavke.co.zawww.smec.com

40 IMIESA JULY 2012

SOL PLAATJE

Future roads will continue to need manhole access to

stormwater, sewerage and communication pipelines.

Superb design and leading-edge manufacturing processes ensure that

ROCLA provides truly reliable manhole solutions. ROCLA manholes are

maintenance-free and will never require upgrading – if it’s not broken, why fix it?

ROCLA manholes are ready for the future.

ROCLA is ISO 9001/2008 certified and has the SABS mark of approval on all

applicable products.

3191

Wet

pain

t Adv

ertis

ing

ROCLAOUR DIFFERENCE IS CONCRETE

Contact ROCLA now on Tel: (011) 670-7600 or Fax: (011) 472-2141

Web: www.roclaproducts.co.za

A Murray & Roberts Company

Murray&Roberts

Manholes that last for more than a lifetime

Sol Plaatje Municipality commissioned the upgrade of

the Ritchie WWTW as it was hydraulically overloaded

and only running at a capacity of 0.5 Mℓ/d.

Hydraulic capacity increase

KIMBERLEY WWTW

VELA VKE’S BLOEMFONTEIN office

is currently responsible for the

design and site supervision of

the Ritchie Wastewater Treatment

Works (WWTW) upgrading, which forms part

of the infrastructure upgrade by Sol Plaatje

Municipality – initialised by the executive

director of Infrastructure and Services, Boy

Dhluwayo. Situated on the town of Ritchie in

the Northern Cape, the WWTW currently con-

sists of only oxidation dams, which are being

used with a capacity of 0.5 Mℓ/d and was in

need of an urgent upgrade. It was therefore

necessary for the hydraulic capacity of the

WWTW to be increased to 2 Mℓ/d.

Project overviewThe current inflow at Ritchie WWTW consists

of mainly residential sewerage that enters

the works from a pump station – no gravity

inflows take place.The WWTW was designed

and constructed in a cost-effective manner

without compromising quality or construction

standards – to comply with national govern-

ment’s obligation to uplift community hygiene

standards andother general expectations.

The current works consist of:

• a primary pond of 13 000 kℓ and 1.3 m deep

• a secondary pond of 19 500 kℓ and 1.3 m deep

• two tertiary ponds, each 800 kℓ and

1.3 m deep

• three tertiary ponds of 2 300 kl, 1.3 m deep.

• two anaerobic ponds, each 1 450 kℓ and

4.3 m deep

The upgrading of Ritchie WWTW comprises of

the following three sections:

1. WWTW design and constructionThe works are currently being upgraded ade-

quately to treat an average dry weather flow of

2 Mℓ/d. The proposed Ritchie upgrade entails

the following process elements:

• construction of a truck dump facility

• construction of new inlet works complete with

mechanical screen and manual standby screen

• two duty/standby horizontal flow grit channels

• inlet flow measuring station based on

BS3680 flume

• upgrading of the two existing anaerobic

ponds to 1 450 kℓ concrete activated sludge

reactors, complete with mixing, surface aera-

tion, mixed liquor and sludge recirculation

• construction of a new 16-diameter clarifier

downstream of the two reactors for effluent

clarification, settling and return of sludge

from the clarifier to the anoxic reactor

• use of primary ponds as contact tank and

maturation ponds after chlorine dosing

• flow from the last chlorination/maturation

pond will be released to the adjacent vlei area

BELOW Excavation of existing anaerobic ponds for upgrade to concrete-lined activated sludge reactors

SOL PLAATJE

IMIESA JULY 2012 41

Hydro-Pyro Metallurgical Project Managers| Mineral Processing Engineers |

T

F

E

+27 11 498 6000

+27 11 498 6060

[email protected] www.kenyuka.com

Need expertise with effluent and wastewater treatment?

K' Enyuka produces affordable, workable and effective solutions tailored to specific

requirements, whether dewatering or the treatment of wastewater and effluent. Its

offering includes design, engineering and construction of wastewater treatment and

effluent plants as well as dewatering installations.

Coralynne & Associates +27 (0) 11 422 1949

• a new measuring station

• last three ponds will be reconstructed and used as sludge lagoons

• electrical infrastructure complete with office buildings

• new 200 KVA, with a supply voltage of 400 V – Eskom line was built to

supply the works.

2. Erection of a security fence around the WWTWA security fence is being constructed to prevent unauthorised access

to the works site, while at the same time to protect the community of

Ritchie from injuries associated with the treatment works. Flat razor

mesh security fences (1.8 m high) with access gates are being installed.

A new guardhouse consisting of a store room and operators control

room was also newly build at the entrance gate.

3. Construction of a 2 km gravel access road to the WWTWThe need to upgrade the access road to the WWTW was also identified.

Construction is currently under way and once complete will accommo-

date heavy vehicle traffic (sewer tanker trucks and waste compactor

trucks), which travel to the WWTW and landfill site on a daily basis. The

road consists of three layers with a final layer of 150 mm, C4 material

compacted to 98% MOD AASHTO. A section of road of about 140 m

starts adjacent to the current township and will be constructed with

kerbs and channelling. The road also includes two stormwater culverts

consisting of three 900 x 450 mm box culverts.

Project fundingThe project is funded from the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, and a

community project steering committee was formed to liaise with the

contractor. This committee represents the interests of the community

during the course of the construction and takes decisions on its behalf.

Another objective identified by the client was to identify suitable local

residents during construction for transferred skills training (in the vari-

ous aspects of the construction) and to be trained as operators on the

new plant. The estimate full construction amount will be R17.82 million

(excluding VAT).

ProgressConstruction is currently on track with 36% of the work complete and

an anticipated final completion date of 31 August 2012. Although Vela

PROJECT TEAMClient Sol Plaatje Local Municipality

Civil engineer Vela VKE

Contractor WEC Projects

VKE still envisages several engineering challenges ahead, the biggest

concern is the time frame and unruly community problems, which the

contractor is encountering. The company is, however, confident that the

project will be completed on time and within budget.

ABOVE New clarifier construction under way

42 IMIESA JULY 2012

PROJECT NEWS

GIBB-CC JV IS responsible for the

design of the dam, the intake

tower, outlet works and raw water

pump station, which are the work-

ing elements of the dam.

The main objective of the Metolong Dam

Water Supply Programme (MDWSP) is to sup-

ply potable water for domestic and industrial

use, to Maseru and the neighbouring towns

of Roma, Mazenod, Morija and Teyateyaneng.

The construction of the dam and associated

infrastructure forms a significant component

in the achievement of this goal.

According to Colin Logan, director of Dams,

Hydropower and Underground Works at GIBB,

the dam will be built on the South Phuthiatsana

River about 35 km from Maseru, adjacent to

the villages of Ha Seeiso and Ha Makotoko.

“The project forms part of the Lowlands

Bulk Water Supply Scheme, which will improve

access to water in the lowlands areas of

Lesotho and support economic growth. The

83 m high, straight roller compacted concrete

(RCC) dam with a crest length of 270 m, will

have a storage capacity of 63.7 million cubic

metres. The site is very steep, and one of

the challenges will be to ensure access to

the proposed dam wall to do the foundation

excavations and the RCC placing. The blasting

and excavation of the river diversion works on

the left bank will also be challenging as it will

take place during the wet season when flood-

ing could be a problem,” says Logan.

The MDWSP is a five-year project managed

by the Metolong Authority. It began in 2008

and is expected to be completed in 2013.

Impoundment of the Metolong Dam is expect-

ed over the 2012/13 wet season.

Sinohydro Corporation is the contractor for

the construction of the Metolong Dam and raw

water pump station. The contractor is currently

under way with the site establishment.

