02/04/2013 – When unexpected heavy rains recently lashed the usually dry province of Central Botswana, the local Red Cross was the first to respond. Trained disaster management volunteers from the Botswana Red Cross Society (BRCS) swung into immediate action, quickly accessing relief stocks, prepositioned last year in case of disaster.

President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama says he will send a team of officials from the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MMEWR) to assess the water problems in Tsabong and its surrounding areas.

The decision came after officials from Water Utilities Corporation, Tsabong and Department of Water Affairs (DWA) provided contrasting responses during a kgotla meeting in Tsabong on Thursday.

Botswana could in the near future source water from the Senqu river in Lesotho to augment shortage of water supply experienced in the country.

That follows a signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Botswana, Lesotho and South African governments which set in place framework for the feasibility study to determine the possibility of water transfer from Lesotho highlands to Botswana.

CHF 184,249 has been allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the National Society in delivering immediate assistance to some 3,459 beneficiaries (591 families). Unearmarked funds to repay DREF are encouraged.

Government is doing everything possible to assist flood victims, President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama has said.

He said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development officials would assess all affected villages and families to see how they could be assisted.

President Khama, who visited Chadibe and Borotsi in Tswapong on Saturday, donated food hampers and blankets to victims of recent floods in the two villages.

The food hampers and blankets, worth over P30 000, were donated by the Lady Khama Charitable Trust.

Highlights

Due to heavy rainfall, flooding occurred in the North-West, North-East, and parts of Central district between the 16th -20 th of January 2013.

• The flooding affected 842 households, including 32 households in Dukwi Refugee Camp.

• There are unconfirmed reports that two people died in the floods.

The Ministry of Agriculture has alerted farmers about the outbreak of Quelea birds in some parts of Central, Kweneng, North East and Kgatleng districts.

The ministry says it has started to control the birds, urging the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious cases. Reports can be made to the nearest agricultural extension officers, village leadership or the ministry’s call centre: 17755.

Recent rainstorm victims in the Ngami area have expressed gratitude to President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama for assisting them with food donations. Receiving the food baskets which were delivered by the district commissioner’s office in Maun on behalf of the President, residents said the donation was testimony that he had their welfare at heart.

Botswana Ash mine (Botash) has donated clothing and food items valued at over P20 000 to flood victims in Sowa Town and Dukwi Refugee camp.

In Sowa Town the donation was for the 92 residents of Tshwaane, Malelejwe and Semowane who are temporarily accommodated in tents at Sowa Customary Court. The donation comprised blankets, mattresses, toiletry and clothing. In the Dukwi camp, the donation was for the 325 refugees whose food was washed away by the floods.