GP residents to get enough water supply despite Lesotho water project maintenance shut down
The project is a connected system of dams and tunnels that divert water from the Lesotho mountains to South Africa, among other things.
Picture: Pixabay/balouriarajesh
JOHANNESBURG - The government has assured Gauteng residents their water supply won’t run out amid a six-month maintenance shutdown of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LWHP) tunnel.
The project is a connected system of dams and tunnels that divert water from the Lesotho mountains to South Africa, among other things.
It transfers around 700 billion litres of water annually to the country and Randwater is their biggest client.
A spokesperson for the LWHP, Mpho Brown, said adequate water has been transferred to South Africa to cover the shortfall during the shutdown period.
ALSO READ: Lesotho Highlands Water Project begins dewatering process
"Between January 2024 and the end of September 2024 – the amount of water that would be normally delivered during that period was increased to mitigate against this down period.”
The spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitaion,Mandla Mathebula, said the four dams within the integrated Vaal River system are at high enough levels to weather six months.
“Our assessment shows it has enough water for the duration of the maintenance period and will maintain water supply for the next six months.”
The government has, however, urged residents to continue using water sparingly during this time.