Us city dwellers sometimes take piped water for granted. Yet getting it to us reliably and cheaply (between 1c and 3c per litre!) takes enormous amounts of investments and significant engineering skill.
Durban is getting a new supply pipeline called the "Western Aqueduct" which will be supplied from Midmar Dam. It is a steel pipeline measuring 1.4m in diameter. It is normally constructed by burying it in a trench, but in built-up areas this method is very disruptive. To avoid closing major roads, the pipeline is installed in a concrete sleeve which is "pushed" / "jacked" under the road at a depth of about 6m deep. This method is called PIPE JACKING
This cache is almost directly above a pipe jack. A crane can be seen over the jacking pit at the corner of Shongweni Road. This crane lowers equipment and concrete pipe sleeves into the pit and lifts out excavated rock. The jacked sleeve will be exposed adjacent the car wash about 50m away, whereafter the steel pipeline will be pushed through and connected to the rest of the pipeline.
This technique is MUCH more expensive than conventional trenching, so is used very sparingly
