Water resources policy and administrative management

Let a-la-Letsie is a unique area in many respects. It is biodiversity rich and has got wetlands. It has a variety of indigenous species, some of which are only found in the area. It is an area that attracts birds which come to stay for certain seasons and go. Wetlands are sources of rivers that provide water not only to the people of the area or Lesotho but the entire population downstream. However, because local communities have for long used this area for grazing, the challenge is they continue to use it for that purpose. This occurs in a context of the already acknowledged challenge of overstocking in the area. When Government of Lesotho declared this area as a Selected Development Area, consultations were made with communities and they committed to protect it by removing their stock. Despite several reminders and calls they have not stopped grazing their stock in the area; not even animal impounding going with heavy charges have deterred them. It is against this challenge that DPE seeks to intervene with the purpose of ensuring that all barriers to the fulfilment of the commitment are first identified, explored and addressed so that local communities can protect Let a-La-Letsie.

Lesotho