By Matseliso Morapeli Mphale, Geography Department,
National University of Lesotho

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Energy Demands

The commissioning of 'Muela hydro-power station in
November 1988 meant that Lesotho is self-sufficient in
power generation while before that the country relied
almost entirely on imports from South Africa. However,
this development had minimal impact on the rural mountain
communities whose major sources of energy still remain as
bio fuels that include wood, shrubs, animal dung and crop
residue. These account for an estimated 92% of their
energy demands (NFAP, 1996). Similar findings were made
by the Maluti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and
Development Project's Needs Assessment Study conducted in
1999 in Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Thaba-Tseka and Botha-
Bothe Districts. According to this study, 62% of
households in the mountain areas depend on wood shrubs
and crop residues, 60% rely on cow dung while 12% use
paraffin and only 5% gas.

The extent of dependency on biomass use is further
illustrated by the Lesotho Energy Master Plan (LEMP)
(1988,1991) stating that rural households fuel use
account for 90% of total energy consumption of which
biomass sources account for 88%.This notion has also been
confirmed by IUN (1996) arguing that about 1.2 million
tonnes of biomass (wood, dung, crop residues) is consumed
in the rural areas every year (IUCN, 1996)

Access to Energy Sources

The overall importance of biomass and access to different
fuel types varies according to regions and physical
availability. For instance wood is most extensively used
in the lowlands and foothills due to abundance of tree
resources and the regions' proximity to South African
borders allowing for imports of firewood. Dung and
shrubs on the other hand are being used more in the
mountain areas because of limited market accessibility of
other fuels (NES, 2000)

Income has also been quoted as an important determinant
of access to different energy sources. Hence the mountain
areas, whose fuel needs are more pronounced because of
harsh winters that require extensive use of energy for
warmth, are populated by more households with a monthly
income of less than M20 (Sechaba, 1994). The implication
of this sad situation being that, despite the need for
energy sources which is more pronounced in the mountain
areas than the lowlands, most households in this region
cannot afford alternative fuels. For instance it was
mentioned during the Energy Management Workshop in June
1999 that in some remote mountain areas it is impossible
to purchase fuels such as coal and paraffin because they
are not affordable. Hence a few households that use
paraffin utilize it for lighting lamps and during a few
occasions when they boil water for tea. It was further
argued that in some cases limitations in infrastructure
facilities such as roads renders such fuels inaccessible
even for households that would otherwise afford them.
Such shortages were reported to be worse during winter.
However paraffin was reported to be generally more
available while gas and electricity are totally absent
for the majority. Coal, on the other hand used by the
wealthiest households who have the means to purchase and
transport it when necessary. Based on the foregoing
analysis it can thus be concluded that patterns of
household energy use in the mountain areas of Lesotho is
closely linked to cash income, spatial location and
market accessibility.

Biomass Fuel Supply and Implications for the future

Surveys conducted to determine the actual level of
household consumption indicate a range of 1.1 to 3 tonnes
per household per annum per hectare (NFAP, 1996). In
terms of supply, (IUCN 1993) the present consumption rate
of shrubs seem to exceed the rate of natural regeneration
thus pointing towards a bleak future as far as
availability of the country's indigenous wood resources
while the net loss of vegetation cover is likely to
aggravate even more the soil erosion problem in the
mountain areas. Additionally, the use of dung and crop
residues as 'alternatives' also has adverse effect on the
soil, causing loss of organic matter and a breakdown of
the soil structure.

The Future Demand and Implications for Sustainability

The foregoing analysis points towards a deficit with
serious implications for the households in the mountain
areas. NFAP (1996) argues that if the present rates of
consumption remain constant, potential rural biomass
energy use will have risen to almost two million tonnes
by 2010, about 0.5 million tonnes above the estimated
sustainable supply. In terms of individual households
this implies an average annual deficit of 1.2 tonnes.

In the absence of significant increases in the available
resource, improvements in infrastructure to make other
energy sources more accessible and changes in consumption
patterns and rates, households in the mountain areas
might be compelled to adopt the following strategies:

* They might be compelled to reduce energy use by
altering their diets to include food that needs less
cooking thus increasing social hardships and
health problems.

* On the other hand households might be forced to use
more of their meagre income on energy sources than
on other basic needs such as food and education.
This coping strategy would have far reaching
consequences on sustainable livelihoods and
development in general. As it may be expected,
children who miss out on education might be trapped
in a vicious cycle of poverty because they will be
unable to utilize new energy saving technologies due
to lack of education. Also due to their limited
capacity as a result of poor education they are
likely to contribute less to the country's
development.

* Increasing the amount of time used for searching and
collecting fuel is another negative coping strategy
that households faced with the problem of energy
source scarcity might adopt. The implication here
might be the inevitable diversion of time away from
productive activities likely to result in starvation
or poverty.

* For the relatively richer households, the most
likely option would be to shift from reliance on
biomass fuels to paraffin. This would increase the
demand of petroleum products and in turn increase
the rate of fossil fuels combustion. As a result
more carbon dioxide would accumulate in the
atmosphere and ultimately contribute to global
warming.

It is therefore, on the basis of these implications that
meeting increased demand for biomass energy has become a
priority challenge for Lesotho Government. In this
context afforestation has thus been singled out as the
realistic means of meeting the future energy demands of
the mountain households since massive electrification is
highly limited by the national electricity grid that does
not reach these remote areas because of economic and
financial constraints. The purchase of fossil fuels is
also unlikely at the extent or cost required because of
the country's financial limitations. Wind energy
exploitation has also been seriously considered and areas
with potential wind energy resources have been identified
in the mountain areas.

References:

ECRA Consulting Pty Ltd. (1999). A Report on the
Inception Workshop On Energy Management In Lesotho.
Energy Department (1988). Lesotho Energy Master Plan.
Government of Lesotho.

IUCN (1993). An Environmental Synopsis for the Kingdom of
Lesotho. IUCN.
Majoro, M., M. Mphale, M. Marake, M. Makoae, E.G.
Rwambali and N. Mokitimi (1999). Social Assessment for
the Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and
Development Project. Maseru, Lesotho.

Makaya, L. (1999). Rural Energy Consumption and Its
Impacts On The Environment: A Case Study Of Ha Lebamang
(Roma). A Research Project Submitted in Partial
Fulfilment of the Bachelor Of Arts Degree In Urban and
Regional Planning, Geography Department.

Ministry of Natural Resources (2000). First National
Communication to the Conference of the Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Chance.
Lesotho Meteorological Services.

NFAP Steering Committee(1996). Lesotho National Forestry
Action Programme Document. The Kingdom of Lesotho.

Sechaba Consultants (1994). Poverty In Lesotho: A Mapping
Exercise. Sechaba Consultants.

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Bishkek Global Mountain Summit E-Consultation Website
http://www.mtnforum.org/bgms

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