Kingdom of Lesotho

Statistical Report

No.19: 2013

2012 Solid Waste, Water and Sanitation

Bureau of Statistics P.O. Box 455 Maseru 100 Lesotho Tel: +266 22 323 852/22 326 393 Fax: +266 22 310 177 E-mail: ees@bos.gov.ls Website: www.bos.gov.ls

Mission: To coordinate the National Statistical System (NSS) and produce accurate, timely and reliable culturally relevant and internationally comparable statistical data for evidence-based planning, decision making, research, policy, program formulation and monitoring and evaluation to satisfy the needs of users and producers.

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Table of Contents Page List of Figures .......................................................................................................... ii

List of Tables ............................................................................................................ ii

Introduction .............................................................................................................1

SOLID WASTE .........................................................................................................2

1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................2

1.1 Coverage and Scope ............................................................................................2

1.2 Results ...............................................................................................................3

1.2.1 Municipal Waste Generated and Collected .....................................................3

1.2.2 Municipal Waste Collected ............................................................................3

1.2.3 Municipal Waste Generated...........................................................................4

1.3 Solid Waste Disposal...........................................................................................5

1.4 Summary ...........................................................................................................7

WATER AND SANITATION .......................................................................................8

2.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................8

2.1 Water in Lesotho ................................................................................................8

2.2 Results ...............................................................................................................9

2.2.1 Source of Drinking Water ..............................................................................9

2.2.2 Main Source of Drinking Water .....................................................................9

2.2.3 Sources of Drinking Water in Urban/Rural Residence .................................. 10

2.2.4 Time taken to fetch water ............................................................................ 11

2.3 Dams Used to Store Water ................................................................................ 12

2.4 Water Exports .................................................................................................. 13

2.5 Water Treatment ............................................................................................... 14

2.6 Water Used for Irrigation ................................................................................... 15

2.7 Water Quality Measurements ............................................................................ 15

2.7.1 Water Quality of Dams ................................................................................ 15

2.8 Sanitation ........................................................................................................ 16

2.8.1 Toilet cleaning Habits ................................................................................. 17

2.9 Summary ......................................................................................................... 17

References ............................................................................................................. 18

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List of Figures

Figure 1: Solid Waste collected in tons in Maseru for the year 2012 ... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Figure 2: Number of Households by Main Source of Drinking Water for the year 2011.............................................................................................................................. 10

Figure 3: Water Exports in Million cubic meters for the Period 2008 to 2012............ 14

Figure 4: Raw Water and Treated Water in Kiloliters (’000) by Months in Maseru district for the year 2010/2011 ............................................................................... 14

List of Tables Table 1: Scrap Metal Waste Collected in tons in Maseru for the year 2012……………. 7

Table 2: Solid Waste Generated in tons by different Establishments in the year 2006.................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Table 3: Solid Waste Generated in tons by different Income Levels in Maseru in the year 2006 .................................................................................................................5

Table 4: Number of Households by Type of Solid Waste Disposal and Region in 2011. .6

Table 5: Number of Households by Type of Solid Waste Disposal and District in 2011. 6

Table 6: Percentage Distribution of Households by Sources of Drinking Water and Urban/Rural Residence- 2011/2012 ...................................................................... .11

Table 7: Percentage Distribution of Households by Time taken to fetch water from the main source and District for the year 2011 .............................................................. 12

Table 8: Storage Capacity of Large Dams in Million Cubic Metres (MCM) and their Elevations (Masl) for the period of 2011/2012 ......................................................... 13

Table 9: Water Used For Irrigation in Million Cubic Meters by Years ......................... 15

Table 10: Water Quality of large and medium scale man-made lakes or dams and their status .................................................................................................................... 16

Table 11: Percentage Distribution of Households by urban/rural residence and Type of Toilet facility, 2011 LDS .......................................................................................... 16

Table 12: Percentage Distribution of Households by urban/rural residence and Toilet Cleaning Habits... ............................................................................................... ....17

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Introduction The quality and access to potable water remains a critical public health issue and increasing scarcity of water resources impedes the development of countries. Protection of quality of water is also very critical especially for human consumption hence why water in urban slums is treated because as much as the nature of this sludge has rich nutrients and salts but there are often loaded with high concentrations of pollutants such as heavy metals. There is need to monitor sustainable management of water resources and the demand for related environmental statistics. A poorly managed waste disposal can create a number of adverse environmental impacts such as windblown, litter attraction and generation of liquid leachate posing a serious health risk among the poorer communities. Waste reduction is as important as recycling in saving natural resources, energy and waste disposal space and costs and reducing pollution risks. This report consists of two sections presenting the statistics underlying the topics of water and waste statistics.

