-
1
University of Mauritius
Department of Civil Engineering
Industrial Training
Report
CIVE 3000
04 Feb 2013 to 21 Jun 2013
(a 20 weeks training)
Name : Jeedaran Arshaad
ID: 1012358
Course: BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering
Year : 3
Industrial Supervisors : 1. H. Kalisaran
2. R. Hassarup
University Supervisor: Mrs. K. Moonshiram-Baguant
-
2
Certification from industrial supervisors
I hereby certify that the information in this report is accurate
and does not contain any
confidential data.
..
R. Hassarup
(Project Manager)
-
3
Acknowledgement
This report would not have been possible without the guidance
and the help of several persons
who I hold in high esteem that in one way or another contributed
and extended their valuable
assistance and support during my training.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my two industrial
training supervisors, Mr. H.
Kalisaran and Mr. R. Hassarup for their support, coaching,
guidance and advice.
I would also like to thank the WMA Plaines Wilhems Sewerage
Project Lot 2 team and all staffs
from the contractor and consultant for their kind support and
advice.
Special thanks to the staffs from the WMA Head office who has
also contributed in this training.
-
4
Table of Contents
A. Executive summary
......................................................................................................................5
B. Introduction
.................................................................................................................................6
Overview of the
WMA....................................................................................................................6
Overview of the Plaines Wilhems Sewerage Project
..........................................................................9
C. Aims and objectives of the industrial training
............................................................................12
D. Scope of
works............................................................................................................................13
Technical aspect
...........................................................................................................................13
Tests carried on site
......................................................................................................................24
Commissioning.............................................................................................................................26
Health & Safety issues on site
........................................................................................................27
Environment
Impact......................................................................................................................28
Traffic
Impact...............................................................................................................................28
Project Management Aspect
..........................................................................................................29
Public Relation Aspect
..................................................................................................................29
E. Assignments carried out during the industrial
placement...........................................................30
F. Outcomes and Evaluation
...........................................................................................................38
G. Conclusion
.................................................................................................................................40
Appendix A
.....................................................................................................................................41
Appendix B
.....................................................................................................................................43
Appendix C
.....................................................................................................................................45
Appendix D
.....................................................................................................................................47
Appendix E
.....................................................................................................................................48
Appendix F
.....................................................................................................................................49
Appendix
G.....................................................................................................................................50
Appendix
H.....................................................................................................................................52
Appendix I
......................................................................................................................................53
-
5
A. Executive summary
The industrial training consisted of a 20 weeks placement at the
WMA (Wastewater
Management Authority) which operates as an autonomous
organisation under the aegis of the
Ministry of Renewable Energy and Public Utilities.
My training involved permanent mobilization to the Plaines
Wilhems Sewerage Project-Stage 1,
Construction of Reticulation Network and House Connections for
Lot 2, contract WW81F under
the guidance of the Project Manager who was my industrial
supervisor. The site office is located
at Avenue Hirondelles, Quatre-Bornes.
I was given several assignments in view to achieve the aims and
objectives set for the industrial
training. These are described in details in this report.
-
6
B. Introduction
Overview of the WMA
The WMA operates as an autonomous body under the aegis of the
Ministry of Public Utilities and is
responsible for the collection, treatment and disposal of
wastewater. Its functions are defined in
the WMA Act, 2000 and the following two agreements:
(a) Contrat De Maitrise DOuvrage Dlgue, whereby the Government
delegates to WMA the
duties of constructing new wastewater assets;
(b) Contrat De Dlgation, whereby the Government entrusts to the
WMA the operation and
maintenance of all Governments assets pertaining to the public
sewerage systems. The WMA is
empowered to charge rates to those connected to the sewerage
systems in the country. The prevailing
wastewater tariffs cover, inter-alia, operation and maintenance
costs, and 25% depreciation of assets.
The WMA is also responsible for the following tasks:
(a) Regulate, monitor and control industrial effluent discharges
to the public sewer network;
(b) Monitor and evaluate public and private wastewater treatment
plants effluent in
compliance with the Environmental Protection Act discharge
standards;
(c) Review and approve wastewater related infrastructure and
industrial development
applications ; and
(d) Provide advice and assistance on wastewater related issues
and nuisances, drafting of
Standards and Guidelines.
