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The kingdom of Lesotho : an assessment of problems in democratic consolidationMonyane, Chelete 12 1900 (has links)
Thesis (DPhil (Political Science))--Stellenbosch University, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main problem investigated in this study is why a homogeneous nation with a
high literacy rate such as Lesotho has had so many breakdowns of democracy since
independence in 1966. Lesotho is completely surrounded and economically
dependent on South Africa and depends mostly on the external sources of income
(migrant remittances, customs revenues and foreign aid). Why has this democracy
not consolidated?
For the assessment of the consolidation of Lesotho’s democracy, this study adopted
the multivariate model of Bratton and Van de Walle. This model uses institutional as
well as socio-economic variables. In the application of this model various other
authors were used as well. Schedler dealt with the concept of breakdowns, whereas
Linz and Stepan emphasised institutions and Przeworski et. al and Leftwich also
utilised multivariate models, including socio-economic factors.
Upon the attainment of independence, the King became a constitutional monarch
within a parliamentary system. The monarchy was from the beginning of
independence uncomfortable with this status that granted him limited powers. The
democratic regime inaugurated with the 1965 elections lasted only till 1970, when
the ruling party under Chief Leabua Jonathan which did not support the monarchy,
declared the election results invalid and suspended the constitution after his ruling
party lost to the opposition. But Chief Leabua Jonathan was toppled from state
power in 1986 by the military. The military ruled for eight years. It was clear that the
monarchy (eager for executive powers) and the military became factors in the
survival of democracy in Lesotho.
Democratic rule was relaunched in 1993. The 1993 and 1998 elections were
followed by violent power struggles. This time the constituency-based electoral
system served as catalyst for the political crises and was blamed. This is because
seats did not reflect electoral support as opposition parties were not adequately
represented in parliament. Constitutional reforms followed and in 2002 democratic
rule was reintroduced. The 2002 and 2007 elections were conducted under the
Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system, which is a hybrid between constituencyiv
based and proportional representation. Despite the electoral reforms, uncertainties
still remained as the result of escalating socio-economic problems.
This study addresses the ways in which the monarchy, the military, the electoral
system and the socio-economic factors contributed to the breakdown of democracy
in Lesotho. The original aspect of this study lies in the novel set of questions that
have not been asked before. It fills the gap in the literature on the 2007 elections and
the workings of the new electoral system by comparing the 2002 and the 2007
elections.
Despite the constitutional reforms in 2002, the 2007 elections resulted in the new set
of problems. The problem of the Lesotho MMP system is how it has to be
operationalised and the lack of understanding among the politicians and electorates
on how it works. This situation is exacerbated by the absence of legal and clear
guidelines on how the translation of votes into seats– especially for candidates under
proportional representation (PR) – has to be undertaken in cases where there are
coalitions between parties. This institutional reform of the electoral system has not
added any value for the development of democracy as losing parties have refused to
adhere to the rules.
Apart from the electoral system, some of the other core problems are older and
institutional. The monarchy has over the years been at the root of some of the
country’s democratic breakdowns. It also had influence in the military. The military
instituted a period of authoritarianism and managed the transition to democratic rule
in the early 1990s.The monarchy and the military continued to destabilise the post-
1993 democratic governments until 1998, after which the electoral system was
reformed.
But the problems are not only institutional. Lesotho is a democracy with low per
capita income. It also has high levels of inequalities as well as high unemployment.
Lesotho also has one of the highest HIV/Aids rates in Southern Africa. The country
performs poorly when measured against aspects of the United Nations Human
Development Index (HDI) such as life expectancy, mortality rates and standard of
living. It is the poorest country, with the lowest HDI of Southern Africa’s “free
nations”, according to Freedom House. These socio-economic problems have
impacted negatively on the prospects of democratic consolidation.
One positive aspect is the high literacy rate of over 80%. But this has not benefited
Lesotho’s democracy in any meaningful way as most of its educated people are
working in South Africa. The country does not have a sizeable middle class, while
civil society, except for churches, is also weak. While the monarchy and military have
been successfully depoliticised, Lesotho’s democracy remains unconsolidated
because of weaknesses in the electoral system (lack of understanding of its
operationalisation) and continuing problems of socio-economic development. Its
ethnic homogeneity is not an asset either as other divisions have recurred all the
time. The overall conclusion is therefore that although most institutional factors
responsible for democratic breakdowns in the past have been overcome, the socioeconomic
variables such as poverty, weak civil society, small middle class and
socio-economic inequality will hinder consolidation for a long time to come. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoofprobleem wat in hierdie studie ondersoek word, is hoekom ’n homogene
nasie met ’n hoë geletterdheidsyfer soos Lesotho, soveel onderbrekings
(“breakdowns”) van die demokrasie sedert onafhanklikwording beleef het.
