the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

generated has increased and is beginning to negatively impact upon the Delta
environment. Firstly, the presence of litter detracts from the aesthetic value of the
Delta, making pristine environments look ugly. Secondly, the presence of litter in
campsites attracts scavengers such as baboons, monkeys and hyenas, which pose
a threat to tourists and their belongings. These animals can very quickly become a
problem in tourist areas, and often have to be shot as 'problem animals'.
The overcrowding of public campsites in the Okavango Delta, particularly in the
Moremi Game Reserve, leads to problems with the sanitation systems in the camps.
During peak tourist season, the number of people staying in public DWNP campsites
generally exceeds the design capabilities and carrying capacities of the ablution
blocks, leading to breakdowns in the waste disposal systems in the camps. This
generally results in raw sewage and other forms of waste water leaking into the
Delta. Furthermore, the proliferation of tourist camps and lodges in the Okavango
Delta, each with its own septic tank for wastewater collection, increases the potential
for groundwater pollution in the area. Findings indicate that there is a problem of
liquid waste management in most of the safari camps and lodges in the Okavango
Delta. Each unit or accommodation facility has its own septic tank which, in most
cases, is not constructed to sufficient environmental standards. In fact, in some
camps there are no septic tanks at all, only 'pit latrines' and other holes in the
ground for liquid waste disposal from toilets, showers and kitchens. Many of the
septic tanks do not have sufficient soakaways and hence fill up quickly. Additionally,
as many camps and lodges in the Delta are isolated it is more difficult for these
tanks to be emptied regularly, and therefore they often overflow, polluting their
immediate surroundings and groundwater in the area, and posing health risks to
tourists and tourism employees. Ideally, there should be an arrangement between
the North West District Council and the various safari camps and lodges, where all
forms of waste from tourism facilities is collected by the council and disposed of in a
centralized waste sewage system in Maun (Mbaiwa, 2002).
Many tourist facilities in the Okavango Delta rely on borehole water to supply camp
needs, and moreover, discharge waste and sewage effluent into the ground water.
This situation creates the potential for the contamination of drinking water supplies.
The water table in the Okavango area is high and soils are sandy with a high
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