Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Lesotho Lowlands Water Development Project (LLWDP) II presented a compensation policy before the Parliamentarians, Principal Chiefs, and District Administrators (DA) within the project areas in Hlotse, Mafeteng and Mohale’s
Hoek on Wednesday. Addressing the attendants, the Ministry of Water’s Director in the department of Water Affairs Motoho Motoho indicated that the objective of the event was to present the
compensation policy before public representatives in order to convey the methodology that is projected to be used when the project starts in the urban
areas beginning with zone 6 and 7, which is Maputsoe and Hlotse and zone 2 and 3 being Mafeteng and Mohale’s Hoek. “The goal of the policy is to ensure that those negatively impacted by the project
during implementation through tangible losses are compensated in a participatory and timely manner to abide by the laws of Lesotho and international regulations and that any physical relocation is effected in a
systematic and beneficial manner,” he said. LLWDP Manager Mathealira Lerotholi informed that the LLWDP II project was implemented by the Government of Lesotho in 2000 under the Ministry of Water with the target
to ensure that there is enough capacity of water in the areas where there is more population and industrial services for the use of domestic, institutional,
industrial and agricultural, tourism, hydropower and others. “The project is funded by the Government of Lesotho, European Investment Bank (EIB) and World Bank
with the total amount of over M210 million Euros. According to the study made in the urban areas, during its completion by 2040 the project is expected to
have reached out to over 2 million people, of which 1.1 million will benefit. “Water will be abstracted from Hlotse River at Ha-Setene and from Makhaleng River
together with other streams such as Ngoajane, Senqu, and Semonkong with the purpose of increasing access and availability of bulk portable water, improving
operational performance of Water and Sewage Company (WASCO) and rehabilitating the water distribution network and extension of distribution networks in the
selected zones,” he explained. LLWDP Public Protector ‘Masetori Makhetha in her presentation of the compensation policy showed that the policy focuses mostly on the compensations, relocations
and refunds to those who will be impacted by the project, and vowed that the compensations will be granted before the project stars. “The objectives of the
policy are to ensure that it provides prompt and effective compensation at full replacement of cost of losses of assets, that direct compensation is accompanied by livelihoods restoration and community development projects and
that affected persons participate in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of impact mitigation measures aimed at improving their lives,”
Makhetha indicated. She further added that other compensation privileges for the lost and impacted assets will be in the form of replacement, cash and repairs.
“The people who will be compensated will include those who will lose jobs temporarily and permanently,
those whom their properties will be affected such as houses, agricultural and commercial land, loss of non-productive assets such as graves and cultural
heritage sites,” Makhetha stated. She however noted that the key pieces of National Legislation that underpin the policy include Lesotho Constitution 1993, Roads Act 1969, Water Act 2008, Environment Act 2008, Local Government and Chieftainship Act 1997.
