By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Water and Sanitation Department said on Friday, that the water tunnels of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project will be shut down from Oct. 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, for scheduled maintenance.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is a water supply project developed as a partnership between Lesotho and South Africa, with the latter paying royalties for the water.
Director-General Sean Phillips addressed the media on Friday on preparations for the Lesotho Highlands Water Tunnel maintenance project.
“The six-month period required to conduct maintenance is very crucial to avoid any catastrophic event that may result from a lack of maintenance,” said Phillips.
As a result of the tunnel shutdown, 700 million cubic meters per annum will be transferred in 2024, a shortfall of 80 million cubic meters from the normal annual volume, according to Phillips.
He noted that the shutdown will not have significant water supply implications for domestic users as dams in the country’s Integrated Vaal River System are relatively full.
In March, Rand Water warned the province’s three metros – Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, that its system was on the verge of collapse.
The crisis has been especially acute in Johannesburg, where some suburbs have gone days without any water.
Phillips said Gauteng’s water consumption percentage remained extremely high.
“The average consumption of water in Gauteng, per capita, is much higher than the international average, which is an anomaly given that we are a water-scarce country and we have to get our water through a very expensive engineering system.”
“To avoid water supply disruptions in the future, we need to speedily complete the construction of phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands project. The municipality also needs to reduce its leaks and implement other projects to improve its resilience.
“Everyone in Gauteng needs to use water sparingly,” Phillps warned.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently authorised the Special Investigation Unit to investigate allegations of serious maladministration and corruption at the department.