Zimile builds water reservoir and tower to ensure KwaThema communities have reliable water supply for years to come
The multi-disciplinary professional engineering firm Zimile Consulting Engineers recently concluded a large water reservoir and tower project with a municipality in Gauteng. The project successfully secured water supply and storage to the communities of KwaThema, bolstering the existing but ageing water infrastructure.
As part of a programme driven by the municipality, which aims to construct communities’ reservoirs to ensure water security, the project included a 20ML (mega litre) pre-stressed and post-tensioned concrete water reservoir and a 2.5ML concrete tower. The project ran from November 2019 to June 2022. The new reservoir and tower now form part of the existing water infrastructure, which includes two reservoirs and a tower with a capacity of 22ML. As a result, the total clean water capacity now supplying communities in KwaThema is now over 44ML.
Speaking on the challenges experienced during the project, Nomfundo Maphanga, Water Technologist & Project Manager at Zimile Consulting Engineers, said the initial tower design did not factor in any underground electrical and telecommunications infrastructure at the proposed position.
Consequently, the tower had to be migrated to a new position. “The discovery of underground cabling during the initial construction stages proved to be a safety risk to the on-site workers. It also introduced delays to the project timelines. As a result, we had to institute geotechnical studies to confirm the viability of the new location. This discovery led to an increase in the scope and complexity of the project by adding more pipework above and underground,” she explained.
“This pipeline redesign was the biggest challenge we faced during the project. We had to ensure our pipeline design and hydraulics worked well together to pump water upwards to the reservoir and tower. It became more challenging as we were under pressure to meet contractual timelines,” Maphanga added.
However, to combat these challenges, Zimile Consulting Engineers had a professional team of water engineer, structural engineer, geotechnical engineer, and project manager on the project.
Maphanga said: “Our team makeup and 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 that our team managed exceptionally well.”
“We worked with amazing partners and clients during the project. Also, thanks to the Gauteng-based municipality, 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.
She highlights the gratifying elements of civil engineering and working at Zimile: “We call it ultimate development – the community of KwaThema should not have water problems for a while. Service delivery involves years of planning, and we enabled service delivery to KwaThema communities through this project; that matters most.”
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.