The WMA manages the public sewerage system consisting of 515 km
of sewer network, 19
treatment plants and 50 pumping stations, the main treatment
plants being at St-Martin, Grand-
Baie, Baie-du-Tombeau, and Montagne Jacquot.
-
7
WMA Mission
To protect Water & Marine Environment of Mauritius and to
ensure sustainability of its
water
To be a reliable and high quality Wastewater Service provider in
Mauritius
To achieve a financial sustainability
To forge a reliable partnership with all stakeholders sensitive
to the cause of the
environment.
WMA vision
To equip Mauritius with a state of art Sewerage System thereby
providing a high standard of
sanitation that would preserve public health and ensure a
sustainable clean environment for
maintaining the reputation of Mauritius as a dream
destination.
Sections/Division in the Organisation
1. Project Management Unit & House Connection
2. Pollution Control and Laboratory Division
3. Operation and Maintenance Division
4. Public Relations & Customer Care Unit
5. Finance & Stores
6. Human Resources & Administration Section
7. IT Unit
8. Planning and Transport Unit
-
8
My placement for industrial training was at the Project
Management Unit & House Connection
(PMU) section under the Plaines Wilhems Sewerage Project.
Overview of the PMU section
This section consists of three sub-sections.
A. Project Management Unit
Implementation of the major wastewater projects identified in
the National Sewerage
Programme
Manage the procurement process throughout the feasibility,
design, tender, construction
and commissioning stages.
To follow up on projects
To report on the progress of projects to relevant
stakeholders.
B. Land survey Unit
Responsible for all procedures for lands and wayleaves
acquisitions for all sewerage
projects throughout the island.
C. House Connection
Investigations for Notary Clearances, building clearance,
private connections, opening of
accounts for new house connections.
-
9
Overview of the Plaines Wilhems Sewerage Project
The Plaines Wilhems Sewerage Project is divided in two stages.
At present only Stage 1
contracts is being executed. Stage 1 includes:
WW73F- Construction of New Trunk Sewer
WW80F- Construction of Reticulation Network & House
Connections Lot1A
(South west Quatre Bornes and west Rose Hill)
WW99F- Construction of Reticulation Network & House
Connections Lot1B (west Rose Hill)
WW81F- Construction of Reticulation Network & House
Connections Lot2
(Central and north east Quatre Bornes)
This Stage 1 of the project forms part of the recommendations of
the Sewerage Master Plan
(1993). The overall project comprises of the construction of
27km of trunk sewer, 235 km of
reticulation network with 29,000 house connections in unsewered
areas.
The outfall for this network, collecting and conveying
wastewaters from the Plaines Wilhems
Area drains to the St Martin Treatment Plant located at St.
Martin in the Black River District.
-
10
Main objectives
The main objectives of the Project are:
- to provide the inhabitants of the Project area with effective
sanitation services
- to improve the efficiency of the sewerage network in order to
minimize ground water
infiltration and wastewater overflow during times of heavy
rainfall
- to protect the aquifer from the risk of wastewater
contamination
- to permit the viability of the St. Martin Wastewater Treatment
Plant
- to generate revenues to WMA, following the connection of new
users to the sewer
system.
Scope of work under Lot2
The works under the Lot2 project area comprise of the civil
works for the construction of
approximately 100 km of secondary and tertiary street sewers as
well as the sewerage property
connections for about 12,500 house connections in the region of
Central, North East and South
west Quatre Bornes.
Approximately 50km of potable water pipes, together with
associated house connections, are
expected to be damaged during the sewerage works. Replacement of
these potable water pipes
and house connections will be undertaken under this
contract.
The whole sewer network was designed to collect wastewater from
the houses in the project area
and to flow by gravity to a main sewer pipe and sent to the
Saint Martin Treatment Plant. A
layout plan of the Plaine Wilhems Lot2 project area is found on
the next page.
