eThekwini Water and Sanitation Project
The eThekwini Water and Sanitation project, which aims at providing nearly 1 million people with access to running water and toilet facilities, is also expected to generate 3,000 job opportunities over a three-year implementation period.
The innovative project aims to provide water and sewer links to 317 informal settlements via the introduction of ablution blocks.
This unique scheme is new to the country as it was ]viewed as a best practice for countries with similar socio-economic conditions as South Africa.
In order to achieve this lofty task, the municipality has been divided into four areas with a design consultant and a contractor allocated to each area.
The eThekwini Water and Sanitation project, which aims at providing nearly 1 million people with access to running water and toilet facilities, is also expected to generate 3,000 job opportunities over a three-year implementation period.
Onset of Project
The scheme started in January 2009 and aims by 2012 to have installed these links to informal settlements that have been selected for future development by the City’s Housing Department. One prefabricated ablution block with water and sewer links will be implemented for every settlement comprising more than 50 dwellings.
The prefabricated ablution facilities are being provided on a temporary basis and will be removed once the formal housing development scheme commences in each settlement, yet the water and sewer pipelines that have been provided will remain as the links for the future infrastructure. Once completed in January 2012, approximately 800,000 people living in informal settlements will be given access to running water and toilet facilities.
There are many associated benefits, the foremost being the improved quality of life intrinsically connected with improved health and hygiene of waterborne sanitation. Additionally, due to the project requirements being locally sourced, small businesses in the area will grow.
Furthermore, as long-lasting benefit, each contractor was assigned to mentor two sub-contractor as part of the project’s social responsibility programme. Through this initiative, the sub-contractor will gain necessary professional skills that will assist them to further their business and contribution to their community and future clients.
Project Team
CLIENT:
eThekwini Municipality
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
AURECON
