An update on the floods situation
By Masego Mosate
In the last issue of Development News, readers were given information on how the Government through the National Disaster Management office is managing Botswana’s floods. Here we give you an update on the floods situation.
The overflow of the Okavango River is reported to have left the following villages and settlements affected: Ikoga, Nxamasere, Etsha 13, Mohembo East, Kauxwi, Eretsha, Beetsha, Gudigwa, Jao Flats, Tubu and Nxaraga, according to the Logistics Officer at the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), Mr Maeletso Pego.
The Logistics Officer says the families that were affected have been relocated to safer grounds by District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC), and have been housed in tents.
Commenting on the flood situation, Pego said that the water level is receding in the Okavango area as the water is now flowing to the Ngami area which is on the downstream.
Pego pointed out that in Tubu, two Air Boats from the Botswana Defense Force and from the Botswana Police Service are being used to assist residents, whilst in Nxamasere the victims have been moved to their homes since the affected areas are now dry. The Landboard in the area has also indicated that it has found new plots which they will allocate to flood victims, as well as those in Ikoga.
According to Pego, the Landboard in Okavango says it is considering allocating 100 plots to the victims in Etsha 13.
Concern has been expressed about the flood situation in the downstream area of Ngami, in the areas of Nxaraga, Maun, Toteng, Sehitwa, Khwai and Mababe. Pego noted that the report from the district indicates that Lake Ngami is overflowing so much that the Sehitwa-Bothatogo Road is no longer accessible, that for one to reach Bothatogo village one has to go through the Bodibeng village route.
In Toteng, the water levels have risen over the bridge along the main road threatening to destroy the bridge. In order to avoid a complete communication breakdown between Maun and the villages of Gumare, Sehitwa and Ghanzi, Pego stated that the Roads Department is working hard to ensure that an alternative route is ready to use. The current bridge is likely to be closed and small vehicles diverted to the old bridge while big vehicles will use an old gravel road from Kuke. Due to this, road users along Sehithwa – Maun are therefore advised to exercise caution as the road bridge is being submerged by high flowing floods.
The Ngami District Disaster Management Committee has alerted the communities regarding the presence of hippos and crocodiles as well as snakes in the water, hence they have also called on communities to be careful and alert at all times.
The District Disaster Management Committee continues to monitor the situation, surveillance groups are also on the ground, on the lookout for any new area that may have been affected by the floods.
As the water rises, Pego says they have continued to send out alerts through the Short Messages Systems (SMS) warning communities of the impending dangers.
In Boteti, which is also downstream, whilst the water is fast approaching Rakops, it has not posed a threat to the communities in and around the Boteti River. The Logistics Officer notes that the Boteti District Disaster Management Committee has already undertaken a familiarization tour to Maun to benchmark with the area District Disaster Management Committee on how to deal with the approaching floods.
Pego adds that thus far no one has sustained injuries due to the flood situation. In Boteti as well as Okavango, farmers have already harvested early, prompted by the early warnings given by DDMCs, NDMO, Dikgosi, Department of Water Affairs and the Media.
NDMO advises parents to monitor their children’s movements and ensure that they do not go into or play in floodwaters. The office further advises the community to cooperate with the District Disaster Management Committee as they relocate them away from flooded areas. “We also call upon the community to assist by participating through voluntarism because disaster risk reduction is everybody’s business,” stressed Pego.