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dam-l Two Lesotho stories/LS
LESOTHO, SA MINISTERS MEET TO REVIEW PROGRESS OF WATER PROJECT
LESOTHO 4 March 2000 Sapa
Water Affairs and Forestry Minister, Ronnie Kasrils and his
Lesotho counterpart, Natural Resources Minister, Monyane Moleleki,
met on Friday to review the progress of the implementation of the
Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
The ministers also had negotiations on a possible further phase of
the project.
They received completion reports on the Katse dam and associated
works and progress reports on the physical, as well as the
environmental and social programmes of the further phase of the
project.
The first part of phase one of the project, which had been
completed, involved building Katse dam and an 82km tunnel system
to supply water to the Vaal river system in South Africa.
The second part of phase one of the project will build a 145-metre
dam at Mohale, central Lesotho, along the Senqunyane River, a
15-metre small dam on the Matsoku River and water tunnels from
both sites to deliver a combined 11.8 cubic metres of water per
second to Katse Dam.
Royalty payments from South Africa to Lesotho for the two parts of
phase one will average about US40 million a year over coming
decades and 40 percent will be used as a social fund to assist
poor communities in the country.
The rest will go into Lesotho's general budget revenue and will
help to make up for losses expected from changes in the Southern
African Customs Union.
The largest share of the funding of phase one - expected to total
some US1,1 billion - is slated to come from South African capital
and money markets, and water users. The balance will come from the
Development Bank of Southern Africa, the European Investment Bank,
the Lesotho Government, and commercial loans.
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source: gopher://gopher.anc.org.za/00/anc/newsbrief/2000/news0306
processed Mon 6 Mar 2000 10:30 SAST.
LESOTHO-ROAD
NEW HIGHWAY OPENED IN LESOTHO
MASERU 3 March 2000 Sapa
A new highway to facilitate easy transportation of materials and
services for the construction of the Mohale Dam and tunnel, part
of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, was inaugurated in Maseru
on Friday.
The inauguration was jointly undertaken by South Africa's Minister
of Water Affairs and Forestry, Ronnie Kasrils, and Lesotho's
Minister of Natural Resources Monyane Moleleki.
Earlier in the day the two ministers met and called for a regional
approach to disaster management in light of the recent floods that
have devastated large portions of Southern Africa.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony at Ha Tsolo near Maseru,
Moleleki said the new road had to be in place before construction
of the Mohale Dam could start.
Moleleki said as soon this phase of the Highlands Water Project
had been completed, Lesotho would be able to increase the delivery
of water to South Africa.
He said this would have the spin-off of enlargement and
diversification of the industrial sector in Gauteng.
This would offer new job opportunities and South Africans would
also enjoy "access to clean water with minimum costs on its
purification due to the good quality water that is being
delivered", Moleleki said.
The chief executive of the Lesotho Highlands Development
Authority, Makase Marumo, said the primary objective of
constructing the road was to provide 24-hour access to the Mohale
Dam site and tunnel to allow major works to proceed without
disruption.
The South African and Lesotho ministers met at a "bosberaad" in
the Lesotho highlands on Friday to review progress on the
implementation of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
The ministers also held negotiations on a possible further phase
of the project.
A joint statement after the meeting said priority should be given
to the poor to protect them from floods and drought and ensure
they had access to clean water and sanitation.
Access roads to the Katse Dam area in north-eastern Lesotho have
also been built to facilitate movement of communities in the area.
These roads will be officially opened on Saturday.
[ index by subject - length | newswire root ]
source: gopher://gopher.anc.org.za/00/anc/newsbrief/2000/news0306
processed Mon 6 Mar 2000 10:30 SAST.
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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