South Africa, Lesotho governments assess progress as construction advances at Polihali Dam

The chief resident engineer of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) has given assurances to government ministers in South Africa and Lesotho that good progress was being made on the construction of Polihali Dam.

This was revealed in a media tour to check on the progress of the Phase II of the water project hosted by the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority in Lesotho last week.

Ivano Vanzaghi, the chief resident engineer who is the supervising consultant for the construction of the Polihali Dam under Matla a Metsi Joint Venture, said that the Polihali Dam was being constructed just downstream to get the benefit of the two catchment areas Khubelu River and Orange River.

“We have the advanced infrastructure construction we originally planned for 1 200 workers. We currently have 1 800 workers for the construction phase,” he said.

Vanzaghi added that the dam is being placead off to construct the plinth through the grouting.

“A plinth is a concrete structure, a small concrete structure, which ties the concrete membrane into the rock to make the dam impervious. So above the plinth, there's concrete; below the plinth, there's grouting, so that water can't pass above and it can't pass below," he said.

"Grouting is drilling holes into the rock and injecting grout to fill the cracks of the rock so that the rock becomes impervious. Due to the initial delays, there were turnaround discussions between the employer and the contractor to put measures in place to mitigate the delay. Contractors put in measures to mitigate delay on the dam.”

Vanzaghi said that Polihali was currently in progress.

“The Polihali Dam is a massive dam and one of the biggest in Southern Africa. It's higher than Mohale Dam and lower than Katse Dam, with a height of 165 metres. Construction is well underway at Polihali and despite delays, we believe we are catching up with the expected timeline.”

Lesotho's Minister of Natural Resources, Mohlomi Moleko, and South Africa's Minister of Water and Sanitation of the South Africa, Pemmy Majodina, visited the project site last week.

In a joint statement, the ministers said that the purpose of their joint visit was to gain a detailed and critical understanding of the status of the project, review progress on key infrastructure components, and assess the challenges impeding timely delivery and implementation of the project.

The statement added that they jointly recognise the significance of the LHWP to both countries' governments.

“We held a high-level post-project site debriefing meeting in Maseru to reflect and engage on the project achievements, risks, and constraints. The debriefing included the leadership of the LHWC and the LHDA, which are responsible for the implementation of the project. All parties agreed to commitments regarding efficient project implementation.”

The ministers said there will be quarterly project site visits at the ministerial level going forward, effective from December. They said this will ensure efficiency and effective project implementation by unlocking implementation bottlenecks and holding project implementers accountable.

The ministers also urged the Project Implementing Authorities and Oversight Bodies to jointly prioritise the beneficiation of directly affected communities through adequate and timely compensation, resettlement, skills development, various livelihood improvement programs, and access to water by communities surrounded by the project.

“We call upon the Oversight body and the Implementing Authorities as well as the project management structures to hold the contractors to the highest standards of performance.”

They also committed to the timely completion of the LHWP Phase II in all its facets, recognising it as an anchor for the two countries' water security, energy security, and climate action.

“In this regard, we pledge to continue exercising vigilant oversight and stewardship to ensure that the LHWP delivers lasting benefits for the people of Lesotho and South Africa and stands as a symbol of partnership and progress for generations to come.”

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