Brand new water pipes are currently being installed across parts of Parow. The installation forms part of the City of Cape Town’s water pipe replacement programme which is rolled out across the city.
The work is carried out by the City’s water and sanitation directorate. Earlier this month the City said the directorate is on track to replace 50 000 meters of water pipeline across Cape Town by June this year.
“This annual water pipe replacement programme aims to upgrade and replace ageing water reticulation infrastructure,” it said in a statement on 5 March.
Contractors are currently busy in Churchill Estate, Parow West and Fairfield Estate, Parow.
In Parow West new pipes have been installed in Mossel Street, Point Street and Fourth Avenue as part of phase 1.
Balfour Road and others will follow. In Fairfield Estate pipes are being installed in Gordon Road and Plein Road as part of phase 1.
Councillor visits programme
On Wednesday last week ward councillor Roger Cannon visited these sites. He said it is important for residents to be aware of the projects and that construction work is taking place in the areas and requested that residents be patient while the work is being carried out.
He also wants residents to be aware that something is being done to address the ongoing burst water pipes issue.
The two contractors in the area are Nejeni Construction and Quetzal.
The pipes are installed in the road and on the pavement.
This is determined by other services in the area such as underground fibre cables. Yaasir Benjamin from Quetzal told TygerBurger that they have to be careful not to damage this infrastructure when working in the area.
The contractors are also responsible for the reinstatement of the roads or pavement surfaces, said Liam Felix of Nejeni. He also said that the existing, or old water pipe infrastructure will remain underground and that the new pipes will be laid next to it. The old pipes are made of asbestos which is a toxic material and could be harmful.
“The area is relatively quiet and we have not had any complaints from the residents yet,” he said.
Felix said it can take several hours to complete the job and that residents are also informed as to when water will be cut off during the installation process. The residents will be notified of the cut off beforehand.
“We have people who deliver notices to all residents in the road,” said Felix.
Multi-million rand project
A total of R140 million will be spent on the water pipe replacement programme.
The maintenance work also proactively helps the City to reduce water wastage by addressing leaks which supports the City’s call to save water this summer, the City said.
Siseko Mbandezi, acting Mayco member for water and sanitation, also visited Fairfield Estate earlier.
“‘This financial year, the City is investing R37 million more into our water pipe replacement programme, compared to the previous financial year, bringing it to over R140 million that will be spent by June. We are very happy to see that the water pipe replacement programme is progressing well.
“Thus far 77% of the budget has been assigned to water network projects, of which 35% are completed. This ensures that our residents can continue to have a reliable water supply while we also see less water wasted because of leaks,” Mbandezi said.
