eThekwini Municipality Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda says a permanent solution to fix a water pump station, which was destroyed by a fire in Ntuzuma, north of Durban, is on the cards.
The Ntuzuma Reservoir 2 Pump station was destroyed by a fire two months ago and resulted in additional strain on the already challenged infrastructure.
Kaunda, joined by City’s Water and Sanitation senior management, and ward councillors from Ntuzuma, Inanda, and KwaMashu (INK) areas, attended a meeting to track the progress made by eThekwini Water and Sanitation Unit in implementing the decisions taken at an initial meeting two months ago.
During a follow-up meeting, Kaunda reported that temporary work has started to reinstate the duty pumps to the various areas.
“Parallel to this temporary work, the pump station will undergo a functional upgrade which will improve its reliability and ensure a stable supply of water,” Kaunda said.
While technicians are busy upgrading infrastructure at the pump station, Kaunda said plumbers will be deployed to every ward, to ensure that there are no technical challenges.
“They will be dealing with water leaks and internal maintenance to improve water supply and prevent water loss,” he said.
Earl Haig road repairs underway
Meanwhile, the municipality reported that the repairs to Earl Haig Road in Morningside, Durban, are currently underway with the work expected to be completed by the end of the month.
Earl Haig Road, which serves as a link between Peter Mokaba Road and Valley View Road, was damaged in May, after a water pipe burst beneath the road due to heavy rains.
Western Region Senior Technologist Nhlanhla Ndaba said the reinstatement of Earl Haig Road involves the earthworks for the collapsed section, layer works, stabilisation of the base course, and milling of the existing asphalt surface layer.
“After completion of the stabilised base, the road will be surfaced with asphalt as a final layer. The total surfaced length will be 250 metres and the width will be kept at an existing 5.5 metres. This will assist in free traffic flow.
“Minor challenges on the project have been encountered including the temporary water main pipeline that will affect progress as the Water Department has to relay the permanent pipeline before the final surface layer. Business forums and other affected stakeholders were addressed before the start of the project,” Ndaba explained.
Regarding progress of repairs, Ndaba said the earthwork on the collapsed section has been completed with the stabilisation of the base course.
“The milling process has been completed as well. The road has been opened for traffic with precautionary signs where there is still outstanding works for the water department to finalise.”
The contractor in charge of this project is Raubex KZN under the supervision of the West Regional Office. – SAnews.gov.za