South African engineering behind LesothoGIBB, in a joint venture with Consolidated Consultants of Jordan (GIBB-CC JV), has been awarded the contract for detailed design and construction supervision for Lesotho’s Metolong Dam, which is part of the Water Supply Programme.

Cape Town’s optic fibre projectThrough the recent successful implementation of its broadband

infrastructure project, the City of Cape Town has invested in its own

telecommunications infrastructure network. This will reduce costs

and contribute towards the economic growth of Cape Town. Leading

consulting engineering company GIBB led the project management

and undertook the civil engineering design and construction

monitoring of the R125 million, 500 km optic fibre network project.

Currently, the city spends about R70 million a year on

telecommunications costs for telephonic and data services at

municipal offices. The project in its entirety included laying a

network of optic fibre cables across

Cape Town with sufficient capacity

to meet the City’s current and

future needs. Thereby ensuring

that the city has access to low-cost

broadband services to support the

delivery of municipal services and

have spare capacity available to

third-party network users.

Certain elements of the project

needed to be completed in time for

the World Cup to ensure there was

a network service available to the

disaster management and traffic

management team, to minimise disruption to traffic and prevent

congestion in the city. The most challenges arose where the project

runs through Cape Town CBD, which is an area of historic and

congested services.

GIBB managed the process of coordinating the contractor’s

activities to ensure that deadlines were met and challenges were

averted or addressed.

On the outset of the project, GIBB was informed that the project

needs to be completed using trenchless excavations to ensure

minimal disruption to surface traffic, business and other activities.

This was not possible due to the maze of existing services under the

roads and sidewalks. GIBB then engaged meetings with various road

managers to resolve a way forward in

undertaking open excavations.

Municipal fibre networks have

the potential to reduce operational

costs for cities, increase competition

and improve services in the

telecommunications sector. In

the long run, it will also benefit

community organisations, and

GIBB was happy to be part of the

success story.

LEFT A total of 500 km of optic fibre cables have been installed in Cape Town

Over the last 50 years, 3S MEDIA has evolved into a modern-day print and digital media company that offers businesses and professionals in various spheres the leading edge to grow and develop their vocations, disciplines and/or companies.

MEDIAwww.3smedia.co.za tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 fax: +27(0) 11 234 7275 [email protected] No 4, 5th Avenue, Rivonia, 2191 PO Box 92026, Norwood, 2117

3SMEDIA publishes: IMIESA IMESA Yearbook Inside Mining Infrastructure Intelligence Meetings SA miningne.ws Occupational Risk Online ReSource SA Conference Directory Transport World Africa Water&Sanitation Africa

LET YOUR BRAND STAND OUT WITH 3S MEDIAIMIESA JULY 2012 43

BLUE AND GREEN DROP STATUS

What does it mean to you?by Candice Landie

THE 2012 BLUE DROP REPORT

showed significant improvements,

which serve as evidence of the posi-

tive impact this incentive-based regu-

lation approach is having on the South African

water sector. The first Blue Drop Report in

2009 indicated that the national microbiologi-

cal compliance for South African tap water was

measured at 93.3% against the national stand-

ard (SANS 241). Notably this has increased

to 97.3% in the 2012 reporting cycle. Overall,

municipalities are taking their Blue Drop sta-

tus seriously, with Ekurhuleni and City of

Joh annesburg dominating the charts, followed

closely by eThekwini and the City of Cape Town.

On the other hand, the Green Drop certifica-

tion programme for wastewater is an initiative

to ensure that these treatment works progres-

sively improve their operations, so as not to

impact negatively on the water bodies into

which they discharge their product. The pro-

posed system aims at awarding water servic-

es authorities with Green Drop Status if they

comply with wastewater legislation and other

best practices required by the Department of

Water Affairs. This incentive-based regulatory

approach is a first for South Africa, and is

internationally regarded as unique in the water

regulatory domain. But as a supplier/consult-

ant to these municipal water utilities, what do

Blue/Green Drop accreditations mean to you?

What are your thoughts on the judging and

awards process? Are the qualifying criteria fair

to all parties or has the Department of Water

Affairs set unrealistic targets for municipali-

ties? Has Blue Drop status truly aided in the

delivery of safe drinking water? How have

your products and services contributed to the

overall improvement of water and wastewater

quality in South Africa?

Candice Landie facilitates this panel discus-

sion, which looks at the suppliers and con-

sultants’ opinions on acquiring Blue/Green

Drop status and the products and services

on offer.

PANEL INTRO

44 IMIESA JULY 2012

PANEL DISCUSSION

Q. What is the core function of the Department of Water Affairs?LM The Department of Water

Affairs (DWA) performs various

functions as part of its sector

leadership responsibilities, but

the driving force behind the Blue

Drop and Green Drop certifica-

tion programmes is regulation.

The results of these programmes

assist other functions such as

support and sector development

since credible information is gen-

erated to inform on shortcom-

ings within specific municipalities.

Nevertheless these programmes

are not voluntary, but are part

of the incentive-based regulation

initiative that necessitates access

to information to determine water

services' per formance in the

drinking water quality and waste-

water services domains.

Can you give me some background information on the Blue and Green Drop programmes? Why were they started?LM Drinking water quality regula-

tion in South Africa commenced

in 2004 and at a rapid pace

the department got municipalities

to commence with monitoring of

tap water quality. Information was

forthcoming but not necessarily

with the level of credibility that left

the department confident on the

efficacy levels of drinking water

treatment and management oper-

ations in general. The principle

according to which drinking water

globally was regulated depended

on water quality results alone. The

occurrence of major outbreaks

in Delmas (2005 and 2007)

as well as Ukhahlamba (2008)

necessitated a rapid rethink in

the approach to drinking water

quality regulation. The judgment of

Judge O’Connor in the Walkerton

case in Canada (2000) was stud-

ied to note his recommendations

and together with the aforemen-

tioned local incidents, planted

the seed for a unique approach

to regulation.

It was also identified that inad-

equate wastewater management

played a role in all four incidents

used to shape the incentive-based

regulation concept and that was

where the Green Drop concept

was stimulated. It is accepted that

wastewater is the first and most

important barrier in a multi-barrier

concept for the supply of safe

drinking water and this is why the

wastewater element was linked to

this concept as well. The concept

was approved and launched in

September 2008 and the first

report was released in May 2009.

With regard to Blue and Green Drop accreditations, what criteria is each judged on? LM All risk elements to the sup-

ply of safe drinking water were

considered in the case of Blue

Drop certification and extensive

criteria were developed and incre-

mentally introduced to the sector.

This included various sub-require-

ments under each of the main key

performance areas listed, the key

ones being: Water Safety Planning

(risk management), Process

Control (skills), Drinking Water

Quality Compliance (SANS 241),

Management and Local Regulation

and Asset Management. On the

wastewater side, Green Drop

requires a high level of efficiency

in the following: Process Control

and Maintenance, Monitoring

Programmes, Submission of Results,

Effluent Quality Compliance, Risk

Management, Local Regulation and

Asset Management.

These requirements are not all

minimum requirements set by leg-

islation, but include international

best practices that form part of

the incentive-based concept. The

DWA expects much, and recogni-

tion in form of certification is given

to those who achieve 95% (Blue

Drop) and 90% (Green Drop). It is

regarded as unfortunate that the

Blue and Green Drop programmes

are sometimes mentioned without

comprehending the constant high

volume of work required through-

out the period (within the assess-

ment cycle), to ensure impressive

performance during the audits.

Municipalities that do well (not

only those achieving Blue Drop

or Green Drop) must be saluted

for their efforts since the man-

ner in which municipal officials

embraced these programmes is

most impressive.

