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Group photo from the EFlows training courses in late February 2022. Representatives from Department of Water Affairs, Lesotho Highlands Development Authority and Lesotho Lowlands Water Development Unit trained by staff from Southern Waters, Multiconsult and Multi-Nodal

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Field trip to Hlotse river September 2021. Together with representatives from Lesotho Lowlands Water Development Unit and Department of Water Affairs

Cutting edge Environmental Flows project finalized in Lesotho

The Lesotho EFlows Project was recently finalized by Multiconsult and partners. The result of the project is crucial for water management in the Hlotse River, and to sustain societal needs and a healthy environment.

12. April 2022

Late February 2022 Multiconsult and partners arranged the final workshop and held training courses in Maseru, Lesotho for the Lesotho Environmental Flows ( EFlows) Project. A series of nine final reports, including an EFlows Scenario Assessment Report and an EFlows Policy, was delivered to the Client, the Ministry of Water, on March 25th, 2022. The project is funded by the World Bank, which has been actively involved throughout the project.

Cutting edge study

Head of Department, Gro Dyrnes says: “This is a cutting-edge EFlow study for the Hlotse River in Lesotho that we are proud to deliver together with Deltares from the Netherlands, Southern Waters in South Africa and Multinodal in Lesotho”.

The study comprised the usage of the world known Downstream Response to Imposed Flow Transformation (DRIFT) EFlows methodology, invented and developed by Multiconsult’s partner Southern Waters. Core to the study was to find out when and how much water is to be released from the Hlotse Adit to mitigate impacts of planned water abstraction further downstream, in order to sustain a healthy environment and societal needs.

Become a benchmark for similar hydropower studies

The study also included climate change, hydrological, geomorphologic and hydrodynamic modelling as well as ecohydraulic, environmental and socio-economic assessments. Results from the project will be used by the Ministry of Water to invest in, design and operate water releases and associated modes of water abstraction further downstream in the Hlotse River. The EFlows Policy recommendations will also be a benchmark for other similar water and hydropower studies in Lesotho.

Multiconsult’s Project Manager for the study, Leif Lillehammer, says “This catchment scale, high resolution, holistic and scenario based EFlows study will help strengthen Multiconsults position in the hydropower and water resources field and market, both nationally and internationally. It will help us further develop and widen our water resources management portfolio. In these types of EFlows studies the usage of DRIFT both for water infrastructure and hydropower development are often promoted by our clients, including the World Bank”.