South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a new framework for cooperation in water resource development along the Mohokare/Caledon River.
Signed on Wednesday in Maseru, Lesotho, the agreement outlines joint efforts for the proposed construction of two weirs on the Mohokare/ Caledon River, and to ensure efficient management and sustainable development of the water resources.
Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, and Lesotho’s Minister of Natural Resources, Mohlomi Moleko, signed the agreement during the 2nd Session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC), co-chaired by Lesotho’s Prime Minister, Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The framework will enable the Lesotho Government to access the South African side of the river to construct the weirs under its Market Driven Irrigated Horticulture (MDIH) Project for the development of irrigation infrastructure on identified irrigatable sites on the Mohokare river.
The Mohokare river begins in the Maloti Mountains of northern Lesotho and flows towards the southwestern direction. The river forms a large part of Lesotho’s north-western border with South Africa.
After leaving Lesotho, it then becomes the Caledon and continues through the Free State province of South Africa. It is a tributary to the Orange River on the southern edge of the Free State.
The Department of Water and Sanitation highlighted that the construction of weirs will run across the river to South Africa. The weirs will allow for the storage of water to provide Lesotho year-round irrigation, even during the dry seasons when water levels in the river are low.
“The Lesotho MDIH schemes require a total of around 6.35 million cubic metres per annum (m3/a) on average of additional water but could increase to 9.79 million m3/a in a dry year for the 1 580 hectares (ha) in the simulated schemes.
“For South Africa, the construction of the abstraction weirs will assist in reducing sedimentation which is a major concern in the Caledon River. The weirs will also be used for water quantity measuring as well as flood tracing purposes on the Caledon River,” the department said.
The objectives of the 2nd Session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) were to foster strong political and bilateral relations between the two countries; deepen economic cooperation taking into consideration the regional value chains and to review the implementation of the outcomes of the BNC inaugural session taken two years ago; and to agree on newly identified priority areas for mutual benefit.
The BNC expressed satisfaction at the existing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of water, and energy and emphasised the significance of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), as a sustainable source of water for both countries and a catalyst for economic and infrastructure development.
While welcoming Phase II of the LHWP, which is currently in implementation, the BNC underscored the need for its timeous execution within the allocated resources. – SAnews.gov.za
