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Impact assessment of water scarcity at Somntongo in the
lowveld region of Swaziland
Yahaya Mijinyawa1* and Stanley S’manga Dlamini2
1Department
of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of
Ibadan, Nigeria.
2Department
of Land Use and Mechanization, University of Swaziland,
Luyengo Campus, Swaziland.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
mijin1957@yahoo.com.
Accepted 4
January, 2008 |
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A survey was conducted to assess the impact of water scarcity
in Somntongo, in the lowveld region of Swaziland. The study
adopted the use of questionnaire, interview schedules and
focused group discussions. Information sought included
sources of water, distances between water sources and places
of residence, and the effect of water scarcity on the
various aspects of human activities. The study revealed that
only two rivers and five boreholes were the major sources of
water while distances of as much as 5 – 20 km were covered
in search of water. In about 82% of the homesteads, the
water use was about 3.3 litres/head/day and 2.3
litres/livestock/day. These are quite low compared to the
minimum standards of 25 litres/head/day, and between 25 and
35 litres/livestock/day. Water scarcity has resulted in the
death of livestocks; some cultivated crops have withered
while others are not cultivated for lack of irrigation
water. In some instances, schools have temporarily been
closed due to water shortages. Construction of more
boreholes and dams can reduce the water scarcity and promote
the standard of living in the community.
Key
words:
Swaziland, water, scarcity, harvesting, irrigation,
agriculture. |
