Maseru Water Project About to Take Off

Residents are beginning to understand and support the Maseru Peri-Urban Water Supply Project as opposed to earlier resistance because people felt that there was no compensation for parts of sites lost to it.

Water and Sewage Authority (WASA) assistant public relations officer, Ms Kholu Sekhonyana said residents in more than 15 settlements in the Maseru South East Zone, where the Project is to start, initially expressed concern that the multi-million Maloti water supply scheme did not compensate them for affected sites and
personal properties such as fencing and toilets.

The Authority has held a number of public gatherings where every effort is made to convince residents that they are the primary beneficiaries of the project, she said.

The project will be carried out in 15 settlements that make up peri-urban Maseru, including Lithabaneng, Leqele, Matala, Makhoathi, Abia, 'Nelese, Nts'irele, Khechane and Seleso areas in which more than 41 000 households are expected to benefit.

Funded by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) to the tune of more than M39 million, the Project is scheduled for completion in two years.

23 September 2004