26 Mar 2019

Old water pipes contribute significantly  to water shortage due to leakages, Assistant Minister of Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services Mr Itumeleng Moipisi has said.

 Officiating at World Water Day commemorations in Maun recently, he said 45 per cent of water was lost through leakage and that the water deficit was about 3.4 per cent countrywide.

Mr Moipisi however assured his audience that government was addressing the Maun water situation by replacing some old pipes with new ones.

He noted that the Maun Water Supply and Sanitation Phase II project had been allocated P400 million to replace old pipes as well as to increase the number of boreholes.

The assistant minister said once completed, the project would imrove the Maun water supply situation.

He said the Gumare water shortage supply situation which was attributed to the old treatment plant was being addressed by erecting new facility at  Sepopa.

The treatment plant tender, he said, had been allocated.

It would serve Gumare and nearby villages, he said. 

Mr Moipisi said it was about time Botswana embraced the use of treated waste water in households and for agricultural purposes.

He said currently, Botswana only benefited 10 per cent from wastewater noting that harvesting wastewater would help the country alleviate water shortages as well as help conserve underground water.

Mr Moipisi also urged Batswana to desist from polluting rivers since it made treatment of surface water for households costly.

He also called upon all Batswana to manage water wisely.

In his remarks, Councillor Morafemong Matsimanyane of Bodibeng/Bothatogo/Somelo implored the assistant minister to prioritise addressing the Maun water shortage situation.

Mr Matsimanyane said the North West District was identified as the second poorest, therefore, most people could not afford to buy water for consumption.

Batawa Regent Kgosi Kealetile Moremi said climate change had negative effects on the water situation as rivers were drying,.

He therefore urged all to pray for rain. ENDS