Serorome River

Last updated
Serorome River
Location
CountryBotswana
Physical characteristics
Mouth  
  location
Limpopo River
Botswana physical map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the mouth of the Metsimotlhabe River on the Limpopo River 23°33′51″S27°07′50″E / 23.564066°S 27.130639°E / -23.564066; 27.130639 Coordinates: 23°33′51″S27°07′50″E / 23.564066°S 27.130639°E / -23.564066; 27.130639

The Serorome River is a river in the Central District of Botswana, a tributary of the Limpopo River.

Contents

Geology

At one time the western Kalahari Region was a large, shallow inland lake, draining into the Limpopo through the Serorome Valley. Later geological upheavals re-oriented the rivers in the region to mainly flow northeast into the Zambezi. [1] The Serorome valley is the exception, still leading to the Limpopo via a rift fault. [2]

Climate

Today the river flows through relatively flat, semi-arid country with savannah grasslands, shrubs and trees. The river flows occasionally in the rainy season, which lasts from November to April, and for the remainder of the year it is dry. [3] It flows below its confluence with the Bonwapitse River due to run off in the Bonwapitse catchment. [4] David Livingstone visited the region in 1857, and described the Serorome as "... a lovely spot in the otherwise dry region. The wells from which we had to lift out water for our cattle are deep, but they were well filled." [5]

Economic activity

The North-South Carrier pipeline crosses the Serorome valley, where there is a pumping station at 227 kilometres (141 mi) from the Letsibogo Dam. [6] The Mmamabula coal field lies to the south of the river. [7]

Related Research Articles

Geography of Botswana

Botswana is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa, north of South Africa. Botswana occupies an area of 581,730 square kilometres (224,610 sq mi), of which 566,730 km2 (218,820 sq mi) are land. Botswana has land boundaries of combined length 4,347.15 kilometres (2,701.19 mi), of which the constituent boundaries are shared with Namibia, for 1,544 km (959 mi); South Africa 1,969 km (1,223 mi); Zimbabwe, 834 km (518 mi) and Zambia, 0.15 km (0.093 mi). Much of the population of Botswana is concentrated in the eastern part of the country.

Geography of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa lying wholly within the tropics. It straddles an extensive high inland plateau that drops northwards to the Zambezi valley where the border with Zambia is and similarly drops southwards to the Limpopo valley and the border with South Africa. The country has borders with Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km and almost meets Namibia at its westernmost point.

Limpopo River River in southern Africa

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Shashe River

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Notwane River

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Lotsane River

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Motloutse River

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Letsibogo Dam Dam in Urban water supply

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Bokaa Dam Dam in Kgatleng District

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Nnywane Dam Dam in South-East District

The Nnywane Dam is a dam on the Nnywane River in Botswana. The reservoir provides a water supply to Lobatse, a town 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of Gaborone. Water from the reservoir may also be transferred to Gaborone if needed.

Metsimotlhabe River

The Metsimotlhabe River is the largest river in the Kweneng District of Botswana, draining the area that lies to the south of Molepolole into the Notwane River, in turn a tributary of the Limpopo River. The name "Metsimotlhabe" means "water sand river".

Dikgatlhong Dam

The Dikgatlhong Dam is a dam near the village of Robelela on the Shashe River in Botswana, completed in December 2011. When full it will hold 400,000,000 cubic metres (1.4×1010 cu ft). The next largest dam in Botswana, the Gaborone Dam, has capacity of 141,000,000 cubic metres (5.0×109 cu ft).

Mmamabula is a planned coal mine and coal-fired power station to the east of the main road and rail corridor in Botswana between Gaborone and Francistown and south of the Serorome River. The power station would be near to the village of Mmaphashalala. It is about 130 kilometres (81 mi) north of the capital city of Gaborone.

North-South Carrier Water pipeline in Botswana

The North-South Carrier (NSC) is a pipeline in Botswana that carries raw water south for a distance of 360 kilometres (220 mi) to the capital city of Gaborone. Phase 1 was completed in 2000. Phase 2 of the NSC, under construction, will duplicate the pipeline to carry water from the Dikgatlhong Dam, which was completed in 2012. A proposed extension to deliver water from the Zambezi would add another 500 to 520 kilometres to the total pipeline length. The NSC is the largest engineering project ever undertaken in Botswana.

Waterberg Coalfield

The Waterberg Coalfield is an extensive deposit of coal in the Ellisras Basin in South Africa, lying mostly in the Waterberg District Municipality of the Limpopo province. Mining is increasing, both for export and for local power production, and industry in the region is expected to expand. This may have significant impact on the dry and fragile Limpopo basin ecosystems.

Mmamashia Water treatment plant and reservoir in Gaborone, Botswana

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References

Citations

  1. Burgess.
  2. Aqua Tech Groundwater Consultants 1992, p. 2-61.
  3. CIC MDA, p. 4.
  4. Aqua Tech Groundwater Consultants 1992, p. 2-35.
  5. Spinage 2012, p. 219.
  6. Bevanger 1994, p. 8.
  7. CIC Energy 2010.

Sources