Lesotho Highlands Water Project faces fresh opposition as communities demand accountability

A $3.1 billion project meant to ease Johannesburg’s growing water crisis has hit a new obstacle. Affected communities in Lesotho have filed a formal complaint demanding construction be halted until their grievances are addressed.

Bloomberg reported that about 1,600 residents displaced or harmed by the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II have approached the African Development Bank (AfDB), one of the project’s funders, to request a suspension. The complaint, supported by the San Francisco-based nonprofit Accountability Counsel and Lesotho’s Seinoli Legal Centre, highlights the destruction of homes, damaged land, and health risks caused by ongoing construction.

“The physical destruction of homes, land, and health cannot be undone,” the communities said in their 32-page filing. Among their concerns are inadequate compensation, tunnel blasting that damaged houses and water pipes, and the displacement of villagers with little information about resettlement plans. They also report environmental harms, such as the loss of rare bird species, pollution of local water sources, and damage to plants and forests of cultural and economic importance.

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