11 Mar 2013

The Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) will officially take over all potable water supply and sewage disposal services from the Department of Water Affairs in the North West region and the North West District Council (NEDC) with effect from April 1.

Speaking at a kgotla meeting in Shakawe on March 8,  WUC senior communications and public relations officer (north), Mr Mmoloki Ntesang said  WUC would operate in a slightly different way from the Department of Water Affairs and the council. 

Instead of people paying a nominal fee, buying their own water pipes and digging trenches for themselves as was the case, the WUC would charge P1 500 for connections that fall within a 50 metre distance from a major waterline. However, water connections that fell beyond the 50 metre mark, an extra P27 per metre would be charged.

He stressed that the corporation would buy water pipes to avoid unnecessary inconveniences of people buying low quality materials with a short lifespan.

Mr Ntesang explained that for those who had not yet been connected but had already paid at either the water affairs department or council, would be connected at the current connection charge once the corporation took over.

He cautioned that those who were lagging behind with their water bill payments would still be required to clear them. Mr Ntesang further indicated that public standpipes would continue to operate, albeit not for long, before the WUC installed prepaid metres.

People would then have to buy electronic tags at P40 each, to be used to operate the prepaid metres when they fetch water.

To buy one,  people would be required to bring along a certificate of plot ownership and their national identity card. He further explained that the corporation was yet to announce sewage disposal charges as the issue was still with the Ombudsman.

Mr Ntesang explained that the decision to transfer potable water and sewage disposal services from the department of water affairs and district councils in the country to the WUC was a recommendation made during review of the National Water Master Plan in 2006.

He said this was done to relieve the Department of Water Affairs and district councils of the burden of drilling boreholes, supplying villages with potable water, disposal of waste and sewage and constructing dams for use by the WUC.

Mr Ntesang explained that WUC’s initial mandate was the provision of potable water in towns and cities such as Gaborone, Francistown, and Selebi Phikwe.

He said the corporation did not drill boreholes but drew water from dams such as Shashe, Gaborone, and Nnywane. Nevertheless, he was confident that WUC would manage in its new mandate of providing portable water and disposal of sewage in the country. ENDS