Lesotho Highlands Water Project
Cabinet announced their plan to begin construction on the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP). The R7.3bn dam construction will guarantee an adequate supply of water to South Africa’s economic heartland, Minister Lindiwe Hendricks told a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday.
"This project is a strategic intervention to guarantee the water security of Gauteng and the rest of the Vaal River water supply area," Hendricks said.
Phase II of the LHWP includes construction of the 165 million cubic metre capacity Polihali Dam in Lesotho. The Polihali dam would comprise two major reservoirs, enclosed by a 145 metres high dam wall. Water from the dam will flow through a series of tunnels and via the Ash River in the Free State into the Vaal system. The first water generation from the second phase of the LHWP is expected to flow into the Vaal dam in 2018/19.
Construction of the Polihali dam should start in 2012/13. The project will be funded off-budget, from funds borrowed from capital markets.
Hendricks said the Vaal is the most important water resource for South Africa; it supplies water to 60% of the country’s economy, to 45% of the population (to the whole of Gauteng and Northern Cape). The Vaal is also the source for the bulk of water supplying far-flung essential economic contributors, namely Eskom’s coal-fired power stations in Mpumalanga, the gold fields in the North West and Free State and agricultural users throughout northern South Africa.
Hendricks said the Lesotho project was chosen as the preferred option for enhancing the Vaal system because it has a low energy requirement: water can be transferred under gravity to South Africa from Lesotho without pumping; unlike the energy-intensive Tugela option which has to pump water from the Thukela River over the escarpment.
Another bonus to this programme is the improvement it offers the existing hydropower generation capacity of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The new dam will bring substantial benefits to Lesotho and South Africa, through the electricity generation from the water turbines and the prevention of increased carbon emissions.
Final go-ahead for Phase II of the LHWP is subject to the conclusion of a protocol with the government of Lesotho.
Hendricks said thanks to good rains there was currently enough water in South Africa’s dams and aquifers to provide sufficient water for the growing economy.
Cleaning up the Vaal water system
Hendricks warned that the biggest threat to future supply in the Vaal region was not water security, but pollution from illegal discharges of sewage and waste into rivers and streams. Her department was working with local municipalities to upgrade their waste water treatment plants. An amount of R350 million had been made available for these upgrades.
