Page 71 - SAICE book proof 2 LATEST JULY 2014

s a i c e
KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE

these dams provide a base for recreation and tourism. More about the dams can be read in the book In the
In many cases the surrounding areas are proclaimed Footsteps of Giants: Exploring the History Behind South
nature reserves which attract thousands of tourists. Africa’s Large Dams.
One of the major challenges faced by the profession is 22. Buildings of various kinds around this prov-
the topography of this province which can be described ince very often are preceded by massive earthworks
as mountainous, interspersed by many valleys and roll- since much of the land is so hilly that it is impossible to
ing hills that even gave rise to the area known as the build on without constructing earth platforms. This in
Valley of a Thousand Hills. To build pipelines through turn necessitates careful design of cuts and fills due to
these areas and to bring water to where it is needed, the nature of the soils which in the Durban area in par-
necessitated tunnels, siphon type structures and in ticular can be sandy and what is known as Berea reds.
general required pioneering engineering work in many
ways. In addition the tendency for small villages to In the Richards Bay area, hectares of small and bigger
have been built on top of the hills require water to be sand dunes had to be levelled to prepare for residential
delivered at elevations where water does not flow under areas but in that case the farsighted town planning and
gravity. engineering designers kept beautiful valleys and wet-
lands in place and today this town enjoys nature side by
Last but not least, the fact that the rivers in this prov- side with modern living and infrastructure amenities.
ince are easily prone to flooding, some of the dam
structures are facilitating flood control and in some cas- 23. Dual marine outfall pipelines at richards
es dams were built to specifically attenuate flood peaks Bay convey millions of litres of effluent from the Mondi
as is the case with the Qedusizi Dam at Ladysmith. This pulp and paper mill and the board mills at Empangeni
was the first ever dam in the country to be built entirely as well as the sewage from the town and the gypsum
for the purpose of protecting the town from flooding. waste from a fertiliser factory are discharged into
This dam has another claim to fame in the sense that it the sea about five kilometres from the shoreline. The
is the first composite rollcrete dam in South Africa and diameter of the polyethylene pipes are approximately
the wall can be raised at a later stage. two metres and 0.9 m respectively and the bigger one

◊ Dams and water pipelines in KwaZulu-Natal

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