- Asbestos removal
- Asbestos cement pipes
Asbestos cement pipes: water mains, sewers and private lines
What they are, whether the water is safe, and who replaces them.
Asbestos-cement pipes are made of cement mixed with about 15 to 20% asbestos fibre (Helen Suzman Foundation). From the early 1950s they were common in water and sewer networks across South Africa. No new ones have been laid since asbestos was banned in 2008, but many of the old ones are still in the ground, and municipalities are now replacing them.
Asbestos to remove? Send the address and a photo on WhatsApp. Pipes, ceilings, walls and other materials are priced after a site visit.
Is water from asbestos cement pipes safe to drink?
The World Health Organization has not set a guideline value for asbestos in drinking water. Its 2022 fact sheet says studies linking asbestos in drinking water to stomach and gut cancers have been inconsistent, and that the overall evidence does not show a higher cancer risk from swallowing it (WHO asbestos fact sheet, 2022). The danger from asbestos is breathing the fibres in.
The WHO does not wave the pipes through, though. It names asbestos-cement pipes as the main source of asbestos in drinking water, says degraded pipes can keep releasing fibres, and says pipes that fail should be replaced with non-asbestos materials. The Helen Suzman Foundation goes further and disputes the WHO’s position, citing studies that link swallowed asbestos to several cancers.
Why municipalities are replacing them
Mostly because the pipes are old and break. Most South African asbestos-cement pipes went in between about 1950 and 1970, and their service life is put at around 50 years (Helen Suzman Foundation), so much of that network is at or past the end of its life.
- Johannesburg: Joburg Water began replacing asbestos-cement pipes in 2022 after repeated bursts in Craigavon, Bloubosrand, Maroeladal and Chartwell. The rigid pipes could not handle the pressure changes when the system was shut and reopened, and they burst more in winter. The new pipes are uPVC or steel (Engineering News, 2022).
- Overstrand (Hermanus and surrounds): replacing them with HDPE pipe at about R10 million a year, raised to R13.5 million for 2025/26, with the aim of phasing them out completely (Overstrand Municipality).
- Elsewhere: the Helen Suzman Foundation lists replacement projects in Tshwane, Polokwane, eThekwini, Knysna and Lesedi.
How to tell if a pipe is asbestos cement
Asbestos-cement pipe looks like grey cement. That only tells you it is fibre cement, not whether it holds asbestos. The age is the better clue: a fibre-cement pipe laid before the 28 March 2008 ban should be treated as asbestos, and only a laboratory test confirms it. See asbestos testing and inspection.
Pipes are one of several asbestos-containing materials from the same era; roof sheets, gutters, ceiling boards and water tanks often turn up on the same property. The full list is on asbestos-containing materials in South African buildings.
The rules for cutting, repairing or removing them
Cutting an asbestos-cement pipe releases fibres, so when one breaks, Overstrand Municipality has its teams replace the whole length rather than cut into it. Under the 2020 regulations:
- Removing less than 10 m² of asbestos-cement products, piping included, not repeated on the same site within six months, is Type 1 work.
- Repairing asbestos-cement pipe, or removing more than that, is Type 2 work and needs a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour.
- That applies to off-cuts too: in July 2026 Johannesburg Water asked for quotes to take asbestos pipe off-cuts to a licensed landfill and required a Type 2 registered contractor (RFQJW75SC26).
- The waste goes to a landfill licensed for asbestos, and the job ends with an asbestos clearance certificate.
Mains in the street are the municipality’s network, so a burst there is theirs to fix. Asbestos-cement lines on a farm, factory or old property are the owner’s to deal with. We remove those as Type 2 work, priced after a site visit: see asbestos removal for pipes, ceilings and cladding.
Questions people ask
Are asbestos cement pipes still used in South Africa?
No new ones: making, importing and using asbestos products has been banned since 28 March 2008. Pipes laid before then are still in many municipal water and sewer networks, and municipalities including Johannesburg, Overstrand, Tshwane and eThekwini are replacing them.
How long do asbestos cement pipes last?
Around 50 years, according to the Helen Suzman Foundation; the Chrysotile Institute puts it at 70. Most South African asbestos-cement pipes were laid between about 1950 and 1970, so many have reached the end of that life.
How much asbestos is in an asbestos cement pipe?
About 15 to 20% asbestos fibre, mixed with cement, according to the Helen Suzman Foundation.
Can I cut an asbestos cement pipe to fix a leak?
Not safely, and not without following the 2020 regulations. Cutting releases fibres; Overstrand Municipality replaces the whole length instead. Repairing asbestos-cement pipe is Type 2 work, which needs a registered asbestos contractor.
Asbestos-cement pipes are cement with about 15 to 20% asbestos fibre, laid in South African water and sewer networks mainly between 1950 and 1970. The WHO has set no drinking-water limit for asbestos and says the evidence does not show a cancer risk from swallowing it, though it wants failed pipes replaced with non-asbestos ones. Johannesburg, Overstrand, Tshwane, eThekwini and other municipalities are replacing them because they are old and burst. Cutting one releases fibres; repairing or removing it is Type 2 work for a registered contractor, with licensed disposal and a clearance certificate.
Get a compliant quote
Send the address and a photo on WhatsApp. The final price is confirmed on a site visit, and every job ends with a clearance certificate.