3.2.3.3 Water: Lesotho Highland Water Project - Large Scale Water Transfer Scheme Case Study

Question 1

Where is Lesotho located?

Answer 1

highland country in southern Africa surrounded by the country of South Africa

Question 2

How many resources does Lesotho have and how prevalent is poverty there?

Answer 2

• few resources
• high levels of poverty and unable to feed its growing population

Question 3

What are most farmers for in Lesotho?

Answer 3

• most farmers are for subsistances
• productivity is low

Question 4

What country is Lesotho heavily dependent on?

Answer 4

heavily economically dependent on South Africa

Question 5

How much water does Lesotho receive?

Answer 5

water surplus - mountains receive high rainfall and the demand for water is low

Question 6

How much water does South Africa receive?

Answer 6

suffers from a water shortage esp. May to September

Question 7

What was the Lesotho water transfer scheme aimed at?

Answer 7

aimed at helping South Africa with their water shortage

Question 8

Once completed what % of water will be transferred from Lesotho to South Africa

Answer 8

40% from the Segu (Orange) River in Lesotho to the River Vaal in South Africa

Question 9

What does the Lesotho Highland water project involve?

Answer 9

involves the construction of dams, reservoirs, pipelines as well as roads, bridges and other infrastructure developments

Question 10

How long will the Lesotho Highland Water Project take to complete?

Answer 10

30 years to complete

Question 11

Since 2020 how many tunnels have been built and how much water is transferred to South Africa every year from Lesotho

Answer 11

• 200km of tunnels
• 2,000mn m3 of water transferred to South Africa every year

Question 12

How many dams have been built as part of the Lesotho highland water project?

Answer 12

• 5 different dams built
• Katse, Mohale, Polihali, Tsoelike and Ntoahea

Question 13

How is water transferred to South Africa and what does this also enable?

Answer 13

• water transferred to South Africa via 32km tunnel
• enabling HEP to produced at the Muela plant

Question 14

Why is the Lesotho Highlands a good place for a dam?

Answer 14

• high precipitation and high water source
• impermeable rock
• undeveloped space
• LICs so need investment for economy to grow
• population to provide labour

Question 15

What % of Lesotho’s GDP does the LHWP provide?

Answer 15

75% of its GDP

Question 16

What does income from the LHWP help improve in Lesotho?

Answer 16

income from the LHWP helps development and to improve the standard of living

Question 17

What does the LHWP supply Lesotho with?

Answer 17

supplies the country with all its HEP requirements

Question 18

How haw transport infrastructure been improved in Lesotho as a result of the LHWP?

Answer 18

improvement to transport infrastructure with access roads built to the construction sites

Question 19

What % of the population will water supply reach in Lesotho as a result of the LHWP?

Answer 19

water supply will reach 90% of the population in the capital, Maseru

Question 20

How does the LHWP help South Africa with water supply?

Answer 20

provides water to an area with an uneven rainfall pattern and regular droughts

Question 21

To what % of the population in South Africa does Lesotho provide safe drinking water to?

Answer 21

provides safe drinking water to the 10% of the population without access to a safe water supply

Question 22

How does fresh water from LHWP help South Africa’s river?

Answer 22

• fresh water reduces the acidity of the Vaal River Reservoir
• water pollution from industry, gold mines and sewage was destroying the local ecosystem
• the influx of water from Lesotho is restoring the balance

Question 23

How many people had to move from their land in Lesotho due to the building of the first 2 dams in the LHWP?

Answer 23

30,000 people had to move from their land due to the building of the first 2 dams

Question 24

How has the environment been negatively impacted in Lesotho due to the LHWP?

Answer 24

destruction of a unique wetland ecosystem due to control of regular flooding downstream of the dams

Question 25

What has corruption prevented in Lesotho?

Answer 25

corruption has prevented money and investment reaching those affected by the construction

Question 26

What will the construction of the Polihali dam do in Lesotho as a part of the LHWP?

Answer 26

• will displace 17 villages
• reduce agricultural land for 71 villages

Question 27

What are the costs of the LHWP for South Africa?

Answer 27

costs likely to reach US$4bn

Question 28

What % of the water is lost through leakages in the LHWP?

Answer 28

40% of the water is lost through leakages

Question 29

What has the high cost of the LHWP led to?

Answer 29

increased water tariffs to pay for the scheme are too high for the poorest people

Question 30

How has corruption impacted the LHWP?

Answer 30

corruption has plagued the whole project