The Civil Engineering Contractor January 2019 | Page 11

CONSULTANTS
Project: Water, infrastructure
Client: Department of Water and Sanitation
Location: Eastern Cape
Construction of the Laleni Dam and the Ntabelanga Dam
for the Umzimvubu Water Project in Eastern Cape has been
announced. The Laleni Dam will be used for hydropower
generation. The dam will be able to generate 35MW of
baseload power, or up to 180MW of peaking power when
operated jointly with the Ntabelanga Dam. The estimated
value for the entire water project is R20-billion.
The project includes the construction of the
490-million m³ Ntabelanga Dam, to be built in Ntabelanga
on the Tsitsa River, a tributary of the Mzimvubu River also
for the Umzimvubu Water Project. The proposed Ntabelanga
Dam site is located 25km east of the town of Maclear. This
site was found to be the best in terms of domestic and
irrigation water supplies, and would be used for domestic
and agricultural water supply requirements, as opposed to
the Laleni Dam’s planned use for hydropower generation.
About 18.5km of power lines would also be erected to
feed the power onto the national power grid. The detailed
design of the Ntabelanga Dam and its associated works and
infrastructure is currently under way and was expected
Commons
Mzimvubu Water Project:
Laleni Dam / Ntabelanga Dam
The Umzimvubu flows into the Indian Ocean near Port St Johns.
to be completed last year, after which construction was
expected to start. This would be followed by the intensive
construction of bulk water conveyance infrastructure, infield
farming infrastructure, and the building of the Laleni
hydropower scheme. nn
Project: Water, infrastructure
Client: Department of Cooperative Governance
and Traditional Affairs
Location: Cape Town, Western Province
South Africa, through the Department of Cooperative
Governance and Traditional Affairs, has committed
USD37.6-million to water projects in Cape Town following
severe drought experienced in the city. According to former
Cape Town Mayor Patricia De Lille, the droughts resulted in
three years of very low rainfall. The funds will majorly be
used for the Cape Flats, Atlantis, and Table Mountain Group
Aquifer recharge projects.
De Lille also explained at the time that the funds will
be reflected on the city’s Informal Settlements, Waste and
Water Services department’s budget to be spent in terms
of the project delivery plan, following the publishing of the
grant in October. It will also reinforce the municipality’s
efforts to ensure water security and build a water-resilient
city. To help manage the water crisis in Cape Town, the
city lowered water restrictions from Level 6B and Level
6, respectively, to Level 5, citing “the encouraging dam
recovery and conservation efforts by residents” as the reason.
www.civilsonline.co.za
USD37.6m committed to Cape
water projects
Capex has been set aside to resolve Cape Town’s critical water
problem.
The dams are steadily being replenished by the rainy season
and have filled up enough for the strict Level 6B restrictions
to be marginally downgraded to Level 5.
De Lille however advised that although the city has received
“very good” recovery rains, residents should remember to
constantly stick to their new relationship with water and
continue to both save and use it sparingly. nn
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