23 Mar 2017

Batswana have been urged to tap into available water resources and reduce pressure on fresh water resources for its sustainability.

This was said by Assistant Minister of Land  Management, Water and Sanitation Services, Mr Itumeleng Moipisi during the commemoration of World Water Day in Mahalapye under the theme ‘Wastewater’ on March 21.

Mr Moipisi said there was need for a paradigm shift in water resources management, not only to prevent damage to the sensitive ecosystem and aquatic environment, but also to emphasise wastewater as a resource whose effective management was essential for future water security.

He said wastewater was an important option for additional sources in the country and therefore its good management would go a long way in contributing to sustainable development and even protecting water quality.

He said the wastewater had the potential to provide water and nutrients for use in agriculture, an opportunity Batswana could invest in.

However, he explained that wastewater treatment was problematic the world over as it resulted in wastewater or seepage being discharged into the environment with little or no form of treatment and thus spreading diseases to humans and damaging key ecosystems.

Mr Moipisi said the problem may be exacerbated by high urban population, lack of adequate wastewater management due to ageing, absent or inadequate sewerage infrastructure.

He noted that in Botswana it was perpetuated by sparsely populated settlements which on their own could not be provided with wastewater treatment plants.

He said as a way of addressing the challenges, the UN General Assembly formally adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a summit of heads of states in 2015.

He said the 17 goals were building up on the success of the MDG and advocated for among others, the treatment of wastewater streams before disposal.

Mr Moipisi said these goals recognised the importance of good wastewater management and its contribution to protecting water quality.

Government, he said developed a national water and wastewater policy which represented the first step in a continual process to ensure that water was properly positioned to meet the needs of the nation and its people, thereby promoting economic growth and improved livelihoods.

The assistant minister said it was through the policy that a national water conservation strategy was developed to improve on water use efficiency and achieve water resources management.

Further, he said currently wastewater constituted 16 per cent of the available water resources in the country and only 20 per cent of the available wastewater was being re-used in the agriculture sector.

Therefore, he said wastewater was an untapped resource that was available as additional water sources for Batswana. ENDS