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SOLID WASTE

1.0 Introduction Solid Waste is defined as the useless and unwanted products in the solid state derived from the activities of the society. In Lesotho's law, waste is defined as “any substance that may be prescribed as waste or any matter, whether liquid, solid, gaseous, or radio-active, which is discharged, emitted or disposed in the environment in such a volume, composition or manner as to cause an alteration of the environment.” (Seholoholo, 1998:3). Increasing level of municipal solid waste is, nowadays, a serious problem in urban areas of the world. A high population growth rate and increasing per capita income have resulted in the generation of enormous Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), posing a serious threat to environmental quality and human health. This is particularly relevant in the case of developing countries where large quantities of MSW are dumped haphazardly, thereby putting pressure on scarce land and water resources. At the same time, this adversely affects the health of human beings, mostly that of poor persons who have greater exposure to it (Thoso, 2007). Improperly managed solid waste poses a risk to human health and the environment. Uncontrolled dumping and improper waste handling causes a variety of problems, including contaminating water, attracting insects and rodents, and increasing flooding due to blocked drainage canals or gullies. It also increases greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which contribute to climate change. Planning for and implementing a comprehensive program for waste collection, transport, and disposal along with activities to prevent or recycle waste can eliminate these problems. Solid waste can be managed through a number of activities—waste prevention, recycling, composting, controlled burning, or land filling. Using a combination of these activities together in a way that best protects the community and the local environment is referred to as Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM).

An effective ISWM system considers how to prevent, recycle, and manage solid waste in ways that most effectively protect human health and the environment. ISWM involves evaluating local needs and conditions, and then selecting and combining the most appropriate waste management activities for those conditions (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2002)

1.1 Coverage and Scope The type of the data collected is secondary and it is collected from the specified data sources. These are Lesotho Scrap Metal Dealer (LSMD), Welcome Transport and also from the past studies. Most of the data covers Maseru district only.

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1.2 Results The results show municipal solid waste generated and collected and also the solid waste disposal by urban/rural residence and district.

1.2.1 Municipal Waste Generated and Collected Generation of waste means knowledge of the source of waste. The main sources of waste are in urban areas and major areas of developments. Municipal waste collected is waste collected by or on behalf of municipalities. It includes mixed household waste collected through door to door collection and through voluntary deposits. It also includes waste originating from commerce and trade, small businesses, office buildings and institutions such as schools and hospitals.

1.2.2 Municipal Waste Collected Municipal waste collected is waste collected by or on behalf of municipalities. The waste collected includes Glass, Cardboard, Paper, Plastic, Can and Scrap Metal waste. Figure 1 depicts solid waste collected in tons in Maseru for the year 2012. It is observed that the mostly generated waste was Glass with 691.77 tons. Plastic was the least with 63.60 tons. Cardboard and Paper also constituted a larger part in waste generation with 370.45 and 261.35 tons respectively.

Figure 1: Solid Waste collected in tons in Maseru for the year 2012

Source: Welcome Transport

Scraps are recyclable and other materials left over from product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value.

Table 1 presents scrap metal waste collected in tons in Maseru for the year 2012. Lesotho Scrap Metal Dealer (LSMD) collected a total of 4,469.23 tons and Welcome

691.77

370.45

261.35

63.60 67.24

0.00

100.00

200.00

300.00

400.00

500.00

600.00

700.00

800.00

Glass Cardboard Paper Plastic Can

tonn

es

Waste

4

Transport collected 262.23 tons. LSMD collected a larger amount of scrap metal waste (523.95 tons) in February and the least was in December (156.69 tons). With Welcome Transport, scrap metal waste was mostly collected in September (49.18 tons) and in January and December there was no collection.

Table 1: Scrap Metal Waste Collected in tons in Maseru for the year 2012

Month LSMD Welcome Transport Total

January 339.52 0.00 339.52

February 523.95 33.40 557.35

March 433.68 33.18 466.86

April 219.78 18.30 238.08

May 402.93 28.58 431.51

June 354.41 12.40 366.81

July 357.43 12.12 369.55

August 459.73 22.04 481.77

September 387.81 49.18 436.99

October 413.22 28.77 441.99

November 420.08 24.39 444.47

December 156.69 0.00 156.69

Total 4,469.23 262.35 4,731.58 Source: Lesotho Scrap Metal Dealer PTY (LTD) and Welcome Transport

1.2.3 Municipal Waste Generated Municipal waste generated is waste generated by different establishments. In this analysis the following categories are used: Industrials, Commercial, Small-scale enterprises, Institutions and Households. Table 2 shows solid waste generated in tons by different establishments in Lesotho for the year 2006. It is observed from the table that most of waste was generated by Commercial establishments (380,459.2 tons), followed by Small-scale enterprises with 347,403.8 tons. The least waste generated was from Industrial establishment with 16,378.2 tons.

Table 2: Solid Waste Generated in tons by different Establishments in the year 2006 Establishment Category Tons Percent Industrial 16,378.2 2.0

Commercial 380,459.2 47.4

Small-scale enterprises 347,403.8 43.3

Institutions 31,592 3.9

Households 26,556.3 3.3

Total 802,389.5 100.0 Source: Baseline Assessment of Waste Management in Maseru City, 2006

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The sampled residential areas for low-income areas were Thibella, Motimposo, Seoli and Khubetsoana. Medium income level areas were Matala Phase I and II, Arrival centre, Ha-Thetsane and Lecop. High income level areas were Katlehong, Lower Thetsane, Hills View and New Europa. Table 3 shows the solid waste generated in tons by different Income Levels in Maseru for the year 2006. It is generally observed that Kitchen leftovers were the most generated type of solid waste in all the income levels. In low income level areas, Glass (5.84 tons) and Cans (5.11 tons) were also highly generated as compared to other types of waste. The least was Garden refuse with 0.73 tons. In the middle income level, except for the kitchen leftovers, Glass and Paper were also highly generated with 7.67 tons each. The least was Plastic with 4.38 tons. In high income level areas, the least generated type of waste were Plastic with 0.11 tons and Cans with 0.73 tons.

Table 3: Solid Waste Generated in tons by different Income Levels in Maseru in the year 2006

Type of waste Low Income Middle Income High Income Glass 5.84 7.67 2.19

Cans 5.11 4.75 0.73

Garden refuse 0.73 6.21 1.46

Kitchen leftovers 6.21 8.03 6.21

Paper 4.75 7.67 3.65

Plastic 3.65 4.38 0.11

Other 1.10 3.29 0.37

Total 27.38 41.98 14.71 Source: Baseline Assessment of Waste Management in Maseru City, 2006

1.3 Solid Waste Disposal Waste disposal refers to collection, processing, managing and monitoring of waste material produced by human activities. Waste can be disposed off in different ways, however in this analysis the following categories were used; Regularly collected, Irregularly collected, Communal refuse dump, Own refuse dump, Roadside dump, Burn, No rubbish disposal and Other (lengopeng, toilet, illegal communal refuse dump, etc). Generally, majority of households were disposing waste at their own refuse dumps.

Table 4 indicates the number of households by type of solid waste disposal in urban/rural residence for the year 2006 and 2011. In 2006 the variables No rubbish disposal, Burn and Other were not included. In 2011 Roadside dump was also not included. It is observed that majority of households used Own refuse dump both in urban and rural residence. The households that used Regularly collected in urban residence increased from 4,776 in 2006 to 13,569 in 2011 but decreased from 1,766 in 2006 to 1,076 in 2011 in rural residence. For the Irregularly collected services, households in urban residence decreased from 3,229 in 2006 to 2,285 in 2011. The

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households that used Communal refuse dump decreased both in urban and rural residence from 2006 to 2011 with 14,871 to 6,047 and 11,949 to 3,638 respectively.

Table 4: Number of Households by Type of Solid Waste Disposal and Region in 2011.

