|
New water infrastructure will cut down the number of pipes that burst and leaks that occur, leading to big savings and better service delivery in the long run.
Joburg Water has set aside R75-million to replace old systems in eight suburbs
MILLIONS of rand is being pumped into Joburg's ageing water infrastructure, with Joburg Water setting aside R75-million to replace old systems in eight suburbs.
This comes after the utility undertook a study in August 2007 to establish patterns of pipe bursts across the city. "From those findings we were able to identify areas that needed new pipes urgently," said the utility's manager of communication and marketing, Baldwin Matsimela.
The eight suburbs are Bryanston A, Bryanston B, Ferndale A, Ferndale B, Wynberg, Florida, Kibler Park and Mondeor.
The programme will wipe out backlogs in the rehabilitation and upgrading of municipal water infrastructure. "All these projects are aimed at improving and extending our water infrastructure, so as to deliver a better service to our customer across the city," said the managing director, Gerald Dumas.
Matsimela added that the new water infrastructure would be able to cope with the demands of the growing city and would minimise pipe bursts and leaks. "We also have a programme in place that allows site managers to visit different areas every month to keep track of the water infrastructure."
He pointed out that in total, the municipality had set aside R50-billion to be spent over five years on tackling challenges facing the city's water and sanitation systems. "We are also looking at improving the waste water treatment ... to cater for the growing population and address sewage spillage."
The first part of the programme took place in the southern suburbs of Glenvista, Kibler Park and Ridgeway. At a total cost R2,4-million, it comprised the replacement of about 1,94 kilometres of water mains. Work started at the end of March and was completed in June.
In the CBD nearly R3-million was invested in upgrading a 64-year-old water pipe. It comprised the relining of 2,1 kilometres of the water main and installing a cathodic protection system to protect the pipe from wear and tear.
In the northern suburb of Malanshof, Joburg Water has begun installing about a kilometre of new pipe, at a cost of R2,2-million. This work is expected to be completed by the end of September.
Related stories:
|
