Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II

under construction

Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project involves the construction of dams and a network of tunnels to transfer water from the Orange–Senqu River in the Lesotho highlands to South Africa, while also supporting hydro-electric power generation in Lesotho. The project includes a 165-metre-high concrete faced rockfill dam at Polihali and a 38-kilometre concrete lined gravity tunnel linking the Polihali and Katse reservoirs. Once completed, it will increase water transfers from Lesotho to South Africa by an additional 490 million cubic metres per year, raising total deliveries to 1.26 billion cubic metres annually through the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS).