10 Feb 2021

A sound storm water drainage system is panacea to flooding in Letlhakane and surrounding villages, the Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness has said.

Letlhakane and surrounding areas were nearly swept away by floods that destroyed some private property and government buildings.

Some officers failed to report for duty for several days because they were trapped inside their houses.

In a recent tour to establish the amount of damage caused by the heavy downpours, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe said efforts to pump flooded water from homesteads by the District Disaster Management Team, Debswana and Lucara Botswana proved a difficult exercise because machines got stuck due to water logged soils.

Mr Lelatisitswe advised residents to raise buildings in future if one suspected the area could be prone to flooding.

The deputy district commissioner, Mr Ewetse Selelo, indicated that heavy and continuous rain, which was experienced in some areas, compelled certain institutions to halt services.

Mmatshumo Primary School, one of the affected institutions, was forced to halt classes to allow for water to drain out.

Mr Selelo said Debswana and Lucara Botswana teams had been engaged to assist with machines that could be used to control storm water.

He stated that wells were dug to drain out water from homesteads while some roads had to be closed to ensure safety of the public.

Mr Selelo indicated that the team managed to assist 12 families in Letlhakane, two in Mmatshumo, three Makalamabedi and one in Kedia with tents and that some public servants were assisted with temporary housing.

He said in Phase One, Letlhakane, an area mainly populated by squatters and was badly affected, Debswana team assisted by installing pipes to direct water into Debswana water lines. They also used machineries to direct flow between neighbouring houses to the lines to avoid run off stagnation on property.

Some areas which do not usually flood, Mr Selelo said were affected because the soil was mostly clay.

He advised the public to steer clear of flooded areas, adding that they should not underestimate the dangers associated. ENDS