Securing access to drinking water in rural South Africa

Through efficient and smooth transportation of water tanks Mammoet helps parts of rural South Africa to fresh potable water access

Bushbuck Ridge - Mammoet, the world’s largest service provider specializing in engineered heavy lifting and transport, recently transported and installed 16 large water tanks from factory to foundation to supply drinking water to the rural township of Bushbuck Ridge. These 16 tanks are part of a larger project to solve the infrastructural problem of clean potable water supply in rural areas across South Africa. The worsening drought in South Africa over the past few years has made the situation more critical. Mammoet suggested a smart solution to transport the tank sections saving time and costs in getting the tanks to site. Currently in Bushbuck Ridge the South African government has taken a new approach to the storage of fresh water. They decided to deviate from the conventional concrete structures for storing water in favor of a faster and more cost effective method of installing pre-fabricated steel water storage tanks with 200 and 350 kiloliter capacity. Rand Water, one of the South African water authorities responsible for providing fresh water storage, contracted Hydra-Arc in Secunda to fabricate and install these tanks. An estimated 200 tanks need to be installed over a period of three years. The water tanks were fabricated in three sections with a diameter of 6.3 meters each. The bottom piece weighed 10 tons and the middle and top sections 8 tons each. The original intention was to transport the tank sections on tri-axle load beds, one by one. As a more efficient alternative Mammoet suggested using multi-axle trailers, pulled by a prime mover, whereby the complete tank consisting of the bottom, middle and top sections, can be transported on a single trailer. Furthermore, Mammoet was able to reduce the riding height of the load which resulted in more time saved as the telephone and electricity cable clearances were easier to obtain. At the installation site Mammoet off-loaded the sections using a 60-ton mobile crane and used a 110-ton mobile crane to lift each section into place. As each section was lifted into position, the client welded them into place – ready to be filled and change lives by providing the local community with clean and safe drinking water.