The Lesotho Highlands Water Treaty is up for review, and the Natural Resources Parliamentary Cluster is receiving an induction on the 1986 Treaty between Lesotho and South Africa.
The 1986 Lesotho Highlands Water Treaty undergoes a review every 12 years. In 2023, marking the halfway point, it’s time for the treaty’s review.
This time, the newly elected government is consulting as they prepare for the half-way mark negotiations with their South African counterpart.
Lesotho Highlands Water Projects phase 2 launched:
‘Red-flags’
The Transformation Resource Centre providing the induction course is raising red-flags regarding the 2012 Phase 2 treaty deviation that led to the current construction of the Polihali Dam.
While there has been significant developments regarding improved roads infrastructure and much improved economic activity as the results of the phase two project, Lesotho is still importing electricity at exorbitant cost, 25 years into the project.
South Africa and Lesotho are already yielding the benefits of the BRICS bank and R3.2 billion loan to finance the phase two of the Lesotho highlands water project has already been approved.
But, the decision to proceed with the construction of Polihali will only result in half of the water yield of what the project initially intended at the halfway mark stage, and the prospects of Lesotho getting hydro electricity diminishing even further.
The real question is, with the national project ending in 2048, will Lesotho be in a position to have met the required water delivery targets, but, even more crucial, can Lesotho at least be in a position to meet its electricity demand by the end of the deal.
