14 Sep 2016

The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Mr Kitso Mokaila, says inadequate budget frustrates their efforts to arrest the water crisis that has hit the country.

He told the North West full council meeting that his ministry was aware of the water situation across the country , adding that an assessment had been conducted and plans developed,  but budget constraints remained a challenge.

He admitted that Ngamiland District was affected by the water crisis despite being surrounded by water sources.

“Where there is water we should not be failing Batswana. Your district has plenty of water but we have to get funds to do what is expected and ensure communities drink quality portable water. I am equally concerned about the situation,” he added.

Mr Mokaila revealed that for Maun only, they needed P2 million to address the situation noting that most water plants were old while some had never operated optimally. He said in the Okavango Suv-district, most plants needed to be replaced with new ones because they were old.

However, the minister said government had promised to assist with funds to address emergency in hot spots noting that Maun had been included.

He appealed to  political leaders to encourage their communities to conserve the little drop they had, adding that Botswana has no water as all the dams depend on river basins somewhere else.

He said they should reduce water usage because if the owners of the river basins could stop assisting, the country would have a serious challenge.

Earlier on, the council chairman, Mr Reaboka Mbulawa informed the minister that the district was experiencing a severe shortage of water since Thamalakane River was drying up.

He said Okavango experienced the worst situation and wished the issue could be addressed soon.

Cllr Keobinetse Matenenga welcomed the idea to construct new plants noting that they would solve the current challenges.

He also complained about high bills while people were decrying water shortage.

Cllr Gaokgakala Letswee raised a concern about the pre-paid stand pipes which he said were not functional.

He also called the ministry to fence Semboyo plant which he said had turned into a lake because of the flow of water. ENDS