23-734: The Gaborone Dam is a dam on the Notwane River in Botswana with a capacity of 141,100,000 cubic metres (4.98 × 10 cu ft). The dam is operated by the Water Utilities Corporation , and supplies water to the capital city of Gaborone . The Gaborone Dam is located south of Gaborone along the Gaborone - Lobatse road, and provides water for both Gaborone and Lobatse. The effective catchment area covers about 225 square kilometres (87 sq mi), drained by
46-636: A 1992 study on their impact on downstream water resources, a moratorium was placed on construction of small dams in the catchment area. Whilst the flow of the Notwane is ephemeral; biodiversity is the highest immediately upstream of the Gaborone Dam , north of the confluence with the Taung river. The riverbed in this area generally retains small pools of water, even during prolonged dry periods. The African sharptooth catfish , locally known as barbel, are
69-456: A constant concern. A neon signboard in the city informs residents how full the reservoir is. The reservoir and the green buffer zone that surrounds it are the largest and most fragile ecosystem in the Gaborone area. A book published in 2004 noted that storm water drainage is poor in Gaborone, causing recurring street floods, and that pit latrines and overflowing sewage ponds endanger the water in
92-412: A lot of African villages and towns where the 'infrustructure of urban development' is new. It however remains beyond dispute that residents of Ramotswa and surrounding areas have contributed much to the development of the region, and often bravely so in the context of the towns proximity to the much more 'in the public eye' towns and cities of South Africa. There has seemingly always been and continues to be
115-569: A school for the disabled run by the Campbill Rankoromane Community educational center. Police XI , Botswana Premier League champions for 2006, are also based in Otse. The climate is semi-arid , vegetation is a tree and shrub savanna . Only a fifth of the area is farmed but the density of cattle and goats and sheep is high. Otse is overlooked by cliffs from which a colony of vultures are easily visible on most days. On
138-614: Is at the head of the Limpopo River . It has a catchment area of 18,053 square kilometres (6,970 sq mi). The Notwane rises about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south of Ramotswa , and runs along the border in a northeast direction to enter the Limpopo at the same longitude as Mahalapye . The Notwane has its source in the sandveld , at the eastern fringes of the Kalahari Desert . It flows roughly northeastwards past
161-435: Is popular with birdwatchers , windsurfers , and anglers . However, there is no swimming due to crocodiles and parasitic bilharzias , which can transmit the serious disease schistosomiasis . Notes Citations Sources Notwane River The Notwane River (or Ngotwane River ) is a river in southeastern Botswana . Certain sections of its course form the international boundary with South Africa . Its mouth
184-466: Is the first woman to serve as a paramount chief in Botswana . Seboko took on her role as a village leader and representative to the House of Chiefs after her brother Kgosi Seboko II died in 2000. Her presence in the house of chiefs was hailed as a victory for women's rights in southern Africa . The nearby hamlet of Otse is the site for Moeding College , originally a colonial secondary school and
207-671: The Gaborone Dam. Both nile monitor and rock monitor do occur in the area, the former being seen more regularly. The riparian vegetation and surrounding woodland also provides suitable habitat for African rock python and mozambique spitting cobra . The river course is dominated by syringa berrytree , water fig and white bauhinia . The syringa berrytree is an invasive species introduced from India . The riparian vegetation eventually gives way to acacia woodland. Buffalo thorn , paperback thorn and knobthorn are common to this woodland. Marula and weeping wattle also occur in
230-541: The Notwane River have been occupied since the middle Stone Age. The first modern settlement was Moshaweng , which was established by Chief Gaborone of the Tlokwa in the late 1880s, near the site of the modern capital. The city of Gaborone , an expansion of the earlier settlement, was developed on the Notwane River in the 1960s in part due to proximity to the railway, in part due to availability of water provided by
253-439: The Notwane River, at a time when the new capital city of Gaborone was in the planning stages. The original dam was completed in 1964. The dam is an earthcore fill structure. During the 1965-66 rainy season the reservoir filled and overflowed. Between 1983 and 1985 the dam was raised by 7 metres (23 ft) to increase capacity, reaching a maximum height of 25 metres (82 ft) and a length of 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi). Raising
