Municipal bypass pumping and flood response across the GCC
You can’t switch off a city’s water or wastewater network for repairs. ACTION keeps water, wastewater and stormwater networks in service across the GCC while they are repaired, upgraded or connected. One team designs the bypass, runs it day and night, tests and disinfects the line, and hands the network back in service.
Every bypass starts with a calculation: the flow range and how it varies, the total head across changing suction levels, and the standby capacity the network needs. The pumps come from the largest specialised fleet in the region, already held in depots across the GCC, so mobilisation isn’t the risk. ACTION has partnered with major municipalities across the region on their heavy-rain and flood mitigation programmes, designing, supplying and operating the pumps and systems.
When the rain comes in at night, our crews are already on shift. Ahead of the rain season, standby pumps at known risk points are connected to AURA (ACTION Unified Real-Time Assurance), which flags exceptions against limits set by our engineers. Where pumps are connected, our engineers can start them remotely when levels reach an agreed trigger.
30+
Years in the GCC
4000+
Projects Delivered
6,000+
Assets
91%
Repeat customers
Construction services
What Municipal services does ACTION provide?
From sewer bypass to flood response, ACTION delivers nine specialist municipal services across the GCC. Each is designed in-house, or to your consultant’s design, and delivered with our own fleet and crews. Take one service or combine several under one contract, with one team accountable from design to return to service.
Sewerage Bypass Pumping
Sewage kept flowing around the works.
Rehabilitation, tie-ins and failures all need the flow taken around the section being worked on. ACTION engineers every bypass from the anticipated flow range and how it varies through the day. We calculate total head across changing suction levels and pipe layouts, then select solids-handling pumps, the discharge arrangement and standby capacity to suit. Systems are sized to peak flow, with standby pumps ready to take over if a duty pump trips.
Our crews install and operate the system for as long as the works need it, so the network stays live.
Stormwater & Drainage Bypass Pumping
Drainage kept moving during upgrades.
Stormwater and drainage networks still have to carry the flow while they are rehabilitated or upgraded, and a storm doesn’t wait for the works to finish.
ACTION designs and operates bypass and overpumping systems for stormwater and drainage lines, sized for the flow, with self-priming centrifugal pumps, submersibles and HDPE pipework from our own fleet, and standby pumps designed in.
Seawater Intake
Pumps selected for the tide.
Treatment plants, power plants and industrial users depend on a steady seawater supply. ACTION provides temporary and permanent seawater intake pumping, with pumps selected from the sea-level variation at the intake.
Sheet Piling
Keeping the ground in place so construction can move ahead.
Sheet piling provides a stable excavation edge, retaining soil and reducing groundwater inflow. ACTION installs and removes interlocking steel sheet piles for excavations, retaining structures and seawall works. We have the fleet and the expertise to do it across the region’s different terrains and ground conditions. Next to live structures, press-in installation keeps noise and vibration low, which is often what makes a built-up site workable at all. Our specialist fleet also supports trenching for cable and pipeline installation.
Monitoring & Control
Spotting the small changes before they become big problems.
A water level creeping up. A pump losing a phase. A generator running low on fuel at three in the morning. Most problems give some warning. The important thing is seeing it in time. AURA, our operational assurance platform, predicts and prevents. It tracks connected pumps, groundwater levels, discharge flow and equipment status around the clock against limits set by our engineers, with remote start and stop. It flags where intervention or maintenance is needed, keeping connected equipment performing to spec.
Behind it sit 30 years of site experience across our connected fleet, and that experience shapes how our engineers read every signal. AURA sees the signals. Our engineers take action. That means fewer people tied up watching pumps, fewer readings missed through human error, and a clear operational record of every reading, alert and response for the project team.
HDPE Works
From emergency repairs to complete pipeline systems.
Whether it’s a repair in the middle of the night, a shutdown or a new installation, ACTION delivers HDPE pipeline works for water and wastewater networks, from design through to testing and handover.
Butt-fusion and electrofusion joints are made by certified fusion operators on ACTION’s own machines. Every joint’s fusion parameters are calculated and recorded, and each system is pressure-tested before handover.
Flood Emergency Response
Standing water cleared, flow brought back under control..
When heavy rain overwhelms a drainage network, the first hours count. ACTION dispatches pumps and stormwater equipment from depots across the GCC, removes standing water and reduces flow on drainage networks until they recover.
Our crews stay until the water is under control.
Pipeline Shutdown Dewatering
Mains isolated, emptied and returned to service.
Tie-ins, inspections and repairs on a water main start with taking it out of service safely. ACTION engineers the isolation, dewatering and drying of the main, supports the work while it is down, then tests it before it goes back into service. One team carries the whole sequence, from isolation to return to service.
Utility Line Leak & Pressure Testing
Water and wastewater lines tested before service.
New and repaired lines have to hold before they carry the public supply or wastewater. ACTION carries out leak and pressure testing of water and wastewater lines against the design and test pressures, with filling, pressurisation, hold and recording handled by one team.
Chlorination & Disinfection
Water lines disinfected and sampled before use.
A water line going into public use has to be disinfected first. ACTION chlorinates and disinfects water lines, then takes samples for laboratory analysis to confirm the results meet the applicable acceptance requirements before the line returns to service.
Monitoring & Control (AURA)
Acting on small changes before they reach the network.
A level creeping up at a pumping station. A bypass pump losing a phase. A generator low on fuel at three in the morning. Most problems give some warning. The important thing is acting on it in time.
