African Unification Front
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THE OKAVANGO BASIN
A Portion of the Okavango Delta
The Okavango basin covers 1% of the continent. It is an endorheic basin, shared between Angola, Namibia and Botswana. The Okavango river rises in the humid mountains of Angola. From there it flows through Namibia and into Botswana where it forms an inland delta. The Okavango Delta is an internationally recognised wetland and home of a wide variety of wild life. Due to a persistent drought the Government of Namibia was considering abstractions from the Okavango river as an emergency measure. This inland delta covers approximately 68,640 km2 of northern Botswana and consists of stretches of pristine clear waters, wooded islands, inundated grasslands and extensive reed and papyrus beds. It is home to about 1,060 plant species; the animal diversity of the area is relatively high with roughly 32 large mammals. The most outstanding feature of this vast area is its prolific bird life, with more than 650 species.
The two rivers Cubango and Cuito, originate in Angola and flow to the south, where they become the border between Angola and Namibia. After flowing together they become the Okavango River that enters the Caprivi Strip in Namibia about 50 km further downstream. The average annual discharge leaving Angola at Mukwe is 10 km3.
The Omatako tributary in Namibia is an ephemeral river, flowing north-east to enter the Cubango River at the border between Angola and Namibia.
One of the Okavango's Water Bodies
After entering Botswana, the Okavango River flows into the Okavango Delta, a large swamp area. A spillway exists from this area to the Chobe River in the Zambezi basin in periods of high floods.
The ecological value of the Okavango region is high and increasing abstractions of water for irrigation purposes will have a negative effect on the ecology of the Caprivi Strip area in Namibia and the Okavango Delta in Botswana. This requires a very judicious use of the water resources by the three riparian states.
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