Author(s): Liphapang Khaba; Jim Griffiths
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Soil Erosion; Models; Lesotho; Sediment Transport
Abstract: Though critical for the country’s export of water to South Africa and generating power for Lesotho, many reservoirs in Lesotho have been designed using minimal sediment transport and erosion data and suffer from rapid sedimentation. This paper presents initial results fromcatchment-scale erosion modelling usingtheindustry-standard WMS-GSSHA model, in the Nqoe River upland catchment in the Butha-Buthe District in the north of Lesotho. Geology of the catchment is predominantly basalt in the uplands and fine-grained sandstones and siltstones in the lower reaches. Land-cover type is mainly grassland with some cultivation of marginal lands. The model uses freely available digital elevation model (ASTER GDEM), soil and land-cover data with Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) rainfall data. This study is part of a larger project to assess the utility of a range of soil erosion models that can be used for the assessment of soilerosion in data sparse areas.
Year: 2013