AURA (ACTION Unified Real-Time Assurance) brings flow, level, pump status and fuel from connected pumps and sensors into one operating picture. Limits set by our engineers pick out the exceptions, so our engineers see them as they develop and can start or stop pumps remotely.
AURA filters the noise. ACTION provides the judgement. Every reading, alert and response is recorded for the project team.
How we work
How does ACTION deliver municipal bypass and network works?
One team. From design to return to service.
Every scope starts with the flow, the network and the constraint the works put on it.
Consult
We get involved early, while flow data, tie-in points and the works programme can still shape the plan. If the flow records don’t give us enough to design on, we say so and recommend what’s needed.Engineer
Our engineers calculate the flow range and total head, select the pumps, pipework and standby capacity, and prepare the method statement. Our workshop overhauls the pumps and engines going to site, upgrading parts that wear early in GCC conditions.Deliver
Our own fleet and crews install, operate and maintain the system, with standby pumps and power on site, for as long as the works need it, day and night. All work runs under our ISO 45001-certified safety management system.Control
Our engineers keep the bypass performing to the design. When the works are done, we test, disinfect where required, return the network to service and hand over the full record.
Across all four stages, AURA brings connected assets into one operating picture and flags exceptions against limits set by our engineers. Our engineers decide and act.
FAQ’s
Municipal bypass pumping and flood response: frequently asked questions
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Construction dewatering is the temporary lowering or control of groundwater to keep excavations dry and stable, including relieving water pressure beneath the excavation base so it cannot heave or lift. It involves groundwater modelling, system design, installation, pumping and monitoring until the structure can safely resist groundwater pressure.
It depends mainly on how permeable the ground is, how far groundwater has to come down, and the size and depth of the excavation.
Sump pumping suits shallow excavations in stable ground with modest inflows. Wellpoints suit sands and sandy gravels and lower groundwater by about five to six metres per stage, so deeper excavations use two or more stages. Ejector wells work in lower-permeability silts and silty sands, where flows are small but the water still has to come down. Deep wells suit permeable ground and larger, deeper drawdowns, and can relieve pressure in a confined aquifer below the excavation base.
ACTION International Services’ hydrogeologists review the site investigation, recommend a pumping test where permeability data is thin, and model the drawdown before recommending a system. Many sites use a combination of methods.
Until the structure can safely resist groundwater uplift, often well beyond the excavation stage. That point comes from the structural design, once enough of the structure is in place to resist uplift with the required margin, so ACTION agrees switch-off with the programme engineer.
ACTION designs and operates dewatering systems for the full duration required. AURA, ACTION’s Unified Real-Time Assurance layer, predicts where intervention is needed for as long as the system runs. AURA signals; qualified engineers decide and act.
As early as possible, before excavation depths, construction sequences and retention methods are finalised.
Early groundwater assessment helps shape the design, avoid costly changes and keep the programme moving. Ideally it starts while the site investigation is still being scoped, so the boreholes include the permeability and groundwater data the design will need.
No. Sheet piling reduces groundwater inflow but isn’t completely watertight. Water can still pass through the interlocks and beneath the toe, particularly where the piles don’t reach a low-permeability layer. In sands, upward flow at the base can cause piping or boiling, and a confined aquifer under a clay layer can lift the excavation floor.
ACTION International Services designs sheet piling and dewatering together, so pile toe depth and drawdown are set as one system.
It can. Lowering groundwater levels can cause settlement that affects nearby structures. As groundwater drops, the soil carries more load, and compressible layers such as soft clays, loose silts or sabkha can settle. ACTION International Services models how far drawdown reaches beyond the site and designs controls to limit it, such as cut-offs, staged pumping or recharge wells that hold groundwater levels beneath sensitive structures, with groundwater levels and settlement checked while pumping runs.
It must be discharged or treated in line with local requirements.
Depending on water quality and site conditions, options include the storm drainage network or the sea under a discharge permit, recharge wells that return it to the ground, tankers off site, or water treatment. ACTION plans the discharge route and permit alongside the dewatering design, removes sand and silt before release, and records discharge quality and flow against the permit conditions.
Yes. ACTION designs groundwater control and ground engineering systems for sites close to existing structures, modelling settlement risk to neighbouring foundations and, where needed, using recharge wells to hold groundwater levels beneath them. We also provide specialist methods such as hydrodemolition, which removes concrete with minimal vibration.
ACTION operates its own specialist fleet, supported by depots and crews across the GCC and a 24/7 emergency response capability. Connected equipment leaves the depot verified ready through AURA, ACTION’s Unified Real-Time Assurance layer. Mobilisation depends on the site, equipment and scope. Our team will confirm what’s required and how quickly we can respond.
Yes. ACTION International Services combines dewatering, discharge treatment, sheet piling, ground anchors, permeation grouting and other ground engineering under one accountable team, so groundwater control and excavation support are designed as one system and run by the same people.
AURA, ACTION’s Unified Real-Time Assurance layer, reads live data from connected pumps, groundwater levels, discharge flows, fuel and equipment status against limits set by ACTION’s engineers, and puts it together with 30 years of ACTION site experience to predict where intervention or maintenance is needed. AURA signals; qualified ACTION engineers decide and act before an issue reaches the excavation or the programme. Every event and response is recorded, and clients receive it as reporting and a handover record.
Yes. ACTION International Services also delivers Pipeline & Process, Industrial, Environmental and Marine & Offshore services, works with municipalities across the GCC on drainage, bypass and flood response, and its Rental & Sales team supplies specialist equipment to almost any sector.