Amid drought, ministry takes steps to assist Zambezi hippos

The environment ministry is taking interventions to save hippos in the Zambezi River as water systems continue to dry up due to the prevailing drought.

Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda assured the public that there is no cause for concern.

In 2019, the ministry drilled a borehole and procured a generator pump to pump water into a pond, he said.

He said that since then, the pump and generator have been consistently deployed whenever a demand for water arose.

“We have engaged the wildlife authority of Botswana to jointly intervene in regard to the current situation earlier this year.”

Muyunda said Botswana has committed to supplying an extra generator and fuel to pump water.

He said currently there are two generators pumping water into the pond.

Help at hand

To further improve the situation, the ministry has installed a solar pump system to pump water during the day and only pump with the generators at night, he added.

“With this arrangement, the idea is to provide the hippos with sufficient water to be able to survive until the next flood season and not necessarily to fill up the pond completely.”

Muyunda said there has not been an inflow of water into the pond this year due to poor rainfall.

“We are committed to ensuring the survival of the hippos. We will continue to monitor the situation and devise appropriate measures as the situation detects.”

On Monday, the level of the Zambezi River at Katima Mulilo was measured at 1.39 m.