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The Katse Dam is situated over the Malibamat'so River in Lesotho. This dam is one of the man made attractions of the country, which are visited by many tourists every year. The dam is constructed of concrete and is capable of storing more than 2 million kiloliters of water. The height of the Katse Dam is 185 meters from the base, while the crest length of the dam is 710 meters.
The Katse Dam is a unit of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. It is one of the 5 dams that would dot the African landscape in the near future. The dam was conceived by Ninham Shand. Shand designed the dam to augment South Africa's water supply. The project was started and completed during the apartheid era in South Africa.
Ninham Shand made Katse Dam a concrete arch structure. The dam is connected to a hydro-electric power station 45 kilometers away. Water flows from the dam to the hydro-electric generating facility by a sequential network of pipes of 4 meter diameter. The Katse Dam is situated at a greater altitude compared to the electric generating facility. The water moves due to the gravity force acting on the fluid.
The supply of water from Lesotho to South Africa takes place through a monetary transaction, where the South African government pays Lesotho a fixed sum every year. Some value addition percentages are also calculated according to the usage of water.
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