Water pipeline connected this week

The Tongaat-Hazelmere emergency pipeline is expected to be finished this week, supplying extra water to the drastically low Hazelmere Dam, which supplies the North Coast’s water.

All that stands in the way between the dam and the Tongaat River is a section of very hard sandstone under a road near the dam.

The Courier visited the construction site last week and was taken on a tour of the pipeline from where it begins near the Tongaat River.

The 7.5km long pipeline feeds off a pre-existing canal that carries water from the river and will pump water straight to the dam.

The pipeline is a lot narrower than one would expect of one expected to carry between eight and 12 million litres of water per day. It is a testament to how much water can flow through a small channel, like a leaking tap, if left open over time.

There are two pumps on the pipeline, both connected to generators to keep the water flowing during load shedding and power outages.

Delays to the project have been caused by tree roots which proved difficult to remove, and a section of hard sandstone under a road, which has to be drilled through to lay the pipeline.

“If all goes according to plan, pumping will commence this week, but it is difficult to say on which day because it all depends on how fast the contractor can finish drilling through the hard rock,” said Umgeni water general manager engineering and scientific services, Steve Gillham.

He also said the amount of water pumped into the dam on a daily basis depended on how much water was available from the Tongaat River and could vary from day to day.

With the Hazelmere Dam on 40 percent, Umgeni Water corporate stakeholder manager Shami Harichunder said the emergency pipeline would only marginally increase the amount of clean water from the dam and only good rainfall would make a significant difference.

He said last month, that the dam still held enough water to last until mid-September. Once implemented, the emergency pipeline will extend the water supply by two months.

“The emergency pipeline will pump water from the Tongaat River for up to six months until it rains enough to raise the dam to 70 percent,” he said.

The scheme will also supply water to the Tongaat Hulett sugar mill and the Tongaat water treatment plant.