5.7 km standby tunnel to carry 55 m3/sec from diversion weir on Matsuko river when water is available. Joint venture of Hochtief, Concor and Impregilo known as Matsoku Civil Contractors with consultants Matsoku Diversion Partnership comprising Consult 4 in joint venture with Lescon/FMA. Access adit 190 m long completed and work proceeding on 5 m-high, 4.5 m-wide horseshoe-shaped main tunnel being driven straight on 1:230 downgrade using drill/blast in basaltic formations. Crown will be sprayed with fibre-reinforced shotcrete and invert will have concrete channel. Advances of 25 m to 30 m/week being achieved. March 1999.  The 5.6 km Matsoku tunnel and its related diversion weir have been inaugurated on 26th October, 2001 as part of Phase 1B of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Work commenced on 2nd February, 1998. Total cost of the contract, funded by the European Investment Bank, estimated at M241 million. Phase 1B is scheduled for completion in 2003. Visit www.lhwp.org.ls/projecthistory/project-history.htm 48/01.

  32 km-long, 4.1 m-diameter gravity-flow connection through basalts with occasional dolerite dykes between future Mohale reservoir and recently completed Katse reservoir using TBMs from each end and lined with concrete segments. Intake end will utilise existing 5.3 m-diameter Wirth TBM ex delivery tunnel north of previous contract and second TBM is 4.7 m NFM ex-Ecuador. Both machines are double-shielded. Hexagonal lining segments manufactured at site. Advances of 750 m/month per machine anticipated. High and low level intake tunnels 200 m long joining 100 m-deep gate shaft. Drill/blast operations at both ends to prepare TBM launch chambers. 800 m-long access adit at intake end for muck tippler and conveyor. Commenced February 1998 for completion January 2003. Design and construction supervision consultants: LHTP, a joint venture of Consult 4, Lahmeyer and Mott MacDonald. Contractors: joint venture of Hochtief, Concor and Impregilo. March 1999. Payments of $1.25 million bribes during 1988 by a number of participating companies to a former executive of the project have been traced and are under investigation by the Maseru court. Sept 1999.

Invitation to Tender, deadline 12.01.2018, for the construction of Polihali Diversion Tunnels, Part II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), a bi-national project between the governments of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa, intended to provide water to the Gauteng region of South Africa and to generate hydroelectricity for Lesotho. The 38km long concrete-lined gravity tunnel will connect Polihali reservoir to the Katse reservoir.  Interested Tenderers may obtain Tender Documents at NO COST, from the Phase II project website http://www.lhda.org.ls/phase2/tenderbulletin/ from 30 October 2017 to 13 November 2017. A mandatory pre-Tender meeting will be held on 14 November

2017 at 09:00 am (registration from 08:00 am) Lesotho time in the Mokhotlong District, Mokhotlong – Lesotho, at the Mokhotlong Hotel. This will be followed by a mandatory site visit on 14 November 2017 at 12:00 pm.  Visit http://www.lhda.org.ls/phase2/tenderbulletin/tenderInformation.aspx?ContractNumber=4022.

Ref.n.4022. 45/17.

The SCLC Polihali Diversion Tunnel Joint Venture, composed by Salini Impregilo S.p.A. (South Africa ), Cooperativa Muratori Cementistri CMC di Ravenna (South Africa ), LSP Construction Ltd (Lesotho ), CMI Infrastructure Ltd (South Africa ) secured the contract for the construction of Polihali Diversion Tunnels, Part II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).  Visit http://www.lhda.org.ls/tenderbulletin/docs/C4022%20Notce%20of%20Award.pdf.

Ref.n.4022. 16/19.