From a government perspective, how do you feel the Blue and Green Drop Awards have improved water and wastewater standards within municipalities?LM Note the results in the last

reports and see that it is surely

having an effect of improvement

that surpasses my expecta-

tions. No one individual can take

credit for this huge improvement

since it has to be noted that

the manner in which these con-

cepts were embraced by women

and men in the sector, is reason

for the improvement. Most nota-

ble would be the pride that was

restored in those taking respon-

sibility for water and wastewa-

ter treatment. They now have

something to aspire to and that

is in line with the objectives of

incentive-based regulation.

It also made inroads in restoring

the trust of the general public in

the manner water quality is being

managed, but we are cognisant of

the fact that we have more work to

do in this regard. But after all these

two programmes were designed to

inspire people to greater heights

and that was achieved to a large

extent. But there are also those

who are lagging behind and the

BLUE AND GREEN DROP STATUS – What does it mean to you?LEONARDO MANUS – director , Water Services Regulation (also acting chief

director: Infrastructure Operations) – DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS

The driving force behind the Blue Drop and Green Drop Certifi cation

programmes is regulation

department is giving attention to

those municipalities through both

support and regulation initiatives

where appropriate.

In the last five years, what have been the biggest challenges facing the DWA either from a national, provincial or municipal level, and what has been the way forward on these issues?LM Lack of resources to imple-

ment the requirements of drinking

water and wastewater concepts is

the biggest challenge. But instead

of sitting idly waiting for something

to happen, these two programmes

allow for an incremental approach

towards improvement. Therefore

it would be better not to judge

municipal per formance based

upon whether they achieved Blue

Drop or Green Drop but rather

to note improvement and to give

acknowledgement for that. You

can be assured behind each case

of improvement is a municipal

or water board official who did

their best in spite of the lack

of resources.

As part of the way forward,

the department introduced a joint

operation between Economic

and Technical Regulation.

The Regulatory Per formance

Measurement System (RPMS)

audits are done jointly with the

Blue and Green Drop to ensure

that the required mechanisms are

in place to enhance institutional

financial viability. RPMS is current-

ly being re-engineered to ensure

that the risk-based element is

introduced to the benefit of munic-

ipal financial management as it

links to the relevant water ser-

vices technical functions.

What are your comments on the results from the 2012 Blue Drop Awards?LM Mostly encouraging, but also

disappointing when considering

that there are a few municipali-

ties that just show no desire

to improve. Yet one is not in

a state of despair because the

rapid rate of overall improvement

suggests that incentive-based

regulation is a successful for-

mula to stimulate excellence.

Improvement over such a large

spectrum would not be possible if

the department solely depended

on conventional regulation.

But it has its work cut out to go

beyond incentive-based regulation

where there is an evident reluc-

tance or inability to improve.

Taking into consideration the 2011 Green Drop Awards, what are your expectations from the 2013 entrants?LM It is expected that all water ser-

vices authorities will show improve-

ment regardless of the challenges

faced. There is no such thing as

a Green Drop entrant – all are

required to be subjected to audits.

The department is in the process

of gearing itself for wholescale

wastewater services audits at all

municipalities and water boards.

How does the state of South Africa’s drinking water compare to other African (and some international) countries?LM Internationally, only overall fig-

ures are reported while we break

it down into categories to expose

risk areas. Yet we are confident

that our cities and bigger towns,

as well as most of the smaller

municipalities are comparing very

well with international standards.

Note that it is also true that

drinking water quality is not regu-

lated in all countries, which make

wide-scale comparison a bit more

difficult. The standard used in

South Africa for drinking water

quality (SANS 241) compares very

well with the guidelines set by

the World Health Organisation.

This implies that should water

comply with the standard it should

also comply well with internation-

al standards. Every citizen has

access to information on the qual-

ity of water in their area of resi-

dence or interest in South Africa

at www.dwa.gov.za/mywater or on

cell phone at my-water.mobi.

PANEL DISCUSSION

IMIESA JULY 2012 45

ABOVE An on-site audit in progress

Contact us if you need assistance to clean your wastewater and industrial wastewater to the highest quality Tel: +27 11 929 7000 • Fax: +27 11 929 7031 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.erwat.co.za

We contribute to save our country’s precious water resources through:

• Expert wastewater treatment• Industrial wastewater quality management• SANAS accredited chemical and microbiological laboratory analysis• Focused design and development of facilities• Research to continuously improve wastewater treatment methods

Imagine a country without enough clean water for its people...

NOW CALL US

IMIESA JULY 2012 47

BLUE AND GREEN DROP STATUS – What does it mean to you?

PANEL DISCUSSION

FORTUNE MABUNDA – district manager (special projects) – ERWAT

Q.With regard to water and wastewater applications, what is ERWAT’s core business function?FM ERWAT currently manages

19 wastewater treatment works

(WWTWs) and specialises in the

treatment of wastewater, both

domestic and industrial. ERWAT

also has a SANAS (South African

National Accreditation System)

accredited laboratory where bac-

teriological, biological and chemi-

cal analysis is done and industrial

wastewater management services

are rendered.

How is ERWAT involved in the Green Drop Awards, i.e. the readiness process from all sites? FM ERWAT has been participating

in the Green Drop Certification

programme since its inception

in 2009, when it received an

Excellence Award for large sys-

tems. A collaborative approach

is required, from Ekurhuleni

Metro Municipality (EMM) as a

water services authority (WSA)

and ERWAT as a water services

provider (WSP), to prepare for the

Green Drop Assessments.

A Green Drop Working

Committee has been estab-

lished, which comprises of EMM

officials and ERWAT employees

from different disciplines, to

ensure that all requirements

for the Green Drop assessment

are met, using the six Green

Drop Criteria. The committee

meets every month and an

action plan has been drawn

to allocate tasks, responsibili-

ties and timeframes to ensure

readiness for the Green Drop

assessment for all 19 WWTWs.

A Green Drop Acceleration Plan

has also been developed, in line

with ERWAT’s strategic objective

to fast track the implementation

of projects, which will ensure

compliance with the Green Drop

Requirements for all 19 WWTW’s

for now and the future.

What is your view on the Blue and Green Drop certification process? Are the regulations set by the DWA within reason? How has this certification improved water and wastewater networks within municipalities? FM The Green Drop certification

programme is a long awaited and

welcome initiative. Because it

is an incentive-based regulation

approach, it provides a sense of

reward as opposed to enforce-

ment and promotes a spirit of

excellence. It would be ideal to

compare every aspect of the

same calibre and size of the

municipalities against their fellow

counterparts. It is, for example,

difficult to measure ‘excellence’

if one municipality monitors their

effluent once a month and has a

Green Drop while another moni-

tors its effluent daily, but does

not have a Green Drop. However,

the certification programme is still

too much in its embryonic stage

to be criticised for fairness. The

regulations set by DWA are within

reason, since they represent

everything that needs to be

done by municipalities to ensure

protection of public health and

the environment.

The 90% limit set as a minimum

requirement to achieve a Green

Drop status is very much within

reason, considering that 95% is,

in actual fact, the limit imposed

on many water use authorisa-

tions. The Green Drop certifica-

tion programme has brought back

the passion required in manag-

ing our most valuable resource:

water. The programme has invig-

orated some of the most forgot-

ten fundamentals of wastewater

treatment principles and objec-

tives. In ERWAT, from the Board

of Directors to the general work-

ers, everybody speaks the same

language, namely Green Drop!

In the last five years, what have been ERWAT’s biggest projects?

FM ERWAT has completed and

initiated a few projects in the last

five years, such as the construc-

tion of a sludge digestion and

dewatering facility at Waterval

WWTW, ERWAT’s biggest plant

and located near the Klip River, at

a cost of R47 million.

The mechanical, electrical and

electronic equipment and instal-

lation will amount to another

R58 million and is expected to

be completed by March 2013. A

new module, namely Module 4,

was constructed at the Waterval

WWTW at a cost of R86 million.

The Hartebeestfontein WWTW

was rehabilitated at a cost of

almost R72 million.

