The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng wishes to inform residents of the province of the impact that upgrades to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project will have on the province.
From the 1st of October 2024 until the end of March 2025, the Lesotho Highlands Water Project will undergo critical tunnel maintenance. False news, and factually incorrect information around these upgrades have resulted in fear amongst the people of Gauteng.
This water project typically contributes approximately 2,000 megalitres (ML) of water per day to the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS). During the maintenance period, no additional water will be transferred into the IVRS, this will impact water Levels in the Vaal Dam, which has been cause for concern for many residents.
The Vaal Dam serves as a primary raw water source for Rand Water, which provides around 5,000 ML of potable water daily to municipalities such as Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni. While the Lesotho Highlands Project contributes a significant portion of the water that eventually flows into the IVRS, not all of it reaches the Vaal Dam due to extractions by other municipalities and agricultural needs along the Ash and Liebenbergsvlei Rivers.
To address the shortfall, water from the Sterkfontein Dam, which holds substantial emergency reserves, will be used to supplement the Vaal Dam during the maintenance period.
Based on current information from the Department of Water and Sanitation, there is no cause for alarm. However, we will monitor the situation closely to ensure this remains the case and will update residents if the need arises.
I wish to emphasise, there is no cause for concern from this maintenance, and based on the facts available sufficient provision has been made to ensure we have a stable supply of raw water.
We will continue to update the people of Gauteng in this regard on a regular basis.