26 Feb 2019

Debswana Jwaneng Mine and its business partners have been commended for partnering with Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) to provide Machana residents with water.

The commendation was made by President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi at the commissioning of a P3.7 million water pump station and borehole in the village on February 25.

He said through the project, the stakeholders had made a huge investment that would have a positive impact on residents

Dr Masisi said the collaboration on the Machana Water Project was a good example of Public Private Partnership (PPP).

“Efforts such as these give us confidence that as a government we have employed and partnered with the right calibre of organisations whose interests are our interests,” he said.

The partnership, he said, was not only in line with the country’s Vision 2036 but was also aligned to the National Development Plan 11 and United Nations Social Development Goal, which call for availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Through the project, President Masisi said, the mine had complemented government’s efforts to uplift the socio-economic status of the people. 

He said the project would go a long way in changing the lives of Machana residents, who were in a dire situation of no access to water.

“Having access to potable water, as we all know, is fundamental to human life as water is itself a source of life,” he said.

To the residents, Dr Masisi urged them to conserve water and use it for its intended purpose and not for livestock. 

He noted that the low rainfall amounts  the country continued to experience had affected water supply and ultimately many aspects of human life.

Even though the water might currently be abundant in Machana, President Masisi warned that shortages might experienced in future..

“We are all aware that Botswana is predominantly a desert area and therefore frequently experiences low rains which negatively impact on our people’s ability to transform their lives through activities reliant on water availability, farming being top of the list,” he noted.

Nonetheless, Dr Masisi said Botswana had made strides in ensuring access to safe drinking piped water, improving from 87 per cent in 2003 to 95 per cent in 2009 which he said was a great achievement.

For his part, Debswana Jwaneng managing director  Mr Albert Milton said the project was a result of a partnership between government and private entities working together towards a common goal of uplifting their communities.

He said the project would address a long-time challenge for Machana residents who previously had to travel long distances to fetch water in neighbouring villages such as Sese.

Mr Milton noted that it would result in the reduction of water demand in neighbouring areas.

For his part, WUC chief executive officer Mr Mmetla Masire said they had been providing about 10 000 litres of water per week to Machana residents through bowsing since 2013.

The arrangement, he said,  was inadequate and they had to travel long distances to deliver..

He said the project would address these challenges as it was capable of supplying more water.

He urged the residents to take care of the facilities and use water sparingly since it was a scarce commodity. ends