INFORMATION DOCUMENT - DWA Home Page

PROVISIONAL LIST
OF AUTHORITIES
AND IAPS
NATIONAL AUTHORITIES
❏ Government of Lesotho
❏ Ministry of Natural Resources
❏ National Environmental
Secretariat
❏ Ministry of Finance
❏ South Africa
❏ Department of Water Affairs &
Forestry
TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES
❏ Principal Chiefs of Lesotho (24)
and their community development
representatives
AFFECTED COMMUNITIES
❏ Some 8,300 households in 338
villages in a 5-km wide corridor on
either side of the affected river
reaches, incorporating IFR Sites 1,
2, 3 and 7.
LENDERS/ DONORS
❏ World Bank
❏ European Investment Bank
❏ Development Bank of South Africa
OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES
❏ Lesotho Council of NGOs
❏ NGOs/civic organizations/
individuals in Lesotho and South
Africa
❏ International NGOs
Should you feel strongly that any
particular organizations should be
made aware of this project, please
do not hesitate to contact us and
give us their contact details (without
their contact details we will not be
able to involve them, due to the tight
program).
Implications for IFR Policy
Mitigation by flow releases: Overall
❏ The Minimum Degradation scenario was always a hypothetical option, since
design limitations in the dams prevent the releases being made which might achieve
it. It is not, therefore, an option that can be considered for operational purposes.
It has, however, been useful as a scenario against which to compare the other
scenarios.
Katse Releases
❏ The IFR studies show that the design limitations on Katse do not allow much
flexibility of release regime and that all three possible scenarios are predicted to
result in “Severe” overall ecological impacts in reaches immediately downstream
of the dam (Site 2).
❏ The Matsoku rating of “Severe” overall impact under all three scenarios is
heavily skewed by the probable extinction of one species from this river, namely
the Maloti minnow. If the Maloti minnow is taken out of the equation, then
Matsoku’s 600 l/s release regime will allow the downstream ecosystem to be
maintained in a reasonable condition, since it will have 40% of MAR available
to it. Recognizing the importance of the species, LHDA will implement a program
to establish the Maloti minnow in other Lesotho rivers.
Mohale Releases
❏ Because of its more flexible release structures and mechanisms, Mohale Dam
holds the greater potential for manipulating releases to meet river health targets
in the Senqunyane River.
❏ Because there is a considerable population living downstream of the Mohale
Dam, important gains in water quality and maintaining riparian vegetation - an
important resource - would result from even moderately increased flows. The
Mohale impacts are predicted to reduce rapidly downstream due to inflows from
tributaries.
Compensation
❏ The degree of uncertainty in predictions/ estimates of potential losses to
communities means that monitoring of socio-economic status and biophysical
status of riverine ecosystems will be of paramount importance in an adaptive
management system.
❏ The geographic extent of measurable impacts on the Population at Risk can be
limited to river reaches represented by IFR Sites 1, 2, 3 and 7. This is the area to
which, it is proposed, the IFR Policy’s compensation programs will apply. Monitoring
will nonetheless extend to reaches 4, 5, 6 and 8 in order to confirm the moderate
or negligable levels of impact predicted for these reaches.
❏ Different principles of compensation and/or mitigation are required for downstream
rivers (compared with upstream of the structures) because of the different nature
of the impacts. The following principles are proposed:
❏ Taking account of national socio-economic trends, communities will not be
worse off after Policy implementation
❏ Compensation will be based on resources affected or lost, not on resources used,
and will generally be directed at communities, not at individuals;
❏ Compensation will be for demonstrated losses, and both direct compensation
(based on replacement of lost resources) and indirect compensation/ mitigation
(other programs) will be considered.
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