Page 61 - SAICE book proof 2 LATEST JULY 2014

s a i c e
KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE

features a passenger terminal for the cruise ships ◊ Millennium Tower
that ply the South African waters in summer to take
tourists to Mozambique and as far as Mauritius. Its car
import and export terminal can handle over 200 000
cars per annum. Originally, the estuary of the Umgeni
River had to be dredged extensively to turn it into a
harbour. Currently, there are plans afoot to extend this
harbour handling many commodities in Africa to serve
the growing economy by merging new berths in the
area where the Durban international airport was once
situated – another hugely ambitious project for civil
South Africa.

29°52’20.42” S, 31°01’29.67” E

2. Durban Harbour services tunnel is not a
title that would excite many people and very little of
it is visible now. It, however, marks an achievement
of note. This tunnel had to be built when the harbour
entrance was widened and deepened to accommodate
bigger ships in the Durban Harbour. The 550 m long
tunnel dips to 35 m below sea level, 9 m below the sea
bottom and had to be drilled without any disruption to
ship traffic above. This is the first soft ground tunnel
constructed in the country using the mixed shield
tunnel-boring machine (TBM), to support the tunnel
face while boring. The tunnel features precast concrete
segments 9 m below the sea-bed. The tunnel has a
4.4 m internal diameter. It now accommodates sewer,
water and electrical services. The widening of the
harbour entrance itself was also fraught with challenges 4. Sewage purification and recycling has
and dangers, not least the relics of the past that were become a serious issue since the availability of new
put in place during World War II to keep out German water is fast becoming a major challenge in many parts
submarines. of South Africa. Only a few cities currently have true
recycling facilities and even they are on a relatively
3. Durban Port Control and vessel tracking small scale. A recent serious drought period in the
systems building stands high up on the 80 m natural southern Cape has had civil engineering make urgent
bluff, resembling a sail and is also known as the plans to design and build recycling plants in places like
Millennium Tower. Designed to deal with typical tropical George. In KwaZulu-Natal this issue received substantial
storm conditions the structure is visible from far away. attention in the period around the 1990s. In 1999 the
Huge screens keep out the glaring sun and the employees choices were made when it became clear that the options
watching and controlling shipping movements work in between treating water to a standard acceptable for
what must be one of the most highly sophisticated discharge via marine outfalls and treatment to a level
and beautiful offices in the country, having a 360° acceptable for industrial use were becoming a crucial
unsurpassed bird’s eye view. The concrete tower tops issue. The result was that a 49 Ml treatment facility was
out at 37 m and the top of the superstructure at 85 m built that could among others automatically monitor
above foundation level. It is said that the design was over 40 water quality parameters. Due to the nature
inspired by a budding sugar cane shoot, shells and fish, of this facility many engineering disciplines over and
as well as sails, masts, cranes and funnels on ships. above civils took part in this cutting edge technological
This joint effort by engineers and architects to provide exercise at the mouth of the Umkomaas River. A project
a functional as well as beautiful structure certainly worthy of taking its place in the quest to achieve
succeeded. sustainability in the water supply field.

1