Vir die beoordeling van konsolidasie van Lesotho se demokrasie is van ’n model van
multivariëteit gebruik gemaak. Dit is gebaseer op die denke van Bratton en
Van de Walle wat van sowel institusionele as sosio-ekonomiese veranderlikes
gebruik maak.
Die konsep van afbreuk (“breakdown”) is van Schedler afkomstig. Linz en Stepan
maak uitsluitlik van institusionele veranderlikes gebruik, terwyl Przeworski et. al en
Leftwich ook van multi-veranderlikes gebruik maak. Hulle denke het die teoretiese
raamwerk van hierdie studie gevorm.
Heeltemal omring deur, en afhanklik van Suid-Afrika, word die Koninkryk van
Lesotho geteister deur politieke onstabiliteit. Die koning het ’n grondwetlike monargie
binne ’n parlementêre stelsel geword. Die monargie was egter sedert die begin van
onafhank-likheid ongemaklik hiermee. Die demokratiese regime het in 1965 met
verkiesings tot stand gekom. Maar dit het slegs tot 1970 geduur toe die regerende
party van Hoofman Leabua Jonathan die verkiesing verloor het, en die grondwet
opgeskort het. Hyself is in 1986 in ’n staatsgreep deur die weermag omvergewerp.
Dit was toe reeds duidelik dat die monargie en die militêre faktore in die oorlewing
van demokrasie in Lesotho geword het.
Demokratiese regering is in 1993 heringestel. Die 1993 en 1998 verkiesings het
egter weer geweld opgelewer. Nou was die kiesafdeling-gebaseerde kiesstelsel
geblameer omdat setels nie met steun vir partye gekorreleer het nie. Grondwetlike
hervormings is ingestel waarna demokrasie weer in 2002 heringestel is. Die
verkiesings van 2002 en 2007 het onder reëls van ’n hibriede stelsel van
proposionele verteenwoordiging sowel as kiesafdelings plaasgevind. Daar was
stabiliteit, maar onsekerhede was as gevolg van ingewikkeldhede van die stelsel wat
nie opgelos is nie.
Die studie ontleed die rol van die monargie, die weermag, die kiesstelsel en vlak van
sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling in die opeenvolgende demokratiese ineenstortings in
Lesotho. Die oorspronklikheid van hierdie studie is dat vrae gestel word wat nog nie
voorheen met betrekking tot Lesotho gedoen is nie. Dit vul dus ’n gaping in die
literatuur, ook wat die onlangse verkiesings van 2007 betref.
Ten spyte van die grondwetlike hervormings van 2002, het die 2007 verkiesings
nuwe probleme opgelewer. Die probleem is dat sowel die kiesers as die politici nie
altyd verstaan hoe die formules van die hibriede stelsel werk nie. Daar is ook ’n
afwesigheid van riglyne oor hoe om stemme in setels om te sit waar kaolisies
deelgeneem het.
Afgesien van die verkiesingstelsel, is van die ander probleme ouer, maar ook
institusioneel van aard. Die monargie soos hierbo gestel, is deel van hierdie
probleme. Dit het soos aangedui ook ’n invloed op die militêre gehad. Beide het die
demokrasie gedestabiliseer tot ná 1993 en 1998, waarna die nuwe verkiesingstelsel
nuwe probleme opgelewer het.
Die probleme in Lesotho is egter nie net van ’n institusionele aard nie. Lesotho is ’n
arm demokrasie met lae per capita inkome, hoë ongelykhede en werkloosheid,
asook van die hoogste HIV/Vigs syfers in Suider Afrika. Lesotho vaar ook swak op
die Verenigde Nasies se Menslike Ontwikkelingsindeks. Dit is ook die armste van
Freedom House se nasies wat as “vry” geklassifiseer word.
