The emergency repair of the Gogga leak has made some progress, as confirmed in a recent media statement by the Sol Plaatje Municipality (SPM). Drainage of the scour valve station chamber was completed, allowing the technical team to assess the damage to the old scour valve.
The municipality revealed that repairs will be more extensive than initially anticipated. The damaged section of the 900mm diameter pipe will likely need to be removed and replaced through welding, requiring a completely dry working environment.
To facilitate this work, pumping from the Riverton Water Treatment Works (WTW) will be temporarily halted, with efforts focused on replenishing the Newton Reservoir.
“We are pulling all the stops to restore water supply tomorrow evening,” the municipality assured. Off-takes supplying parts of Galeshewe and Roodepan will be closed to aid in this effort. Residents in these areas are urged to store enough water for today and tomorrow.
Update at 12:00
According to a media statement by SPM: “The assessment is complete. There is no major damage on the main pipeline, except a tear on the scour outlet pipe to the valve. The contractor is stabilizing the tilted chamber and will cut and seal it off. Investigation on the cause of chamber collapse is incomplete at this stage.”
Update at 19:45
“The welders are busy installing the wrapper plate over the outside of the old scour pipe that was cut from the mainline. All welding work is expected to be completed tonight. We most likely to start opening some of the mainline valves to slowly fill the pipeline at midnight. All scour valves will be checked once the mainline valves are opened.”
Tags: Newton Reservoir Riverton Sol Plaatje Municipality