19 Nov 2013

The Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism through the Department of Forestry and Range Resources is undertaking several initiatives to improve the management of fires in the country.

Answering a question in Parliament on behalf of the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism , the Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Mr Kitso Mokaila said in the Ghanzi District, two million hectares were burnt by wild land fire by October 2012 while 2.3 million hectares was burnt during the same period this year.

In Kgalagadi District, 1.3 million hectares was burnt in 2012 compared to 500 000 hectares that was burnt during the same period this year. Minister Mokaila said there was over 50 per cent reduction in area burnt this year compared to 2012.

He explained that the service standard for responding to fire outbreaks is within 24 hours. However, he explained that responding means mobilizing resources and going to the location of the fire adding that depending on the distance, the time can increase or decrease.

He said the ministry has adequately responded to the outbreaks as on average they were responded to within 24 hours. However, in instances where more than one fire outbreaks were reported at the same time, the fire that poses the most threat to human life, assets and properties such as ranches, settlements, villages and tourism facilities, would be attended first.

He said fires that burn in wilderness would only be contained when they begin to develop into threats.Minister Mokaila further explained that the western side of Botswana being a typical shrub-grassland savannah has co-involved with bush fire.

Therefore, he said it would be undesirable to exclude fire from the landscape as that situation would lead to the deterioration in quality of wildlife habitat and loss of grazing resource through bush encroachment.

The MP for Kgalagadi North, Mr Phillip Khwae had asked the Minister to state the amount of land destroyed by veld fires in the Kgalagadi and Ghanzi districts in 2012/13 and the service standard for responding to fire outbreaks.

He had also wanted to know if the ministry adequately responded to fighting the fires, and if so; how long did it take them to respond to each of the reported fire incidents in the two districts. Ends