Eighteen rural communities in Lesotho have filed a complaint with the African Development Bank (AfDB) regarding its funding of a multibillion-pound water project. The communities claim that the construction process has resulted in ruined fields, polluted water sources, and damaged homes. About 1,600 people living in the affected villages in Mokhotlong district are demanding transparency over planned forced relocations and compensation they have not been consulted on.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is scheduled for completion by 2029, a decade later than initially planned. It will transport water from landlocked Lesotho to a region in South Africa. The Lesotho-based Seinoli Legal Centre and the US NGO Accountability Counsel are representing the Lesotho communities in the complaint filed with the AfDB’s independent recourse mechanism (IRM). The complaint requests the IRM to recommend the suspension of the project until the communities’ concerns are resolved.
The construction process has caused cracks in house walls, blocked access to some fields, and polluted water sources. The complaint also alleges arbitrary arrests, detention, and torture by security services and police for peaceful protests. Despite these claims, the Lesotho Highland Development Authority has stated that no households will be
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/16/lesotho-villagers-complain-damage-water-project-african-development-bank