The inlet works at ERWAT’s

Daveyton WWTW was also

upgraded, while some R4 mil-

lion was spent to modify the

Heidelberg WWTW.

The Green Drop certifi cation programme has brought back the passion required

in managing water

TOP A new module and a sludge handling facility have recently been built at ERWAT’s Waterval WWTW

RIGHT Extensive refurbishments were done at Hartebeestfontein WWTW

IMIESA JULY 2012 49


Q. With regard to water and wastewater applications, what is CSVwater’s core business function?CvdW CSVwater Consulting

Engineers is a company of engi-

neers and other professionals who

focus on the science and engi-

neering of water. Specific areas of

focus are water and wastewater

treatment, bulk services includ-

ing pipelines and pump stations,

civil services including water and

sewage reticulation systems, and

operation of water and wastewater

infrastructure, and institutional

support such as Blue/Green Drop

related services. CSV delivers full

civil, mechanical and electrical

consulting engineering services

in its areas of focus ranging from

the traditional feasibility studies,

design, tender compilation and

project management, to specialist

studies and audits. In addition,

we are able to assist our clients

with the development of opera-

tions and maintenance plans for

their plants and infrastructure. We

focus on the design and optimisa-

tion of treatment processes, reac-

tors, pump stations, pipelines and

distribution networks. CSV has

developed a number of partner-

ships to assist it with expertise

outside of its focus areas.

How is CSV involved in the Blue and/or Green Drop Awards? CvdW Five of our personnel

did the training offered by the

Department of Water Affairs

(DWA) and are accredited to act

as assessors. Being in contact

with the various municipalities dur-

ing the audits, we meet a number

of key people and get to physically

assess plants, which in some way

impress the assessors on various

levels. Apart from the points allo-

cated to the water service authori-

ties (WSAs) and providers as per

the Blue/Green Drop scorecards,

PANEL DISCUSSION

CHARL VAN DER WALT – director – CSVWATER CONSULTING ENGINEERS

which forms the core of the Blue/

Green Drop Awards, these out-

standing people and plants are

also nominated for other catego-

ries in the awards by the asses-

sors. It is very satisfying to see

the hard work done by the WSAs

being valued in this manner.

Briefly explain the work undertaken with regard to these awards. CvdW Our responsibility as lead

assessors for the Blue/Green

Drop process is to ensure that

we are familiar with the criteria

against which the municipalities

are measured, and to maintain

an objective view in assessing

the performance against these

criteria. We subsequently provide

feedback to these municipalities

on areas where they can improve.

Depending on the number of sys-

tems managed by a municipality,

and its preparedness, an initial

assessment can take up to a

day in sieving through all avail-

able data. This process is hugely

aided by the internet-based Blue/

Green drop system designed

by DWA that captures available

information from the municipali-

ties. Following the desktop-based

study, we visit some of the plants

to physically do a check on the

operations and design of the

works, while also providing a

score to these plants based on

a checklist. Consolidation of all

the data and scoring of the audit

panel members is then done after

the score sheets are provided

to DWA for moderation. These

moderated score sheets are

later sent to the municipalities to

prepare them for the final assess-

ment during which the focus of

the assessment team will only

be on issues not resolved or

requiring attention.

What is your view on the Blue and Green Drop Certification process? Are the regulations set by the DWA within reason? How has this certification improved water and wastewater networks?CvdW I think it is an excellent

tool to measure the commitment

of municipalities to providing

water and sanitation services to

their communities. It creates a

baseline against which all munici-

palities in our country are able to

measure themselves. The munici-

palities are awarded sufficient

time to rectify aspects identified

in the first round that required

attention. If you closely look at all

the criteria, it is fair to expect any

municipality to have a water safety

plan in place, monitor its final

water quality, and measure that

against permit and/or regulation

requirements. It is fair to expect

a municipality to employ suitably

qualified personnel to conduct

the work at site and to manage

high capital assets according to

business principles such as hav-

ing an operational and capital

budget and knowing the status

of its assets. None of the criteria

is unfair, although scoring full

points at all of them is tough and

this is where excellence and com-

mitment is awarded. Scoring full

points for final water quality is not

something that comes automati-

cally, but only achieved as a result

of the ground work being done at

the institution, such as having the

right people, the right resources

and the right attitude in place.

How has this certification improved water and wastewater networks within municipalities? CvdW Over the past four years,

we as assessors have seen the

improvement that the Blue/Green

Drop programme has had on

water and sanitation systems. It

created awareness among indi-

viduals in municipalities on why

water quality is so important as

well as a general understanding

on how to better manage resourc-

es in operating systems.

In the last three years, who have been CSV’s biggest clients in the water sector?CvdW CSV is very fortunate to

serve the wide water fraternity

in South Africa and is currently

engaged in doing projects for the

following institutions: Midvaal

Water, Magalies Water, Umgeni

Water, Bloem Water, Lepele Water,

Sedibeng Water, DWA, Exxarro and

other consulting firms such as

Proplan, and a number of munici-

palities such as Westonaria, Steve

Tswethe, JS Maroka, Tzaneen, City

of Tshwane and Alfred Nzo where

Blue/Green Drop related work

such as process audits, water

safety plans and risk abatement

plans were conducted.

LEFT A municipal Blue Drop Team undertaking a site inspection

90%of pump motors could

2/3of all pumps could save up to 60%

GRUNDFOS (PTY) Ltd

PO BOX 14682WADEVILLE 1422HEAD OFFICETEL: 011 579 4800 WATER TREATMENTTEL 012 665 2077

MEET THE ENERGY CHALLENGE NOW

SWITCH TO BLUEFLUX

IMIESA JULY 2012 51

PANEL DISCUSSION

BLUE AND GREEN DROP STATUS – What does it mean to you?ALBERT DE VOS – GRUNDFOS

Q. With regard to water and wastewater applications, what is Grundfos’ core business function?AdV Grundfos is involved in the

supply of a range of equipment

used by the water treatment indus-

try. This includes pumps, disinfec-

tion and dosing equipment, as well

as some of the instrumentation

that is used to monitor and control

the processes.

• Pumps: Our range includes vari-

ous types of centrifugal pumps,

ranging from submersible

pumps and self-priming pumps

designed to handle large solids

to high-pressure pumps that are

used to deliver treated water

over long distances to remote

areas. In cases where the

final outflow water has to be

treated by reverse osmosis, the

Grundfos CR range of pumps is

a common sight.

• Dosing equipment: As part of

the treatment process, certain

chemicals have to be dosed

into the treatment process.

Grundfos offers a range of

tested and proven equipment

that can dose chemicals as:

– dry product (powder/granules),

e.g. lime for pH adjustment

– liquid chemicals products,

e.g. ferric chloride that is

used to improve phosphate

removal and acts as a coagu-

lant of suspended particles in

sewage treatment

– chlorine gas (and other gasses)

that is dosed into the final out-

flow (wastewater, for example) to

prevent the release of harmful

bacteria into our rivers and dams.

Grundfos also has ready-built

plants that prepare chemicals on

site. These include:

– the Grundfos “Polidos”, which

has become more popular in

recent years and is used to

make up the polyelectrolyte

from dry powder on site

– a range of chlorine dioxide dos-

ing systems to be used as an

alternative disinfectant

– in cases where the logistics

of transporting chlorine gas

to site is a problem, Grundfos

can offer a range of hypochlo-

rite dosing systems ranging

from on-site generation from

salt, to the dosing of a chlo-

rine solution based on HTH or

sodium hypochlorite.

• Instrumentation: A range of

instruments to monitor and

control pH and chlorine residu-

al, as well as monitor the plant

for chlorine gas leaks are avail-

able from Grundfos.

