Scheme maintenance ‘on steroids’ this year
While the critically low Kouga Dam level continues to make water management seriously challenging, it has also given Gamtoos Irrigation Board an unprecedented opportunity to radically rethink the approach to routine maintenance during the annual dry period.
“We have redefined that period on our operational calendar,” says GIB chief executive officer Rienette Colesky.
“It’s like our processes are ‘on steroids’ – with more people working on the scheme and more work carried out than ever before.”
This year, the June/July dry period was halved from the traditional four weeks to a more intensive two-week timeframe, with 20 contractors – each with 10 employees – brought in to assist. The Working for Water project managers were roped in to run teams clearing alien invasive vegetation along the canal system and conduct quality control.
“We cleaned, repainted and refurbished a section of the lower part of the scheme, which has increased the life expectancy of that section by 10 years. We also cleaned the main and branch canals, as well as four of the syphons, which was an enormous job in itself,” says Colesky.
“The Department is still in the process of replacing the Buffelshoek syphon, so we carried out essential maintenance to keep it going in the interim. One of our sluices had to be replaced as it had reached the end of its lifespan.
“In future, we will attempt to cover the annual maintenance of the whole scheme in this two-week window.”
She says small changes, like switching to more flexible plastic bitumen patching on the branch canals, will make a big difference going forward, as this will not need to be reapplied annually.
In addition, the Board called in MSW, a private engineering firm and long-time service provider, to conduct an audit of the canal to identify, monitor and target areas of highest risk.
Maintaining and managing the scheme is a continuous process and not limited to the dry period only, says Colesky.
“For us, it’s about making it a way of life and not a once-off task. Every meter not read and every pipe not maintained takes us further from our goal of keeping water losses as low as possible.”
Onderhoud van skema is hierdie jaar ‘op steroïdes’
Terwyl die kritiek lae vlak van die Kouga Dam ‘n ernstige bedreiging is vir waterbestuur, gee dit ook vir die Gamtoos-Besproeiingsraad ‘n ongekende geleentheid om die benadering tot roetine-instandhouding wat in die jaarlikse droë tydperk plaasvind te verander.
“Ons het daardie tydperk op ons operasionele kalender herdifinieer,” sê GBR se hoof uitvoerende beampte Rienette Colesky.
“Dis asof ons prosesse ‘op steroïdes’ is – met meer mense wat op die skema werk en meer werk as ooit tevore uitgevoer.”
Hierdie jaar het ons die Junie/Julie droë tydperk gesny van die gewone vier weke tot ‘n meer intensiewe twee-week tydraam. Daar is 20 kontrakteurs – elk met 10 werknemers – ingebring om ‘n hand by te sit. Die Werk vir Water projekbestuurders en hul personeel is ingespan om uitheemse indringerplantegroei langs die kanaalsisteem te verwyder en om kwaliteitsbeheer uit te voer.
“Ons het ‘n gedeelte van die onderste deel van die skema skoongemaak, oorgeverf en opgeknap, en het daardeur die lewensduur van daardie gedeelte met 10 jaar verleng. Ons het ook die hoof- en takkanale skoongemaak, asook vier van die duikpype, wat ‘n enorme taak was,” sê Colesky.
“Die Departement is nog in die proses om die Buffelshoek duikpyp te vervang. Ons het intussen tyd noodsaaklike instandhouding daarvan gedoen om dit aan die gang te hou. Een van die sluise het onklaar geraak en moes vervang word.
“In die toekoms sal ons ‘n poging aanwend om die jaarlikse instandhouding vir die hele skema tydens hierdie twee-week periode te dek.”
Sy sê dat klein veranderinge ‘n groot verskil kan maak. Een so klein verandering is om oor te skakel na meer buigsame plastiek bitumen pleister op die takkanale, omdat dit dan nie jaarliks vervang sal moet word nie.
Daarby het die Raad privaat ingenieursfirma en jarelange diensverskaffer MSW aangestel om ‘n oudit te doen van die kanaal om gebiede van hoogste risiko te identifiseer, te monitor en uit te ken.
“Die instandhouding en bestuur van die skema is ‘n deurlopende taak wat nie tot die droë tydperk beperk is nie,” sê Colesky.
“Vir ons is dit ‘n lewenswyse, nie ‘n eenmalige taak nie. Elke meter wat nie gelees is nie en elke kanaal wat nie onderhou is nie neem ons verder van ons doel af om waterverlies so laag as moontlik te hou.”