Alphen Park pipe replacement project lauded for reducing water losses

A project by the Tshwane metro to replace asbestos cement water pipes in Pretoria east that are over 50 years old is expected to significantly curb water wastage.

Ward 83 councillor Siobhan Muller has deemed the project a success for the community, as water losses will be mitigated.

According to the metro, the initiative which started in May 2022 involved systematically swapping out the old pipes with more modern, durable materials. It contributed to a significant decrease in water wastage and a more efficient water supply network for the surrounding suburbs

This R10-million project kicked off in Maroelana, Hazelwood, Waterkloof, Ashlea Gardens and Alphen Park.

Metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba said over 3 600m of pipe have been replaced, including 396m of 110mm diameter, 2 117m of 160mm diameter, 694m of 200mm diameter and 465m of 315mm diameter pipeline.

He said the project started in 2022 after it was determined that the ageing pipes contributed to water losses due to the constant leakages.

“After the completion of the project, water losses have been reduced significantly since pipe bursts are now minimal in the area,” said Bokaba.

Although the project was initially estimated to be completed within 12 months, it was completed in April this year.

“There have been constant updates to the community through the community liaison officers and regularly on notices of water supply interruption/shutdown that were maintained during the execution of the project until its completion.

He said the project cost more than R10.6-million and was financed through grant funding.

Bokaba said the next phase would be to replace pipes in Waterkloof, Meyerspark and Silverton, where about 500 households will benefit from the project.

Muller said the pipe replacement project was a huge success.

She said frequent pipe leaks highlighted the need for the municipality to replace the water infrastructure.

She added that the pipes were over 50 years old and broke continually.

Muller said the municipality would repair one leak and a week later, metres from the first one, the pipe would rapture again.

She described the water loss as “tremendous”.

“The municipality lost revenue due to the thousands of litres going to waste.

“The next phase of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) will be to tackle and replace the ageing pipes in Waterkloof in the section between Dely Road and Premier Street,” said Muller.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram