Project record

Lesotho Ha Setene W03A Intake and Water Treatment Works

Official LLWDP progress board showing the Ha Setene raw-water pumping station, water treatment works, transmission pipe works and W03A construction status in Lesotho

Lowlands Water Development Project Phase II; official W03A construction-progress board uploaded January 2026

Lesotho's Lowlands Water Development Project Phase II package W03A combines a Hlotse River intake at Ha Setene, raw-water pumping, a 25 million litre-per-day treatment plant, treated-water conveyance, command reservoirs and associated pumping. World Bank contract data names China International Water & Electric Corp. as the USD 42,553,432.19 design-build contractor and Zutari Lesotho as the separate USD 1,013,964.54 construction-supervision consultant. No controlled public source identifies a lower-tier subcontractor.

Project signal

Construction in Lesotho

Current status The official LLWDP dashboard currently displays 85% overall progress under a malformed update date; the last fully dated World Bank restructuring paper recorded 65% physical completion after a 24 February 2026 flood compromised the temporary river diversion and cofferdam, delaying intake works Source confidence Confirmed

Location

Lesotho / Africa

Segment

Water intake and treatment works

Status

The official LLWDP dashboard currently displays 85% overall progress under a malformed update date; the last fully dated World Bank restructuring paper recorded 65% physical completion after a 24 February 2026 flood compromised the temporary river diversion and cofferdam, delaying intake works / Confirmed

Last checked

3 August 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Water intake and treatment works is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
Lesotho Ministry of Water through the Lowlands Water Development Project Phase II, World Bank project P160672
Delivery parties
China International Water & Electric Corp. (CWE) - W03A design-build contractor under LLWDP/W/03(A), Zutari Lesotho (Pty) Ltd. - independent construction-supervision consultant under LLWDP/C/03(A), not a disclosed subcontractor
Contract route
World Bank contract-award data records LLWDP/W/03(A) as a prior-review Request for Proposals contract signed on 5 July 2024 with China International Water & Electric Corp. for USD 42,553,432.19. It separately records LLWDP/C/03(A), construction supervision for W03A, as a post-review Direct Selection contract signed on 20 September 2024 with Zutari Lesotho for USD 1,013,964.54. The two awards establish separate delivery and owner-side supervision roles; they do not disclose CWE's designers, civil, hydraulic, mechanical, electrical, controls or commissioning subcontractors.
Execution window
CWE signed the main works contract on 5 July 2024. A June 2025 World Bank mission expected completion in December 2025 but already identified schedule risk. The March 2026 restructuring paper records 65% physical completion and says a 24 February flood compromised the temporary river diversion and cofferdam without injury after work had been stopped. The recovery plan called for redesign by 10 March, river-work rebuilding and intake/weir works from 7 April to 20 July, and electromechanical commissioning and trial operation from 21 July to 13 October, subject to confirmed damage, weather and river conditions. The same paper proposed extending the project close from 31 March to 31 December 2026; the proposal is not evidence of approval. The current LLWDP dashboard displays 85%, but its update date omits the month and the same page lists a 23% treatment-works subtask, so the percentage requires reconciliation.
Works package
Design and construction of the Hlotse River intake at Ha Setene, raw-water pumps and pumping station, a 25 million litre-per-day water-treatment plant, treated-water pumping and transmission, command and service reservoirs, auxiliary facilities and associated civil, hydraulic, mechanical, electrical and controls systems serving Hlotse, Maputsoe and surrounding settlements.
Marine interfaces
The critical water interface is a river intake rather than an offshore marine structure. Temporary diversion, cofferdam stability, riverbed access, flood exposure, intake and weir construction, raw-water pumping and source protection govern when dry civil works can connect to treatment, transmission, reservoir and distribution systems. The February 2026 flood demonstrated that temporary river works and hydrology remain critical-path risks even while inland plant construction advances.
Commercial evidence boundary
USD 42,553,432.19 is the World Bank award-dataset commitment for W03A and USD 1,013,964.54 is the separate supervision-consultancy commitment. The wider project's approximately USD 30 million cost overrun and increased financing are programme-level figures, not a W03A variation or final account. The award and implementation records omit paid expenditure, change orders, flood-recovery cost allocation, final contract value and lower-tier awards.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

Open this project in the Change Log

Owner dashboard shows a newer but internally inconsistent progress signal

The LLWDP site currently displays W03A at 85% overall progress, but the update date omits the month and the same page shows a 23% water-treatment subtask; construction status remains until a dated update reconciles both figures.

Source

Flood compromises temporary river diversion and cofferdam

The World Bank restructuring paper records no injury after the work stoppage but says the event delayed the critical intake works and required redesign, rebuilding, drainage and cleaning before the intake-to-commissioning sequence could resume.

Source

Separate W03A supervision contract signed with Zutari Lesotho

The LLWDP/C/03(A) award identifies Zutari as the independent construction-supervision consultant engaged separately from CWE's design-build works contract; it does not identify a CWE subcontractor.

Source

W03A design-build contract signed with CWE

The LLWDP/W/03(A) award names China International Water & Electric Corp. as the USD 42.553 million contractor for the intake, pumping, treatment, reservoir and transmission package.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • Dated reconciliation of the 85% dashboard figure and 23% treatment subtask
  • Flood-recovery completion for diversion, cofferdam, intake and weir
  • CWE design, civil, hydraulic, mechanical and electrical subcontractors
  • Pump, valve, chemical dosing, SCADA and commissioning suppliers
  • Approved project-close date and W03A schedule
  • Wet testing, trial operation, water-quality acceptance and handover
  • Final account, change orders and flood-recovery allocation
  • Measured water connections and beneficiaries

Related records 2

Reporting status

Construction, confirmed confidence

Last checked 3 August 2026 across 10 cited sources. The dated timeline above carries the project events.

Last checked 3 August 2026 Cited sources 10

Sources and related records

Read featured analysis Methodology Submit a correction Project tracker
Source collections

Project sources 10