Violent attack won’t stop progress of R162m water supply project in Khayelitsha
29 March 2021
The City of Cape Town’s Baden Powell Drive bulk water pipeline project, which will strengthen supply to thousands of Khayelitsha residents, is progressing, despite an attack on construction equipment during protests last week. The City condemns the malicious damage to property, but assures residents that we are committed to staying on track with the work to enhance service delivery. Read more below:
A major bulk infrastructure project designed to boost water supply in Khayelitsha was again targeted amid violent protest action in the area last week. An excavator belonging to a City contractor, valued at approximately R3,5 million, was set alight in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The contractor is performing specialist micro-tunnelling services to connect new bulk water infrastructure to the existing Khayelitsha supply, across the N2 and Baden Powell Drive.
Previous attacks on excavators assigned to this project, late last year, resulted in approximately R6,5 million in damage.
'These violent acts, committed by individuals falsely claiming to represent the interests of vulnerable communities, cause delays to construction work, pushing out the project completion date. The City's Water and Sanitation Department and its contractors will nonetheless continue doing everything possible to ensure progress is sustained, and residents of Enkanini, Makaza, Kuyasa, Harare and surrounding areas are able to enjoy the enhanced services as soon as possible,' said the City’s Executive Mayor Alderman Dan Plato.
The new infrastructure will strengthen supply to the eastern sections of Khayelitsha. The R162 million project, which involves installing more than six kilometres of new bulk water supply pipeline is at an advanced stage of implementation following more than a decade's worth of preparation.
The eastern sections of Khayelitsha are currently supplied via the bulk main on the north-western side. Distance from the bulk supply main, combined with rapid and sustained growth in the area and associated demand on supply, mean that households in the eastern region experience lower water pressure than those in the northern and western regions.
'Once completed, the new major supply pipeline will transfer an estimated 1410 litres of water per second into the existing water reticulation system in Khayelitsha.
‘I commend the water and sanitation staff, as well as our contractors, who have remained committed to seeing this project reach fruition, despite various challenges. Protest action and intimidation of teams on the ground have at times made for a rocky terrain in which to proceed, so the fact that the project is on track – with more than 5 932m (or 95% of the total) water pipeline installed, and approximately R84 million of the budget spent – reflects true professional dedication to service delivery.
'Large-scale infrastructure investment is key to supporting growth and ensuring water supply is sustained in line with increasing demand. The City remains committed to delivering services to residents and will continue to do everything within its power to see this project through to completion, as soon as possible,' said Alderman Xanthea Limberg, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste Services.
'This is not the first time that this important project has been compromised. During 2020, engineers had to redesign the pipeline route as residents who had settled on the land were not open to relocating. In addition, soon after the national lockdown commenced, new informal structures were also erected. The City attempted to protect the land and ensure efforts to enhance service delivery were not derailed, but did not succeed as the High Court ruled in favour of the land invaders. The City was not prepared to give up on the water supply project, and it was put back on track, but set back by a few months,' said Mayor Plato.
Further delays were caused by instances of protest action, compounded by procedural challenges associated with the national Covid-19 lockdown, and the expected completion date shifted from November 2021 to March 2022.
In addition to the major bulk pipeline installation, the project involves construction of a Pressure Reducing Station, a connection to the existing 2,4m diameter Faure bulk main, and three connections to the existing water reticulation in Khayelitsha. Work at the Pressure Reducing Station has commenced.
Overall project progress currently stands at 65% to 70%. Thus far, 23 local job opportunities have been created, including positions of Community Liaison Officer, through the City's Expanded Public Works Programme.
The City will continue to pursue opportunities to enhance service delivery in Khayelitsha.
Information is available here: http://bit.do/fPZZF
End Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
