Question NW207 to the Minister of Water and Sanitation
24 February 2017 - NW207
Ross, Mr DC to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
(1)(a) When last did Rand Water upgrade its water pipes in the (i) Buurendaal, (ii) Highway Gardens, (iii) Harmelia, (iv) Tunney, (v) Elandsfontein and (vi) Klopper Park suburbs in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng and (b) how old are the current water pipes in these specified suburbs; (2) (a) how many burst pipes has Rand Water experienced in the specified suburbs since 1 January 2016, (b) how many liters of water were lost and (c) what is the value of the loss of this water?
Reply:
(1) The above mentioned six suburbs situated in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) in Gauteng are supplied with potable water from the Rand Water’s H5 and H11 bulk water supply pipelines (details in the table below). The pipelines are supplied through gravity (not pumped) from the Rand Water’s Klipriviersberg Reservoirs situated some 20 kilometers away.
|
Pipeline Description |
Date Laid (Year) |
Age (Years) |
Operating Pressure (Bar) |
Estimated Flow (Mℓ/d) |
|
750mm H5 Steel Pipeline |
1955 |
62 |
11 |
65 |
|
1110mm H11 Steel Pipeline |
1963 |
54 |
`7 |
150 |
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality draws water from these bulk pipelines at strategic bulk supply points and water is further distributed to areas through the network of municipal distribution pipelines. The Rand Water’s H5 and H11 pipelines currently have adequate capacity to supply the water demands for the EMM suburbs. However, the following projects are already underway to augment the future anticipated water requirements:
-
-
- Pipeline O6 augmentation Phase 1 Palmiet to Germiston – 2100mm pipeline
- Pipeline Shamrock Road - Airfield pipeline (G37/H37) – 1200mm pipeline
-
The above projects are scheduled for commission before the end of 2017. These projects will add extra capacity in the bigger Germiston area. Our asset management philosophy identifies and prioritizes pipelines aged at 60 for conditional assessment. The H5 and H11 pipelines are aged between 54 and 62 years and still within their condition and operating lifecycle. H11 is marginally over 60 and is prioritised for conditional assessment.
(2) A total of four (4) leaks on H5 and five (5) leaks on H11 pipeline were experienced since the said date with the loss with a total of 275kl water loss to the value of R1 858.88.
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