Lesotho locals on horseback attend the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase One inauguration ceremony in Mohale in Lesotho in this file picture from 2004. Picture: REUTERS/Juda Ngwenya
As water problems in South Africa continue to worsen, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina will on Friday monitor the maintenance operation of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) tunnel in Clarens, Free State.
A joint maintenance operation is currently under way following the tunnel system closure on October 1, 2024.
The governments of South Africa and Lesotho have been working together on the project which includes the grit-blasting and re-applying of corrosion protection on the steel-lined section of the tunnel.
The tunnel closure took a toll on the Phase I Water Transfer and Delivery Tunnels, slowing down the water flow from the Katse Dam to the Muela Hydropower Station, thereby ceasing power generation at Muela for the duration.
Similarly, cross-border water deliveries will temporarily stop due to the closure of the 37 km delivery tunnel that feeds water to South Africa.
Following a de-watering process of the tunnel, technical inspections have been conducted and the repair work inside the tunnel has started and will take place until February 25, 2025.
But the tunnel will remain closed for six months.
South Africa takes most its water from Lesotho.
IOL had previously reported that Majodina had assured that “comprehensive measures” were put in place for water security during the closure.
"The analysis confirmed that the impact of the tunnel closure on the overall IVRS will be minimal, as most dams in the IVRS will be relatively full at the time of closure," she said in a statement.
Minister Mohlomi Moleko of Lesotho, Majodina's counterpart, reiterated her views and emphasised the necessity of this temporary discomfort to stop long-term infrastructure deterioration.
Each of the two nations has pledged to work together to complete the maintenance project on the tunnel within the allotted six months.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics