03 Apr 2025

The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi says his ministry is assessing the possibility of drilling a minimum of two extra boreholes to enhance water accessibility in the northern Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Answering a question in Parliament yesterday, he said while the reserve currently had seven boreholes positioned to ensure a year-round water supply for wildlife, an increase in elephants in 2016 caused water shortage for animals in the reserve. Furthermore, he said the ministry did not intend to gravel the road connecting Matswere, Tsau, and New Xade.

He clarified that this choice was aimed to safeguard Botswana’s unique wilderness tourism approach, which emphasised limited infrastructure development to ensure a pure wilderness experience highly valued by tourists. Mr Mmolotsi said surfacing the road with gravel would result in increased speeds, creating a serious threat to both safety and the environmental health of the region.

Additionally, he said the ministry aimed to set up boreholes in the Nxai Pan region before the financial year concluded and intended to drill two additional boreholes in the central section of Makgadikgadi National Park when finances permit.

He said at present, Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi Pans National Park possessed 15 boreholes managed by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, with two of them being non-functional. Mr Mmolotsi said Zebras  were migratory creatures and that their travels were affected not only by the presence of water but also by seasonal changes in the amount and quality of available forage.

Okavango East MP, Mr Gabatsholwe Disho had asked the minister to state when they would consider drilling boreholes in Deception Valley to reduce animals walking long distances to Sunday valley and Letlahau in search of water. He also asked when the road from Matswere, Tsau and New Xade would be gravelled to facilitate easier movement.

Mr Disho also wanted to know if the ministry would drill boreholes in Makgadikgadi for the 50 000 Zebras, elephants and other small animals to relief them from walking long distances in search of water. ENDS