In August, the southern hemisphere is in the midst of winter, and the mountainous areas of Lesotho, known as the "Land of Mountains," occasionally experience light snowfall, making mountain transportation difficult. In Buthati, northern Lesotho, a transport convoy consisting of dozens of semi-trailer trucks slowly arrived to transport giant components of Chinese shield tunneling machines loaded onto them to the site of the Polihali Water Transfer Tunnel project in the Lesotho Highlands Water Conservancy Phase II. Chinese enterprises are participating in the construction of the Lesotho Highlands Water Conservancy Phase II project amidst the peaks and valleys of Lesotho. After the completion of all projects, the local water infrastructure will be significantly improved, promoting the economic and social development of Lesotho. The steel giant dragon's busy transportation convoy through the mountains passes through roads with an altitude increase of nearly 1500 meters, and multiple "hairpin bends" and steep slopes are full of challenges. 32 year old Muzak is the lead driver of the convoy. He told reporters, "This is my first time driving a heavy-duty truck in the mountainous area, and I have to be very careful when going up, down, and turning. We are loading important equipment for the Highland Water Conservancy Phase II Project, and the whole country of Lesotho is paying attention to this project. Lesotho is a landlocked country in southern Africa, surrounded by South Africa on all sides. As the largest infrastructure project between Lesotho and South Africa, the Highland Water Conservancy Project is being implemented in four phases. The plan is to introduce the abundant water resources in Lesotho's mountainous areas into the water scarce regions of South Africa through the construction of a series of dams and tunnel networks. Among them, the Polihali Water Transfer Tunnel Project is a key project of the Highland Water Conservancy Phase II Project, led by China Hydropower 11th Bureau, and jointly implemented by China Hydropower Third Bureau and local South African enterprises in a joint venture. The shield tunneling machine is a key equipment for the construction of the water conveyance tunnel project, and we will use it for bi-directional excavation. ”Jin Junjie, the chief engineer of the Polihali water conveyance tunnel project, introduced that the first shield machine was successfully put into use at the outlet section of the project at the end of last year, and the main components of the second shield machine are gradually being transported to the inlet section of the project. After installation and commissioning, it will be put into use. The shield machine used in the Polihali water conveyance tunnel project has a total length of 425 meters and a total weight of approximately 1500 tons. The reporter entered the tunnel at the outlet of the project, where various functional sections and control rooms such as security, power, maintenance, and transportation were installed on the forward laid railway tracks, like an open train. The further we move forward, the higher the temperature. Although it is icy and snowy outside the tunnel, the clothes of the builders inside the tunnel have been soaked with sweat. The alloy rolling cutter head of the shield machine has a diameter of 5.35 meters and is specially designed to adapt to the local hard rock geology. ”In the main control room of the shield tunneling machine, engineer Liu Shuangchen introduced, "This shield tunneling machine can achieve synchronous operation of various processes such as cutting, support, slag removal, and measurement. It can excavate about 20 meters per day, and its efficiency is 3 to 5 times that of traditional blasting excavation." South African engineer Stanley is the technical director of the Polihali water conveyance tunnel project and has participated in the first phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Conservancy Project. He told reporters, "The second phase of the project will complete the construction of a 38 kilometer ultra long tunnel, which will help Lesotho's water conservancy industry enter a new stage and effectively alleviate South Africa's water shortage. I am pleased to work together with my Chinese colleagues." When the second shield tunneling machine component for water conservancy and people's livelihood transportation was launched from the Buthati Port, officials and business representatives from Lesotho and South Africa held a welcome ceremony. The guests were dressed in ethnic costumes and attended in their finest attire. This is a historic moment for Lesotho's social development, and our country will achieve rapid development due to this water conservancy project, "said Pito Lesawana, Minister of Gender, Youth and Social Development of Lesotho. Lesotho has a weak economic foundation and is one of the least developed countries in the world, and has always been eager to fully utilize local water resources to drive national economic development. Muzbile, consultant of the Operations Department of Lesotho Power Company, said that water is Lesotho's most precious resource, and the construction of the dam for the second phase of the Highland Water Conservancy Project will lay the foundation for hydropower generation and help Lesotho achieve self-sufficiency in electricity as soon as possible. Taking the mountainous area of Mohoton in Lesotho as an example, most of the local villages are scattered on the slopes, and most of the thatched roof houses have not yet been electrified. Villagers can only light kerosene lamps at night. After the completion of the project, the local area is expected to end its history of no electricity. Asfi is the manager of a transportation company in Mohelon, and his business volume has doubled in the past two years. He told reporters, "The Highland Water Conservancy Phase II project has brought a lot of business opportunities here, with various material supplies, personnel exchanges, and small commodity sales becoming increasingly active." It is reported that after the completion of the Highland Water Conservancy Phase II project, Lesotho's water supply capacity to South Africa will increase from the current 780 million cubic meters per year to 1.26 billion cubic meters per year, and Lesotho's hydropower generation will also further increase. Through the water agreement reached between Lesotho and South Africa, the Highland Water Conservancy Phase II project will effectively alleviate the water shortage situation in five provinces including Gauteng Province in South Africa, and Lesotho will also receive corresponding income. Teaching people how to fish for win-win situations. Walking into the training room of the Polihali water conveyance tunnel project staff camp, students are busy decorating the background wall of the graduation ceremony. In the small training room, some students hold chalk and draw carefully on the background wall, depicting their dreams in their hearts; Some students are pasting engineering element stickers, such as small gears, safety helmets, etc; Some students are also writing thank-you notes by hand - "Thank you to Chinese companies for bringing hope"... Two years ago, Leloka Senna joined the Polihali water conveyance tunnel project department and grew from an ordinary worker to a semi skilled worker. Now she has been selected to participate in the skills development training course organized by the project department and successfully graduated, becoming a professional firefighter. Over the past two years, his job skills have continuously improved and his income has increased several times. With these incomes, his family opened a small printing shop and his life became increasingly prosperous. Xu Xishuai, the business manager of the Polihali water conveyance tunnel project, introduced that the skills development training course has offered professional courses such as on-site first aid, concrete workers, and pipeline workers. The plan is to train 3500 skilled talents in the local area. As of now, more than 500 students have graduated and obtained graduation certificates. Xu Xishuai said that the localization rate of ordinary employees in the project is not less than 99%, creating more than 1800 job opportunities for the local area. During the construction process of the Polihali water conveyance tunnel project, prefabricated concrete pipe segments need to be installed as support. The reporter saw at the local pipe segment factory that almost all processes were completed by local employees. The local area originally did not have the ability to process, shape, store, and transport prefabricated building materials. In just two years, the factory has achieved independent production. Lesotho engineer Sergi Sopu is responsible for tunnel maintenance work and is very satisfied with his current job: "The Chinese masters have brought advanced work experience and skills, and I believe that with everyone's joint efforts, the project will be successfully completed." The Chinese aid Lesotho medical team recently conducted a free clinic at the Polihali water conveyance tunnel project site, and the local community director Masamora Sekongye from Mohhotron specially came with the villagers. He said, "Chinese companies have built roads for villages, donated clothes, shoes, and stationery to children, and Chinese doctors have brought medicine and taught health knowledge to everyone. Thank you for China's contributions to Lesotho