The process of refilling the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) tunnel with water has started following the completion of the months-long maintenance process.
Water from Lesotho arrived at the Little Caledon tunnel on Wednesday and was expected to arrive at the Ash River Outfall Works, in Clarens, in the Free State, yesterday.
The LHWP tunnel system was closed on October 1 for six months for a joint maintenance operation undertaken by Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA), on Delivery Tunnel North in South Africa, and the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency, on the Transfer and Delivery South Tunnels in Lesotho.
The tunnel was scheduled to reopen in March this year, but owing to maintenance work delays experienced in the Delivery Tunnel South on the side of Lesotho, the closure was extended to allow the maintenance work to be completed.
In South Africa, the maintenance work was on schedule and was finalised on March 19.
The filling of the tunnel started with the filling of ‘Muela dam in Lesotho between May 13 and 17.
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