By Mpho Moloi
Bethlehem – Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, has issued a directive for municipalities in the Free State to accelerate their water security measures in preparation for the upcoming maintenance of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) tunnel. Scheduled from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025, this six-month shutdown will temporarily halt the transfer of water from Lesotho to South Africa, affecting various districts, including the Thabo Mofutsanyana and Fezile Dabi Municipalities.
The shutdown is part of routine inspections and essential repairs to ensure the integrity of the water system, which has been serving the country for decades. Maintenance includes grit-blasting and reapplying corrosion protection to the steel-lined sections of the tunnel, along with other identified repairs .
Ministerial Engagement in Bethlehem
In a meeting held on *Saturday, Majodina engaged with executive mayors from the affected districts, stressing the urgency of implementing water-saving measures during the shutdown. Accompanying her were **Deputy Minister David Mahlobo, **Deputy Minister of Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation Seiso Mohai, and *Free State MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Saki Mokoena.
Majodina underscored the importance of maintaining water supply during the outage, particularly as some municipalities have lagged in their readiness. “It is crucial for municipalities to ensure water security through the enforcement of water restrictions and other mechanisms,” said the Minister, reiterating that the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) would provide support where necessary.
Impact on Water Supply
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is critical to South Africa’s water supply, particularly for the Vaal River System, which serves the Gauteng region and parts of the Free State, North West, and Northern Cape. During normal operations, approximately 780 million cubic meters of water is transferred annually. However, due to the shutdown, only 700 million cubic meters will be transferred in 2024, resulting in a shortfall of 80 million cubic meters .
Despite the shortfall, an analysis conducted in 2023 showed that the impact on the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) would be minimal, given that key dams such as the Sterkfontein Dam are currently full. Nonetheless, towns like *Bethlehem, **Reitz, and **Tweeling, which rely on the **Liebenbergsvlei River, will be affected, necessitating the filling of the *Saulspoort Dam to ensure sufficient water supply for up to nine months.
Relief Interventions
In anticipation of the shutdown, the DWS has initiated several relief interventions along the *Caledon, **Wilge, **Vaal, and *Rhenoster Rivers. These include upgrading water treatment facilities, raw water pumps, and abstraction works, alongside the construction of new reservoirs and the development of groundwater resources through borehole drilling .
While these interventions are underway, Majodina acknowledged that some municipalities have fallen behind in implementing the necessary projects. The DWS has committed to stepping in to ensure that these projects are completed, thus avoiding any major disruptions to water supply .
Oversight and Accountability
Minister Majodina, along with her deputy ministers, will continue to monitor the situation closely, ensuring that municipalities remain on track with their water management strategies. The government’s proactive approach aims to mitigate the effects of the shutdown and maintain water supply to affected communities.
As the shutdown looms, Free State municipalities are urged to expedite their preparations and ensure that sustainable water provision is secured for the duration of the maintenance period.
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