Water resources development and management organisation, the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA), will host a briefing session on June 12, at the Wanderers Club, in Johannesburg, to provide information relating to the Lesotho Highlands water Project (LHWP) Phase 2 project schedule. A second briefing session will be held at the Garden Court Marine Parade, in Durban, on June 26.
The authority is inviting registered construction contractors and suppliers in Lesotho and South Africa that are interested in offering construction and related services to attend the session, where procurement rules and the extent of construction works to be carried out as part of the LHWP Phase 2 implementation will also be discussed.
Interested companies should have experience in the construction of dams, tunnels, roads, bridges, building and the construction of power supply, as well as the supply of services to construction contractors and subcontractors.
Those wanting to attend either session, must make a booking through Computicket at a cost of R150.
LHWP PHASE 2
The R22.9-billion Phase 2 of the LHWP will be implemented in two distinct components: a water delivery system to augment the delivery of water to South Africa and a hydro-power generation system, including the Polihali dam and the Polihali-Katse tunnel.
The Polihali dam will be built downstream of the confluence of the Senqu and Khubelu rivers and will be a 163.5-m-high concrete-faced rockfill embankment dam wall.
The 38.2-km-long, 5-m-diameter Polihali-Katse dam tunnel will be used to transfer water from the Polihali reservoir to the Katse reservoir.
Where possible, the existing infrastructure constructed in Phase I will be used. This includes access roads, power supply, telecommunication systems and camps.
Significant additional works contracts will be awarded for the construction of all-weather access roads, a bulk power supply network, telecommunications systems and project housing, as well as labour camps at both ends of the transfer tunnel.
A permanent housing development will be established near the Polihali dam and transfer tunnel.
This will require extensive infrastructure development before the mobilisation of contractors for the two main works contracts of the Polihali dam and transfer tunnel.
The facilities at Katse dam will be used for the Polihali-Katse tunnelconstruction. Existing facilities will be used to house consultants and construction management teams. Improvements to the water and sewage treatment plants, the clinic and the lodge will be undertaken.
In addition to the main access roads to service the construction phase, other access and feeder roads will be built around the reservoir and a pair of major road bridges will be built over the Polihali reservoir.
The completion date for Phase 2 of the LHWP is set for 2025.
