Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, has said that there is an urgent need to drill more boreholes and provide additional water pumps after over 130 hippos were left in critical condition, stranded in a drying section of the Chobe River.
Shifeta called for the urgent provision of water resources for the drying section of the perennial Chobe River, which runs along the Kasai Channel. He emphasized that not only the dying hippos depend on this water source, but also livestock and communities living along the river. He added that the drying river is a stark sign of climate change as the river levels continue to subside.
On 12 June 2024, Shifeta visited and assessed the pond along the Chobe River where the 135 hippos are stranded as the pool continues to dry out.
“This is not the only pond where animals are stranded. The assessment is that the animals are in critical condition, so we have to add more resources, drill more boreholes to save them, and increase the capacity of this pump. We are using a generator we have bought. We also need to speak to Botswana authorities, as these animals are not only Namibian; even the livestock comes from Botswana as well. This whole river is completely dry. Apart from the wild animals that drink here, we have livestock that drink here. We also have community members that use this river, so we need to drill more boreholes. This is a serious indication of the effects of climate change. This is a recurrence of what happened in 2019, but much worse. I am informed that there are more than 134 hippos here; in 2019, we had about 80 to 90 hippos. One can see the water levels are declining,” Shifeta said.