How has Grundfos been involved in the Blue and/or Green Drop awards? Were you suppliers to water/wastewater treatment works?AdV One of the critical criteria

when the Green Drop awards are

done is the disinfection of the

final effluent. It is found that the

larger centres have the equip-

ment and expertise to operate

and maintain the dosing of chlo-

rine into the final effluent before

leaving the treatment works. It

mostly at the smaller treatment

works where this function is sub-

standard – or not happening at

all! Grundfos’s water treatment

division is stocking equipment

as an ‘installation kit’ to enable

a municipal authority to set-up a

safe chlorine dosing facility in a

relative short time. The benefits

of this service have been demon-

strated when a crisis took place

and remedial action was taken

with a short deadline.

What is your view on the Blue and Green Drop certification process? Are the regulations set by the Department of Water

Affairs within reason? How has this certification improved water and wastewater networks within municipalities? AdV We are of the opinion that

the Blue and Green Drop certi-

fication system has had a posi-

tive effect. We often have calls

from municipalities and even

from the plant operators stat-

ing: “We need equipment or a

service urgently to maintain/or

upgrade our Green Drop status.”

The effect is that the industry

and the customer have become

partners in providing a better

quality effluent. Grundfos is

proud to be able to support the

water treatment industry with the

selection/design and supply of

equipment. The company is also

very instrumental in the design

and supply of equipment to the

water industry.

In the past three years, who have been Grundfos’s biggest clients in the water and wastewater industry?AdV A large portion of the

Grundfos equipment supplied

to the industry is via the main

contractors that specialise in the

supply and installation of the

mechanical equipment at water

treatment works. The equipment

is supplied either directly to

these contractors or indirectly via

the Grundfos network of agents

throughout Africa.

At present, Grundfos Water

Treatment division is executing

various orders to Rand Water

Board and Johannesburg Water

for factory preassembled equip-

ment as ‘dosing stations’.

This equipment is factory tested

and can easily be deployed

on site.

What groundwater supply products does Grundfos have on offer?AdV As a matter of interest, it

is now 50 years since Grundfos

sold its first pumps into Africa.

Since then the Grundfos SP

range of borehole pumps have

become a well-respected prod-

uct in the groundwater industry.

Due to the increasing risk of

groundwater contamination with

bacteria, Grundfos offers a cus-

tomised dosing system to sani-

tise the water as it leaves the

borehole so that safe water can

be provided for consumption.

BELOW Chlorine gas supply system consisting of two manifolds, each with two 70 kg chlorine cylinders that are configured as a duty stand-by system for 1 500 g/h chlorine – typically used at 3 to 5 Mℓ/day wastewater treatment works

www.bks.co.za

Proud Level 2

BBBEE Contributor Tel

E-mail

Address

l

l

l

+27 (0)12 421 3500

[email protected]

Block D, Hatfield Gardens, 333 Grosvenor Street

Hatfield, Pretoria, 0083, SOUTH AFRICA

BKS is a leading multi-disciplinary empowered consulting engineering and management

company that has over 46 years of experience. The company provides consulting engineering

services in the areas of infrastructure, planning, design and construction management.

We fully support the Blue and Green Drop Services Certification Programmes for the regulation of

drinking water and wastewater. We have an in-house certified Blue Water Services Inspector and,

combined with a team of highly experienced and qualified individuals who specialise in various

aspects of water engineering, construction management and environmental management, we

are the consultant of choice for many local, provincial and national water authorities and

departments.

Reservoirs and

Water Towers

Dams

Water Resources and

Catchment Management

Pipelines

Water Treatment

Pump Stations

Wastewater Treatment Works

INTEGRATED WATER ENGINEERINGAND MANAGEMENT

Blue and Green Water Services Certification

IMIESA JULY 2012 53

PANEL DISCUSSION


Q. With regard to water and wastewater applications, what is BKS’s core business function? GdV We provide the full spectrum

of water engineering applications

so that our clients can provide

clean, safe potable water. Our

water treatment services cover

conventional and advanced water

treatment, as well as mem-

branes, granular activated carbon

and ozone. In addition to treat-

ment process design, we provide

engineering services for bulk and

reticulation water and sewage

pipelines, pump stations, water

towers, reservoirs and a host of

other services related to water

resources development, water

quality and environmental manage-

ment to ensure that our designs

incorporate appropriate technology

and treatment solutions.

How is BKS involved in the Blue and/or Green Drop Awards? GC We are consultants for the

Department of Water Affairs and

are responsible for assisting

them with the Green/Blue Water

assessments. We also have a

qualified assessor in our employ.

We have a thorough understand-

ing of what the Blue and Green

Water assessments entail, and

thus help Water Service Providers

(municipalities) assemble their

Green/Blue requirements for

the assessments.

By assisting both the DWA and

the water serviceproviders, we’re

able to contribute to the initia-

tive’s success by ensuring that all

parties involved are fully aware

of what is required and that the

assessments are complete and

are true representations of water

and effluent quality.

DR GIDEON DE VILLIERS AND GERNA CLIFFORD – BKS

Are you consultants to water and wastewater treatment works? GdV We are involved in all aspects

of wastewater and water treat-

ment from plant audits, feasibility

studies, engineering and process

design and construction monitor-

ing, to catchment management,

water use licence applications

assistance and related environ-

mental matters. Our experience

and knowledge of the entire

water and wastewater treatment

process positions us as engineer-

ing consultants who can provide

holistic, sustainable solutions

for clients.

What is your view on the Blue and Green Drop certification process? Are the regulations set by the DWA within reason? How has this certification improved water and wastewater networks? GC We believe the Blue and

Green Drop certification process

is an excellent initiative from the

DWA as it provides a basis for

measuring the performance of

our water and wastewater treat-

ment works and processes, and

for the measured improvement

of services. The process also

motivates water service provid-

ers and their staff to strive for

excellence in service delivery

and management because the

results are published. It is also a

key performance area for manag-

ers of the treatment plants and

for municipalities.

In the last three years, who have been BKS’s biggest clients in the water sector?GdV Our South African clients for

water and wastewater treatment

services are mainly municipali-

ties, although we often undertake

these projects for government

departments (such as Department

of Water Affairs), water service

authorities, mines and other pri-

vate clients. Our biggest treatment

projects in the last three years

have been further afield in Africa

and not within the borders of

South Africa.

However, we are currently work-

ing on some very exciting projects

in South Africa, such as the

Witwatersrand Gold Fields Acid

Mine Drainage (AMD) for TCTA,

which entails defining, developing

and undertaking the design, man-

agement and construction man-

agement of the short-term AMD

solution and required treatment,

pipeline and pump station infra-

structure in the Eastern, Central

and Western basins.

We are also currently undertak-

ing the design, tender documen-

tation, construction monitoring

and project management of a

new extension to the Worcester

Wastewater Treatment and, simi-

larly, the Tshwane Temba Water

Treatment Works.

What water supply and treatment services does BKS have on offer? GdV Our water treatment services

cover conventional and advanced

water and wastewater treatment,

as well as membranes, granular

activated carbon and ozone, and

our services are:

• design integration and

evaluation

• process development or

research

• integrated design of all

disciplines

• operation, maintenance and

training support

• condition surveys

• appropriate technology

• asset management and audits

• master plans and feasibility

studies

• licence applications

• treatment studies

• domestic and industrial water

and wastewater treatment

• modeling of wastewater

processes

• CFD analysis

• nutrient management and

removal

• water reclamation

• sludge handling and disposal

• waste minimisation and by-

product development

• environmental Services.

Our water treatment services cover conventional and advanced water treatment

BELOW 20 Mℓ/d extension of the Worcester Wastewater Treatment Works

LEFT Dr Gideon de Villiers – head of Water and Sanitation Department, senior technical director

RIGHT Gerna Clifford – Certified Blue Water Services Inspector, associate engineer

IMIESA JULY 2012 55

PIPES, PUMPS AND VALVES

THIS INVOLVED THE rehabilitation of

two existing concrete parallel sewer

pipes located beneath the heavily

trafficked Govan Mbeki Avenue in

the heart of Port Elizabeth’s CBD.

