Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa

Water use, 2016 Algeria Percentage Water use, 2016 Lesotho Percentage

Lesotho

Water resources Lesotho has a temperate climate with rainfall averaging 788 mm/year, which ranges from less than 300 mm/year in the western lowlands to 1,600 mm/year in the north-eastern highlands (AMCOW 2018; FAO 2005). The country’s aqueduct water stress for all sectors measured in 2010 was 1.17 and is projected to increase to 1.84 by 2040 (Luo et al. 2015). A score of 1.84 indicates that there is low to medium competition among water users relative to available surface-water resources. Water withdrawals for the agriculture sector as a proportion of total withdrawals is only 8.68 per cent. This could be attributed to the small size of irrigation development in the country. Some of the reasons for this include high installation and maintenance costs, inappropriate irrigation design schemes and a lack of farmer commitment. This has resulted in farmers abandoning some irrigation schemes and returning to dryland agriculture (FAO 2005).

Agriculture

8

Industry 6

46

Municipal 46

Industry

Municipal

Agriculture

31

63

Source: AMCOW 2018.

LESOTHO LESOTHO

Source: AMCOW 2018. Water availability Water availability

m 3 /person and year m 3 /person and year

Total renewable freshwater Total water withdrawal Internal renewable water sources of which are surface water Total renewable freshwater Total water withdrawal Internal renewable water sources of which are surface water

1 420 20.5 1 420 20.5

2 450 2 450 no data available 138 no data available 1.40% 2 450 2 450 no data available 138 no data available 1.40%

pressure on surface water pressure on surface water

of which are groundwater of which are groundwater

pressure on groundwater pressure on groundwater

Water stress Water stress

Maseru

Source: AMCOW 2018; FAO 2018. Source: AMCOW 2018; FAO 2018.

200

SANITATION AND WASTEWATER ATLAS OF AFRICA