By Neo Kolane
The European Union (EU) has injected a hefty M540 million into the Metsi a Lesotho programme which is intended to augment water supply and improve rural communities’ access to clean potable water.
This was announced at the official launch of the programme in Maseru this week, at an event attended by representatives of the Lesotho government and the EU.
Touted as a transformative initiative, Metsi a Lesotho is aimed at enhancing access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for over 125,000 people in Lesotho in 250 rural communities, 125 schools, and 15 clinics.
To be facilitated through collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund, the programme will be relying on and enhancing Lesotho’s already existing water supply infrastructure.
In her remarks, the EU ambassador to Lesotho, Paola Amadei, said the launch of Metsi a Lesotho represents a further step in the EU’s unbroken partnership of nearly 50 years, “a partnership based on long-term sustainability and shared prosperity, a partnership that stands for quality investments”.
Amadei said Metsi a Lesotho is part of Global Gateway, Europe’s strategy to boost smart, clean, and secure links in digital, climate, energy, and transport sectors. It aims to strengthen health, education, and research systems across the world.
The programme further seeks to ensure Lesotho communities have access to clean water and sanitation services, while preserving water and land resources for present and future generations.
Amadei said Lesotho is often described as the “Water Tower of Southern Africa” and portrayed as a country rich in water, providing around one-third of the water in Gauteng and contributing 40 percent of the Senqu-Orange River basin.
“At the same time, this image of abundance is still in contrast with the lived reality of many people in Lesotho who have to walk long distances to access water, who experience malfunctioning water service delivery, or who are faced with polluted water sources.
“For this reason, the number one priority in the European Union’s cooperation with Lesotho, through this new programme we launch today, is to ensure that everyone enjoys the right to safe drinking water and that no one is left behind,” she noted.
At the same occasion, the minister of natural resources, Mohlomi Moleko, said EU-Lesotho agreements are benefiting the country.
He added that the EU has been financing the ReNOKA programme which is helping in protecting water resources.
Moleko reiterated that Lesotho is the water tower of the southern region but the most critical thing is to protect the resource. This programme could help a lot in this regard.
“As government we are very pleased, and as the ministry we are trying to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 which is the provision of water and sanitation services for everybody by 2030,” he indicated.
For his part, prime minister Sam Matekane said he had witnessed the efforts of EU in partnering with Lesotho for the betterment of the lives of Basotho especially in rural and remote areas.
Matekane assured the EU that the government will do all that is necessary to ensure that Metsi a Lesotho becomes one of the country’s most successful programmes.
“We cannot emphasize enough, the importance of such programmes that lay a foundation for Basotho as they plan the way forward for the next 200 years.
“We look forward to more cooperation in the future in other development fields,” he said.
The history of Lesotho-EU water cooperation is articulated in the Final Report of the Identification Study of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project dated September 1985.
According to the EU, this document is a testimony to long-standing and unbroken cooperation in this sector and, will be transferred to the main library of the National University of Lesotho and consigned to history.
Contributions of EU water sector cooperation include the construction of the ‘Muela hydro-power plant, which to date provides significant revenue generation and around half of Lesotho’s electricity needs as well as other investments under the first phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. It was also involved in the rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment plants in Maseru, providing improved sanitation coverage for over 100,000 people, and the construction of water supply networks for Maputsoe, Teyateyaneng, and Roma.
In 2027 the Lowlands Water Development Programme – Phase II of which Team Europe is a key partner, is expected to provide safe drinking water for 280,000 people in Hlotse, Maputsoe, Mohale’s Hoek, and Mafeteng.
