28 May 2019

Water levels at one of the popular ponds, Chadichadi in the Tubu cattle posts, near Gumare has drastically gone down and the pond is almost dry.

The declining water levels have put some animal’s lives in jeopardy, given the sight of a number of hippos stranded in the small amount of water while some are already dying.

“With our little research as the department, we have learned that this area has never completely dried up, it will be for the first time,” said the Gumare wildlife officer in charge, Mr Rabogwe Rampete in an interview.

He said in the past when water levels went down, animals such as hippos and crocodiles would relocate to a nearby water area.

He, however, did not rule out the possibility of casualties in the process of migration, adding that the nearby ponds from Chadichadi were about seven kilometres.

Mr Rampete said means by his department to evacuate these animals from Chadichadi would be challenging, hence currently there were no plans to rescue them.

He was however hopeful that before Chadichadi could completely go dry, some moving water from the Okavango Delta would have reached the pond.

As for the farmer, Mr Onalesego Keoremile of Tubu cattle posts said he was frustrated by the low water levels at the pond as it was the only watering point for their livestock.

“We really do not know what we are going to do if the situation does not change, our livestock is going to suffer,” he said. ENDS