2006 2011

Solid Waste Disposal Urban Rural Urban Rural

Regularly collected 4,776 1,766 13,569 1,076

Irregularly collected 3,229 1,278 2,285 1,946

Communal refuse dump 14,871 11,949 6,047 3,638

Own refuse dump 89,237 281,553 104,330 284,532

Roadside dump 8,347 5,365 - -

No rubbish disposal - - 5,478 19,562

Burn - - 2,492 1,726

other - - 613 528

Total 120,460 301,911 134,814 313,008 Source: 2006 Lesotho Population and Housing Census and 2011 Lesotho Demographic Survey (LDS) Table 5 shows the number of households by type of solid waste disposal and district in 2011. Generally, most of the households used Own Refuse Dump to dispose waste. In Botha-Bothe, apart from the households who used Own Refuse Dump most households used Communal Refuse Dump (1,311) and the least number of households burned the waste (21). Waste was Regularly Collected for most households in Maseru (6,651) and Berea (5,479). For the Irregularly Collected waste services, it was mostly observed in Maseru with 1,152 households. For the households with No rubbish disposal, most of them were in Thaba-Tseka (6,062) followed by Leribe with 5,889 households.

Table 5: Number of Households by Type of Solid Waste Disposal and District in 2011.

District Regularly collected

Irregularly collected

Communal refuse dump

Own refuse dump

No rubbish disposal Other Burn Total

Botha-Bothe 1,039 395 1,311 19,963 879 11 21 23,619

Leribe 239 615 1,517 65,626 5,889 243 358 74,486

Berea 5,479 447 1,197 60,593 1,718 226 571 70,230

Maseru 6,651 1,152 2,607 90,019 3,875 175 2,256 106,734

Mafeteng 136 320 688 39,237 3,351 203 198 44,134

Mohales Hoek 143 476 1,052 35,929 1,294 171 324 39,389

Quthing 229 192 533 23,485 1,182 71 134 25,826

Qachas Nek 53 30 250 13,073 197 22 347 13,971

Mokhotlong 434 244 362 19,719 592 18 10 21,378

Thaba-Tseka 243 360 170 21,219 6,062 0 0 28,054

Total 14,645 4,230 9,686 388,862 25,040 1,140 4,218 447,821 Source: Lesotho Demographic Survey, 2011

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1.4 Summary In 2012, Glass (691.77) was the mostly generated type of solid waste in Maseru followed by cardboard (370.45 tons) and Paper (261.35). The total quantity of Scrap Metal waste collected in 2012 was 4,731.58 tons. Most of the solid waste was generated by Commercial establishments (380,459.2 tons) and Small scale enterprises (347,403.8 tons) in 2006. It was observed that Kitchen leftovers were the most generated type of solid waste in all the income levels in 2006. It was followed by Glass in low (5.8 tons) and middle (7.7 tons) income levels and by Paper (3.6) in high income level (261.4 tons). In disposing solid waste, most of the households used own refuse dump both in urban and rural residents. In rural residents, a larger proportion of households (62.5 percent) had No rubbish disposal.

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WATER AND SANITATION

2.0 Introduction Water is a basic molecule made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. When these three atoms come together, they form a strong bond that is difficult to break. Water covers 70.0 percent of the earth’s surface but only 2.5 percent is consumable, with one third frozen in the form of glaciers and polar ice. Water that is left for human consumption is roughly 1.0 percent of the total water present on earth.

Water statistics at all levels is crucial for sustainable development and management which helps in shaping policies and decision-making. The availability of Water Statistics is also valuable information for monitoring the achievement of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7, Target 7.C which states “nations should halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation”.

Some of the UN observations regarding this MDG are listed below:

The world is on track to meet the drinking water target, though much remains to be done in some regions

Accelerated and targeted efforts are needed to bring drinking water to all rural households

Safe water supply remains a challenge in many parts of the world With half the population of developing regions without sanitation, the 2015

target appears to be out of reach Disparities in urban and rural sanitation coverage remain daunting Improvements in sanitation are bypassing the poor

2.1 Water in Lesotho Water is Lesotho’s most valuable and abundant natural resource. It is a key determinant of economic growth and also a resource that must be carefully managed as part of sustainable development. This makes Lesotho a relatively water-abundant country in the middle of the water-stressed area of Southern Africa. The Republic of South Africa (RSA) showed long standing interest in utilizing water from the Lesotho Highlands to meet a growing demand of water by industry (TED Case Studies). Since water is one of the abundant and valuable resources in the country, its management is the main challenge to meet human needs, sustain economic activities and achieve environmental goals, thus where water statistics plays a pivotal role in the realization of these goals. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plans around basic information on water resources and use.

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Today’s water crisis is not an issue of scarcity, but of access and this is the case with Lesotho. Cities and slums grow at an increasing rate and the situation is alarming because harmful substances from waste generated affect water quality in different sources.

Wetlands are the main sources of freshwater supply in the country. They store water during wet seasons and release it during dry seasons each year thereby maintaining continuous river flows. The sponge soak up rain water and water flowing from the catchments and store it within the organic and clay soil before releasing it over a long period of time. This water is either released into the ground water or streams.

2.2 Results The analysis on water statistics by charts and tables is presented in this section. The results show sources of drinking water; water export, water used for irrigation, water treatment and water quality and sanitation.

2.2.1 Source of Drinking Water Drinking water comes from surface and ground water. The sources of drinking water include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs and springs.

2.2.2 Main Source of Drinking Water The analysis will be on the main sources of drinking water for different households in the country.

Figure 2 displays number of households by main source of drinking water for the year 2011. It can be observed from the figure that most households (370,326) used Piped Water on Community Supply as their main source of drinking water, followed by Piped Water on Premises with 179,745 households. The least number of households (5,485) used Rivers as the main source of drinking water.

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Figure 2: Number of Households by Main Source of Drinking Water for the year 2011

Source: Lesotho Demographic Survey (LDS)

2.2.3 Sources of Drinking Water in Urban/Rural Residence There are thirteen sources of drinking water available in the country.

Table 6 indicates percentage distribution of households by sources of drinking water and residence for the period 2011/2012. The Table reveals that most households in urban settlements used Piped Water to yard or plot (55.2 percent) followed by those who used Piped water into someone else’s yards or plot (16.8 percent). However, in rural settlements majority of households used Public tap/standpipe as source of drinking water (31.8 percent). It can also be observed from the table that there are still people who use water from Unprotected spring (11.4 percent) in rural settlements.

050,000

100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000350,000400,000450,000

Num

ber

Source

11

Table 6: Percentage Distribution of Households by Sources of Drinking Water and Urban/Rural Residence- 2011/2012

Sources Urban Rural Total Piped into dwelling 8.5 0.7 4.3

Piped water to yard/plot 55.2 3.4 27.4

Piped to someone else's yard/plot 16.8 1.9 8.8

Borehole at home 1.2 1.0 1.1

Rainwater harvesting at home 0.7 9.3 5.3

Rainwater harvesting neighbor 0.1 0.2 0.2

Public tap/standpipe 8.4 51.9 31.8

Public borehole 1.2 7.3 4.5

Protected spring 4.0 5.6 4.8

Unprotected spring 3.5 18.2 11.4

Surface water 0.2 0.5 0.4

Cart with small tank/drum 0.0 0.1 0.0

Tanker truck 0.1 0.0 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: Continuous Multi-purpose Survey (CMS)

2.2.4 Time taken to fetch water This concentrates on the time taken to and from the main source of drinking water. Table 7 shows percentage distribution of households by time taken to fetch water from the main source and district for the year 2011. It can be observed from the table that 44.0 percent of households in the country take at most 14 minutes to get water and only 1.0 percent take 2 hours. Qachas’ Nek district had the highest number of household (56.0 percent) that takes mainly 14 minutes to get water.

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Table 7: Percentage Distribution of Households by Time taken to fetch water from the main source and District for the year 2011

District 00 - 14 15 - 29 30 - 44 45 - 49 50 - 59 60 - 119 120+ Botha-Bothe 44.0 29.0 15.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 1.5

Leribe 48.0 24.0 14.0 5.0 3.0 5.0 1.4

Berea 38.0 28.0 17.0 4.0 4.0 6.0 3.1

Maseru 36.0 32.0 18.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 1.5

Mafeteng 49.0 30.0 14.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 0.5

Mohales’ Hoek 46.0 26.0 14.0 5.0 4.0 4.0 0.9

Quthing 41.0 28.0 16.0 4.0 3.0 5.0 3.2

Qachas’ Nek 56.0 30.0 9.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 0.8

Mokhotlong 48.0 26.0 13.0 8.0 2.0 2.0 0.3

Thaba-Tseka 42.0 34.0 16.0 4.0 2.0 1.0 0.0

Lesotho 44.0 29.0 15.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 1.0 Source: 2011 Lesotho Demographic Survey (LDS)

2.3 Dams Used to Store Water There are two large dams in Lesotho namely; Katse and Mohale which are used to store water that is sold to the Republic of South Africa. These two dams were constructed under the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Katse Dam being the second largest dam in Africa is located along Malibamatso River while Mohale Dam is built along Senqunyane River. Table 8 presents the storage capacity of two large dams in Million Cubic Meters (MCM) and their Elevations above sea level (Masl) for the period 2011/2012. The biggest dam is Katse dam with the maximum volume of 1600.97 million cubic meters that reached 2042.7 Meters above Sea level (Masl) on the 31/10/2011. Mohale Dam on the other hand had the maximum volume of 946.90 MCM on the 31/03/2012.

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Table 8: Storage Capacity of Large Dams in Million Cubic Metres (MCM) and their Elevations (Masl) for the period of 2011/2012

Date

Mohale Dam Reservior Katse Dam Reservior

Elevation (Masl) Volume (MCM) Elevation (Masl) Volume (MCM) 31/10/2011 2070.93 860.62 2042.73 1600.97

30/11/2011 2070.67 855.10 2040.68 1540.17

31/12/2011 2071.87 880.54 2039.68 1510.51

31/01/2012 2072.24 888.39 2038.42 1473.14

29/02/2012 2074.95 945.84 2041.10 1552.63

31/03/2012 2075.00 946.90 2038.91 1487.67

30/04/2012 2071.88 880.76 2039.05 1491.82

31/05/2012 2066.56 773.27 2039.72 1511.70

30/06/2012 2063.410 713.79 2041.15 1554.11

31/07/2012 2059.190 638.54 2041.55 1565.97

31/08/2012 2055.040 569.56 2041.82 1573.98

Source: Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA)

Notes: 1) Masl - Meters Above Sea Level 2) MCM - Million Cubic Meters

2.4 Water Exports Water export is water that is transferred from one country to the other as a commodity through pipelines. Lesotho exports water to the Republic of South Africa (RSA).

Figure 3 illustrates water exports in million cubic meters (mm3) for the period 2008 to 2012. It is observed that water exports increased from 2008 (779 mm3) to 2009 (788 mm3). There was a decline of 3.4 percent (788mm3 to 781mm3) of water exported to RSA from 2009 to 2010. An increment was then observed again in 2010 to 2012. The highest amount of water exported was in 2009 with 788 mm3.

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Figure 3: Water Exports in Million cubic meters for the Period 2008 to 2012

Source: Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA)

2.5 Water Treatment Wastewater includes substances such as human waste, food scraps, oils, soaps and chemicals. Although some people assume that rain water is fairly clean, harmful substances that wash off roads, parking lots, and rooftops can harm our rivers and lakes. The major aim of wastewater treatment is to remove as much of the suspended solids (effluent) as possible, before the remaining water is discharged back to the environment.

Figure 4 depicts raw and treated water in kiloliters (’000) by months in Maseru district for the year 2010/2011. The figure reveals that water level decreased after being treated. The highest amount of water abstracted was in August followed by October with 1,498,940kl and 1,433,820kl respectively. The least water abstraction was made in March with 1,048,970kl. In April, May and June, treated water showed a decreasing pattern. From September to December, treated water showed a constant pattern. Figure 4: Raw Water and Treated Water in Kiloliters (’000) by Months in Maseru district for the year 2010/2011

Source: Water and Sewage Company

0200400600800

1000120014001600

Kilo

liter

s

Months

Raw

Treated

15

2.6 Water Used for Irrigation Agriculture is one of the main features that contribute to the growth of economy in the country. Superfluous water used on irrigation contributes to water pollution because most areas are near water bodies and some chemicals used in agriculture are dangerous thus affecting the quality of water. Table 9 shows amount of water used for irrigation in million cubic meters by years. The Table indicates that water used for irrigation increased from 2008 (14.9 million cubic meters) to 2011 (21.1 million cubic meters).

Table 9: Water Used For Irrigation in Million Cubic Meters by Years Years Water used Area (ha)

2008 14.9 777.56

2009 16.2 843.86

2010 17.8 928.26

2011 21.1 1,100

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security

2.7 Water Quality Measurements The quality of drinking water is a powerful environmental determinant of health. Assurance of safety in drinking water is a foundation for the prevention and control of diseases related to water. Water quality depends on the local geology and ecosystem, as well as human uses such as sewage dispersion, industrial pollution and overuse which may lower the level of the water. Wetlands maintain water quality due to the ability to function as a filter for remaining pollutants and sediments from the moving water.

