Lesotho Highlands Water Project will remain operational for another 25 years

CLARENS - The Water and Sanitation Department says it is confident the Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel can remain operational for another 25 years, following the successful completion of planned maintenance. 

The tunnel, which transports water from Lesotho to South Africa, had been undergoing maintenance since October last year. 

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During this period, water flow to South Africa was suspended while the department's teams assessed the tunnel's structural integrity.

The tunnel was first commissioned in 1998 and underwent its initial maintenance in 2003. 
 
A subsequent planned maintenance took place in 2012, followed by the most recent one. 

As the tunnel continues to age, the department has announced that scheduled maintenance will now occur every five years. 

Teboho Nkhahle, South Africa's representative overseeing the project, provided further details on the type of maintenance carried out on the tunnel.

"We used 43,000 litres of paint to recoat this steel. That’s 19,000 square metres of steel that we had to sandblast, clean, repaint and test the paint before we could allow the water to run – but one thing we can assure you is that this steel is going to last another 25 years."

Another round of maintenance for the tunnel is planned for 2030.