Trenchless Technologies managing member,

Sam Efrat, says that the company has been

involved in two phases on this contract to

date, between 2007 and 2011. In Phase

1, rehabilitation of parallel 450 mm and

840 mm concrete sewers had to take place

concurrent to an urban environmental upgrad-

ing project involving decorative paving and

resur facing works. In Phase 2, the 450 mm

pipe increases in size to a 525 mm sewer

Port Elizabeth goes trenchlessTrenchless Technologies, in conjunction with Africoast Consulting Engineers, recently

completed Phase 2 of a contract for the Mandela Bay Development Agency.

ABOVE (Before) 450 mm cast iron pipe after cleaning with HDD back reamer and before lining with Ribloc Expanda

RIGHT (After) 840 mm concrete pipe after relining with Ribloc Ribline

Ed

HL L

L

A

Leading Suppliers of

Servicing

South Africa

Quality Reliability&

BRANCHES

GERMISTON Tel: 011 323 0800

KLERKSDORP Tel: 018 469 4466 NORTHRIDING Tel: 011 462 7555

BLOEMFONTEIN Tel: 051 408 9200 KATHU Tel: 053 723 2213

NELSPRUIT Tel: 013 752 3121

SECUNDA Tel: 017 631 4200

EAST LONDON Tel: 043 736 6022 PORT ELIZABETH Tel: 041 404 1800DURBAN Tel: 031 716 2200

POLOKWANE Tel: 015 292 8660

LEPHALALE Tel: 014 763 5824

PRETORIA Tel: 012 653 8520

BURGERSFORT Tel: 013 231 7224

WELKOM Tel: 057 396 1131www.incledon.co.za

VALVES

®

DPI TRADINGCAPE TOWN Tel: 021 957 5600 GEORGE Tel: 044 874 2327

isolation

control

shut-off

industrial

actuators

waterworks

TEJI VALVE

®

KROHNE


that is located underneath a heavily trafficked roadway, while the

840 mm pipe – as it flows downstream – increases to 1 050 mm

located underneath the newly constructed Bus Rapid Transport lane.

Considering the urban environmental upgrade project and the fact

that the bus and road lanes are utilised every day, only non-destruc-

tive trenchless techniques could be employed for the rehabilitation

of the pipelines.

Pipeline assessment At the preliminary stage, a thorough condition assessment of the two

sewers was undertaken, which involved a theoretical analysis of the

sewers based on effluent and operating conditions. A CCTV inspec-

tion and cutting of windows from the sewers was carried out so that

they could be inspected.

“The condition assessment ascertained that the circumference

of the 450 mm sewer was severely corroded due to acidic effluent,

with pH values as low as 3.3. This sewer was very old and was cast

in two sections, with horizontal joints running along the full length.

The mortar had corroded out of the construction joints and it was no

longer water tight,” explains Efrat.

What’s more, the 840 mm sewer was severely corroded above the

water line and the reinforcing was exposed and corroded away at plac-

es. The most severe deterioration occurred at the sides of the sewer

due to a combination of corrosion and erosion, which was particularly

severe along the sections of sewer where the velocity was high. As a

result, there was a 50 to 60 mm wide sill on either sides of the sewer,

just above the low flow level. Efrat says that this corrosion was typical

of what occurred in a sewer downstream of a rising main where there

had been an accumulation of gas due to long retention times. It was

estimated that the sewer would collapse within 10 years.

Applications Efrat highlights that a number of trenchless technologies were con-

sidered for the project, including sliplining, cured in place pipe (CIPP)

and Ribloc Expanda, Ribline and Rotoloc – an Australian brand of

trenchless products for which Trenchless Technologies is the sole

distributor in Southern Africa.

“Sliplining appeared to be the most economical, but there was lim-

ited space for launch pits and storage of long lengths of high-density

polyethylene (HDPE) pipes. The CIPP option would not have influenced

the hydraulic capacity and lining could be continuous through the

manholes. However the CIPP process was more expensive and the

sharp edges of the sills running along the sewer did not allow for a

technically sound design.

“Ribloc Expanda, Ribline and Rotoloc solutions allowed for a complete

no-dig lining solution that could be installed through the existing man-

holes with limited disruption. In addition to no excavation, the solution

was design-compliant and the risk was lower as the process could be

reversed in the event of unforeseen problems,” describes Efrat.

Ultimately, Ribloc Expanda was selected as the technology of

choice for the 450 and 525 mm pipes in both Phases 1 and 2,

while Ribloc Ribline was grouted in position for the 840 mm existing

sewer in Phase 1. Ribloc Rotoloc was used in Phase 2 to line the

1 050 mm sewer.

The overall scope of work included the following:

Phase 1: • 450 mm sewer: 570 m of Ribloc Expanda with a spirally wound

IMIESA JULY 2012 57

IMIESA JULY 2012 59


unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) pro-

file expanded to a close fit

• 840 mm sewer: 560 m of Ribloc Ribline

with a spirally welded steel reinforced

HDPE profile grouted in place.

Phase 2: • A total of five different trenchless tech-

niques were used, namely:

1. CIPP ambient cure: 525 mm sewer, lining

of a 90 degrees bend, 15 m length (under-

taken by subcontractor Tuboseal)

2. Ribloc Expanda: 525 mm sewer, 620 m

of spirally wound uPVC profile expanded

to a close fit

3. CIPP UV cure: 800 mm sewer, rein-

forced liner impregnated in factory 43 m

in length, where the 1 050 mm sewer

reduces to 800 diameter (undertaken by

subcontractor Tuboseal)

4. Ribloc Rotoloc, 1 050 mm sewer, 720 m,

tight-fit spirally wound-in-place uPVC profile

5. pipe bursting: 225 sewer, 16 m of 225

HDPE installed using 60 t static chain

puller employed from within the manhole.

“Preparatory works included cleaning the

existing sewers by both high-pressure water

jetting and the pull-through of cleaning buck-

ets using mechanical winches, after which a

CCTV inspection of the pipelines was under-

taken. In Phase 1, a sewer diversion was

possible to divert the 450 mm sewer flows

into the 840 mm sewer, whereas in Phase 2

overpumping of sewer flows by a sur face by-

pass pipe was necessary.” discusses Efrat.

Once the cleaning of the sewers had taken

place, the manhole benching and portions of

the manhole walls had to be broken to allow

TOP RIGHT (Before) 840 concrete sewer with deep sill worn away at pipe base

RIGHT Phase 2 – 1 050 mm Rotoloc

IMIESA JULY 2012 61


access for the Ribloc Expanda equipment in

the 450 mm and for the Ribline equipment

in the 840 mm manhole. “While the 450 mm

breaking was straightforward, this proved to

take two to three days per manhole in 12-hour

shifts to prepare ahead of the Ribloc crew,”

concludes Efrat.

Challenges Efrat says that despite what may have

seemed like insurmountable challenges, par-

ticularly on Phase 1, the team managed to

overcome the following challenges with the

following solutions:

• To maintain continuous sewer flows, the

team constructed a by-pass to diver t

flow from the 450 mm sewer to the

840 mm sewer.

• To remove the encrustations from a section

of 450 mm cast iron pipe, the team had to

backream using horizontal directional drill-

ing (HDD) and a 430 mm OD backreamer

• To accommodate the winding equipment

in the 840 mm manholes that had no

concrete base, the team had to reline the

manhole base with quick-set mortar and

mesh to prevent erosion of the earth base

during sewer flows.

