17 Oct 2016

The Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso, says Maun is supplied with water from various water sources that include boreholes and conventional treatment plants.
Ms Tshireletso was responding to a question at Ntlo ya Dikgosi from Batawana Kgosi, Kgosi Kealetile Moremi.
While some areas can be supplied from either boreholes or plants and in some instances a combination of the two, she said there were some parts of the village which were supplied directly from boreholes.
“Where boreholes have reduced in yield it has resulted in a negative impact in some areas in Maun,” she said.
In April 2016, Assistant Minister said Water Utilities Corporation did attempt to resuscitate 13 boreholes through redevelopment and disinfection. These attempts, she said did not yield the desired results.
“Only one high yielding borehole at Kunyere was immediately put back to use while the remaining three are of acceptable quality and are awaiting electrification, as their casings had to be raised so as to be above the flood levels,” she added.
Following a demand by Department of Environmental Affairs that Botswana Power Corporation conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment, Ms Tshireletao said power supply to concerned boreholes located at Sexaxa Wellfield was halted. The EIA, she said, had since been approved and BPC had requested the contractor to move to site and start the project.
In the interim, Assistant Minister said Department of Water Affairs was intending to engage a contractor to conduct a camera survey following which they would engage a Test Pumping Contractor to validate the status and yields of some 22 un-equipped boreholes targeted for use during Maun Water Supply Rehabilitation Project.
Kgosi Moremi had asked why Maun had an acute water shortage despite the plan to service the boreholes that supplied the village with water before the designed Maun water plant.She also wanted to know how many boreholes were there and how many had been serviced. ENDS