Construction of Polihali Dam to commence soon

The construction of the Polihali Dam will start soon and its impoundment is likely to commence at the second of 2023.

Polihali Dam is an integral part of Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which is an ongoing water supply project with a hydropower component, developed in partnership between the governments of South Africa and Lesotho. The project is considered Africa’s largest water transfer scheme.

The second phase of Lesotho Highlands Water Project is the successful completion of the first phase in 2003. Its estimated cost is a total of USD 1.3 billion. The much-awaited Polihali Dam will be constructed downstream of River Khubelu and River Seqhu. It will have a 163.5-m-high concrete-faced rock-fill embankment dam wall with a concrete side channel spillway. Water supply will only begin once the reservoir has filled completely, as reported by Construction Review Online.

The dam is likely to be completed by 2024. Once the construction is completed, the expected water supply supplied to South Africa is estimated to have 780 cubic meters per annum over the subsequent two decades.