Maseru, Dec. 12 — The Disaster Management Authority (DMA) says Lesotho must align climate change mitigation efforts with local needs and community knowledge to ensure long-term effectiveness.
Speaking to Agency, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ms. Mahlape Koali, said current mitigation strategies include the rapid deployment of renewable energy and efficiency technologies, demand-side measures that promote behavioural change, sustainable land use, reforestation, improved agriculture, nature-based solutions, and the protection of soils and wetlands to prevent emissions from land degradation.
She noted that Lesotho is experiencing a range of disaster risk, such as droughts, floods, strong winds, and severe land degradation, including the loss of wetlands and growing desertification. These hazards, she explained, already contribute to crop failure, livestock losses, and the disruption of water regulation systems.
Ms. Koali also pointed out that the highlands are the most vulnerable to erosion, wetland degradation, and changes in runoff patterns. As the headwaters for regional water supplies, their decline has wider implications. Meanwhile, the southern lowlands face prolonged droughts and increasingly degraded rangelands.
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