Mokhotlong Residents Report of Harm from Hydropower Project Supported by AfDB
Eighteen rural settlements in the Mountain Kingdom have lodged a grievance with the AfDB over its funding of a multibillion-pound hydraulic scheme whose development phase they allege has damaged farmland, contaminated water sources and weakened homes.
Requests for Openness and Compensation
Approximately 1,600 residents living in the communities in the Mokhotlong region in north-east Lesotho are calling for transparency over planned forced relocations and compensation they state they have not been consulted on.
The LHWP is scheduled for completion by 2029, a decade later than initially scheduled. It will deliver water from mountainous Lesotho to a area containing South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg, at an estimated cost of 54bn rand (2.28 billion pounds).
Formal Complaint Submitted
Last week, the local residents, represented by the Lesotho-based Seinoli Legal Centre and the US NGO Accountability Counsel, submitted a formal appeal with the AfDB’s independent recourse mechanism. They requested the IRM to recommend that the AfDB board halt the project until their grievances are addressed.
The document stated that explosive excavation had resulted in fissures in house walls, while rockfalls and flooding had obstructed access to some fields. It claimed that dust and rubble had polluted water sources.
“Our land is being taken [and] they haven’t compensated in a good way,” commented a local spokesperson, seeking privacy due to fears of reprisals from authorities.
Institutional Reactions
Spokespeople for AfDB, which provided 1.3bn rand to the project in 2021, said they would respond to emailed questions, but had not responded by the time of publication.
The LHDA, which manages the project, said: “Not a single family has been, or will be, displaced without prior and comprehensive dialogue … Our pledge is to transparency, availability, and timely feedback across all stages of interaction.”
The authority continued: “As of now, no dwellings have been declared as uninhabitable due to blasting. However, where residences have experienced harm such as fractures or other integrity problems, construction firms are obligated to perform fixes to the approval of the impacted family, or compensation is offered in accordance to regulation.”
The LHDA further noted that landslide issues had been rectified, allegations of field access being blocked had not been confirmed and “general water condition remains within acceptable limits for its designated purposes”.
Claims of Police Abuse
The residents also alleged they had suffered arbitrary arrests, detention and mistreatment by security services and law enforcement for peacefully protesting.
Mpiti Mopeli, a spokesperson for the Lesotho Mounted Police Service, commented: “Police operated within the rule of law … Demonstrations are controlled, therefore unlawful protest cannot be peaceful. We are guided by principles of human rights as enshrined in the national charter of 1993.”
A spokesperson for the country’s national security services did not respond to a comment request.
Other Backers
The initiative’s financial supporters also comprise the Brics bloc’s New Development Bank and the Development Bank of South Africa, both of whom responded to inquiries for input.
