| Shashe River | |
|---|---|
 Shashe River at Shashi Irrigation Scheme, Zimbabwe |
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| Origin | northwest of Francistown, Botswana |
| Mouth | Limpopo River |
| Basin countries | Botswana, Zimbabwe |
| Avg. discharge | 462 Mm3 [1] |
The Shashe River (alternative spelling Shashi River) is a major left-bank tributary of the Limpopo River in Zimbabwe.
It rises northwest of Francistown, Botswana and flows into the Limpopo River where Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa meet, site of the Shalimpo Transfrontier Conservation Area.
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Hydrology
The Shashe River is a highly ephemeral river, with flow generally restricted to a few days of the year. The river contributes 12.2 % of the mean annual runoff of the Limpopo Basin [1].
Major tributaries of the Shashe River include the Ramakwebana, Simukwe, Shashani and Thuli Rivers. The lower Shashe River is a sand filled channel, with extensive alluvial aquifers in the river channel and below the alluvial plains. These supply water for a number of irrigation schemes including Sibasa and Shashi.
More than two million years ago, the Upper Zambezi River used to flow south through what is now the Makgadikgadi Pan (presently a vast seasonal wetland) to the Shashe River and thence the Limpopo River.
Cities, towns and settlements along the river
The settlements cities below have are ordered from the source of the river to its terminus:
- City of Francistown
- Tuli village
- Shashi Irrigation Scheme
Bridges and Crossings
There is a road bridge and a rail bridge south of Francistown.
The lower Shashe River forms the international boundary between Botswana and Zimbabwe and is unbridged. However, at Tuli, both sides of the river are in Zimbabwe and there are two legal crossing points.
Development
The Shashe River is dammed near Francistown at Shashe Dam. This supplies water to Gaborone via the Botswana National Water Carrier.
See also
- Geological changes to the course of the Zambezi River
- Thuli River
- Mchabezi River
References
- A.H.M. Görgens and R.A. Boroto. 1997. River: flow balance anomalies, surprises and implications for integrated water resources management. In: Proceedings of the 8th South African National Hydrology Symposium, Pretoria, South Africa
Line notes
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