Workers grout concrete tunnel wall support segments in delivery tunnel on the historic 30-year Lesotho Highlands Water Project
Much of the Lesotho Highlands Water Tunnels were driven through hard volcanic rock that was stable enough to stand without suppport. However, on the section approaching the South African border at Clarens, the softer rock needed support in the form of prefabricated concrete lining segments forming a 'ring' that became the wall of the delivery tunnel. The gap between the excavated surface and the concrete linings is filled by injection of grout. The 30-year Lesotho Highlands Water Project was started in 1989 and, when fully implemented, 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: 2936px × 2936px
Location: Republic of South Africa
Photo credit: © qaphotos.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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