Dams and development in Lesotho displace communities and alter water access

As part of a workshop café series held by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary at Holy Names University (HNU), Sister Bathilda Heqoa, a graduate student in the Sophia Center’s Culture and Spirituality program, spoke about her home country of Lesotho, in southern Africa, and the harmful effects of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).

The LHWP consists primarily of dams, tunnels, and transfer systems that have been constructed in the mountain regions of Lesotho for the purpose of providing water for certain areas of South Africa and revenue for the people of Lesotho. The LHWP is a multi-phase project, and the initial phase, which included the construction of two dams and transfer systems, has been completed. Five dams in total are due to be constructed, and if the project continues on schedule, it will be finished in 2026.

However, as Sr. Bathilda explained, the LHWP has already caused a great deal of damage. Many mountain communities in Lesotho have been displaced by the construction of the dams.

“All of the dams are up in the mountains where a lot of people depend on farming and animal husbandry. They also depend on fish from the fresh water originating in the mountains,” Sr. Bathilda said. “These dams are dividing the water from the rivers in the mountains through tunnels into South Africa. Because a lot of that water goes into South Africa, less flows downstream where people used to make their living from the water that was flowing. As a result, a lot of people have been affected. Most of them have lost their property, their houses, their fields, their grazing land, all sorts of food, and their connections. Everything.”

Some of these mountain communities in Lesotho have not only been displaced, but have also lost access to fresh water after being moved to new areas. Sr. Bathilda said that, “In most of the areas there is no access to clean water. These people have to travel a long distance to get the clean water that they use. That is a heavy duty for them because they carry the water on their heads, whereas they were close to the streams and wells up in the mountains before—and that was fine with them.”

The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA), which is in charge of managing the LHWP, offered compensation to communities that were displaced, though this too is not without complication. “The other piece that is sad about this project is that many people have not been compensated for what they have lost,” Sr. Bathilda said. “Money can’t replace everything. They were promised that they’d be given money that was enough to sustain them for 50 years. But what about if they live for over 50 years, what will happen?”

In addition, on account of the large geographic footprint of some of the dams and reservoirs, many highland villages that were once separated by a narrow river are now reachable only by way of a long, circuitous journey.

Sr. Bathilda offered some hope, though, by explaining the work that’s being done by the Transformation Resource Centre (TRC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the displaced mountain communities in Lesotho. The TRC has pressured the LHDA to make the promised compensation payments to displaced families and communities, and has successfully brought legal proceedings against the authority to that end.

For those who are interested in learning more about the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, the Transformation Resource Centre has a new website and a presence on Facebook as well. For more information regarding water access rights, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary have taken a corporate stand regarding the status of water as a human right and a public good, and their website includes a wealth of information on the subject.

Article for Holy Names University’s website and email newsletter.