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Thuthuka Faces Interesting Challenge
3 March 2008
When one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the Southern Hemisphere needed a solution to its water stagnation problem, Rand Water turned to Gauteng engineering firm Thuthuka Group Limited (TGL) to do a large diameter pipe reticulation system.
TGL project director John Coetzee says, "The installation of the equipment wasn't the problem. The challenge was the fact that we had to feed all of our equipment, materials and labour through a 2,5m x 2,5m access aperture, 17 meters above the working level!"
The project entailed inserting a diffuser pipe into the 550 000m³ Klipriviersberg reservoir situated in Meyersdal, south of Johannesburg. This distribution pipe would ensure that feed water was evenly distributed into the reservoir, preventing stagnation. The 400m glass reinforced plastic pipe, which was supported on concrete plinths, has an initial diameter of 2m, tapering down to a final diameter of 800mm.
All equipment and personnel required for the installation had to pass through the 2,5m by 2,5m aperture to a floor level 17m below. Coetzee explains: "This is basically like reconditioning a car engine through the sump plug! Just call us engineering gynecologists."
The reservoir being a confined space with very limited air ventilation, no petrol or diesel-driven equipment could be used. All of the labour had to be done by hand. At any given time, there was a minimum of 30 people inside the reservoir.
It is the first time that such a project has been carried out for Rand Water. According to TGL project manager Andrew Kuhn, the project was made more difficult because it was nigh impossible to judge the degree of difficulty ahead of time as the reservoir was filled with water and couldn't be inspected in advance. Also, the reservoir is built on top of a hill, with restricted access.
The project took three months to complete and has just been commissioned.
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