The LBWT is a strategic regional project to transfer water from Lesotho to water-scarce Botswana via South Africa. It involves building a large dam on the Makhaleng River and a long-distance conveyance system. The project is in the pre-feasibility and feasibility study phase, driven by a 2015 desktop study and ongoing detailed assessments. It is a flagship project under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and is coordinated by the three countries through ORASECOM, with support from development partners like the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The Lesotho-Botswana Water Transfer Project (LBWT) is a major transboundary water infrastructure initiative to transfer water from the water-rich highlands of Lesotho to the arid regions of Botswana, traversing South Africa. The project's core components include: 1) Construction of a new multipurpose dam on the Makhaleng River in Lesotho, with an indicative storage capacity of approximately 1,200 million cubic meters. 2) A conveyance system comprising pipelines, pumping stations, and associated infrastructure to transfer water from the dam in Lesotho, across South Africa, to Botswana. The indicative pipeline length is over 700 km. 3) The project aims to yield about 500 million cubic meters of water per year, with an indicative 75% allocated to Botswana, and the remainder for Lesotho's Lowlands and en-route communities in South Africa. 4) The dam is planned to have a hydropower generation component. The project is being developed under the framework of the Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM).
<p>The objective of project is to transfer water from Lesotho to Botswana through South Africa, to meet water supply demands in Botswana, the Lowlands of Lesotho and en route parts of South Africa.</p><p>àdesktop study undertaken in 2015 by the three countries indicated that Botswana, which is arid, will experience bulk water shortages around 2025 unless a major new water source is developed. The expected water shortages could worsen due to climate change. On the other hand, Lesotho has relative abundance of high quality water, and upstream of Botswana. Noting that the two states are in the same Orange Senqu River Basin, and both party to ORASECOM, there is an opportunity to transfer water from Lesotho to Botswana through South Africa. The transfer is anticipated to meet water demands of Botswana, Lesotho and en route parts of South Africa, and build resilience to impacts of climate change in the three countries.</p><p>It is anticipated that over 3.0 million people could benefit from the project through utilisation of the water as it traverses from Lesotho, through South Africa and then into Botswana. Various foreseen water uses include domestic, industrial, irrigation, hydropower generation and environmental water requirements.<br></p>