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The Gaborone Dam is a dam on the
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 is at the head of the Limpopo River. It has a catchment area of . Course The ...
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 ...
with a capacity of . The dam is operated by the
Water Utilities Corporation Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) is a government-owned corporation that provides water and waste water management services in Botswana. The Board is appointed by the Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources. The water supply is critica ...
, and supplies water to the capital city of
Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Botswana, largest city of Botswana, with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its metropolitan area is home to 534, ...
.


Location

The Gaborone Dam is located south of Gaborone along the
Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Botswana, largest city of Botswana, with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its metropolitan area is home to 534, ...
-
Lobatse Lobatse is a town in south-eastern Botswana, 70 kilometres south of the capital Gaborone, situated in a valley running north towards Gaborone and close to the border with South Africa. Lobatse has a population of 29,772 as of 2022. The town is ...
road, and provides water for both Gaborone and Lobatse. The effective catchment area covers about , drained by the Notwane river and the lesser
Taung Taung is a small town situated in the North West Province of South Africa. The name means ''place of the lion'' and was named after Tau, the King of the Barolong people. ''Tau'' is the Tswana word for lion. Taung skull fossil site In 1924, a sk ...
, Metsemaswaane and Nywane rivers. Between 1971 and 2000, average annual rainfall was between and . Temperatures range from in winter to in summer. Average potential
evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) refers to the combined processes which move water from the Earth's surface (open water and ice surfaces, bare soil and vegetation) into the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of w ...
is about annually.


Description

The dam construction began in 1963, capturing water from 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 to increase capacity, reaching a maximum height of and a length of . Raising 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 deep. The surface area of the reservoir when full is . Until completion of the Dikgatlhong Dam in 2011, the Gaborone dam was the largest in Botswana.


Issues

After 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 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 per citizen of Gaborone. In the drought-prone country, the water supply is 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 the reservoir.


Reservoir use

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 A yacht club is a boat club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mar ...
, 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 is popular with
birdwatchers Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...
, windsurfers, and anglers. However, there is no swimming due to
crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...
s and parasitic
bilharzia Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. It affects both humans and animals. It affects the urinary tract or the intestines ...
s, which can transmit the serious disease
schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever is a neglected tropical helminthiasis, disease caused by parasitism, parasitic Schistosoma, flatworms called schistosomes. It affects both humans and animals. It affects ...
.


Gallery

File:Gaborone Dam 1.jpg File:Gaborone, Botswana.jpg, View from space File:GaberoneAerial.jpg, Gaborone from the air, dam in the distance


References

Notes Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control Dams completed in 1964 Earth-filled dams Dams in Botswana