-
11
Project details
Client: Wastewater Management Authority (WMA)
Contractor: Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG)/
Sotravic Ltee Joint Venture
Supervision: C.Lotti/LuxConsult Joint Venture
Defects Liability Period: (364 Calendar days as per
contract)
Start Date: 14 January 2008
Original Completion Date: 13 July 2008
Revised Completion Date: 20 December 2013
-
12
C. Aims and objectives of the industrial training
The main aim of the training is to give exposure to the world of
work. At the end of the training,
maturity is expected in the following fields:
1. Ability to take initiatives and responsibilities
2. Capability to identify and solve technical problems
3. Capacity to work in groups
4. Capacity to communicate effectively with people at all
levels
Other skills are also expected to be developed at the end of the
training
-
13
D. Scope of works
Civil works were divided into several phases and the project was
at its final phase during the
period of the industrial placement. A brief overview on the
different aspects of the project will be
given in this report.
Technical aspect
The technical side of the project can be broadly divided into
the following:
1. Street sewer
2. House connection
3. Replacement of water pipes
-
14
Street sewer
Civil works for laying pipes for street sewer are carried out in
the following sequence:
1. Clearance from the Traffic Management and Road Safety Unit
(TMRSU)
2. Clearance from the Municipality
3. Public Relation (PR)
4. Trial pit excavation (where necessary)
5. Transferring of Temporary Benchmark (TBM)
6. Setting out
7. Excavation
8. Setting of sight rail
9. Placing of bedding
10. Pipe laying
11. Backfilling
12. Compaction
13. Excavation for Y-branch
14. Double Bitumen Surface Treatment (DBST) (Temporary re-
instatement)
15. Asphalting (Final re- instatement) (Full width or trench
width)
16. Manhole construction (starts after activity No.7 above but
is independent of pipe laying
works)
-
15
1. Clearance from the Traffic Management and Road Safety Unit
(TMRSU)
Before any civil work is carried out on a particular stretch of
road, the contractor must request
the approval of the TMRSU. The latter then devise a traffic
diversion plan of that particular road
before giving approval to start works. A model traffic diversion
plan has been enclosed in the
appendix. [Appendix A]
2. Clearance from the Municipality of Quatres-Bornes
Approval must also be given by the Municipality for works to
start. The contractor must submit
information about duration of works and give details about the
stretch to be excavated. Site
meetings are carried out by the WMA, together with
representatives of the Municipality of
Quatres-Bornes, consultant and contractor for strategic roads
and avenues of special importance.
In those meetings, health and safety, infrastructure, vehicular
access and traffic diversion are
discussed and a consensus is reached between the different
parties. A copy of one of the minutes
of meeting is enclosed in the appendix for one of these site
meetings. [Appendix B]
3. Public Relation (PR)
This is an important step before works are started. Public
Relation Officers inform the
inhabitants the starting date for civil works and the stretch of
road to be closed. This is done by
distribution of flyers on which all necessary details are given
like whether pedestrian and
vehicular access will be provided, including contacts (telephone
number) of the site agent and
WMA site office for any queries. Where possible, inhabitants are
also informed verbally. In
cases of classified roads or major roads, the public is also
informed by radio announcement and
written press. A copy to a typical flyer is enclosed in the
appendix. [Appendix C]
-
16
4. Trial pit excavation
Excavation for a trial pit is carried out to locate existing
services like water pipes and telecom
cables when their exact location is unknown. The positioning of
the sewer alignment is
determined in such a way to avoid damaging of those services
during excavation.
5. Transferring of Temporary Benchmark (TBM)
A flying level is carried out with an automatic level and staff
from a nearby TBM whose invert
level is known. This TBM is transferred to a location near the
working front. This is done by the
site agent or surveyor and chainman from the contractors side.
Then, a civil works inspector
from the consultants side cross checks invert levels recorded by
repeating the flying level
exercise. He then gives approval for works to proceed.
-
17
6. Setting out
Markings on the road surface for setting out are done by paint,
usually of yellow colour. These
markings indicate the boundary of the trench to be excavated.
Location of manholes, invert
levels for Temporary Benchmarks and chainages are also marked
where necessary.
7. Excavation
Excavation is carried out with an excavator. The excavated soil
is carted away by lorry to the
contractors compound where the big rocks are removed and the
sieved soil is normally used for
backfilling. Trench width normally takes consideration for
allowing access for labour and
equipment. It may vary from 600mm to 1m depending on the geology
(rocky areas may require
larger width), diameter of pipe used and other factors.
