The Thune Dam is a dam on the Thune River in

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

that was under construction in 2012. It has a planned capacity of .

Description

The dam is located on the Thune river upstream from its confluence with the Motloutse. The dam is situated in relatively flat country, and will have an average depth of about . Given the hot, dry climate, evaporation loss is a serious concern. Various ways to reduce such loss have been considered but rejected. The dam will be an earthfill clay-core structure. It will be high, with a long wall and a capacity.

Purpose

The dam will supply drinking water to several villages in the Bobirwa area, and irrigation water to an agricultural project near

Mathathane Mathathane is a village in Central District of Botswana. It is located in the eastern tip of Botswana, close to the border with South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Afric ...

. Once complete, water will be delivered to the villages of Bobonong,

Motlhabaneng Motlhabaneng is a village in Botswana on the north bank of the Motloutse River near the borders with South Africa and Zimbabwe. It is on the south-western boundary of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve. The village is in the Bobirwa region. When the ...

, Tsetsebjwe, Mabolwe, Semolale, Gobojango,

Lepokole Lepokole is a village in Central District of Botswana. The village is located close to the border with Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambez ...

and

Molalatau Molalatau is a village in Central District of Botswana. It is located in the eastern tip of Botswana, within 100 km distance from the borders with Zimbabwe and South Africa. The population was 3,107 in 2011 census. There are no major economi ...

Construction

A stakeholders workshop was held in September 2009 at Molalatau Secondary School Hall, where the Minister provided information and answered questions. He warned that, although the dam would bring large benefits, there would also be problems during the construction process such as an influx of illegal immigrants, crime and sexual problems such as HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancies. The dam site was handed over to the contractor, Zhon Gan Engineering and Construction, on 30 April 2010. The project was due to be completed in April 2013. The water treatment plant and pipelines could be delayed until 2014 due to funding problems. In July 2010 it was reported that work on the dam site had halted since an incident in which a worker was killed a month earlier. Bush clearing had started in the site so surveying could be undertaken, but the project was behind schedule. A ground-breaking ceremony was held in September 2010, attended by Ponatshego Kedikilwe, Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources. As of March 2011, Thune Dam was just 38% complete. Delays had been caused by floods, and there were problems with construction of accommodations and with licenses.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * {{Dams and reservoirs in Botswana Dams in Botswana