Celebrations at the Malibamatsu Bridge in Lesotho to mark the beginning of the historic 30-year Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
Celebrations to mark the opening of the 109km Northern Access Road at the site of the new Malibamatsu Bridge which signalled the start of the historic 30-year Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The road (a major engineering feat in its own right) allows construction materials to travel from South Africa to the Katse Dam site high in the mountains of Lesotho. When fully implemented, the Water Project will transfer 40 per cent of the water from the Orange Senqu River in Lesotho, delivering it through a series of dams, tunnels and rivers to the arid industrial heartland of South Africa. Lesotho - the Kingdom in the Sky - is completely surrounded by South Africa and is the highest and one of the poorest nations on earth. It is rich in only one resource: water (also called white gold). Lesotho will earn water royalties averaging US$40 million per year for at least 50 years to be used for poverty reduction and economic stability. Simultaneously, hydroelectric power will be generated to make Lesotho self-sufficient in electric power. For South Africa, the highlands water project provides essential high-quality water to the heartland industries in Gauteng Province that drive the economy of the country. The project has been funded by the governments of Lesotho and South Africa and with loans from international agencies like the World Bank. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is one of the world's largest and most complex construction projects and has dramatically changed life for the remote mountain communities in this tiny Kingdom. There has been relocation and disruption, a huge influx of workers, loss of land and an increase in disease and social problems. The new reservoir itself is a physical barrier to community life. Only time will tell if the revenues that flow from the delivery of water to South Africa will redress the balance.
Size: 3310px × 3310px
Location: Malibamatsu, Kingdom of Lesotho, Africa.
Photo credit: © qaphotos.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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