By 
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has extended the closure of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project water transfer and its delivery tunnels with three more weeks due to maintenance work delays experienced in the Delivery Tunnel South, on the side of Lesotho.
The date of the release of water into the tunnel will be announced once the maintenance work is completed.
Initially the shutdown of the tunnel was planned to take place from 01 October 2024 to last until 31 March 2025, but the ever-changing weather patterns and the technical challenges experienced by the implementing agent, the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency (LHDA) has caused delays.
The challenges experienced include higher than anticipated seepage within the tunnel due to a change in sand blasting technique. There was a change from manual to automated approach of sandblasting) but high humidity affected the automated approach.
The contractor is reported to have procured additional equipment to better manage the seepage challenge. The recovery plan was implemented to accelerate the progress of the maintenance work in Lesotho, but the delay could not be avoided. In South Africa, the maintenance work carried out by the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) on the South African side is on schedule and is expected to be finalised on time. With the Vaal Dam at its full capacity with 101.51% due to the recent above normal rainfall experienced in most parts of the country, the Department would like to reassure all water users that the extension of the tunnel closure with three weeks will not impact on the water resource availability for the Integrated Vaal River System users.
Municipalities along the Liebenbergsvlei River in the Free State will also not be impacted by a lack of water resources due to the extended time of tunnel closure because Sol Plaatjie (Saulspoort) Dam is at satisfactorily levels, and it is at 82.1% this week. Therefore, water can be released from the dam to assist downstream users, should the need arise. Saulspoort Dam will be able to provide water to local communities of Bethlehem, Reitz, and Tweeling for a period of up to nine months, which is more than the initially scheduled six months of the LHWP tunnel shutdown.
