14 Jan 2016

Business came to a halt this week at Botswana Meat Commission Maun abattoir because of severe water shortage.

The abattoir sources water from the Thamalakane River which is drying up hence water shortage.

The plant manager, Mr Oabona Ramotshwara said they started slaughtering cattle on Monday, but stopped on Tuesday because of water shortage.

 He said their water plant could not purify the muddy water from the river because of declining water levels.

He said their aim was to slaughter 600 cattle a week but only managed to slaughter 86 while 126 cattle were still quarantined. The Maun abattoir has the capacity to slaughter 120 cattle per day.

Mr Ramotshwara said were made to engage other organisations such as Water Utilities Corporation to assist by  bowsing water, but that the corporation could not help because the water needed was just too much.

He said the situation has forced the abattoir to stop taking more cattle for slaughter until they secure the needed water. He added that they were working round the clock to secure sufficient water bowsers.

The plant manager said in the meantime, they have requested the farmers to return their cattle to their respective areas.

However, he noted that the farmers were not happy with the situation and wanted BMC to take all the responsibility of their expenses as they had engaged transporters. 

He said the abattoir has already incurred loses too and hoped the farmers could appreciate the crisis they face.

However, the disgruntled farmers expressed disappointment with the decision by the abattoir. They argued that they had engaged truck owners with the hope that they would pay them after selling their cattle.

They also argued that BMC requested farmers to bring cattle while it was not ready for slaughter. They said the manager could have prepared for the situation as the district has experienced high temperatures which evaporated surface water sources.

Some farmers noted that their cattle had spent over four days in the crutch without water and food, and insisted that the abattoir should assist with transport fees to return the cattle.

The concerned farmers selected a delegation to seek the district commissioner’s intervention on the matter. The leader of the delegation, Mr Mogomotsi Motlapele said they were shocked to learn that the plant could not take the cattle because of shortage of water. Ends