’n Positiewe aspek is die hoë geletterdheidsyfer van 80%. Maar dit het Lesotho
oënskynlik nie gehelp om die demokrasie volhoubaar te maak nie. Die land het
byvoorbeeld nie ’n beduidende middelklas nie, terwyl die burgerlike samelewing met
uitsondering van die kerke, ook swak is. Terwyl die monargie en die militêre deesdae
gedepolitiseer is, is die demokrasie nog nie gekonsolideer nie. Die redes hiervoor is
die probleme met die kiesstelsel en voortgesette lae ekonomiese ontwikkeling.
Etniese homogeniteit is ook skynbaar nie ’n bate nie, want ander verdelings ontstaan
deurentyd. Die hoofkonklusie van hierdie studie is dus dat alhoewel Lesotho die
institusionele faktore wat vir demokratiese afbreuk in die verlede verantwoordelik
was oorkom het, die sosio-ekonomiese veranderlikes soos armoede, swak
burgerlike samelewing, klein middelklas en ongelykheid steeds konsolidasie nog vir
’n lang tyd sal belemmer.
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Oral health and nutritional status of the children under five years, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Maseru, Lesotho.Linjewile-Marealle, Navoneiwa January 2006 (has links)
<p>The aim of this study was to compare the oral health status between well and malnourished children under five years old attending Mother and Child Health clinic in Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Maseru, Lesotho.</p>
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Community participation in planning : an assessment of phase 1B, stage 1 of Lesotho Highlands water project (LHWP) resettlement programme.Sakoane, Matlhaku. January 2001 (has links)
This dissertation addresses an age-old topic, but introduces some different insights. Overall, it is a sound piece of research that satisfies the requirements of a course work masters. Her topic is interesting in the context of a large-scale infrastructure project and the research questions are carefully formulated. The research method is appropriate and adequately described. In view of the (not unexpected) difficulties encountered with respondents in the field, she has made effective use of the sources that were available. The theoretical framework appears to cover most of the relevant literature; and is written in a coherent way. The description of the case study is clear. It presents a complex and fascinating set of stakeholders and daunting challenges for Planners attempting to mediate between macro, national scale infrastructure needs on the one hand, and on the other, social justice in communities where the prevailing laws and practices militate against women and the poorly educated. The findings are reported in chapter 4. These provide a valuable insight into dynamics within and surrounding the participation process. In the course of this chapter, she unveils an interesting array of issues, many of which are about power relations. This makes the topic difficult to research fully in the context of an MTRP dissertation. However, while not achieving much analytical depth, she has produced a useful set if insights that will be of value to other researchers in this field. The conclusions and recommendations have been dealt with in a systematic, yet thoughtful manner. / Thesis (M.Arch)-University of Natal, 2001.
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Counselling Basotho women who are caring for their families, in the absence of their husbands.Lebesa, Theresa M. January 1999 (has links)
Lesotho, like any other country in the world, has suffered economic problems that saw many Basotho able-bodied males migrating to the Republic of South Africa, in search of employment since the nineteen century. The mass exodus of men to become migrant workers left a vacuum of responsibilities at home, which women and men used to share. This imposition of men's responsibility on women has become a burden which they were never prepared for, and for that reason, many women find it
impossible to cope with this double burden in the absence of their husbands. Besides creating disharmony in the family, it has also caused gender clashes between women and their husbands who will not let go their role of headship ofthe household. Rather than let their wives take over full responsibility ofthe household, in their absence, husbands feel threatened and try to be in charge of the household through 'remote control', while in the mines. Because many men refuse to affirm women in their new responsibility, results in a big crisis for women, who feel
that their husbands do not respect and trust them. The purpose of my research, therefore, is to try and address women's crisis through counselling. Because many of these women are members of the church, I feel the church faces the biggest challenge to alleviate the women's crisis through counselling. It is my hope, then, that women in turn, will avail themselves of counselling finding it a good tool to deal with their crisis. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.
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Gender power and sexuality : Basotho High School boys' responses to risky sexual behaviour.Lebona, Mampoi. January 2012 (has links)
This study explores young men understandings of, and engagement in, risky sexual behaviours.
