Swaziland

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Swaziland is part of:
Africa · Southern Africa ·
Water Basins of Swaziland:
Incomati · Komati · Maputo · Umbeluzi ·

Facts & Figures

edit

Capital

Mbabane (administrative)

Neighbouring Countries

South Africa, Mozambique

Total Area

17,363 km²

- Water

160 km² (0.92%) / 92 m²/ha

- Land

17,203 km²

Coastline

0 km

Population

1,032,438 (59 inhab./km²)

HDI^A

0.542 (2007)

Gini Coefficient^A

50.4 (1995)

Nominal GDP^B

$2,968 million

GDP (PPP) Per Capita^B

$5,100

National UN Presence

FAO, UNDP, WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO

Land Use^C

- Cultivated Land

1,902 km² (11.06%)

- Arable

1,763 km² (10.25%)

- Permanent Crops

139 km² (0.81%)

- Irrigated

500 km²

- Non cultivated

15,300 km² (88.94%)

Average Annual Rainfall^D

788 mm

Renewable Water Resources^E

4.5 km³

Water Withdrawals^F	1.042 km³/yr
- For Agricultural Use	97%
- For Domestic Use	2%
- For Industrial Use	1%
- Per Capita	1,019 m³

Population with safe access to
- Improved Water Source	62%
- Urban population	87%
- Rural population	54%
- Improved Sanitation	48%
- Urban population	100%
- Rural population	44%

References & Remarks

^A UNDP Human Development Report

^B CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia

^C CIA World Factbook Country Profiles

^D Aquastat - FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture

^E CIA World Factbook

^F Earthtrends

Latest 4 maps for / including Swaziland (more..):

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1 News
2 Country Profile: Climate, Geography, Socio-Economic Context
3 Country Profile: Water Bodies and Resources
4 Country Profile: Legal and Institutional Environment
5 Country Profile: Water Sector Coordination
6 Country Profile: Trends in Water Use, Management and Sanitation
7 Country Profile: Challenges and Opportunities
8 Articles
9 Projects and Case Studies
10 Publications
11 Who is Who
12 References
13 See also
14 External Resources

News

Country Profile: Climate, Geography, Socio-Economic Context

Swaziland, one of the smallest countries in Africa, is almost enclosed within Southern Africa, sharing just the northern half of its eastern border with Mozambique. Its population of 1.13 million (2006) is distributed over an area of 17,370 km². From west to east, the country is divided into four well-defined regions: the Highveld, Middleveld and Lowveld, and the Lubombo plain and escarpment. The altitude ranges from 150 metres in the east to 1,800 metres in the west. The climate varies accordingly, though a generally subtropical climate with summer rains prevails. Between 75% and 83% of the annual rainfall comes from October to March. Precipitation ranges from 500 mm in the south-east to 1,500 mm in the west, the average being 1,200 mm.

Swaziland is situated at a transition of major climatic zones. Consequently, the country is prone to extreme events, such as cyclones and droughts. The latest and longest drought occurred over 1989–1994, while the most recent severe cyclone, designated Domonia, hit in 1984. Climatic models assessing the impact of climate change in the Great Usutu River basin reveal higher temperatures and more intense rainfall in early summer (October to January), dissipating in late summer and winter (February to September). The projections also indicate a maximum reduction in annual runoff of up to 12.6% or 133.6 million m³. The combined effect of high temperatures and low runoff, especially in winter, could adversely affect groundwater recharge, particularly in the Lowveld, and aggravate existing groundwater salinity. Taken together, these changes are very likely to negatively affect the agriculture-based economy as well as ecosystems. The Great Usutu River basin – locally often called the Lusutfu – is considered fairly representative, as about three-quarters of the population lives within and is supported through it (UNFCC, 2004).

Country Profile: Water Bodies and Resources

Swaziland has five principle river basins (the Lomati, Komati, Mbuluzi, Great Usutu and Ngwavuma) whose total annual renewable water resources amount to 4.5 billion m³. Of this, 42% or 1.87 billion m³ originates in South Africa. The seasonal nature of the rainfall makes discharge of surface waters extremely variable. In dry areas such as the Lowveld, while the larger rivers are through-flowing, most watercourses tend to flow only after heavy local rainstorms. Hence, development of groundwater resources is crucial. Although no quantitative assessment of groundwater resources has yet been undertaken, the annual potential is estimated at 0.66 billion m³. The Middleveld and Highveld have the highest potential for groundwater exploitation, but the number of wells in the Highveld is limited due to the greater depth needed to reach the water table. In the Lowveld, where the potential recharge is the lowest and the need for groundwater is the highest, installed wells tap about 42% of the estimated potential. Nationwide, only about 6% of the potential is exploited.

