Home | Lesotho water transfer tunnel closed for planned maintenance The Lesotho water transfer tunnel has officially been shut down for a planned six-month maintenance. The tunnel corrosion protection process is done every five years and the maintenance process is expected to protect the infrastructure for another twenty to thirty years. The maintenance project is critical for ensuring the integrity of the water tunnel systems, which supply 60% of Gauteng’s water demand.
The Lesotho Highlands Project’s Divisional Manager for Development and Operations, Reentseng Molapo says this is a complex process. “Everyday of the year, we are continuously transferring water so this time around 30th of September at midnight we are shutting down, no more deliveries. From that time on, we open the valves – we take the water out of the tunnels now.
It will take about two weeks to three weeks to take that water out of the tunnels. It has to be taken out in a slow controlled fashion because you want to allow the tunnel to still maintain its integrity it has to feel as though there is still water inside.” Lesotho-SA | Water tunnel closes for maintenance SABC © 2024.