Allexer Namundjembo
Namibia says it has not issued a “no objection” for Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
It says it will only do so once downstream concerns are addressed and South Africa makes firm commitments.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform said this in a statement released on Thursday.
The statement followed reports in South Africa claiming that Namibia is unhappy about the project and that it is reducing the flow of the Orange River.
The ministry said Namibia, as a downstream riparian state on the Orange-Senqu River system, has consistently maintained that approving Phase II without addressing possible impacts would be premature and could affect the rights and water security of Namibians.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is a transboundary water infrastructure project between Lesotho and South Africa.
It is designed to capture and transfer water from Lesotho’s highlands to South Africa, while also generating hydropower for Lesotho.
“A no objection can only be considered once these issues have been satisfactorily resolved and a firm commitment is provided by South Africa concerning the joint development of the Noordoewer Vioolsdrift dam on the lower Orange River,” the ministry stated.
Namibia is seeking the dam as a mitigation measure to regulate river flows and protect downstream water availability and ecosystems if Phase II proceeds.
The ministry said discussions on the matter are continuing within existing cooperative structures, particularly the Orange-Senqu River Basin Commission, which was established in 2000 by Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa to manage the shared river system.
“Discussions are focused on identifying consensus and mutually acceptable solutions with relevant authorities and stakeholders,” the ministry said, adding that Namibia remains committed to engagement with other basin states.
Officials from the four countries recently met at the 8th Ordinary Meeting of the commission, where ministers reaffirmed their commitment to cooperative water governance and strengthening the commission’s legal and institutional frameworks.
The ministry said Namibia’s position is based on international and regional water law, including the SADC Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses and the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses.
These frameworks require shared rivers to be used in an equitable and reasonable manner and place an obligation on states to prevent significant harm to other countries.
The ministry said all engagements on the Lesotho Highlands Water Project are guided by these principles.
“The government is confident that compromise can be reached through effective mitigation measures that protect downstream interests while promoting sustainable development within the basin.”
