The water and sanitation department has announced a three-week extension of the closure of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project's (LHWP) water transfer and delivery tunnels due to delays in maintenance work on the delivery tunnel south in Lesotho.
The department said the date of the release of water into the tunnel will be announced once the maintenance work is completed.
Initially, the shutdown was planned to take place from October 1 to March 31, but the department said the changing weather patterns and technical challenges experienced by the implementing agency, the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency, has caused delays.
The department's spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said the challenges include higher than expected seepage in the tunnel due to a change in sand blasting techniques.
Mavasa said there was a change from a manual to an automated approach to sandblasting but high humidity affected the automated approach.
“The contractor is reported to have procured additional equipment to better manage the seepage challenge. The recovery plan was implemented to accelerate the progress of the maintenance work in Lesotho, but the delay could not be avoided. In South Africa, the maintenance work carried out by the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority is on schedule and expected to be finalised on time,” Mavasa said.
With the Vaal Dam now at full capacity, reaching 101.51% due to recent above-average rainfall across the country, the department has assured water users the three-week extension of the tunnel closure will not affect water availability for Integrated Vaal River System users.
Mavasa also confirmed municipalities along the Liebenbergsvlei River in the Free State will not face water shortages despite the extended tunnel closure, as the Sol Plaatjie (Saulspoort) Dam is at a satisfactory level of 82.1% this week.
“Water can be released from the dam to assist downstream users, should the need arise. Saulspoort Dam will be able to provide water to communities of Bethlehem, Reitz and Tweeling for up to nine months, which is more than the initially scheduled six months of the LHWP tunnel shutdown,” said Mavasa.
TimesLIVE
Lesotho highlands water project tunnel closure extended by three weeks due to maintenance delays
Image: Gallo images
The water and sanitation department has announced a three-week extension of the closure of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project's (LHWP) water transfer and delivery tunnels due to delays in maintenance work on the delivery tunnel south in Lesotho.
The department said the date of the release of water into the tunnel will be announced once the maintenance work is completed.
Initially, the shutdown was planned to take place from October 1 to March 31, but the department said the changing weather patterns and technical challenges experienced by the implementing agency, the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency, has caused delays.
The department's spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said the challenges include higher than expected seepage in the tunnel due to a change in sand blasting techniques.
Mavasa said there was a change from a manual to an automated approach to sandblasting but high humidity affected the automated approach.
“The contractor is reported to have procured additional equipment to better manage the seepage challenge. The recovery plan was implemented to accelerate the progress of the maintenance work in Lesotho, but the delay could not be avoided. In South Africa, the maintenance work carried out by the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority is on schedule and expected to be finalised on time,” Mavasa said.
With the Vaal Dam now at full capacity, reaching 101.51% due to recent above-average rainfall across the country, the department has assured water users the three-week extension of the tunnel closure will not affect water availability for Integrated Vaal River System users.
Mavasa also confirmed municipalities along the Liebenbergsvlei River in the Free State will not face water shortages despite the extended tunnel closure, as the Sol Plaatjie (Saulspoort) Dam is at a satisfactory level of 82.1% this week.
“Water can be released from the dam to assist downstream users, should the need arise. Saulspoort Dam will be able to provide water to communities of Bethlehem, Reitz and Tweeling for up to nine months, which is more than the initially scheduled six months of the LHWP tunnel shutdown,” said Mavasa.
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