15 Oct 2018

It is every individual’s responsibility to reduce plastic waste in their daily lives as it pollutes water sources.

Speaking during the Bokaa Dam Clean-up Campaign, which was part of the 2018 Ocean Clean-up Campaign in Bokaa recently, European Union Ambassador to Botswana, Mr Jan Sadek said working together as a team  in keeping the dam clean and watching over the activities taking place in the area could give Bokaa much needed results.

He said the campaign came at the right time as government had joined hands with the public in maintaining a clean environment by introducing the plastic ban starting next month.

Mr Sadek commended the country for taking a bold step of banning plastic use and encouraged participants to maintain a healthier and more sustainable environment.

Behavioural change starts with one self before the community could adapt it, hence the need for residents to let go of their habits of disposing waste and adopting new ways that do not pose harm to the environment, he added.

Ambassador Sadek said the harm caused by the plastic bags could cause damage to both animals and people.

“It takes hundreds of years for them to degrade and when they do, they get disintegrated into tiny pieces, unwelcome and dangerous guests in our food chain,” he said.

He said facts and figures had shown that around 95 per cent of the marine litter end up at the bottom of oceans, causing damage to the sea bed, flora and fauna.

“Only five per cent is washed ashore. This means that when cleaning a shore, we only see the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

He thanked Water Utilities Corporation and other stakeholders for partaking in creating a cleaner environment and keeping water sources clean.

In addition, he encouraged Bokaa residents to continue with the campaign in their community for their benefit.

“I would like to see our joint endeavours here at Bokaa Dam as a starting point for our efforts of creating a greener and cleaner environment, while at the same time supporting the people of Bokaa. 

We hope that this initiative will spread to other parts of  Botswana, to clean up other dams and rivers,” he noted.

He commended the government for ensuring water security for its people as it had over the years spent large amounts of money in building dams around the country.

Ambassador Sadek said the revamping of the North-South Water Carrier Pipeline and the upcoming second pipeline of the North-South Water Project were all testimonies to this.

“The Bokaa Dam is another example, and we are pleased that the EU, through the European Investment Bank played a role in its establishment in 1994 to increase water supply to the Greater Gaborone. 

And, I am equally impressed that you, Bokaa residents agreed to give up your land for this dam.”

Meanwhile, WUC head of human resources, Mr Macheng Macheng encouraged the Bokaa community and Batswana at large to individually and collectively ensure zero pollution incidents at  Bokaa Dam and its surrounding areas.

He said people should bear in mind that ‘the dam is their source of drinking water and they have to make sure it is kept clean all times.’

The dam, together with Letsibogo, Nnywane, Gaborone and Dikgatlhong dams are sources of drinking water for Gaborone and greater Gaborone communities.

Mr Macheng said despite the treatment done on the dams, it was critical to prevent pollution because the complexity and cost of treating raw water increased with the number of impurities to be removed.

He said Bokaa clean-up campaign aimed at reducing plastic waste within the dam and its environment.

Mr Macheng said the growing spate of litter around dams, caused by leisure activities and some illicit dumping of waste was a cause for concern.

He said it was up to Bokaa residents and the nation at large to take personal responsibility to keep the dams clean, safe and beautiful.

Kgosi Sue Mosinyi of Bokaa thanked the EU community and WUC for choosing their village and helping the community clean up the water.

He encouraged all stakeholders to continue with the good work of cleaning up the dam.

Councillor for Bokaa, Mr Ellias Nthokgo thanked participants, adding that the campaign came at the right time as the country faced diarrhoea, which can be caused by contaminated water. ENDS