The Boteti River (also Botletle River
[Helgren, David M. (1984) "Historical Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology in the Southwestern Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana" ''Annals of the Association of American Geographers'' 74(2): pp. 298–307, page 298][Johannesburg Sheet 34, Edition 5, TPC, 1970](_blank)
Series 2201, U.S. Army Map Service or Botletli) is a natural
watercourse
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...
in
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...
. It derives flow from the core
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta or Okavango Grassland is a vast inland delta in Botswana formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an elevation of in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari Desert.
It is a UNESCO Wor ...
through the
Thamalakane River in
Maun.
Hydrology
In the rainy season, the Boteti discharges to the
Makgadikgadi Pans,
bringing that area alive with seasonal activity and high biological productivity.
[Hogan, C. Michael (2008]
"Makgadikgadi"
at Burnham, A. (editor) ''The Megalithic Portal'' In the dry season, the Boteti is particularly important to provide wildlife an area to congregate, since most seasonal ponds and drainages are then devoid of water.
[Murphy, Alan; Armstrong, Kate; Firestone, Matthew D.; and Fitzpatrick, Mary (2007) ''Southern Africa: Join the Safari'' (4th edition) Lonely Planet, Footscray, Victoria, Australia]
page 100
The Boteti flows southeastward out of the
Thamalakane River swamp at
Toteng, then flows northeastward past Tlkaseoulo, over Ghautsa Falls, and then flows east past the villages of
Makalamabedi,
Windhoek Sheet 33, Edition 4, TPC, 1969
Series 2201, U.S. Army Map Service Muekekle, and Matima, and then at Kwaraga, it turns south past the villages of Phukumakaku, Khumaga (Lekono), Sukwane, Rakops (Jakops), and Xhuma (Khomo).Orapa diamond mine
The Orapa diamond mine is the world's largest diamond mining, mine by area. The mine is located in Orapa, a town in the Central District of Botswana about west of the city of Francistown. Orapa ("resting place for lions") is owned by Debswana, ...
.[Breyer, J. I. E. (1983) "Soils in the Lower Boteti Region, Central District, Botswana" National Institute for Development Research and Documentation, University of Botswana, Gaborone, page 32, ] The diversion of the river has left many residents without an adequate source of fresh water
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salt (chemistry), salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include ...
; moreover, they could no longer enjoy fishing and other activities in the river.
History
In the early and mid-20th century, the lower Boteti, below Sukwane, was a major grain-producing area, with over 2,000 ha under cultivation until 1980. However, the number and extent of wet years has declined, and the river was channelized below Rakops to increase flow to the Mopipi Dam.[Scudder, T. (1993) ''The IUCN review of the Southern Okavango Integrated Water Development Project'' International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Gland, Switzerland]
page 90
It flowed year-round before the mid-1990s,
See also
* Nxai Pan
* Nata River
* Sua Pan
* Nwetwe Pan
References
{{coord, 21.2711, S, 24.7949, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Rivers of Botswana