100 / 148
86
Rural
Urban
National
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
Percentage
Source: Government of Botswana 2009
Population using improved
drinking water sources in Botswana
Access to safe drinking water and improved
sanitation by 2015
Due to deliberate policy and strategic action,
Botswana is in the envious position of havingmet
its water and sanitation targets well before the
MDG targets and the timelines for its ownVision
2016. More than 90 per cent of the population in
urban and rural areas has access to drinking water
and sanit tion, as shown in Figures 4.13 and 4.14.
Reverse biodiversity loss by 2010
The Government of Botswana has designated
a sizeable portion of land area for conservation
since before 1990. The protected areas in
Botswana total 104,988 sq km, which is 18 per
cent of the total surface area of the country, a
significant proportion when compared to most
other countries in the Basin (Figure 4.12), except
for Zambia and Tanzania.
Land use conflict between wildlife and
agriculture is a problem around Chobe, Maun
and Kasane, and elsewhere in Botswana.
Elephants exceed 130 000 individuals in
Botswana and have surpassed the carrying
capacity of their northern territory. This has
resulted in the destruction of cropland and the
depletion and degradation of resources that are
important to rural livelihoods.
A small length of the Chobe River, about
54 km upriver from Kasane to Ngoma Bridge,
is included within Chobe National Park, while
Chobe Forest Reserve lies adjacent to the flood
plain for a further 80 km. The Chobe rapids area
and the remainder of the floodplain have little
or no protection in Botswana or in neighbouring
Namibia. On the Namibian side of the river, and
in Botswana outside Chobe National Park, there
is fairly heavy human settlement, with large
numbers of cattle.
Numerous deliberate fires are destroying
floodplain vegetation, including reed beds, and
snaring and poaching are widespread, affecting
birds as well as mammals. Very large numbers
of African elephant (
Loxodonta africana
),
concentrating along the river in the dry season,
have caused extensive damage to the riparian
woodlands. River craft used by tourists and local
residents can potentially cause disturbance to
breeding birds.
The number of threatened species in Botswana
was 12 at the turn of the 21st century and had
reached 31 three years later, partly through
identification of new threats due to wider
research and tracking.
Figure 4.14
Figure 4.13
85
90
95
100
Percentage
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Proportion of people with access to
improved sanitation facilities in Botswana
Path to MDG Path to V2016
Actual
Linearly Projected value
Source: Government of Botswana 2009
Rural
Urban
National
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
Percentage
Source: Government of Botswana 2009
opulation using improved
drinking water sources in Botswana
Due to the semi-arid nature of the country,
Botswana has poor water resources and is subject
to frequent, severe droughts, while demand for
water is increasing in all sectors. Groundwater
accounts for two-thirds of all water consumption,
but some underground aquifers are affected
by natural salinity and others are threatened by
pollution from livestock and human waste (FAO
2005). Water scarcity played a role in the decline
of the agricultural sector from almost 40 per cent
of GDP contributed in the 1960s to only six per
cent in 2004 (FAO 2005). This is also a key factor in
driving Botswana’s rapid urbanization.
Figure 4.12
Source: SADC and SARDC 2008
0
18%
Protected areas share of total land area
in Botswana