OkavangoPrelims.qxd 1/15/04 3:15 PM Page 1 okavango river The flow of a lifeline OkavangoPrelims.qxd 1/15/04 3:15 PM Page 2 okavango river The flow of a lifeline John Mendelsohn and Selma el Obeid OkavangoPrelims.qxd 1/15/04 3:15 PM Page 4 THERE ARE MANY meanings to this river, indeed, Mike Murray-Hudson, João Pessela, Peter and Beverly and Okavango River: the flow of a lifeline is an attempt to Pickford, Susan Ringrose, Roger Swart, Cornelis van der explore as many aspects of it as possible. The book was Post, Viv and John Ward and Ben White. commissioned by the Every River has its People In Angola, willing help came from José Antonio, preface Project, a project funded by the Swedish International Alessandro Basilico, :rederica Biondi, Calvin, Shelly Development Agency and implemented in Botswana, and Brent Brain, Brendon Carroll, João Baptista Namibia and Angola. The project aims to promote the Chindandi, Abel Chindele, Laura Cremonini, João participation of people at all levels in activities and Bosco dos Santos, John Hanks, Penelope Howarth, decisions that lead to the wise management of the Zakarias Kapilikisa, Leonardo Kulivela, Domingos Okavango River. More specifically, the project Lucas, George Murray, Penelope Muteteli, :anie and distributes information to improve awareness on Dirk Oosthuizen, Alberto Pedro, Isidro Pinheiro, important processes, issues, constraints and challenges Bongue Malengue Rodriguez, Tamar Ron, :ilipe in the Okavango. This book is part of that process. We Sabino, Jimmy Sebastio, Ricardo Tavilla, Lucia Teoli also hope that by bringing together information from and the Governor and his Office in Kuando Kubango. Angola, Namibia and Botswana, the residents of each In Botswana, we are most grateful to Jaap Arntzen, country will have a better understanding of conditions Hannelore Bendsen, Debbie Gibson, Pete Hancock, faced by their neighbours. This is important for an area Ruud Jansen, :elix Monggae, Don Kgathi, Thoralf where water is in short supply and the potential for Meyer, Innocent Mogale, Dave Parry, Lars Ramberg, competition over water resources is thus considerable. Piotr Wolski and the Department of Meteorological The book draws heavily on a variety of published Services, Department of Water Affairs, Harry articles, reports and books, and also on the knowledge Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre, Kalahari of many experts and helpful sources listed below. It is Conservation Society, Ministry of Minerals, Energy and an interesting fact that the quality and quantity of Water Affairs and Ministry of Works and Transport. To most people, the Okavango means the Okavango Delta or information on the Okavango increases downstream. :inally, support in Namibia and elsewhere was kindly Major sources of information for the three countries provided by Jon Barnes, Brian Bluck, Marina Coetzee, Swamps: the subject of many books and films that celebrate were as follows. Angola: reports and books, the great Steve Crerar, Barbara Curtis, Helen de Villiers, Stefan de its wealth of life and beauty. Such acclaim focuses on the fact majority of which were published before independence Wet, :ritz Dittmar, Louis du Pisani, Janice Evans, Maria that the Delta is certainly a special place, and also the biggest in 1975, and interviews, field work and an aerial survey :isch, Clinton Hay, Piet Heyns, Werner Hillebrecht, Luise wetland in southern Africa. Wetlands regarded as being of we conducted in May 2003. Namibia: information Hoffmann, Brian Jones, Ashley Julius, Marc Lejars, summarized in the recent book Sand and water: a profile of Martin Mendelsohn, Chris Neigh, Terry Newby, Lindsay international importance are declared as RAMSAR sites, and the Kavango Region in Namibia. Botswana: staff and Norman, Nils Odendaal, John Pallett, Pippa Parker, the Delta is the largest such site in the world. But there is a reports from the Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Sophie Simmonds, Peter Tarr, Beth Terry, Jonathan much wider meaning to the Okavango. This is a river system Research Centre in Maun, and a large body of Timberlake, Compton Tucker, Guido Van Langenhove, published articles and books produced by many Alex Verlinden, Julie Wilk, Agricultural Research Council spanning three countries, where rainfall declines three-fold scientists and technicians over the years. (South Africa), Earth Satellite Cor-poration (USA), from the upper catchment to the Delta, and a river that pours Many people and organizations contributed Namibia Nature :oundation, Namibian Department of about 9.4 cubic kilometres of water into its Delta each year. information, ideas, encouragement, assistance and Water Affairs, Namibian Meteorological Services, enthusiasm, all of which helped make the