Civil Engineering July 2022 | Vol 30 No 6

22 July 2022 Civil Engineering Q Q A high crest section in the form of a crump weir Q Q A recorder hut on top of the right riverbank that will house all the recording instrumentation used to monitor water levels and flow patterns Q Q A walkway and stairs joining the recorder hut and right bank cut off wall to allow access to the weir structure. CHALLENGES AND INNOVATIONS The project was handed over to the contractor on 17 February 2020 to commence with construction works. While busy with site establishment and the appointment of local labour, the country went into a total lockdown on 23 March 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid-19. As a result, the project was delayed by 67 calendar days and only commenced on 1 June 2020. There were no extraordinary ways to prevent or mitigate the delay caused by the lockdown and an agreement was reached that the project completion date would be adjusted by an additional eight weeks. From December 2020 onward, constant rain prohibited the contractor from achieving full production on project tasks, espe- cially those within the river. Wet conditions on site and the rising river level had a negative impact on all works. 367 mm of rain was recorded on site between December 2020 and April 2021. River diversions were washed away, and major parts of the access road were damaged. The contractor had to re-programme activities to enable progress on areas outside of the river. Resources had to be rescheduled and additional resources imported to enable the contractor to progress on areas like the main access road and structures outside the river. An agreement was reached, and the project completion date was adjusted by an additional 48 calendar days due to lost production. Slow procurement due to governmental policies and procedures is a constant concern and hampers progress on a regular basis. Third party suppliers appointed for the supply and delivery of ma- terials struggle to perform according to the project requirements and are a major cause of delays. The project team had to plan far ahead for the requirement of goods and materials to enable the processes to run, suppliers be appointed, and materials delivered before the required dates. The status of departmental plant and equipment and the lack of maintenance due to the non-transferral of contracts over the past few years contributes to a lack of progress due to unforeseen break- downs. Site management constantly has to adjust workflow and reschedule tasks due to the lack of reliable plant and equipment. PROJECT STATUS At the end of March 2022 the project was 72% complete. The low notch spillway, flank walls and recorder hut are all 100% complete, while the cut off walls are 26% complete. The estimated completion date of the project is scheduled in September 2022. By taking all the rules and regulations inflicted by government policies and regulations into account, slow progress on the project can be understood. Constant planning and adjustments are required to keep performance up to the required level while still within the framework of the rules and regulations. Although the aim is for the departmental construction unit to operate and per- form similar to contractors operating within the private sector, constant governmental “red tape” prohibits this.  Project team Acting contract manager A Basson Contract administrator R Stassen Project manager NM Dube Site agent SP Ngema Civil superintendent ACDF Araujo Civil foreman B Hulme Right bank view on centreline Walkway stairs to recorder hut