Licences For Boats Drivers
Boniface Keakabetse | Monday August 7, 2017 17:03
It was reported that boats numbers are growing and there is no law in Botswana stipulating boats speed limit.
It was further revealed that there is no licence required to boat on the rivers. This was described as a disaster waiting to happen particularly that boat cruising is a big tourism niche. Head of the aquatic vegetation control unit in the DWA in Maun, Dr Kurugundla Naidu said there are more than 3,600 boats registered with them.
However the number may be more, as some boats may not be registered.
The DWA implements the Aquatic Weed Act of 1986, which mandates boat owners to register their boats with DWA.
However, Naidu explained that there are no regulations for speed. He said such regulations could also state permissible boat carrying capacity of the river channels to avoid overcrowding.
Speaking during the meeting, tourism stakeholders complained that speeding boats along the Thamalakane and Boro rivers are a menace. An operator from Island Safari said the boats usually carry drunken fun lovers, who are also notorious for noise and littering along the banks of the Thamalakane River.
DWA informed stakeholders during the meeting held in the department conference room that there is nothing much they could do to police the waters due to lack of the restrictions. Boats, together with hippos and elephants, are further blamed for spreading the Salvinia Molesta weed, which has now spread into the Thamalakane River.
Presenting on the status of the weed in the rivers, Naidu said the weed has a potential to alter wetland ecosystem of the Okavango Delta and is a potential threat for the tourism sector. The invasive weed, which originates in south eastern Brazil, currently affects the Chobe, Linyanti and Okavango water systems.
Naidu said the weed spread into Thamalakane in 2012 adding that currently there are thick infestations at the Borolong water treatment plant.
However, he explained that the weed is under biological control using a weevil, which exclusively feed on the leaves of the weed.
Stakeholders said they are now fearful that the weed may spread to Lake Ngami through Nxaraga channel, which is infested.
It was resolved that public education on Salvinia Molesta and other environmental hazards such as river pollution need to be strengthened.
Meanwhile DWA Maun station manager, Kutlo Kgobero told stakeholders that they are considering engaging communities living along the rivers on best possible ways to protect the rivers.
Kgobero said currently DWA is empowered by the Water Act to take action against pollution, but they are incapacitated by resource constraints. He said communities through Village Development Committees could be given river concessions where they could charge a fee to members of the public for utilising the river spots and in turn help to conserve the river.