Case Study: Lesotho Highland Water Project
Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 6.3.9
The Lesotho Highland Water Project
The Lesotho Highland Water Project is an example of a large-scale water transfer scheme. This project aims to solve the water shortage in South Africa.
How will the project work?
- 40% of the water from the Segu River in Lesotho will be transferred into the River Vaal in South Africa.
- The project plans to achieve this by using a combination of dams, reservoirs, pipelines, roads and bridges.
What are the impacts on Lesotho?
- Advantages:
- Contributes 75% of Lesotho's GDP
- Provides hydro-electric power and improves sanitation
- Disadvantages:
- 30,000 people had to move to make way for the first two dams
- The wetland ecosystem has been damaged
- Money that should have been used for compensation has disappeared due to corruption
What are the impacts on South Africa?
- Advantages:
- Improves water security
- Reduces acidity of the Vaal River Reservoir
- Improves access to safe water
- Disadvantages
- Likely to cost US$4 billion
- 40% of water is lost through leaks
- Corruption has been a major issue
Test yourself on Case Study: Lesotho Highland Water Project
How many people were displaced as a result of building the first two dams in the Lesotho Highland Water Project?