Water and sanitation dept preparing to reopen the Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Water and Sanitation is preparing to reopen the Lesotho Highlands Water Project after several months of inactivity.

The 38-kilometre tunnel, which channels water from Lesotho to South Africa, has been undergoing maintenance since October last year.

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As part of the maintenance work, the tunnel was drained to allow teams from the department to carry out internal repairs.

The water project delivers about 700 million cubic meters of water to South Africa each year.

This water feeds into the Vaal integrated system, which in turn, supplies at least five provinces across the country. 

60% of the water in households across Gauteng comes from the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.

Over the past six months, the Department of Water and Sanitation has been carrying out maintenance on the tunnel.

The work included inspecting the tunnel walls for structural integrity and removing surface corrosion.

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina will oversee the reopening of the tunnel.