Lesotho Highlands Water Project : Communication Practices for Governance and Sustainability Improvement

Abstract

The past decade has witnessed major shift thinking about water, including how water infrastructure development strategies can help advance sustainable development and the global fight against poverty. This reflects, in part, greater attention now being paid to governance reforms promoting integrated water resource management (IWRM), the efficient and wise use of water, and expanding access to water and energy services. In addition, the increased emphasis on developing and implementing anti-corruption strategies increases confidence that water infrastructure can be developed efficiently and equitably. There is also growing appreciation of the strong linkages between water, environment and energy security and climate change - impacting on decisions about the development and management of water infrastructure, especially in water-stressed regions, and of the central role that public, private sector and civil society partnerships can play in encouraging innovation, tackling challenges, promoting transparency and accountability and creating synergy. Communication is the thread that links these concerns and underpins achievements in sustainability and governance reform in water. Not only to ensure that up-front strategic assessments mobilize all viable options to meet the challenges unique to each situation, but also to better integrate governance and anti-corruption reforms and sustainability into all stages of planning and the project cycle of infrastructure. Wider acceptance of multi-stakeholder dialogue is a trend which characterizes beneficial change. This LHWP is notable for its progressive learning approach as it moved through its implementation phases and is an example of the shift s that are occurring globally in approaches to dam planning and management as they have become more inclusive. It is also a key example of the critical importance of political will in tackling corruption in a large water infrastructure project.