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14-539: The Letsibogo Dam is a dam on the Motloutse River in Botswana , built to initially provide water to the industrial town of Selebi-Phikwe and surrounding areas, with the potential for use in irrigation. The dam now supplies Gaborone , the capital of the country, via a 400 kilometres (250 mi) pipeline, as well as major villages along the pipeline route. The dam is located near the village of Mmadinare . The climate

28-588: A town in the Central District of Botswana about 240 km (150 mi) west of the city of Francistown . Orapa ("resting place for lions") is owned by Debswana , a partnership between the De Beers company and the government of Botswana. The mine was discovered on 1 March 1967, a year after Botswana's independence, by a team of De Beers geologists, including Manfred Marx, Jim Gibson and led by Dr. Gavin Lamont. It

42-612: A warp in the Earth's crust stretching from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe to the south of Botswana. He speculated that before the warp formed, the Motoutse river could have risen much farther to the west. Eventually, he found the huge Orapa kimberlite . Citations Sources Orapa diamond mine The Orapa diamond mine is the world's largest diamond mine by area. The mine is located in Orapa ,

56-505: Is the oldest of four mines operated by the company, and began operations in July 1971 and its first production was 1,438,168 carats (287,633.6 g). The revenue the mine generated is credited for transforming the Botswana economy, as it allowed the government to invest in critical social services and national infrastructure. Orapa is an open pit style of mine and is the largest diamond mine in

70-458: Is tropical and semi-arid, with 90% of rainfall during the period from November to March. Mean annual precipitation is about 450 millimetres (18 in) in the catchment area above the dam. It is very variable, with rainfall less than 40% of the average expected in one year in seven. In August 2012 the dam was only one-third full, prompting concerns that there could soon be water shortages in the areas of Palapye , Mahalapye and Gaborone. Some blamed

84-566: The Limpopo River into the Motloutse River during floods. The Letsibogo dam was expected to support a permanent fish population similar to that of the Shashe Dam . Mean annual precipitation is 430 millimetres (17 in), while mean annual potential evapotranspiration is 2,000 millimetres (79 in). Due to this difference, the river is an ephemeral sand river with surface flow only during

98-520: The dam, include roads, sewage and drinking water, and to create the first artificial beach in Botswana on the northern part of Letsibogo dam. The local government was planning to build a 5-star eco-lodge and a game reserve. Citations Sources Motloutse River The Letsibogo Dam on the Motloutse has been built to serve the industrial town of Selebi-Phikwe and surrounding local areas, with potential for use in irrigation. A field survey of

112-645: The mine is about 0.87 carats (0.174 g) per tonne. The mine was expanded in 1999, doubling its previous capacity. The processing plant at Orapa processes the ore produced at Orapa and Damtshaa diamond mines . Orapa and its sister mine Letlhakane employ over 3,100. Debswana also maintains a 100-bed hospital , pre-primary and primary schools for employees' children, and the Orapa game park . The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, and places some importance on water conservation and waste management . The preserved Cretaceous ( Turonian ~94-90 million years old) lake sediments overlying

126-531: The north of the river, causing the first small gold rush in Africa. The first authenticated diamonds to be found in Botswana were three small stones discovered in 1959 by the Central African Selection Trust in gravels in the Motloutse River near Foley Siding . The team that found the diamonds examined the river up to its headwaters, but found no likely source. In 2004, geologist Leon Daniels identified

140-416: The northeast of Botswana to the southeast. It is linked to Gaborone by a 400 kilometres (250 mi) pipeline. The initial North South Carrier Scheme cost about US$ 350 million, and came into operation in 2000. Although primarily designed for water storage, the dam is being promoted for tourists as a place for water sports and fishing. In 2011 the government announced plans to upgrade the infrastructure round

154-730: The problem in part to slow repair of leaking pipelines. The dam was designed for the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources by Arup , who also supervised construction of the water storage embankment and central clay-core dam. It has storage capacity of 100,000,000 cubic metres (3.5 × 10 cu ft). It is operated by the Water Utilities Corporation . The dam is part of the North-South Carrier Water Project , which includes other dams, water transmission systems and water treatment works, bringing water from

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168-415: The rainy season. Rainfall is also highly variable, with below 40% of the average annual rains expected one year in seven. Mean annual runoff is 111,000,000 cubic metres (3.9 × 10  cu ft). Gold mining along the Motloutse and Limpopo rivers started around 1200 CE, about the time that Great Zimbabwe rose to become a regional power. was found in 1860 in the old workings near Francistown , to

182-535: The region in January 1989, before the dam was built, recorded 120 species of birds, mostly small insectivores. A relatively large number of water birds were found due to the presence of permanent pools on the Motloutse river downstream from its confluence with the Letlhakane river . The species of bird were generally typical for the region. Before the dam was built, five or more pioneer fish species would migrate upstream from

196-577: The world by area. The mine is located on two kimberlite pipes that converge near the surface, covering 1.18 km (0.46 sq mi). Orapa operates seven days per week, and produces 20 million tonnes (20,000,000 long tons; 22,000,000 short tons) of ore and an additional 40 million tonnes (39,000,000 long tons; 44,000,000 short tons) of waste rock per year. Currently, the Orapa mine annually produces approximately 10.8 million carats (2,160 kg) of diamonds. The recoverable ore grade at

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