Water storage for rural communities

Two existing concrete reservoirs in the rural Makhosini region (part of the Zululand District Municipality) have now been supplemented with two new bulk water storage tanks from SBS Tanks.

Despite being the largest district in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and making up 16% of its geographical area, 77% of the population in the Zululand District Municipality (ZDM) is rural and widely dispersed in settlements across a range of difficult terrain,” says Mava Gwagwa, director: New Business, SBS Tanks.

High levels of unemployment and the existence of fewer economic zones have resulted in a low revenue base for the ZDM. This has had a negative impact on not only infrastructure development and maintenance, but also service delivery in the area. Municipal managers, engineers, and consultants had to consider the most sustainable solution to deliver bulk water storage to the Makhosini site as quickly as possible, and also had to acknowledge the logistical challenges, environmental impact, and budgetary limitations.

“The poor road infrastructure, remote nature, and need for cost and time efficiencies make SBS Tanks the ideal solution for rural municipal installations,” adds Gwagwa. “Our tanks are made up of lightweight panels used to build the tank structure on-site – from the ground up – using a jacking system. The reduced weight and modular design of the materials mean the tanks can be transported on a light delivery vehicle, or in areas where road infrastructure does not exist, and can be carried to site by hand. Community members can be hired to assist with this process if necessary, providing much-needed employment. There is no requirement for heavy machinery on-site during the installation process.”

The tanks were installed by SBS Tanks’ in-house installation teams and hold a combined capacity of 750 000 litres of water storage. The SBS tank model (ST17/06) provides the bulk of that storage capacity, at 600 000 litres, and stands just over 6 m tall, while the (ST13/03) accommodates 150 000 litres of water and stands just over 3 m high.

“At SBS Tanks, we consider it a privilege to assist municipal teams in the delivery of water storage and sanitation solutions to communities, no matter how remote. We also enjoy working with experienced contractors such as Afrostructures and consultants such as ECA Consulting Engineers who share the SBS Tanks values of improving and enhancing our country, changing lives through the delivery of sustainable, cost-effective engineering solutions with integrity, to build for better,” states Gwagwa.

SBS Tanks have been engineer-designed to last and have an expected lifespan of 65+ years. An internal bladder, or water storage liner, is fitted within the tank during the installation process, which prevents the water, effluent, or other stored liquids from making contact with the structure of the tank. This adds to the corrosion resistance of the tank, which comprises steel panels that have been coated in Zincalume® for protection from corrosion. On completion of installation – which can take a matter of days on either a compacted sand bend or a simple ring beam – the tank can be filled or commissioned immediately. SBS Tanks offers a 10-year no-leak warranty on the tank and liner.