The Basin as a Socio-Economic Entity

Overview

The Orange-Senqu River basin originates in the highlands of Lesotho and flows westward through six provinces in South Africa. The Orange-Senqu basin enters into Namibia and Botswana and the Lower Orange River forms the border between South Africa and Namibia. Of the approximately 1 000 000 km² area of the Orange-Senqu River basin, 64.2% lies in South Africa, 24.5% in Namibia, 7.9% in Botswana, and 3.4% in Lesotho; Lesotho lies entirely within the basin.

Table: Percentage of riparian countries found inside the Orange-Senqu River basin

Country	Area of the country within the basin (km²)	Total area of basin (%)
Botswana	79 000	7.9
Lesotho	34 000	3.4
Namibia	245 000	24.5
South Africa	642 000	64.2
Total	1 000 000	100

Source: ORASECOM 2009

The Orange-Senqu River basin is home to over 20 million people. Most of thispopulation resides in South Africa (85%) and Lesotho (13%). The northern and western parts of the basin in Botswana and Namibia are sparsely populated.
South Africa is by far the largest water user of the Orange-Senqu basin and accounts for 97% of total water use in the basin; Lesotho accounts for 1%, Namibia 2% and Botswana <1% (Lange et al. 2007).
Agriculture accounts for 61% of water demand from the Orange-Senqu basin and is the major user in basin countries with the exception of Lesotho. In Lesotho industry and domestic water demands are higher than agricultural demands (Lange et al.2007).
While the basin states are delineated by political boundaries, the distribution of tribal and language groupings has, historically, developed quite differently. The culture of the region is brought together in the often vibrant cities of the region, with languages and cultures mixing to provide a rich tapestry of life. In addition to factors such as land and water rights, a significant factor in the shaping of the cultural fabric in southern Africa has been the mining industry and employment opportunities in the mines. Husbands and fathers still migrate across great distances to find work in the mines of southern Africa further distributing the people and even necessitating new languages, such as Fanagolo.