Lesotho Highlands Development Authority Compensation Policy Phase II.

This Policy document of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) applies to all losses of assets and income, and impacts on livelihoods suffered by people, households, communities and institutions as a result of the implementation of Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water (LHW) Project. The overall goal of the Policy is to ensure that the project complies with all legal obligations, through the design and implementation of a resettlement programme that gives affected persons the opportunity to at least restore, and preferably to improve, their livelihoods and standards of living. The Policy promotes the participatory design of compensation, resettlement and livelihood restoration measures for both affected and host communities. LHDA’s legal obligations to the people and communities affected by Phase II, upon which this Compensation Policy is based, are contained in the Treaty on the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, the LHDA Order of 1986, the LHWP Compensation Regulations and the Phase II Agreement, as well as relevant legislation such as the Constitution of Lesotho and the Land Act of 2010. Compensation is mainly related to land acquisition and occupation and resettlement.