Ecology

Soil erosion and reservoir sedimentation in Lesotho

Upphovsperson:	Chakela, Qalabane K.
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	1981
Ämnesord:	Tanzania, East Africa, Soil erosion, Sedimentation, Environment, Ecology, Population, Land use, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

Soil erosion and water deficiency are some of the most serious problems in many developing countries including Lesotho. In Lesotho the problem of soil erosion by water and to a less degree by wind has become so serious that large parts of the country are rapidly loosing productivity due to loss of soil fertility by sheet erosion on cultivated lands; loss of arable and range lands through gully erosion and overgrazing; loss of water supply sources through gullies and runoff following erosion, lowering of groundwater levels through gullies and pipes, and sedimentation in rivers and reservoirs. In these studies the rates, types and extent of the different erosions processes are investigated in eleven small watersheds within the lowlands and foothills regions of Lesotho.