20 Jun 2022

 Ngamiland residents have been urged to stop burning vegetation as such fires affect both wildlife and pose a risk to public health.

North West District Council chairperson, Mr Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho aired the advice following recent uncontrolled burning of vegetation along the banks of the Thamalakane River.

The fire raged on for several days resulting in rare plants adjacent to some hospitality facilities such as Rileys and Maun lodges ere destroyed.

Mr Ntsogotlho  expressed frustration that some people deliberately started the fire to eliminate excessive vegetation and to pave the way for the arrival of the annual water flows. 

Some community members are also accused of deliberately starting veld fires to facilitate the germination of fresh green grass.

“It is disturbing because the long-term effects of uncontrolled veld fires are a reduction of bio-diversity and there are various species along the river bank that can be extinct as a result of these fires,” he said.

Mr Ntsogotlho urged residents to desist from the practice, noting that if veld fires were not controlled they could result in an unclean environment, severe environmental degradation and compromised livelihoods.

Mr Ntsogotlho, thus, urged members of the community to come up with preventative measures to arrest the situation. 

They were also advised to seek guidance from the Department of Forestry and Range Resources when burning vegetation.

Mr Ntsogotlho also said veld fires that were reported promptly were usually extinguished before they could go wild. 

“We have to be proud of what we inherited so that we can benefit from it and pass those benefits to the next generation,” he added.

Ngamiland is one of the regions prone to natural and man-made veld fires in the country. 

The fires usually start between April and June, but they are intense between August to October when the vegetation is dry and there are strong winds and summer heat. ends