Maseru, 25 November
A field trip by a ReNOKA team has demonstrated the visible impact of watershed rehabilitation.
GIZ regional technical advisor Ntate Tesele Taole, an expert in resource conservation and development, showed how the Ha-Khabo watershed, in the Hlotse sub-catchment in the Upper Mohokare Catchment, is more successful in holding water compared to the neighbouring Ha-Lehloba watershed, which has deep gullies caused erosion.
The difference is that the community members of Ha-Khabo has introduced terracing and put rocks along the contour of a steep slope to slow the movement of water so it can soak into the soil. This watershed is already more fertile and able to retain water and other nutrients.
The Ha-Lehloba community has begun placing stones and boulders in the gullies in an attempt to slow down the water runoff, and have introduced terraces as a control measure.
The team ReNOKA team also saw clear evidence of the need for change in land use. They passed the fenced Lets’eng diamond mine where livestock can’t roam, compared to unfenced areas with evidence of over-grazing and land degradation.