-
18
8. Setting of sight rail
The setting of a sight rail is important to determine the depth
of excavat ion, depth of bedding,
and invert levels of pipe. To control the extent of excavation
and bedding, a traveller is used. The
traveller can be either a boning rod or staff.
9. Placing of bedding
A layer of bedding material is placed up to a depth of 150mm
before laying of sewer pipes
according to specification. The sewer pipe is placed on this
layer of bedding. Its purpose is to
protect the sewer pipe from damage.
-
19
10. Placing of manhole
Heavy duty manholes for street sewer consist of several precast
concrete rings whose heights
vary according to the depth of the manhole. Before laying the
first ring, a blinding layer of
50mm is laid on the soil surface.
11. Pipe laying
Before laying of sewer pipe, the depth of bedding along the
trench is checked using the traveller.
Pipe alignment is verified by visual inspection using the sight
rails. After pipe laying, invert
levels at every 1 m are checked according to the construction
drawings.
-
20
12. Backfilling
After laying of sewer pipe, backfilling is carried out by
filling the trench with soil containing
rocks of not more than 150 mm diameter according to
specification. Backfilling is carried out in
layers of depth not exceeding 150 mm.
13. Compaction
Compaction of backfilled soil is carried out with a vibration
plate compactor in layers not
exceeding 150mm. This process must not be carried out in rainy
condition. Crusher run is used
for the last layer of backfilling.
-
21
14. Excavation for Y-branch
Wastewater pipes for house connection are connected to the main
sewer network on the road by
a fitting called Y-branch. Excavation for the part of the
wastewater pipes for house connection
which lie on the road is carried out after backfilling of the
road trench. It is not carried out
simultaneously with road excavation due to lack of space for the
JCB.
15. Double Bitumen Surface Treatment (DBST) (Temporary re-
instatement)
A temporary re- instatement of the road is carried out with
bitumen before proceeding with final
re-instatement. A tack coat is sprayed on the road surface
before spreading the bitume n layer.
The bitumen is laid in two layers.
-
22
16. Asphalting (Final re- instatement)
Asphaltic concrete is laid as final re- instatement. This can be
either trench width, i.e. asphalt is
laid only along on the trench that was excavated or it can cover
the full width of the road. A tack
coat is sprayed on the road surface before the layer of
asphaltic concrete is laid.
House connection
Generally, the criteria to be satisfied for each house
connection were:
a) Avoid excavating through tiles, concrete or bricks where
possible so as to minimise the
cost for repairing damaged surfaces. The lines must pass
preferably through easily excavated
and easily re- instated surface such as soil or aggregates.
However, it was dependent to a large
extent on the availability of such options.
b) Minimise the use of manholes where possible.
c) Align the sewer pipe in such a way so as to make provision
for future constructions in the
yard of the house owner, which may interfere with the laid
pipeline. Y-Branches were also
provided on bare lands to cater for future connections due to
future constructions.
d) The slopes of the 110 mm diameter pipes are designed to a
gradient in the range of 1 in
40 to 1 in 80 and with respect to the pipe diameter and to
provide adequate cover to the pipe. The
slopes were also designed based on the criterion that the pipe
must be self cleansing, that is,
sediments must not clog the pipe due a too low velocity.
-
23
Consultant has the duty to verify the following:
i. Pipes (110 mm dia. or 160 mm dia. depending of type of waste
water being carried for
Contract WW81F)
ii. Gully traps
iii. Grey water pipes
iv. Water Closet and bathroom connections
v. Air vents
vi. Inspection Chambers
Replacement of water pipes
According to the contract, 50km of water pipes need to be
replaced. The old asbestos water pipes
are replaced by HDPE pipes. Excavation depth for water pipes are
normally than that for sewer
pipes.
-
24
Tests carried on site
1. Test for watertightness
The water tight test is done to locate any losses in the casted
concrete manholes on the road. For
this, the ends of the pipe are closed by means of airtight
plugs. The manhole is saturated with
water and after 24 hours of saturation, the water level in the
manhole is noted. After 30 minutes,
the new water level is noted again. If the drop in water level
is around 10 mm or less as per
contract specification, then, it can be concluded that the
manholes were well casted and that there
are no significant water losses.
