lesotho water

Question 1

describe lesotho:

Answer 1

• landlocked by south africa
• mountainous
• has high rainfall
• sparsely populated (2.5 million people)
• few resources, high poverty levels.
• not able to feed population - most farms are subsistence (crops consumed only by farming household) and productivity levels are low.
• relies heavily economically on SA.
• inaccessible: many villages can only be reached on horseback, by foot, or by light aircraft.

Question 2

compare Lesotho and the UK:

Answer 2

• Lesotho has a life expectancy of 49 years, whereas the UK has an expectancy of 82 years.
• this may be because the UK’s population has greater access to clean water: 100% of the population has access, whereas only 72-90% of Lesotho has access.
• the GDP per capita in Lesotho is 1,125 dollars, and due to their low literacy rates: 74% of males are literate and 92% of females are literate.
• this compares to the UK’s GDP per capita of 41,187 dollars, and a 99%+ literacy rate.
• the internet usage per 100 people in Lesotho is 11, compared to the UK which is 91.6.

Question 3

compare Lesotho with South Africa:

Answer 3

• Lesotho receives a lot of rain - 750mm per year. they are sparsely populated, so the water demand is low. they have a water surplus.
• South Africa, has less rain - 460mm - is prone to drought and has a much higher population - 59 million. densely populated, so the demand for water is high. they are in a water deficit.
• therefore, Lesotho exports water to SA - it’s their biggest export and makes up 75% of their income. this exportation is done by dams, reservoirs, pipelines and tunnels, and this transference simultaneously generates HEP.

Question 4

describe the Lesotho Water Transfer Scheme:

Answer 4

• aimed to help water shortage in SA.
• water from the Segu River in Lesotho will be transferred to the River Vaal in SA.
• involves construction of dams, reservoirs and roads, takes 30 years to complete.
• Polinali Dam will hold 2.2 billion litres of water (also produces HEP).
• 200km of tunnels and 2000 million litres of water will be transferred to SA every year.

Question 5

what are the advantages and disadvantages of the water transfer scheme for Lesotho?

Answer 5

advantages:
- provides 75% of Lesotho’s GDP.
- scheme provides Lesotho with all of its HEP requirements.
- income from the scheme helps development and to improve the standard of living.
- sanitation coverage across the country will rise from 15% of the population to 20%.

disadvantages:
- building of the first two dams meant that people had to move from their lands.
- corruption has prevented money and investments reaching those affected by the construction.
- destruction of a unique wetland ecosystem due to control of regular flooding downstream of the dams.

Question 6

what are the advantages and disadvantages of the water transfer scheme for SA?

Answer 6

advantages:
- freshwater reduces the acidity of the Vaal River Reservoir. water pollution from industry, gold mines, and sewage were destroying the local ecosystem.
- restores SA’s water balance: provides water for an area with uneven rainfall patterns and regular droughts.
- provides water for the 10% of the population without access to a safe water supply.

disadvantages:
- about 40% of the water transferred through the scheme is lost through leakages.
- increased water tariffs to pay for the scheme are too high for some people.
- been corruption in SA, plaguing the whole project.
- costs are likely to reach 4 billion US dollars.