• As bends were found in the 840 mm sewer,

which interrupted the winding of the MH to

MH sections, shorter sections had to be

wound that could be pulled through bends

and hand welded in position using extru-

sion welders.

• As concurrent sur face works competed

for work space, night and weekend work

became the modus operandi.

• As there was a diameter reduction in the

450 mm line where it crosses over the

840 mm line, a new manhole was con-

structed on the 840 mm sewer to tie the

450 mm sewer into the 840 mm sewer, as

a permanent solution.

Despite these challenges, Trenchless

Technologies, consultant Africoast Consulting

Engineers and specialist consultant PIPES,

managed to pull off the successful rehabilita-

tion of the two sewer pipelines underneath

the heavily trafficked Govan Mbeki Avenue

without any disruption to traffic and the

public. Efrat says that this contract highlights

the large range of trenchless techniques and

expertise available in South Africa today.

“I believe that the overall success of the

contract can be attributed to the combined

management team that worked together and

contributed their ideas and solutions to over-

come the challenges both cost-effectively

and efficiently. Testament to the success

of the project is Trenchless Technologies’

being awarded runner-up in the South African

Society for Trenchless Technologies Award of

Excellence in 2011,” concludes Efrat.

[They] managed to pull off the successful rehabilitation of the two sewer pipelines... without any disruption to traffi c and the public

62 IMIESA JULY 2012


THE PURPOSE OF this manual is to

provide basic, relevant information

and the guidance needed to ensure

that plastic pipes for water supply

and wastewater disposal applications are

correctly specified and selected,” explains

Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufacturer’s

Association (SAPPMA) CEO Jan Venter.

Although this manual does not attempt to

replace published text books and codes on the

subject, Venter says that it is a basic guide to

the use, selection and specification of these

products. It covers the differences between

the various types of plastic pipes and the

basic procedures for determining product size,

strength and material properties for a range

of applications. The

62 IMIESA JULY

of applications. The

SAPPMA releases revision of technical manualSAPPMA has published and released a third revision of its technical manual, which is aimed at assisting engineers who are involved in the plastic pipe industry to make informed decisions.

“ latest revision also includes sections on hot

and cold water plumbing pipes; high-density

polyethylene (HDPE) fabricated fittings as well

as the jointing of HDPE. For a limited period

copies of the publication have been made

available to design and civil engineers free of

charge through the South African Institution

of Civil Engineering, and as a service to

the industry.

“Together with the country’s net-

works of roads, railways and elec-

trical grids, pipelines form a key

part of South Africa’s infrastruc-

ture. By definition, these invest-

ments in infrastructure should be

long-term. Modern plastic pipe

materials are easily suitable for

hundred-year lifetimes and we

want to ensure that the engi-

neers involved in specification

processes are equipped with

the most recent and independ-

ent design information when

they are making their deci-

sions,” explains Venter.

Thanks to ongoing prod-

uct development, innovation

and research plastic pipes

have become the material

of choice for most applica-

tions in South Africa and the

rest of the world. Not only

do they help to preserve

scarce resources due to an embedded energy

that is notably lower than most other materi-

als, plastic pipes also play a significant role

in minimising pumping energy as they have

excellent hydraulic properties that remain

vir tually unchanged. Handling of plastics is

significantly easier and cheaper than other

materials and leak-free joints are economically

and easily achieved.

“However, poor quality plastic pipe is not

necessarily obvious from a visual point of

view, which makes it even more important

for design engineers or specifiers to apply all

available precautions in the selection of manu-

facturers, suppliers and installers,” warns

Venter, adding that pipe manufacturers and

installers who are members of SAPPMA and

the Installation and Fabrication Plastics Pipe

Association (IFPA) are subjected to additional

quality control measures over and above the

national standards.

IFPA and its parent body, SAPPMA, have

recently made a bend testing machine avail-

able for training and testing purposes at the

Plastics SA head office in Gauteng.

Bend testing is a quick and very effective

way of determining the quality of fusion of

butt welds. According to Venter the bend test-

ing machine is used for quality assurance of

butt welds done by contractors, as well as

those done during training sessions hosted

by Plastics SA.

“We have identified that a huge need exists

for experienced butt welders in the plastics

industry,” says Venter, explaining that a well-

engineered pipe system is dependent on good

design, high pipe quality as well as minimum The cover of SAPPMA’s revised technical manual

Plastic pipes have become the material of choice for most applications in South Africa and the rest of the world

IMIESA JULY 2012 63

If you are serious about Quality, insist on the

SAPPMA markSouthern Af r ican P las t ic P ipe Manufacturers Associa t ion

www.sappma.co.za


standards at the downstream end, which

includes looking at the quality of fabricated

fittings and pipeline installation.

“SAPPMA realised what tremendous ben-

efit it would unlock for the plastic pipe

industry if we were to make a bend

tester available, which could practically

test and judge the quality of butt weld-

ing on pipes manufactured from HDPE

and PVC. Not only does Plastics SA offer

practical, hands-on training on the bend

tester for its students, but it also makes

an operator available should any of its

members wish to perform their own tests,”

continues Venter.

The concept of a bend test for welds

is simple: A narrow strip is cut from the

welded joint, longitudinally with the pipe.

This strip of material is prepared to a

determined shape and finish. The finished

sample is inserted in the machine and

bent at a specified rate into a U-shape.

No cracks should appear at the weld

area during the process. The purpose is to

make certain the plastic material of the two

pipes are properly fused, and that the weld

and the heat affected zone have appropriate

mechanical properties.

Usually, bend tests are designed so

that the outer sur face of the specimen is

stretched to a ductility level, which approxi-

mates the minimum percentage elongation

required in a tensile test. When defects

exist in materials strained to these limits,

the material tears locally. When tearing

exceeds a specific limit, the specimen fails.

“The plastic piping business is a strate-

gic industry and hardware needs to be reli-

able for extended periods of time. Long-term

product and installation quality is therefore

fundamental. By making this investment into

the future of the plastic pipe industry, we are

confident that we will see a marked improve-

ment in the quality of butt welds and there-

fore in pipe installations in general in the

next months to come,” concludes Venter.

BELOW Bend testing is a quick and effective way of determining the quality of fusion of butt welds


64 IMIESA JULY 2012

Name change gives impetus to dewatering business

Flygt and Godwin products from Xylem (formerly ITT South Africa) are

heralding the future of dewatering solutions in South Africa.

GODWIN DESIGNS, manufactures, services, sells and

rents products that are economical, reliable and

target specific applications. Godwin fully automatic

self-priming pumps are used in temporary and per-

manent applications and Xylem rents and sells a full range of

diesel and electric Godwin pumps used for dewatering

and liquids transfer in mining, construction, municipal

and industrial markets.

State-of-the-ar t technology and durable construction materi-

als ensure that Flygt dewatering pumps deliver a highly reliable

per formance at the lowest possible cost of ownership. Flygt premier

submersible pumps, mixers and mechanical aeration equipment are

being used in markets ranging from water and wastewater treatment,

raw water supply, abrasive or contaminated industrial processes, min-

ing and irrigation.

Xylem has the

largest submersible

rental fleet on the

continent, compris-

ing more than 600

units. It also has

the most diverse

rental pump range,

encompassing pota-

ble, sewage and

slurry pumps across

four voltage ranges,

together with dredg-

ing, mixing and turn-

key solutions.

A CD300M Godwin pump powered by a diesel engine, skid mounted with a central lifting yoke

Xylem has the largest submersible rental fl eet on the continent, comprising more than 600 units

Flygt submersible pumps are also available from Xylem


IMIESA JULY 2012 65

THE VALVE CONTROLS air release,

protects the pipeline against vacuum,

and alleviates the effects of poten-

tially damaging surge.

