The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is the largest development to benefit Lesotho’s small population to date. The World Bank backed five-dam scheme, was expected to offer direct developmental benefits to the entire nation in the form of jobs, better roads, tourism growth, water supply, environmental protection, among other things.

But the people have received mere remedial benefits in terms of delayed and insufficient compensation, resettlement and rehabilitation. As have numerous other huge development projects elsewhere, the LHWP has brought untold suffering to the communities resettled to make way for the project’s huge dams and roads. Tales of demolished houses, fields destroyed, hopes dashed are testimony to the cruel results of the project, a sad contradiction to the project’s treaty which promised a life “not inferior to one obtaining before the start of the project”.

As officials negotiate new development initiatives in Lesotho and elsewhere, lessons from the LHWP should always be taken into account.

The book was launched in Washington in June 2006. The Water for Justice Project, who compiled and edited the booklet, made a presentation at a conference called "Creating People-Centered Economies for Africa" organised by the American Friends Service Committee (our picture). The presentation was preceded by a video shot in Mohale, explaining the communities' experience in the resettlement process. Many of the people attending the conference were moved by the spectacle of the relocation of graves to make way for the dam.

The climax of the launch was at the World Bank, the main funder of the LHWP. More than 60 people attended the launch and participated in the debate about the presentation from Mrs. Seleke, a member of the communities affected by the dams in Lesotho and TRC Lobbyist and Advocator, Mabusetsa Lenka Thamae. The delegation from Lesotho also met the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Washington, D.C. This corporation is going to help the government of Lesotho build the Metolong dam, situated 20 km outside the capital in Maseru. This new dam will form the centre piece of the Lesotho Lowlands Water Supply Scheme (LLWS). The delegation from Lesotho also visited the headquarters of the Environmental Defense, and Korinna Horta, one of the co-authors of the book.

Another purpose of the presentations in Washington was to raise awareness for the need to continue the TRC work in environment and dam issues in Lesotho.

On the Wrong Side of Development: Lessons learned from the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, Editors: Mabusetsa Lenka Thamae and Lori Pottinger
Published by Transformation Resource Centre, ISBN: 99911-32-00-7

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