More than 15 km of ductile iron and PVC piping products has been utilised on the R41 million Mbuzini bulk water augmentation scheme in Mpumalanga.

The project, which began in January 2012 and is due for completion in February 2013, entails the construction of bulk water infrastructure to increase the capacity of the bulk lines from Khombaso, to Tsambokhulu and Mbuzini. The project infrastructure involves the construction of two pump stations, two 3 Mℓ concrete reservoirs, a 1 Mℓ concrete reservoir and 15.4 km of water pipelines.

Fluid conveyance and pumping solutions expert Incledon has been the hydroclass ductile iron pipe and PVC piping product supplier on the large-scale project. National product manager for civils Kelly Wilson points out that the company supplied the appointed civil contractors, Gabby construction and Thakitsi Construction, with a total of 9.5 km of 300 mm and 4.5 km of 250 mm Hydroclass ductile iron pipe, in addition to 1.4 km of 110 mm uPVC pipe, waterworks valves, water meters steel specials in order to complete the contracts.

“The Hydroclass ductile iron pipes and fitting systems are produced by internationally-recognised French manufacturer St Gobain PAM, which is one of the first companies worldwide to comply with international EN 545:2010 and ISO 2531:2009 quality standards. These quality standards were set as a benchmark to ensure that all ductile iron products comply with preferred pressure classes, in addition to reducing their environmental footprint during the manufacturing process,” he explains.

Easy installation
Nathi Mnyaka, project manager at Monde Consulting Engineers, the appointed consultant for the project, points out that Hydroclass was selected as the piping product of choice for the 25 bar bulk line, due to the fact that it is easy to install. “The project is located along mountainous terrain, which is always more challenging when it comes to installation. Hydroclass ductile iron pipes are considerably easier to install than industry standard steel pipes, as they are simply slotted into one another. What’s more, ductile iron is also very competitively priced and easier to transport on site.”