Full Vaal Dam to the rescue as Lesotho Highlands Water Project takes bad turn

The Department of Water and Sanitation has announced the extension of the closure of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project water transfer and its delivery tunnels.

Department spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said maintenance delays were experienced in the Delivery Tunnel South on the Lesotho side.

As a result, the project has now been extended by three weeks.

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The 37km-long tunnel was initially planned to be closed from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025.

The date of the release of water into the tunnel will be announced once the maintenance work is completed.

Mavasa said the delays were due to the “ever-changing” weather patterns and the technical challenges experienced by the implementing agent, the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency (LHDA).

“The challenges experienced include higher than anticipated seepage within the tunnel due to a change in sandblasting technique.

“There was a change from a manual to an automated sandblasting approach, but high humidity affected the approach. The contractor is reportedly procuring additional equipment to better manage the seepage challenge,” said Mavasa.

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“The recovery plan was implemented to accelerate the progress of the maintenance work in Lesotho, but the delay could not be avoided.”

On the South African side, maintenance work carried out by the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) is on schedule and expected to be finalised on time.

Full dams to the rescue amid Lesotho project delays

While the recent heavy rains delayed the project and wreaked havoc in Gauteng with flooding and infrastructure damage, they also filled the dams.

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The Vaal Dam is at its full capacity due to the recent above-normal rainfall experienced in most parts of the country.

As a result, the extension of the tunnel closure by three weeks will not impact the water resource availability for the Integrated Vaal River System users.

Municipalities along the Liebenbergsvlei River in the Free State will also not be impacted by a lack of water resources due to the extended tunnel closure because the Sol Plaatjie (Saulspoort) Dam is at satisfactory levels, at 82.1% this week.

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“Therefore, water can be released from the dam to assist downstream users, should the need arise. Saulspoort Dam will be able to provide water to the local communities of Bethlehem, Reitz, and Tweeling for a period of up to 9 months, which is more than the initially scheduled 6 months of the LHWP tunnel shutdown,” said Mavasa.

Meanwhile, the South African Weather Service (Saws) has issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours in the south-eastern parts of Northern Cape, southern parts of Free State, along Lesotho borders, eastern parts of North West, Gauteng, southern Limpopo, and most parts of Mpumalanga.