Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina will on Saturday conduct an oversight visit to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Tunnel in Clarens in the Free State.
The visit to the project located in the Dihlabeng Local Municipality comes ahead of the project’s shutdown for maintenance.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project Tunnel is preparing for a six-month closure, as it undergoes planned maintenance, jointly undertaken by the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency (LHDA) and the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA), which is an entity under the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The closure of the tunnel, which is scheduled to start from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025, is prompted by a need for extensive maintenance and repair works to ensure optimal water supply.
The tunnel system includes a transfer tunnel, linking Katse Dam with Muela Power Station and Muela Dam, and a delivery tunnel linking Muela Dam with the Ash River Outfall Works between Clarens and Bethlehem.
The work required to be undertaken during the shutdown period includes grit-blasting the steel-lined section around the entire circumference and re-applying corrosion protection on the tunnel lining, and other maintenance and repair work identified during the 2019 maintenance shutdown.
The department said the tunnel shutdown will have implications for water supply to South Africa, particularly on the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) water users.
“The IVRS and the users along the Liebenbergsvlei River, Mafube, Nketoana and Dihlabeng Local Municipalities in the Free State will be affected as well. The department has engaged with all affected municipalities and stakeholders, including provincial government departments, informing them of the planned tunnel closure,” the department said.
Majodina, who will be accompanied by Deputy Ministers, David Mahlobo and Sello Seitllolo will also hold a meeting with the affected municipalities to assess their state of readiness to continue water supply in their respective communities during the shutdown. – SAnews.gov.za
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