22 Jun 2025

Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) has developed an Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) for the Ntimbale Dam.

During a stakeholder engagement meeting held in Francistown on Friday, Senior Manager of Sustainability and Water Resources at WUC, Mr Lesego Raditsebe said it was the first comprehensive plan designed to outline protective measures, actions to be taken, and the responsibilities of various stakeholders in the event of a dam failure. He said the detailed plan encompasses notification and communication protocols, evacuation routes, emergency response procedures, and post-emergency recovery actions.

Drawing on lessons from the recent overspill of the Gaborone Dam in February which caused disruptions, Mr Raditsebe noted that the EPP for Ntimbale would be essential in managing potential emergencies.

Mr Raditsebe pointed out that while the Ntimbale Dam had experienced overspill every year since its establishment, 2020 was an exception.

Despite its distance from populated areas, the dam, he said poses a risk to nearby Masingwane cattle post and potentially to Francistown itself if a disaster was to occur. He further stated that WUC intended to implement the plan across all dams in Botswana and would engage the public to educate them on the plan to ensure safety during emergencies.

Consultant Project Engineer Mr Keabeng Nkwanda highlighted that one of the challenges facing dams in Botswana was lack of specific regulations governing their management, which often leads to reliance on regulations from neighbouring countries.

Nonetheless, he assured that the plan included essential information detailing the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in the event of an emergency. ENDS