Labour‐intensive construction approach for community organised water supply

An approach of direct labour construction of a piped water supply was planned and executed during 1986 in a peri‐urban area of the Umgeni Valley near Durban. The organisational structure to achieve this construction work resulted in a considerable saving in cost as compared to the conventional civil engineering contract. However this approach had several disadvantages in the form of split responsibilities and penalties for the consulting engineer. The labour‐intensive approach was adapted to achieve three objectives: firstly, unemployment relief; secondly, community responsibility for the infrastructure; and thirdly, reduced costs. The total construction cost of the pipeline was completed within 2,5 per cent of the estimated cost over a period of nine months and involved the laying of 13 km of pipeline supplying twenty‐four standpipes and eight schools at a cost of R238 000.