2.7.1 Water Quality of Dams Table 10 shows water Quality of three Large Dams in the country. Looking at World Health Organization (WHO) standards for water quality, Dissolve Oxygen (DO) on Mohale Dam (3.67mg/l) and ‘Muela Dam (4.3mg/l) fell below the expected limit (5mg/l) showing less oxygen in that water. Potassium (K mg/l) and Sodium (Na mg/l) fall between the ranges of both Republic of South Africa (RSA) and WHO limits. The temperatures of the three dams comply with both RSA and WHO limits.

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Table 10: Water Quality of large and medium scale man-made lakes or dams and their status

Dams Temp oC

DO mg/l

pH Na mg/l K mg/l

Ca mg/l

NO3-N ug/l

PO4 ug/l

TSS m/l

RSA limits

5-30 * 5.5-9.5

<100 <200 <100 * 10-50 <100

WHO limits

* ≥5 6.5-8.5

<200 * * * * >1000

Mohale Dam

9.01

3.67 7.29 4.4 0.92 7.5 0.11 0.0018 56

Katse Dam

14.00 7.33 10.22 0.120 34.00 11.00 0.350 1.90 0.50

Muela Dam

11.4

4.3 11.4 0.75 0.155 8.12 0.1200 0.18 0.018

Source: Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA)

2.8 Sanitation Sanitation generally refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces. Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of diseases world-wide and improving sanitation is known to have a significant beneficial impact on health both in households and across communities. The word 'sanitation' also refers to the maintenance of hygienic conditions, through services such as garbage collection and wastewater disposal (WHO).

Table 11 presents households by urban/rural residence and type of toilet facility. The table shows that most households in urban residence (47.0 percent) used VIP toilets, followed by households that used Pit latrine and lavatory (35.0 percent). In rural residence, 50.0 percent of households had No toilet facility and only 1.0 percent used Water sewage systems and Public toilets.

Table 11: Percentage Distribution of Households by urban/rural residence and Type of Toilet facility, 2011 LDS Toilet facility Urban Rural No toilet

9.0 50.0

Water sewage system 6.0 1.0

Septic tank/soak away 1.0 0.0

Public toilet 1.0 1.0

VIP 47.0 18.0

Pit latrine and lavatory 35.0 30.0

Total 100.0 100.0 Source: 2011Lesotho Demographic Survey (LDS)

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2.8.1 Toilet cleaning Habits A clean toilet contributes to a proper hygiene thus healthy life for all. Table 12 reveals percentage distribution of households by toilet cleaning habits and urban/rural residence. In urban residence most households cleaned their toilets Weekly constituting 47.2 percent followed by those that cleaned their toilets Daily with 22.9 percent. Furthermore, households (14.6 percent) Never cleaned their toilets. The same pattern prevails for the rural households where most households (50.7 percent) washed their toilets on weekly basis.

Table 12: Percentage Distribution of Households by urban/rural residence and Toilet Cleaning Habits, 2011/2012 CMS

Toilet Cleaning Habits Urban Rural

Daily 22.9 20.2

Weekly 47.2 50.7

Twice a month 5.2 5.9

Once a month 4.1 5.2

Less frequently 6.0 9.0

Never 14.6 8.9

Total 100.0 100.0 Source: Continuous Multi-purpose Survey (CMS)

2.9 Summary It was observed from the tables and figures that most people used water from community tap followed by water piped into the yard. Most people in the country take less than 14 minutes to fetch water from the main source of drinking water. Water exports decreased by 0.9 percent from 2009 to 2010. In hygiene, most households in the rural residence washed their toilets weekly while in urban residence there are 14.6 percent of households who never washed their toilets.

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References 1. Seholoholo, M. 1998. “Solid Waste Management in Low and High Income

Residential Areas of Maseru: A Comparative Study of Maseru West and Sea-Point”.

2. Thoso, M. 2007. “The Construct of a Geographic Information System (GIS) Model

for Landfill Site Selection”.

3. USEPA. 2002. “Solid Waste Management: A Local challenge with Global Impacts”.

United States Environmental Protection Agency.