The group of young men the study focuses on is in a high school in Lesotho. They are aged
between 16 and 17 years. The motivation for the study is that, despite a series of campaigns
designed to increase awareness and knowledge associated with sexually transmitted diseases,
especially HIV/AIDS, young boys in Lesotho continue to engage in risky sexual behaviours and
practices. It is in this context that the purpose of the study was to investigate how gender power
is intimately tied in with meanings young men in Lesotho attach to sexuality. The related aspect
investigated in this study, furthermore, was to investigate ways in which gender power operates,
and ultimately contribute into boys’ and girls’ risky sexual behaviours that make them vulnerable
to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The study employs qualitative research methods to achieve these
aims and, accordingly, utilises focus group and individual interviews, with six purposively
selected high school boys as research instruments. The findings reveal that, while some boys
engage in risky sexual practices, others express determination to practice safe sex. Thus, the
study reveals that despite the fact that some boys are engaged in unsafe sexual practises and
multiple sexual partners in heterosexual relationships to comply with the notion of masculinity
and societal expectations of MANHOOD, others are beginning to question such attitudes. There
is therefore multiple and varied perspectives on this issue among the small sample selected for
this study. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.
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The nature of teacher conflict and conflict management in sixteen selected primary schools in Lesotho.Makibi, Marabele Alphoncina. January 2010 (has links)
This study examined the nature of teacher conflict and conflict management
strategies employed by teachers in sixteen selected primary schools in the Pitseng region, Lesotho. The study was informed by the micro-political and organizational theories of Ball (1987), the two-dimensional model of conflict management proposed by Rahim (1983), and the model of oppression conceptualised by Young (2000). The study utilized a mixed methods approach. The sample included 16 schools and 163 teachers. The data
collection techniques included a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings revealed that teachers experienced institutional, cultural and personal
conflicts within the micro-politics of the school settings. The complexity of teacher conflict becomes evident in the intersection of factors such as educational policy, religion, cultural norms and beliefs, ideologies and social groupings within schools. It is argued that embedded in teacher conflict are forms of oppression and domination and related power struggles. Four cross cutting issues exacerbate teacher conflict in the study schools, and these are: poor communication or lack of dialogue, inadequate conflict management
skills, ineffective school leadership, and teacher stress within schools. The study revealed that teachers used strategies that were located mainly in three
conflict management domains: integrating, obliging and compromising. Power dynamics within schools, religious and cultural ideologies, norms and beliefs, and lack of support were viewed as barriers to effective conflict management. Lack of support from the school management was cited as a major problem in addressing teacher conflict in these schools. The study has important implications for policy implementation at school and national levels, teacher development and school leadership training. The focus of conflict
management training should be on getting teachers to analyse conflict and situations that trigger conflict through a social justice lens. A key aim would be to build socially just and inclusive school cultures located in a rights discourse, and grounded in the principles of participation, accountability, social inclusion, non-discrimination and linkages to human rights standards. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.
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Oral health and nutritional status of the children under five years, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Maseru, Lesotho.Linjewile-Marealle, Navoneiwa January 2006 (has links)
<p>The aim of this study was to compare the oral health status between well and malnourished children under five years old attending Mother and Child Health clinic in Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Maseru, Lesotho.</p>
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Curriculum reform in Lesotho: exploring the interface between environmental education and geography in selected schoolsRaselimo, Mohaeka Gabriel January 2012 (has links)
This study sought to explore the interface between environmental education (EE) and school geography with a view to understanding a process of curriculum reform in the context of Lesotho. The research was based on the curriculum reform process that was initiated by a Danish donor-funded project, known as the Lesotho Environmental Education Support Project (LEESP), which operated from 2001 to 2004. Driven by a sustainable development imperative, the project was intended to assist Lesotho in the implementation of local action for Agenda 21 by introducing environmental education into the formal education system. Deviating slightly from much published research on geographical and environmental education, which focuses on how geography contributes to environmental education, this study explored how the latter has shaped the former in terms of content and pedagogy. Using the lens of critical curriculum theory, I sought to understand the political nature of the curriculum and of curriculum change, focusing on the LEESP curriculum policy development, dissemination and implementation at classroom level. The study employed Bernstein's concepts of classification and framing to illuminate issues of power and control between discourses, and between teachers and learners. Operating within an interpretive qualitative research orientation, the study used a case study method focusing on five secondary/high schools in Lesotho. The data was generated through document analysis, interviews and classroom observations. The study examined the assumptions, values and ideologies underpinning environmental education curriculum intentions as reflected in LEESP documents. It also investigated the social process of conceptualising and disseminating environmental education to understand the challenges faced as education practitioners made sense of environmental education innovations in the specific contexts of Lesotho, and how these could possibly influence what happens at the classroom level. The analysis of the LEESP documents revealed that while there are many areas of synergy between the LEESP environmental education policy guidelines and the national education ideals in Lesotho, achievement of the transformational visions of action competence, which was the overarching concept in the reform process, would require major structural changes. The study also highlights issues of participation, contestations, tensions and contradictions associated with the conceptualisation and dissemination of environmental education. At implementation level, there is a disjuncture between environmental education policy intentions and practice. Geography teachers in the research schools generally understood the existence of environmental education in their schools in terms of environmental management. The findings also revealed that while there is generally a strong environmental dimension in geography content, as reflected in both curriculum materials and classroom practice, the subject still retains its disciplinary boundaries and makes little use of knowledge from other subjects or the everyday knowledge of the learners. Finally, it emerged that while the geography teachers in their rhetoric espoused learner-centred methods, in practice they generally employed traditional teacher-centred and book-centred methods. The study concludes that a lack of change in school geography in Lesotho, of the sort envisaged in LEESP, may be attributed to contextual and structural factors such as an overemphasis on examinations, and certain perceptions on the part of teachers and learners embedded in the history and culture of their society. A model of teacher professional development capable of supporting curriculum change is therefore proposed.
