R779 million investment into water & sewer pipe replacement

The City is investing R779 million into water and sewer pipe replacement for the financial year 2024/2025.

The new Mayco Member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg, was among those present when Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, announced a R5,5 million sewer pipe replacement project in Maitland.

Badroodien said the City worked towards targets such as replacing 50 000m of water pipes and 100 000m of sewer pipes in the previous financial year; and had by the end of May 2024, replaced 97% of water pipes and 78% of sewer pipes.

He said they had also invested R863,6 million for 2023/2024 financial year for the infrastructure maintenance and upgrade programme, to ensured the future continuity of water supply and conveyance of sewage via the different reticulation systems.

“Going forward, the City plans to invest just over R779 million into water and sewer pipe replacements for the new 2024/2025 financial year,” he said.

Badroodien said the hard work did not end there, with operations underway and services being provided in several communities where water pipes had to be replaced in recent weeks and months.

These areas include Fish Hoek, Southfield, Ocean View, Sarepta, Kuils River, Summer Greens, Glenhaven, Bellville South, Brackenfell, Scottsdene, Newlands, Fresnaye and Hout Bay.

He said 627m of pipe were replaced within Hout Bay. Sewer pipes are also currently being replaced in Muizenberg, Constantia, Bergvliet, Tokai, Stikland, Scottsville in Kraaifontein, Bellville, Langenhoven Bellville, Parow North, Parow Valley, Parow, Richmond Estate, Lotus River, Claremont and Morgenster, Brackenfell - and that the largest number of sewer pipes replaced for May were 2 870m for the project in Morgenster, Brackenfell.

According to Badroodien, “Replacement projects are identified considering various factors. This includes a comprehensive condition and capacity assessment to ascertain the existing pipe condition and to identify possible capacity upgrade requirements, as well as structural failures reported as service requests by the public and logged by depots.”

Future sewer replacement projects can be expected in areas such as Boston, Gugulethu, Bellville South, Wynberg to Plumstead and Blackheath and several other suburbs.

He said that water replacement projects were also in the pipeline for areas such as Retreat, Somerset West and Kraaifontein.

“Investment into proactively replacing ageing pipelines will remain a top priority for the Water and Sanitation Directorate as the new financial year kicks off. The targets will remain the same as R779 million has been set aside for water and sewer pipe replacement projects across the City,” said Badroodien.