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#1732772654934276-444: The Notwane river and the lesser Taung , Metsemaswaane and Nywane rivers . Between 1971 and 2000, average annual rainfall was between 450 millimetres (18 in) and 550 millimetres (22 in). Temperatures range from 10 °C (50 °F) in winter to 37 °C (99 °F) in summer. Average potential evapotranspiration is about 1,400 millimetres (55 in) annually. The dam construction began in 1963, capturing water from
299-516: The Taung, Segoditshane, Metsimotlhabe , Metsemaswaane and Nywane. Its main tributaries are the Taung , Peleng , Metsimotlhabe and Nywane rivers. All the rivers in the Notwane basin are ephemeral experiencing mostly brief, seasonal flow depending from the rainfall. The Notwane and Taung riverbeds are dry during the dry season and in years of drought they may be completely dry the whole year round. All these rivers may cause flash floods . The banks of
322-590: The area. Sources Ramotswa Ramotswa is a village in South-East District of Botswana , southwest of the capital of Gaborone . The population was 27,760 in 2011 census. It is the tribal capital of the BaLete , an ethnic majority springing from the Nguni tribe. Ramotswa's main industry is a wheat flour mill. The village also manufactures metal products. Kgosi Mosadi Seboko of Ramotswa
345-530: The dam had to be done extremely carefully to ensure that the impervious upstream zone of the dam remained intact and was extended up the raised bank. Most of the reservoir is less than 10 feet (3.0 m) deep. The surface area of the reservoir when full is 15 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi). Until completion of the Dikgatlhong Dam in 2011, the Gaborone dam was the largest in Botswana. After
368-447: The dam was opened and filled, the average water levels began to drop. In the part, this was due to a cyclical change in rainfall, reducing the amount of water fed into the reservoir and increasing the impact of evaporation in the hot, dry climate. In part it was due to growth of the city and growing per-capita demand for water as the population became more affluent, using water for purposes such as filling swimming pools and washing cars. By
391-399: The end of 2002 the reservoir was 79% full, and by the start of 2004 it was 54% full. By the end of 2004 the reservoir was just 27% full and the government was forced to impose harsh restrictions on water use. By September 2005 the reservoir was down to 17% full, or 34 litres (7.5 imp gal; 9.0 US gal) per citizen of Gaborone. In the drought-prone country, the water supply is
414-551: The most common fish species in these waters. The river also supports smaller populations of bream , tilapia and introduced carp . Birdlife proliferates as one gets nearer to the Gaborone Dam, this includes a number of heron and kingfisher species. African fish eagle are seen regularly, along with reed cormorant and african darter . Verreaux's eagle-owl do occur in the area and yellow-billed kite are common summer visitors. Southern yellow-billed hornbill , southern red-billed hornbill and natal spurfowl are often seen in
437-529: The most densely populated area of Botswana, passing east of Lobatse , between the city of Gaborone and Tlokweng village and then through Mochudi village. Finally it joins the left bank of the Limpopo River at the border with South Africa, just 6 km short of the confluence of the Limpopo with the Matlabas River . The Notwane basin is drained by the Notwane itself and its tributaries
460-468: The outskirts of village lies Mothubakwane ward, where a prominent figure Tlotlo Oepeng lives. Other notable places include Siga ward, home to Killer Giants the local football club, Lesetlhana ward housing the central business district and Taung village where the industry lies. When The BaLete first settled in Ramotswa remains a topic of much debate, as the local history is traditionally an oral one as with
483-515: The reservoir. The reservoir is starting to be marketed as a recreational area. The northern end of the reservoir is planned to become an entertainment venue called The Waterfront . There is a yacht club , called Gaborone Yacht Club, on the northern side of the lake. The southern end houses the Kalahari Fishing Club and a new public facility called City Scapes. City Scapes contains parks, playgrounds, and boating facilities. The dam
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#1732772654934506-638: The river. The Gaborone Dam , which supplies water to the city of Gaborone, has a capacity of 144,000,000 cubic metres (5.1 × 10 cu ft). Further upstream, the Ngotwane Dam in Lehurutshe , South Africa has a capacity of 18,000,000 cubic metres (640,000,000 cu ft). In the Gaborone dam catchment area there are many other dams, mostly very small, with only the Nnywane Dam near Lobatse being used for domestic water supply. Following
529-411: The surrounding woodland. Vervet monkey are common along the river course nearer the Gaborone Dam. Chacma baboon may also be encountered and antelope species such as kudu and impala are present, but rare. Lesser bushbaby nest in this area and black-backed jackal are heard occasionally in the evening. A small population of nile crocodile are resident in the lower courses of the river close to
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