Upgrade works on the eThekwini Municipality Water and Sanitation infrastructure are underway. Region’s local government announced that feasibility studies and financial modelling for the project have been completed.
This eThekwini Municipality Water and Sanitation project, which is expected to cost more than US $70M, will sit on a 43 000 hectares of land and serve 1.2 million people, including a backlog of more than 280 000 individuals who do not currently have access to sanitation.
The sanitation project is set to cover Umlazi and Umhlatuzana Catchment districts. Feasibility studies carried out will serve as a “Master Plan” for the water and sanitation upgrades in the eThekwini municipality. They will provide a strategic motivation for large-scale sanitation and infrastructure investment in these catchments in the short, medium, and long term.
According to Bosch Projects KZN wastewater divisional manager Jason Holder, the purpose and goals of the bulk sanitation/wastewater catchment studies were to provide the most beneficial options for optimally serving key sites in the medium to long term.
READ:Moorreesburg wastewater treatment in South Africa set for upgrade
Financial modelling
These studies included analysing human settlement housing plans, sanitation backlog regions, and future developable zones and estimating the impact on current and future bulk sanitation infrastructure. These wastewater feasibility studies were based on a high-level concept that included infrastructure built for fully developed catchments.
The project’s financial modelling and cost-benefit analysis included capital costs of the new infrastructure. Operational costs were also calculated using real-world data given by the eThekwini Wastewater Operations Department. Indicators such as net present value, internal rate of return, payback, and discounted payback time were then utilised to produce a life-cycle costing technique. This was to assess the project’s returns for each possible scenario over the next 20 years.
The Bosch Projects and Bosch Capital teams also worked closely with key stakeholders in the eThekwini municipality to gather necessary information, direction, and authorisation for future projects. They also assured the effective completion of a well-designed project to suit the needs of the customer.
Some of the industries Bosch Projects services in Southern Africa include energy and industrial plants, water and wastewater, highways, land and building developments, sugar and agriculture, ports and terminals, and sugar and agriculture.
Detail engineering design, project and construction management, program management, procurement and contract services, risk management, quality assurance and project controls, and cost and schedule management are just a few services provided.