Agriculture is the main consumer of freshwater resources, accounting for almost 97% of withdrawal. Of this, over 90% is used in growing sugarcane as the main cash crop. The country is split between largely rain-fed subsistence production by smallholders and cash cropping on large private estates. Smallholders constitute some 70% of the population and occupy 75% of the crop land, but their productivity is low, accounting for only 11% of total agricultural output. Poor availability of water for irrigation is a major constraint to smallholder production; in years of low rainfall, harvests plummet and further aggravate the food crisis (New Agriculturist, n.d.).

Grazing is the predominant land use in Swaziland: about 67% of the total land area, or 11,630 km², is used solely for this purpose. During the dry season an additional 2,500 km², which is under cultivation during the summer, is used for grazing. Rangelands on communal land, as opposed to commercial ranches, appear to be deteriorating (WSSD, 2002).

The population of Swaziland is predominantly rural. In 2006, 24% of the population lived in urban areas, which have significantly better water supply and sanitation coverage than do rural areas. About half the urban population is concentrated in the main cities – Mbabane, the administrative capital, and Manzini, the main commercial centre. Overall, 60% of the population has access to safe water supply and 50% to improved sanitation (WHO, 2008).

Commercial forestry and the related wood processing industry form an important part of the economy, contributing about 15% to GDP, mainly through exports. The sector employs some 8,000 people, amounting to 8% of formal employment in Swaziland. The sugar industry is another major economic player, providing between 17% and 22% of total export revenue and employing 16,000 people directly and 80,000 indirectly. Sugarcane represents more than half of all agricultural output and 30% of agricultural employment. Industrial pollution is a problem. Most companies do not report on their environmental records or their use of energy and natural resources (WSSD, 2002).

Country Profile: Legal and Institutional Environment

In the past, ad hoc management of water resources prevailed in Swaziland. Carried out by several ministries and by institutions outside the government, it involved multiple laws aimed at solving disparate issues. They included the Water Act of 1967, the Water Services Act of 1992, the Komati River Basin Water Resources Development and Utilization Act of 1992, the Joint Water Commission Act of 1992, the Swaziland Environmental Authority Act of 1992 and the Swaziland Administrative Order of 1998 (Aquastat, 2005).

Today the 2003 Water Act provides guidelines on how the water sector in Swaziland is coordinated. It establishes the National Water Authority, which is the highest policy-making body responsible for the development and management of the national water sector. The Act also provides for the formation of river basin authorities and water user associations to enhance public involvement in water resources management. In addition, the Act includes the private sector as a partner in water development (Aquastat, 2005). One objective of the Act is to guide the development of policies on water allocation and pricing, pollution control, water storage and basin management. A draft national water policy (2001) has been harmonized with the regional policy and strategy that the South African Development Community (SADC) adopted in 2007. The national policy has since been reviewed by the National Water Authority and is being finalized in consultation with stakeholders. The National Development Strategy was launched in 1999 to provide guidelines on equitable allocation of resources for socio-economic development in the next 25 years, strengthen government planning and management capacity on development and seek national consensus on the direction of development. The strategy includes several recommendations on water resources development, such as formulating an overall policy to cover all water uses, expanding smallholder irrigation within a national irrigation development plan while encouraging farmers to make use of all available water resources, and building small and medium-sized dams to provide a reliable source of water for small-scale irrigation, livestock, fisheries and municipal use (Aquastat, 2005).

The Swaziland Environmental Authority Act of 1992 addresses the issue of pollution control for water and the environment and includes provisions for the establishment of standards. The National Development Strategy also highlights environmental management as a key policy area, and stresses the importance of tackling major environmental issues, such as soil erosion, deforestation, waste disposal and industrial and urban pollution, especially as regard the livelihoods of rural people. Nevertheless, the country needs to strengthen integration of environmental concerns in all sectors and examine the potential environmental implications of economic policies (WSSD, 2002).