production of National Archives of Namibia, National Air and Space This, too, is a waterway that flows between a country where this book a pleasure. We are grateful for all this support, Administration (USA), National Library of Namibia and life has been cruel for centuries to another country that is in particular for the important contributions made by: University of Maryland Global Land Cover :acility now the shining light of development in Africa. Shirley Bethune, Patricia Blom, Chris Brown, Helge (USA). Denker, :red Ellery, Nello João, Johan le Roux, :rancisco Mandjolo, Jaime Manjinela, Terence McCarthy, JOHN MENDELSOHN AND SELMA EL OBEID OkavangoPrelims.qxd 1/15/04 3:16 PM Page 6 A publication for the Every River has its People Project Which aims to promote sound planning and management of the Okavango Basin in support of the mandate and activities of the Permanent Okavango River Basin Commission (OKACOM). Production of Okavango River: the flow of a lifeline was funded by the Swedish International Development Agency, and supported by the Kalahari Conservation Society, Namibia Nature 4oundation and Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre. The views and opinions expressed in this book do not necessarily state or reflect those of these organizations. Contents overview 8 1. Introduction: The flow of a lifeline 24 2. landscapes: The shape of a river 30 Struik Publishers (a division of New Holland Publishing (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd) Cornelis Struik House The past: Trying times 46 80 McKenzie Street 3. Cape Town 8001 New Holland Publishing is a division of Johnnic Communications Ltd. 4. climate: Driving rains, drying sunshine 60 Visit us at www.struik.co.za Log on to our photographic website www.imagesofafrica.co.za for an African experience. 5. the river: Meandering across the Kalahari 70 RAISON Research and Information Services of Namibia P O Box 1405 6. Living resources: The Okavangos Windhoek Namibia plants and animals 94 5irst published in 2004 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 p Change and motion 124 Copyright © published edition: Struik Publishers & RAISON, 2004 7. eople: Copyright © text: RAISON, 2004 Copyright © maps: RAISON, 2004 Copyright © photographs and satellite images 2004: listed on page 176 8. farming: :ood, income and security 136 Publishing manager: Pippa Parker Managing editor: Helen de Villiers 9. okavango: Opportunities and challenges 158 Editor: Lindsay Norman Design director: Janice Evans Concept design: 5ly Design Designer: Patricia Blom Cover design: Patricia Blom notes and sources 170 Reproduction by Hirt & Carter Cape (Pty) Ltd Printed and bound by Kyodo Printing Co (Pte) Ltd, Singapore All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, Important references 173 stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright owner(s). ISBN 1 86872 963 X Index 174 OkavangoPrelims.qxd 1/15/04 3:17 PM Page 8 Ogooué Lake Victoria Congo 5o S Lake Kasai Tanganyika overview Rufiji Congo C u a Lake nza Malawi The Okavango Zambezi Kwando Cubango Is shared by three countries: Kunene Cuito Lake Zambezi Angola, Namibia and Botswana Kariba Covers an area of about 192,500 square o Okavango 20 S Delta kilometres Limpopo Is home to about 600,000 people A t Limpopo l n a Has only three urban centres: a n e t Menongue, Rundu and Maun c i c O Orange Ends in the Okavango Delta: the largest O n c a i e fresh water wetland in southern Africa d a n n I Delivers about 9.4 cubic kilometres of Okavango rivers water into the Delta each year Perennial rivers 35o S Ephemeral and fossil rivers 0 200600 1000 km 15o E 30o E International border 45o E 8 9 OkavangoPrelims.qxd 1/15/04 3:17 PM Page 10 okavango river OVERVIEW | The Okavango Landscapes around the river Most Okavango rivers flow across sandy sediments of the Kalahari, dropping from the highest elevations of over 1,700 metres to the lowest reaches of the Delta at 940 metres above sea level. There is a dense network of tributaries in the north-west catchment where it is hilliest, bedrock is exposed and the mantle of Kalahari sand is Human footprints thin. Tributaries elsewhere are far apart on a flatter landscape. River gradients become gentler downstream, and a Historically, life in many areas of the Basin has shallow depression caused by rifting confines the final spread of water into the Delta. Most soils in the Basin are been hard because of disease, warfare, slavery, sandy and not well suited to crops because of low nutrient levels and poor water retention. poor soils and low rainfall. Most people now living here are the descendants of immigrants pushed out of other areas in Angola, Botswana and Namibia. The outside world knew nothing of the Okavango until the mid-1800s. 5or most