24 Mar Disparate water projects show depth of Zimile’s expertise
24 March 2023: Two quite dissimilar water projects recently completed – one urban and the other rural – required different skills sets, but both were found in the engineering expertise of Zimile Consulting Engineers.
The KwaThema water supply project – this urban water project in the KwaThema township, in Gauteng, involved the design and project management of a 20 mega litre (Mℓ) pre-stressed and post-tensioned concrete water reservoir and a 2.5Mℓ concrete water tower. The project has secured water supply and storage to the communities of KwaThema, bolstering the existing supply to meet anticipated demand.
The new reservoir and tower now form part of the enlarged water infrastructure, which includes two reservoirs and a tower with a capacity of 22Mℓ to augment the existing supplies, providing the total clean water capacity now available to communities in KwaThema to over 44Mℓ, which is projected to meet the increased population demands for the next 10 years.
Nomfundo Maphanga, Water Technologist & Project Manager at Zimile Consulting Engineers, explained the multi-disciplinary nature of the professional team involved in this project included a water engineer, structural engineer, geotechnical engineer, and a project manager. A major challenge was the discovery of numerous unknown underground services on the site, which necessitated the relocation of the water town to a new position. “This involved extensive redesign and geo-tech investigations, adding to the original contract duration and an increase in the scope and complexity of the project by adding more pipework above and underground,” she explained.
Maphanga added: “The makeup of the team’s technical expertise ensured the project’s success. Our water and structural engineers were sufficiently skilled and experienced to successfully manage the migration of the tower structure from one location to another. Throughout the redesign, our professional engagement enabled us to manage client expectations and communications, especially during our technical proposal to move the tower structure. There are financial and contractual timeline implications to decisions of this magnitude – which our team managed exceptionally well.”
“The bottom line is that the communities of KwaThema should have no water supply and storage concerns for many years to come because of the successful implementation of this project,” said Maphanga.
Water supply to Masamini Mbuzweni Villages Intervention Schemes in the uMzimkhulu Local Municipality
The scope of this rural water supply project was extensive and involved a large-scale water supply scheme covering seven villages in a remote area, where the only access to potable water were springs located several kilometres away from the villages and water harvesting efforts by the community.
The scope of work was extensive from borehole drilling; to network refurbishment; electrical work; design and construction of rising mains and water storage solutions. The objective of this project was to support rural communities with clean and safe, drinkable water, and to cater for additional families coming into the areas.
Vuyokazi Radebe, a Senior Technician at Zimile Consulting Engineers, comments: “The project was multifaceted, involving several sites – each with its own unique requirements and challenges which put our skills to the test. Out-of-the-box thinking was needed for this undertaking, to ensure the right solution was matched to each village’s water system.”
Radebe added, “Many of the sites were in a poor condition, there were illegal connections, and had insufficient water treatment processes, deeming the water potentially unsafe.”
Across the seven villages, Zimile supervised the drilling of four new boreholes, refurbished one, and refurbished two springs. In addition, three new water reticulation systems were designed and executed, with the refurbishment of another three. A total of three new water storage tanks were added. The team at Zimile ensured that each site was equipped with the appropriate control and monitoring technology, and repairs and replacements were made to the pipe reticulation to ensure longevity of the new water infrastructure.
Improvements were made to the water infrastructure to almost the whole scheme as most of the pipeline was refurbished, with two sites being fitted with chlorine dosing plants to ensuring that the borehole water met the required standards of portability. “Providing clean and safe drinking water is a priority for many local governments. We are glad to be playing our part by offering comprehensive and reliable water infrastructure solutions to public sector clients.” concluded Radebe.
ENDS
About Zimile Consulting Engineers
Zimile Consulting Engineers is a 100% black-owned, multi-disciplinary consulting engineering, project and construction management firm. By embracing the dynamism that is in the built environment through technological advancement, Zimile Consulting Engineers seek to offer value-adding and innovative engineering solutions to South Africa’s infrastructure landscape.
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Abimbola Sole| Acting Managing Director
Zimile Consulting Engineers
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