- The contract has been awarded to WBHO of South Africa and LSP Construction (Pty) Ltd, a Lesotho-registered company.
- The Phase II Polihali Dam is to be built, the scope of work includes earthworks and the creation of platforms for buildings, water and wastewater systems, landfill, roads, drainage, electrical and telecommunications networks.
- Construction begins in January 2019 and is expected to take a little over two years.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II Advance Infrastructure construction at Polihali and Katse is set to commence on 9 January 2019, following the award of a contract to the WBHO/LSP Joint Venture.
The WBHO/LSP Joint Venture comprises WBHO of South Africa and LSP Construction (Pty) Ltd, a Lesotho-registered company.
At Polihali, where the Phase II Polihali Dam is to be built, the scope of work includes earthworks and the creation of platforms for buildings, water and wastewater systems, landfill, roads, drainage, electrical and telecommunications networks.
At Katse village, the village built in Phase I to accommodate consultants and contractors working on the Project, the works cover the upgrade of existing water and wastewater systems, a landfill site, as well as roads and utilities.
“The contract award is in line with the approved procurement policy and the provisions of the Phase II Agreement which advocate equal sharing of the monetary value of infrastructure works between Lesotho- and South African- registered contractors,” comments Refiloe Tlali, LHDA’s chief executive.
“It’s taken years of planning and preparation to get to this point, but come January 2019, with this second construction contract following that of the Polihali North East Access Road just recently awarded, construction vehicles will move on to site demonstrating that Phase II’s seven-year construction period has started, bringing closer to reality the eagerly anticipated employment opportunities that the project brings,” she adds. “This is what we have been waiting for,” Tlali added.
According to the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, the civil works and utilities contract is one of the several critical advance infrastructure components which must be completed before the construction of the main Phase II works, namely the Polihali Dam, the Transfer Tunnel and the hydropower generation plant.
Construction of this contract is expected to take a little over two years.
Author: GB A News Desk
This article was originally published on ESI Africa and is republished with permission with minor editorial changes.