2. Air test for sewer
The ends of the pipe to be tested are closed by means of
airtight plugs, with one of them
consisting of an entry pipe controlled by a stopcock. The entry
pipe is connec ted to an air pump
provided with a U tube manometer capable of reading up to 200 mm
head of water.
Air is pumped into the system until a 100 mm head is registered.
This pressure is maintained for
15 minutes. The air pressure must not fall by more than 25 mm of
water for a period of 5
minutes. If the loss in pressure is more than specified, the
pipe must be searched for leakage and
the test repeated again.
A typical sheet for recording data for air test is included in
the appendix. [Appendix D]
-
25
3. Compaction test
Compaction test using troxler equipment is carried out. The
troxler equipment is placed on the
layer whose degree of compaction need to be tested. This can be
either compacted soil or crusher
run. The equipment is activated and after 15 seconds, the values
are noted. This delay is because
the troxler emits radioactive radiation. A 95% compaction is
required for the test to pass.
4. Benkelman deflection test
The Benkelman deflection test is carried out on classified roads
under the responsibility of the
RDA (Road Development Authority). During the industrial
training, one deflection test was
carried out at avenue Berthaud by the RDAs technical team in the
presence of WMA
representative, and consultants supervisory staff.
The Benkelman beam is a simple device that operates on the lever
arm principle. A loaded truck
is used with 80 kN on a single axle with dual tires inflated 550
kPa. Measurement is made by
placing the tip of the beam between the dual tires and measuring
the pavement surface rebound
as the truck is moved away. Readings for deflection are taken on
the left, right and center of the
road.
-
26
Commissioning
Commissioning takes place after all constructions have been
completed. It involves a routine
check to assess whether the sewer network is functioning
properly and is ready for operation.
This check is carried out by a WMA civil works inspector in the
presence of the site agent from
the contractors side and the consultants civil works
inspector.
The following aspects are checked during the commissioning
stage:
1. Whether manhole has been constructed according to the
construction drawing
2. Quality of benching (the slope and texture must be
appropriate so that wastewater is drained
away)
3. Slope of the channel
4. Manhole cover (whether the dimension and the concrete seating
around the manhole cover are
appropriate and whether its level is even with the road
surface).
5. Presence of any leakage
6. Making good (whether texture and appearance is
appropriate).
7. Flow test
The flow test involves the pouring of water in one manhole to
check if the water drains away.
Another manhole in the same sewer line is checked for drainage
of the water.
-
27
After the commissioning, the necessary remedial measures are
taken by the contractor. A table
for recording data during commissioning is included in the
appendix. [Appendix E]
Health & Safety issues on site
Health and safety is an important issue in any construction
project and guidelines set in the
specification need to be strictly followed by the contractor.
The guidelines cater for both workers
and public safety during civil works. The following are outlined
in the specification:
Good site management practices
Trenches to be protected to prevent cave-in
Protective clothing to workers
Boards indication construction activity shall be displayed
Dewatering of trenches safe access to properties
Proper site supervision
Adequate barriers at work places
Immediate backfilling of trenches after completion of collector
installation/testing
A Health and Safety officer is responsible for ensuring that the
above are respected. A typical
report by the contractors health and safety officer is included
in the appendix. [Appendix F ]
In the above two pictures, proper netting, signs, and
barricading were provided. Workers also
wore protective helmets and reflective jackets.
-
28
Environment Impact
Dust, noise and flooding are main environment nuisances that
need to be addressed and
mitigation measures include the following:
-water sprinkling in dry weather,
-covering of stock piles of excavated material,
-maintenance of roads clear of mud and dirt from the site
Another important issue which needs to be addressed is the
provision of access to local residents
and to various business premises within the project area. Proper
programming of construction
activities and provision of access through installations over
trenches is a solution to this problem.
Traffic Impact
The contractor is responsible for maintenance, control, and
safeguarding of traffic. These include
orientation, elevation, offset and location of all signs
erected.
