OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF MINING ON THE ... - IIED pubs

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3.3 The Chobe - Linyanti sub-catchment
3.3.1 General description
3.3.1.1 Hydrology
The Linyanti – Chobe River system joins the Zambezi River at the base of this sub-catchment. Flows are
distinctly seasonal, with extensive flooding of eastern Caprivi. If the Zambezi floodwaters arrive earlier than the
floodwaters of the Chobe River, the Zambezi water may push upstream into the Chobe River as far as Lake
Liambezi.
3.3.1.2 Geology and geomorphology
The Upper Karoo Batoka Basalt Formation underlies the eastern portion of the catchment, outcropping at
surface along the Zambezi River.
3.3.1.3 Pedology, agriculture and land use
A deep layer of Kalahari Sands covers most of the sub-catchment, with rich alluvial soils on the river terraces
along the Chobe, Linyanti and Zambezi rivers. Much of the eastern Caprivi is flooded during the rainy season
and the soils support an extensive wetland area.
Land use is predominantly subsistence agriculture with livestock rearing, as well as tourism along the Chobe
and Zambezi rivers. A new sugar cane project (10,000 hectares in extent) is planned for the Namibian sector of
the Caprivi. This will draw water from the Chobe – Linyanti system.
3.3.1.4 Surface water users
The only settlements of any size in Botswana are border post at Ngoma Bridge and the small town of Kasane in
Botswana. In Namibia, the Provincial Capital of Caprivi Province, the town of Katima Mulilo is important, with
several smaller villages along the Namibian bank of the Chobe and Linyanti rivers.
Water for Katima Mulilo is drawn from the Zambezi River whilst Ngoma Bridge and Kasane take water from the
Chobe River. Other smaller villages also draw water from the Chobe and Linyanti rivers. If the planned sugar
cane project proceeds, this will become the largest water user in the sub-catchment.
3.3.1.5 Water management systems
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