Africa-Press – Botswana. As Botswana’s south braces for floods, questions mount over whether the country’s grand climate plans under NDP-12 translate into real protection — or just paperwork.
The Ministry of Tourism and Environment has issued a flood alert for southern Botswana, urging communities to “remain vigilant” as heavy rains threaten to submerge low-lying areas. But the warning has revived an uncomfortable national debate: how prepared is Botswana when preparedness often means having only buckets and mops at the ready?
A PATTERN REPEATING ITSELF
Last year’s deluge displaced thousands in Gaborone and the Central District, and this year’s warnings come with similar urgency. The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) says contingency plans are “in place,” yet critics argue that local authorities remain reactive rather than ready. According to The Patriot on Sunday, even modest storms overwhelm drainage in major towns, exposing chronic neglect of stormwater networks and poor urban planning.
PROMISES WITHOUT PROTECTION
At the centre of the debate is the National Development Plan 12 (NDP-12), Botswana’s much-publicised blueprint for climate resilience. While the Plan speaks of “mainstreaming climate change” and establishing a Climate Fund, engineers and environmentalists note that it stops short of specifying concrete flood-mitigation projects — from culvert upgrades to floodplain zoning. Analysts say it is “policy without plumbing”: a framework strong on ambition but weak on design and costing.
THE MISSING DISCIPLINE: MAINTENANCE
Experts insist that resilience begins not with mega-projects but with maintenance — clearing drains, dredging silted rivers, and ensuring stormwater has a path to flow. Yet maintenance remains the orphan of Botswana’s development culture. Councils often wait for central directives before deploying equipment, while new roads crumble for lack of routine inspection. “Neglect does.”
FROM PLANS TO PRACTICE
While President Duma Boko has acknowledged the need for re-evaluating disaster readiness, progress has been slow. The NDMO’s own post-flood assessment earlier this year confirmed that human-induced climate change and unplanned urban growth were compounding risks in Gaborone and other towns. The report recommended decentralising preparedness and linking budgets to measurable maintenance targets — reforms still pending approval.
A CALL FOR GROUND-LEVEL READINESS
As forecasts predict more rainfall across southern Botswana, emergency teams have been placed on alert, and schools and clinics advised to prepare for disruption. For critics, however, true preparedness will only come when every district council has its own funded drainage plan, not just a circular from Gaborone. Until then, the nation may continue to equate readiness with buckets and mops — and flood resilience with post-disaster clean-ups.
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