Civil works have several negative impacts on traffic namely:
impact on residents along roads,
and traffic congestion. Some of the mitigation measures for
these include:
-Proper planning and co-ordination of traffic diversions,
-limitation of open trenches length
-informing public in advance of diversions
-
29
Project Management Aspect
The WMA, being the client, has the responsibility to ensure that
the project is being
implemented within the time and budget defined in the contract.
Quality of work is also
monitored by the WMAs technical team.
The WMA monitors the performance of the consultant and the
contractor through the consultant.
The consultant submits progress reports at regular intervals to
show the amount of work that has
been achieved and whether the target set has been reached.
The WMA ensures communication with the different authorities
like the CWA, CEB,
Municipality, and the Ministry for matters related to the
project through meetings, letters and by
phone. Complaints from residents are also processed and the
necessary actions are taken where
necessary.
Public Relation Aspect
The public relation (PR) team is responsible for establishing
the link between all stakeholders
and the WMA. Complaints from residents are taken, processed and
referred to the contractor for
remedial actions. PR officers also sensitize the public before
any excavation works.
Also, before any road closure, the PR team has to carry out an
awareness explaining the nature of
works and its duration.
The PR team is mostly responsible for providing a positive image
of the organization which
enhances community building.
-
30
E. Assignments carried out during the industrial placement
During the placement, I assisted the WMA project team for the
following assignments:
1. Daily site visits to check progress of work
This involved recording of all progress on site (at which stage
works have reached), whether
works are carried out according to quality expected and
reporting of any other problems if any.
The data are recorded and reported back to the Project Manager
or site Engineer. These data are
required for project management and decision-taking. A sheet for
site records is included in the
appendix.
2. Witnessing of repairs on CWA pipes
On several occasions, water pipes were damaged due to excavation
works and required
immediate repairs. The procedures for repair were witnessed and
progress was reported to the
Engineer.
-
31
3. Assignments on site
During the industrial placement, several assignments were
carried out on site together with the
consultants supervisory staffs. These are:
(a) Transferring of Temporary Benchmarks (TBM)
This was done with an automatic level and staff by the flying
level method. These TBMs
were used for setting sight rails to control depth of excavation
on the site required.
(b) Setting out of sewer alignment
During setting out, the different chainages and the boundary of
the trench to be excavated
were marked.
(c) Checking of sight rails and levels of sewer line
(d) Checking of compaction on road base
This is performed with troxler equipment. Compacting test is
carried out both on
compacted soil for backfilling and crusher run on road base. A
95% compaction is
expected for the test to pass.
(e) Manhole construction
(f) Checking invert levels and slope of pipe
(g) Checking of Y-branch as per construction drawings
4. Witnessing of tests carried on site
Several tests were witnessed on site. These are:
(a) Compaction test
(b) Water tightness test
(c) Air test for manhole
(d) Benkelman beam deflection test
(e) Flow test
-
32
5. Assisting the WMA civil works inspectors during
commissioning
This consists of making checks as mentioned previously on the
manhole and sewer network and
recording of the required data.
6. Monitoring Health and Safety on site
Health and Safety is a very important issue which needs to be
monitored closely and
continuously. This was done during site visits to check progress
of work. If guidelines for Health
and Safety were not respected by the contractors staffs on site,
the cases were reported back to
the WMAs Project Manager. He then refers to the consultant to
give the necessary instructions
to the contractor.
7. Assisting WMAs audit team with respect to billing
The WMAs audit team carries out checks for houses to assess
whether they are already
connected to the sewer network or works are still overdue. These
checks are required to start the
billing of the customers connected to the sewer network. The
audit team is assisted by the
WMAs technical team. If final connection has not been completed,
the Project Manager is
notified. The latter will then instruct the contractor through
the consultant to do the needful.
8. Reconnaissance survey of roads and trenches within the
project area.
This survey consisted of checking the presence of snags, state
of the manhole covers and
concrete seating around it, whether manholes are leveled with
the road surface, and the state of
the roads where excavation and final re- instatement have
already been completed. A report was
written about the road conditions and where necessary remedial
works were required; the
contractor was instructed by the WMA through the consultant to
do the needful. (A sample page
of the report is included in appendix I)
-
33
9. Survey to check state of road markings
Road markings are an important issue since their absence is the
cause of many road accidents.
