Farmers living in the vicinity of the Caledon River have been urged not to draw water from the river for seven days.

This comes after water was released from Hlotse Adit to augment Maseru, Peka, Maputsoe and Hlotse towns, by the Lesotho Highlands Water Commission.

A total of 3.75 mega cubic metres (MCM) was released on Monday, 12 November 2018 from Hlotse Adit, which is the point of access to the Phase 1 tunnel and the most direct route from which to draw water.

The Department of Water and Sanitation said the water will travel through Caledon to reach Maseru in approximately seven days.

“Farmers that are situated near or next to Caledon River are therefore requested not to extract water from the river for the duration of this transfer. The request that is being fulfilled upon request from the Lesotho government… due to the agreement that is in place between South Africa and Lesotho,” the Department of Water and Sanitation said.

The Lesotho government has experienced a severe drought in Maseru, Peka, Maputsoe and Hlotse, which necessitated the release of water.