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An investigation into the journalistic identities of news workers at the state owned Lentsoe La Basotho/Lesotho Today NewspaperKotele, Mothepane January 2010 (has links)
Informed by the political economy framework and the public service role of media in democracy, the main objective of the study was to use in-depth semi-structured interviews to understand news-workers’ professional journalistic identities in relation to their status as government employees and the understanding of their public service role as outlined in the paper’s mission statement. The main interest was to understand the complexity of negotiating these role identities. Through reference to the theories of journalism professionalism, the study highlighted the extent to which news-workers in the small newsroom of Lentsoe la Basotho/Lesotho Today see themselves as public service journalists in a democratic country. The interest was borne partly out of the views of the paper’s critics who see it as not serving the public but rather promoting the activities and policies of the government of the day, thus falling short of its democratic role. The contention of the study was that as a public service newspaper, the paper should have news-workers who do impartial journalism and reflect the public’s right to know in their reporting. The findings of the study suggests that news-workers at Lentsoe la Basotho/Lesotho Today continuously have to strive to negotiate the potential conflict between being a professional and working for a government-controlled newspaper. While they sometimes lay claim to being journalists, the reality is that in their political coverage they end up adopting the role of government mouthpieces.
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An assessment of water quality, soil degradation and water purification ability of Khubelu wetland in Mokhotlong Lesotho, and the implications of climate changeGeorge, Antoinette Maeti 01 1900 (has links)
Palustrine wetlands in Lesotho are vulnerable to vegetation loss due to overgrazing and
the nature of the topography, the latter leading to gully erosion exacerbated by a degraded
soil structure. Degraded soils are not able to adsorb pollutants; neither can they support
vegetation growth. The presence of degraded soils in wetlands thus contributes towards
leaching of pollutants into nearby streams and groundwater resources. Khubelu wetland
(which was the focus of this study) is a palustrine wetland that discharges water into the
Khubelu stream in Lesotho. The water purification function of this wetland is pertinent
since Khubelu River is one of the tributaries at the headwaters of the shared Orange-
Senqu basin. This function is threatened by vegetation loss and soil degradation through
overgrazing and environmental conditions like extreme climatic variations. Consequently,
water released into adjacent streams from the wetland could be of low quality, further
putting at risk the health of this ecosystem and users of these streams due to toxicity
caused by the polluted water from the wetland. With predicted floods and/or droughts and
intense heat, water temperatures may rise by up to 70% in the 21st century according to
researchers. It is believed that floods would lead to shorter residence time of water within
wetlands, washing away soil with pollutants into surrounding streams before any
geochemical processes that would sequester them occurs. Droughts on the other hand
would lead to failure of dilution of polluted waters. Excessive evaporation due to intense
heat would also leave pollutant-concentrated water behind. Since these wetlands are the
headwaters of an international river, the problem of water pollution and deteriorated water
resources might be regional.
