1.3 million hectares of land affected by veldt fires in Botswana in 9 months

1.3 million hectares of land were affected by veldt fires over the past nine months, says a senior government official.

The director of Botswana’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), Moagi Baleseng said this when addressing a two-day national disaster risk preparedness workshop which ended Thursday in Francistown, some 430 km northeast of Gaborone.

“We have realized an increase in the number of hectares affected by veldt fires this year when compared to last year’s only 300,000 hectares though no lives were lost in the process,” said Baleseng.

“When there is a lot of grass, the chances for fire breakouts are very high,” he said. He said northwestern and central parts of Botswana were the most affected areas.

Veldt fires usually contributed to the destruction vegetation and wild animals in Botswana – a development that might have a negative bearing on the country’s prospects in the tourism industry. Enditem

Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh