1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Botswana

Taking steps to counter drought

Map of Botswana
IRIN
The northern Ngamiland region has seen outbreaks of animal diseases
A senior official in Botswana on Monday said the government would step up assistance to households in two districts affected by drought conditions. Rural development coordinator Mtshabele Manamela told IRIN that although the overall food security situation in the country had improved over the past year, there were a "few scattered pockets" where poor rainfall had led to insufficient maize production. President Festus Mogae declared 2004/05 a drought recovery year last week. The two most affected areas were Bobirwa and Kgalagadi South sub-districts in southwestern Botswana, which had recorded below normal rainfall. "Over the next five months we will continue to monitor the situation in those districts: this is to ensure that we can provide our early warning department with up-to-date information, should the situation in deteriorate," Manamela noted. It was still unclear how many households would need government assistance. "The Drought Relief Labour-Based Public Works Programme will continue for the next six months. We will be taking a good look at the number of people who turn up for this temporary employment, as an indication of just how severe the stress is on households," he added. The government has also decided to maintain the feeding programme for all children up to the age of six at child-welfare clinics, and the provision of a second meal for disadvantaged rural children. Meanwhile, the ministry of agriculture has been urged to take steps in collaboration with the private sector to ensure the availability and distribution of free seeds at local outlets. "What we found in some instances is that because of either the unavailability or late delivery of government-sponsored inputs, many farming households were unable to plant in time, so even when the rains did come they were ill prepared," Manamela said. "Greater efforts are now expected from the officials in the agricultural department to ensure that these seeds are available for the next planting season."

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join