The main aim of the study was to characterise the extent of soil degradation and water
quality in the Khubelu wetland and assess the water purification ability in an endeavour to
understand the role the wetland plays in the quality of water in rivers and streams fed by
the Khubelu wetland, and also to understand how changes in climate would impact on the
wetland characteristics. In situ analyses of soil and water were done followed by sampling
of the same for further analysis in the laboratory using standard methods. Surface water
samples were collected from two sampling points in the Khubelu stream, whereas water
in the wetland was sampled from seven piezometers installed in the wetland. Three
replicates of water samples were collected from each sampling point monthly over a
period of one year. The water properties determined included pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen
Demand (COD), cations (magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium), Total Dissolved
Solids (TDS), nitrates, phosphates and chlorides. The data generated from these analyses
were subjected to various statistical tests and the Water Quality Index (WQI) of the
wetland and stream waters determined. The water quality drinking standards were
preferred in this study since the major beneficiaries of the stream that emanates from the
wetland are human populace. Prediction of water quality in the wetland in light of the
changing climate was done using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model.
Soil samples were collected from the upper, middle and lower areas of the wetland,
referred to as upstream, midstream and downstream of the wetland in the report, at the
same sites where the piezometers were installed. At each site, three sampling points were
identified two metres apart from each other and samples collected at depths of 15 cm, 30
cm and 45 cm at each site. The soil samples were then characterised for their texture, pH,
Electrical Conductivity (EC), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Total Carbon (TC), Total
Nitrogen (TN), Organic Matter (OM), exchangeable calcium, magnesium, potassium and
sodium, and available phosphorus, using standard procedures. The soil data generated
were then subjected to data analyses and the Chemical Degradation Index (CDI) of the
wetland soils determined. Determination of the wetland’s potential to purify water was
done by assessing its ability to retain nutrients, pollutants and sediments.
Results obtained in this study showed that the wetland and stream water had
circumneutral pH with values that ranged from 6.32 -7.69. The values for Na, Ca, K, Mg,
TDS, NO3, Cl and DO in the wetland and stream waters were below the WHO drinking
water standards thresholds of 200 mg/l for Na and Ca, 12 mg/l for K, 150 mg/l for Mg, 50
mg/l for TDS 50 mg/l for NO3, 5 mg/l for DO and BOD, and 250 mg/l for Cl. Food and
Agricultural Organisation (FAO) water standards for livestock drinking were: EC: <1.5
mS/cm (Excellent); 1.5 – 5.0 mS/cm (very satisfactory); < 250 mg/l of Mg for cows, 400
mg/l for beef cattle, and 500 mg/l for adult sheep. SA Irrigation water quality standards
were also used, and it was determined that pH was within the acceptable threshold of 6.5
– 8.4, 70 mg/l for sodium and 0.4 mS/cm for EC. EC of 0.41 mS/cm to 1.12 mS/cm in the
wetland and 0.67 mS/cm to 2.11 mS/cm in the stream was above the SA irrigation water
quality standards. Other water properties such as PO4 (0.06-1.26 mg/l in stream and 0.17-
0.61 mg/l in wetland), and COD (10.00 to 55.00 mg/l in stream and 48-140.80 mg/l in the wetland) were above the WHO permissible limits. The water quality in the Khubelu wetland
and stream ranged from very poor to unsuitable for drinking, with WQI values of 107 for
the stream and 93 for the wetland. Water quality simulation along the Khubelu stream
using the WEAP model shows that by the year 2025, BOD as one of the water quality
parameters, would be high, with DO declining further especially if temperature increases
and precipitation decreases. The wetland had sandy and acidic soils, with the TC and TN
content of the soil decreasing with depth. The CDI value for the soil was 3.29. Regarding
potential to reduce sediments, nutrients and organic pollutants, the wetland scored 7.09,
5.39 and 7.39 out of 10, respectively. This implies that there is moderate potential for the
wetland to purify water that is discharged into the stream.
The study concludes that the stream and wetland water qualities are unsuitable for human
consumption and usable for livestock drinking. However, there might be some risks
associated with evaporation that would leave the water saline. The wetland water presents
a threat to the water quality of the receiving stream. However, the wetland has moderate
potential to retain sediments, nutrients and toxic organics. This potential is threatened by
a predicted decrease in precipitation and increase in temperature since oxygen-depleting
contaminants and other pollutants whose behaviour in the environment are influenced by
climate are highly likely to increase in concentrations in both the wetland and the stream.
There is therefore a threat to the supply of water of good quality to the Senqu catchment,
which supplies neighbouring countries (South Africa, Namibia and Botswana). Similar
studies to this one need to be carried out for other wetlands in Lesotho on a regular basis
to come up with data that would aid policy development that seeks to protect water
resources. / Environmental Sciences / D. Phil. (Environmental Management)
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