Housing in Southern Africa

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October 2015
Infrastructure & Mixed Use
Polypipe for Africa
Throughout Africa, efforts are concentrated on improving the
continent’s road infrastructurenetwork,withaviewto improvingaccess
to healthcare, education, employment and trading opportunities. In the process of this growth, how-
ever, it is important that construc-
tion does not come at the expense
of the natural environment and local
communities and, as Philip Wood of
Polypipe explains, there are ways in
which responsible road construction
can contribute to water conservation
and reuse.
The need for transport develop-
ment in Africa is clear. Continent-
wide, there are 204 kms of road per
1 000km², of which only a quarter is
paved. Put into perspective, the UK
hasmore than 6 000kmof paved road
per million inhabitants, compared
with 1,367km in South Africa and just
19km in South Sudan.¹
Statistics like this have prompted
many agencies into action – the Pro-
gram for Infrastructure Development
in Africa (PIDA) committed 30% of its
budget to transport, aiming to grow
the current network of major roads
from10 000km to 100 000kmby 2040.
Similarly, the South African Gov-
ernment’s 2012 National Infrastruc-
ture Plan committed to invest R827
billion into building new and upgrad-
ing existing infrastructure, in the
three years.
In its 2014 Annual Report, the
South Africa National Roads Agency
Ltd (SANRAL), outlined its commit-
ment to sustainable building practic-
es, citing a close partnershipwith the
Departments of Water Affairs (DWA)
and Environmental Affairs (DEA), as
well as working to improve the storm
water and subsoil drainage installa-
tions for enhanced environmental
management.
Already in 2015 the South African
sugar industry is facing potential
losses of R920million due to drought
in the KwaZulu-Natal province where
a disaster has been declared in the
majority of districts.
This instability in precipitation
leads to a clear need for efficient
rainwater storage and harvesting –
protecting property, livestock and
people from flash flooding while en-
abling rainwater reuse to aid in times
of need. Incorporating effective drain-
age andwater storage solutionswhen
planning road infrastructure projects
is one way to mitigate the effects of
excessive rainfall or extreme short-
age, enhancing the environmental
credentials of transport projects as
well as the safety of road users.
There are a number of drainage,
storage and water transport options
available to optimise surface water
and storm water drainage, suitable
for installation beneath or adjacent
to the carriageway as necessary.
Polypipe, the UK’s leading manu-
facturer of plastic piping and water
management systems, works closely
with infrastructure bodies in Britain
and worldwide, including the UK’s
Highways Agency to design solutions
for themost challenging applications
and these products are ideally suited
to the particular challenges of road
infrastructure installations in Africa.
In the last few years, Polypipe
partneredwith a leading engineering
solutions provider to deliver large-
scale that included major transport
link between London and Wales. The
improvement works, covering one of
the busiest junctions in the country,
focused on stabilising the road sur-
face and improving drainage works
– in all, 15 000m² of lime-cement
stabilisation work was completed.
Polypipe’s Ridgidrain solution was
selected to provide a drainage solu-
tion capable of transporting large
volumes of water away from the
road surface to maintain safety and
stability.
Ridgidrain is a highly popular solu-
tion for both infrastructure upgrade
and new road projects. It offers ex-
cellent hydraulic performance, high
corrosion and impact resistance and
a simple but secure jointing system.
Ridgidrain was supplied in a variety
of diameters from 150 to 450 mm to
suit the water management system,
and as it is manufactured from light-
weight, easy-to-handle high-density
polyethylene (HDPE), can be supplied
in long lengths for minimal jointing.
Its flexibility and structured ring de-
sign means it can resist high traffic
loads without cracking or leaking,
and the pipes are less likely to block
due to an extremely smooth bore,
minimising maintenance.
For further information visit www.
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