EThekwini Municipality Mayor, Cyril Xaba has welcomed significant progress on the Southern Aqueduct project, a vital initiative designed to meet the growing water demand in the southern and central parts of the city.
Xaba conducted an oversight visit on Wednesday, to assess construction progress on a section of the pipeline at Mosely Park.
Xaba said he was excited with the progress he has seen, highlighting the team’s commitment to work around the clock to ensure its completion.
“This is one of the major water infrastructure projects we embarked on in 2024. Once completed, the 24-kilometre pipeline will substantially improve water supply to communities, including Shallcross, Chatsworth, Umlazi, Folweni, and Queensburgh,” Xaba said.
The R1.2 billion Southern Aqueduct upgrade will serve approximately 1.2 million residents through 33 reservoirs.
The project replaces a pipeline that is more than 70 years old and had exceeded its 50-year lifespan, and was frequently leaking, necessitating partial decommissioning.
“We are now upgrading it to meet the growing population. This includes restoring it to be two pipelines which will allow us to continue to provide water, even if we conduct maintenance work on the other pipeline,” Xaba explained.
The project upgrade involves the replacement of 975mm (millimetre) diameter concrete pipes with new steel pipes ranging from 1000mm to 1600mm in diameter.
The project is split into eight work packages, with packages 1 and 2 already at 50% complete since they started in 2024.
Work package 1 involves the construction of a new 1200mm steel watermain from Shallcross Road to the Chatsworth Reservoir, while package 2 includes the construction of 8 kilometres pipeline, ranging from 1200mm to 1400mm in diameter from Shallcross to Northdene.
Work packages 3 to 6, which commenced in April this year, cover the construction of the pipeline running from Northdene through Paradise Valley Nature Reserve and Westville, ending at Durban Heights Water Treatment Works in Reservoir Hills.
Xaba reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to uninterrupted water provision and pledged regular site visits to assess progress.
“I want teams to meet their timelines so that my commitment to the community is honoured,” Xaba said- SAnews.gov.za