The contractor has the responsibility to re- instate the road
markings on roads where excavation
works took place. This survey was done to assess the condition
of the road markings. A report
was written giving details of road markings that are incomplete
or have faded away. This was
sent to the contractor through the consultant to do the remedial
works where necessary.
10. Survey to quantify number of house connections where final
connection is long
overdue.
There are many houses where final connection was not completed
by the contractor and several
complaints were registered by the WMA from the house owners.
This survey was carr ied out to
check which of these houses final connection is not completed. A
report was written which was
sent to the contractor through the consultant to complete the
work.
11. Survey to assess socio-economic issues before excavation
works
A survey is normally carried out by the WMA to assess
socio-economic issues before excavation
works start in city centers. I was assigned to assist the WMA
Public Relation team to carry out
the survey for phase 16 of St-Jean road. During this survey, a
site visit is carried to locate
presence of Hospitals, Schools, shops and other buildings where
services are offered to the
public. The data is recorded and an assessment is carried out on
the impact of excavation works
on the Health of the people and activities in the site area.
This facilitates a proper planning and
sequencing of works in order not to affect the socio-economic
activities in the area.
-
34
12. Site visit to attend complaints
Site visits were carried out with the WMAs technical and Public
Relation team in the presence
of representatives from the contractor and consultant. The
objective was to assess the problem
and find solution. The following cases were attended:
(a) blockage problems
(b) wayleave issues
(c) property damaged due to excavation works and not properly
re- instated.
13. Meetings attended
Meetings that were attended during the industrial placement
consist of both site meetings and
office meetings. The following meetings were attended:
(a) CWA meeting
This meeting is held once every month to discuss the problems
arising and to monitor
progress of works for replacement of CWA water pipes and pipe
repairs. The parties present
are the CWA, WMA, representatives from the contractor and the
consultant.
(b) Complaints committee
The Complaints committee is held every week to discuss about the
complaints that were
registered from residents. The parties involved are the Public
Relation Officers from the
WMA and the contractor and a representative from the consultant.
An evaluation is made to
assess the complaints that were attended on a case to case basis
and those that are still
overdue.
(c) Meeting for Health & Safety issues
A meeting, chaired by the Project Manager of the WMA, was
organized at the WMA site
office to discuss matters related to Health & Safety.
Guidelines were not respected by the
contractors staffs on site. Parties present were representatives
of the WMA, consultant and
-
35
contractor. I was assigned to take the notes of meeting. The
contractor was instructed to take
appropriate remedial actions and to abide by the Health &
Safety guidelines.
(d) Site meeting before the opening of the working front on
Avenue Girofliers
A site meeting was organized by the WMA before the start of
excavation works on Avenue
Girofliers to discuss on the methodology of work, time frame,
Health and Safety and Public
Relation issues involved. This is because this working front is
situated in near a market place
where sellers need to have vehicular access for loading and
unload ing of goods. Parties
presents were representatives from the WMA, municipality,
consultant and contractor.
(e) Site meeting for re- instatement of road markings on St-Jean
road
A site meeting was organized by the WMA with representatives
from the contractor and
consultant and the RDA to re-instate the yellow boxes on St-Jean
road. These faded away
due to excavation works and their re- instatement was a top
priority as absence of yellow
boxes can be a cause of road accident. The contractor was
instructed to do the necessary
remedial works by the WMA through the consultant.
(f) Site meeting for emergency works at Residence St-Jean
A site meeting was organized by the WMA at Residence St-Jean in
the presence of
representatives from the contractor and consultant. This was due
to overflow of an absorption
pit. Accumulation of water on the ground surface resulted in
breeding of mosquitoes and
germs which are dangerous for the health of the inhabitants. The
WMA instructed the
contractor through the consultant to start final connection
works so that the absorption pit can
be de-commissioned.
-
36
14. Office works
(a) Checking of Interim Payment Certificates
Due to the long duration of the project, payment to the
contractor were made after each month to
depending on the progress of works.
The payment certificate is a well-structured detailed document
about payments of items that the
contractor claimed for. In the payment certificate, the
quantities of items (where defined) are
checked as per works progress records. Previous amounts as well
as actual amounts are noted
and the cumulative quantities are also mentioned in the payment
certificates. The rates inserted
are cross-checked in the Bill of Quantities; and errors, if any,
rectified. The quantities of items
are calculated at the corresponding rates and the total sum
noted.