An entirely new product, the design of RGX II

incorporates market feedback into proven Vent-

O-Mat valve technology, itself the result of

decades of comprehensive research. The RGX

II is a brand new valve and not merely an adap-

tation of an existing one. It originated from a

requirement to overcome the clogging of pipe-

lines in the United States caused by grease

and fat in the sewer lines.

Internal components comprising solid poly-

ethylene floats and dynamic O-ring seals that

do not jam or distort, ensure reliable operation

over the life of the valve. Its rugged design

eliminates valve failure, breakage, premature

closing, incomplete venting and the associated

pressure shocks common to other sewage

air valves.

On the outside, a short, compact valve body

has been achieved without compromising the

pressure rating.

Product development took place over a three-

year period, the goal being to design a com-

pact valve that would overcome clogging while

maintaining a full bore inlet and outlet, and

incorporating the integral anti-shock device for

which Vent-O-Mat is famous.

The result is the world’s only sewage air

release valve with an anti-shock and anti-

surge mechanism fitted as standard protection

against damage from the high induced pres-

sure transients associ-

ated with high velocity

air discharge. The mech-

anism dramatically and

automatically reduces

the surge caused by liq-

uid column separation

and liquid oscillation.

RGX II features full port opening, with large

orifice diameters equal to the nominal size of the

valve (i.e. a 150 mm valve has a 150 mm orifice).

This ensures the highest possible intake of air

into a draining pipeline, protecting it against pre-

mature mechanical fatigue and pipeline collapse.

Model sizes range from 50 to 200 mm.

In operation, the RGX II protects a pipeline

under all conditions, irrespective of the state

of the water column within it. The valve is

biased towards an anti-surge action, allowing

controlled air release through an orifice aero-

dynamically engineered to throttle air discharge

when the velocity of the approaching liquid

would otherwise become too great and induce

an unacceptable pressure rise. This throttling

action increases resistance to the flow of the

approaching liquid, which decelerates.

The opposite extreme is experienced when a

pipeline experiences liquid column separation

due to pump stoppage. Under these condi-

tions, RGX II allows air into the pipeline, but

throttles its discharge as the separated column

begins to rejoin, reducing the impact velocity

and alleviating high surge pressures.

Sewage pipelines get protectionDynamic Fluid Control has launched the Vent-O-Mat Series RGX II, a second-generation air-release and vacuum-break valve designed specifically for sewage pipelines.

Vent-O-Mat Series RGX II second-generation air-release and vacuum-break valves

pull quote here pull quote here pull quote here pull quote here pull quote here pull quote here pull quote here

d i r e c t o r yCONFERENCESA

Surname:

Name:

Designation:

Company:

Type of business:

Address: Code:

Tel: Fax:

Cell:

E-mail:

Subscriber VAT Reg. No:

Order #:

EFT Deposit: Bank details Nedbank Branch code: 128405 Acc. number: 1284129934

Acc. type: current Acc. name: 3S MEDIA

Please use Ref: #:

Mastercard Visa

Expiry date: /

Credit Card Number

Last 3 digits on back of card:

Debit order – Please contact Accounts on 011 233 2600 to organise

I have read the terms and conditions below and I agree to abide by themAuthorizing signature: Date: Contact person for payments: E-mail:

Terms & Conditions

to follow.

subscriptions.

and cancelled if not paid by the date.

Fax or e-mail proof of payment to activate your subscription.

MEDIA

No.4 5th Avenue, Rivonia 2191 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117

Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600Share Call: 086 003 3300 Fax: +27 (0)11 234-7274/5www.3smedia.co.za

SUBSCRIBE

SUBSCRIPTION SALES

[email protected]

IMIESA JULY 2012 67

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

IMIESA JULY 2012 67

We take this opportunity to invite you to purchase this collectors item:

ORDER FORM

For Invoicing purposes:Name:_ _____________________

Address: ______________________

______________________

______________________

Postal Code: ______________________ VAT Number:_________________

Contact No:_ _____________________E mail ________:_ ______________

Number of Hard Copies @ R455.00 Including VAT _________

Number of Soft Copies @ R200.00 Including VAT _________

Please complete and return to IMESA at fax - 0312 66-5094 or email – [email protected]

An journey through time RefelectionsContact IMESA at 0312 66-3263f or more info.

IMESAIMESA

VAT Number:

INCLEDON IS A partnered distributor of the

US-manufactured TORO brand, which is

internationally recognised as a leading pro-

vider of innovative turf and landscape main-

tenance equipment and precision irrigation solu-

tions. “Incledon supplies a comprehensive variety

of TORO irrigation products, ranging from central

control systems and field controllers to micro-

drips, rotors and sensors,” explains Incledon

Pumps and Irrigation manager Romeo Giannone.

“These top-quality irrigation products have

proven to be highly successful on a number of

golfing estates across Southern Africa and the

South Sea Islands, providing Incledon with a

commanding market share of more than 60%

in this industry.”

Giannone does, however, admit that Incledon

has not yet received this same success in the

residential and commercial areas of the market.

“Incledon is looking at implementing an aggres-

sive marketing strategy in order to improve TORO

residential and commercial market share from its

current standing of 10 to 20% within the next two

years. We are also planning to build a stronger

infrastructure, and are employing more sales

representatives to focus on the sector.”

Residential and commercial irrigation markets targetedFollowing the unprecedented success of its TORO range of irrigation products in the Southern African golf sector, Incledon plans to expand its footprint into the residential and commercial sectors of the local market.

BELOW Euphoria Golf Estate main irrigation booster set

68 IMIESA JULY 2012

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Arcus Gibb 32

Aveng Infraset 58

Barloworld Equipment 14

Barloworld Equipment OFC, 6, 7

BAKV3 29

BKS 52

Bosun 31

Corestruc 37

CSVwater Consulting Engineers 48

Department of Water Affairs 44

Dynamic Fluid Control 57

Eaton 2

Echochem Pumps 65

ERWAT 46

Fiberpipe 64

Group Five Pipes 60

Grundfos 50

Hall Longmore 54

Interbuild Loose Insert

Incledon 56

K'Enyuka 41

Krohne South Africa 34

Lektratek 26

National Asphalt 38

Rainbow Reservoirs 35

Rocla 40

SBS Group IFC

Sensus 61

SIKA 36

South African Plastic Pipe

Manufacturers Association 63

Talbot and Talbot 18

Vela VKE 39

Veolia Water Solutions & Technology 20

Verder Pumps 59

Water and Sanitation Services OBC

WRP Consulting Engineers IBC

Xylem (ITT Water & Wastewater) 24

Zest WEG Group 22

THIS WAS ACHIEVED using both steel

intermediate structures and spun con-

crete double poles for the electrifica-

tion supply from the Tzaneen main

substation around the outskirts of the town to

the new Western substation.

As a result of the network upgrade pro-

ject, residents of the Tzaneen Municipality in

Limpopo now have a better electricity supply.

The spun concrete double poles have several

features that make the product suitable for

the application: they are long lasting with low

maintenance requirements and are aestheti-

cally pleasing. The added benefit of using these

types of poles is there is no resale value for the

concrete material making them unattractive to

thieves and vandals. “This project’s location

in Tzaneen presented logistical challenges,

which we were able to overcome. The products,

which were manufactured at the Roodepoort

pole plant, took approximately five weeks to

complete. The Mohale contractors empowered

the community by employing local labourers to

assist with preparation of the site for installa-

tion of the concrete poles,” comments Kevin

West, Rocla’s pole specialist.

Lighting up TzaneenRocla partnered with the Mohale Electrical Contractors to improve the double circuit 66 kV line in Tzaneen.

LEFT Pouring the concrete foundations

imiesa july 2012

Documents

yeari s s n

waste water

valves55 port elizabeth

water group65 protection

department of water

port elizabethcompleted

pica nonprofessional

fleet of new cat