Moreover, if any mistakes in payment (either more or less) to
the contractor were made, the
mistakes are rectified in the payment certificate. The
contractor is notified of any changes made.
The payment certificates are sent to the audit section of the
company to cross-check the
payments after being verified by the WMAs engineer and
approved.
(b) Writing of notes of meetings
Notes of meeting were written for the different meetings
attended during the placement.
-
37
(c) Exposure and awareness of contract documents
The contract document generally consists of the following:
Contract Agreement
General Conditions of Contract
Special Conditions of Contract
Bill of Quantities
Drawings
Specifications
Pricing Schedules
Insurances and Bonds (Performance and Retention Bonds)
(d) Perusal of claims
One of the claims that I perused during the placement is the
Claim 23. The contractor claimed for
an extension of time to complete the works. The fundaments of
the Claim are:
1. Additional depths of excavation for street sewers which are
much greater than the
depths as outlined in tender documents. The additional works
have reduced the
productivity of the contractors Equipment, as it takes a lot
longer to excavate and lay
pipes in deeper trenches.
2. Additional street sewers from additional lanes which were not
shown on the Tender
drawings but required sewer pipe. These street sewers are of
different nature as was
included in the tender as these additional sewers are
predominantly found in narrow
lanes in which the activities of street sewer teams are hindered
and the teams can only
achieve a reduced output. This increases the cost of
construction of the sewers thereby
further slowing down the progress and hence prolonging the
completion date.
-
38
F. Outcomes and Evaluation
The 20 weeks placement has successfully achieved the aims and
objectives set for the industrial
training. The following outcomes were achieved:
1. Ability to take initiatives and responsibilities
Initiatives and responsibilities were successfully taken through
the various assignments given.
2. Capability to identify and solve technical problems
During the whole of the placement, I was exposed to several
civil engineering problems on site
where theoretical knowledge acquired at the university was used
to find solutions. Some of them
are:
(a) During one of the commissioning exercise, there was a need
to find a practical solution. The
slope of the channel of one manhole was too low for wastewater
to be carried away. The solution
was to increase the slope.
(b) There was a situation where slope of a sewer pipe was such
that the latter could not be
connected to an existing manhole. New invert levels were found
through back-calculation based
on a new gradient to solve the problem.
3. Ability to work in groups
Team-working proved to be vital in this project. Proper
coordination was established between the
Technical and Public Relation teams together with other parties
to fulfill the duties required.
Leadership skills were also acquired from the different
assignments.
-
39
4. Capacity to communicate effectively with people at all
levels
Communication was established at all levels. These include
communication with the WMA,
contractors and consultants staff, and with the public. I had to
report information to the Project
Manager and site engineer about the progress of work and site
conditions effectively and
accurately. I also took complaints from residents and give
advice where necessary.
Medium of communication was in various forms: verbally, by
telephone, emails, letters and
reports.
5. Code of ethics
These guiding principles had to be respected :
To fulfill lawful obligations with professionalism, integrity
and loyalty.
To fulfill duties honestly, faithfully and efficiently while
respecting the rights of the
public and their colleagues.
The training also helped to develop qualities like integrity,
selflessness, impartiality, objectivity,
accountability, openness, honesty and justice.
-
40
G. Conclusion
This industrial placement of 20 weeks at the WMA was a very
enriching experience in the field
of Civil Engineering, especially Wastewater Engineering.
Theoretical knowledge previously
learnt at the university was put into practice to solve
Engineering prob lems. These include
Engineering Management and Economics, Geotechnical Engineering,
Environmental and
Wastewater Engineering and many other theories learnt during the
three years at university.
Successful integration in the world of work and all-round
development were achieved and I do
believe that this formation will contribute greatly in the field
of civil engineering for the coming
academic year and in my professional career.
-
41
Appendix A
-
42
-
43
Appendix B
-
44
-
45
Appendix C
-
46
-
47
Appendix D
-
48
Appendix E
-
49
Appendix F
-
50
Appendix G
-
51
-
52
Appendix H
-
53
Appendix I