17 Sep 2019

 The Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila says the dire situation of water scarcity in Botswana is due to the effects of climate change.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Mopipi recently, Mr Mzwinila said collection of water records began around the 1940s, but Botswana had never experienced such a low water level.

Botswana, Namibia and Angola, he said, had entered into an agreement called Okavango Commission (OKACOM) aimed at ensuring efficient use of water among the three countries.

Mr Mzwinila stated that the drying of Okavango River did not mean there had been misuse of water in either one of the three countries.

The minister said it was crucial to ensure that the little amount of water available was conserved; saying lack of water had severely affected farmers.

The Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security and his ministry, he said, would work together to equip more boreholes to reduce the impact of scarce water.

Government, he said, had taken a decision to erect a treatment plant in Mokobaxane to address high salinity of water in Mokobaxane, Kedia, Mopipi, Xhumo, Toromoja, Mmadikola and

Rakops through the Boteti southern water cluster project. Minister Mzwinila noted that it was government’s responsibility to ensure that water supplied to Batswana was of good quality and capacity.

Boteti southern water cluster project, which would be funded by World Bank, he said, would commence in March 2020 and would take a period of two and a half years. The project, he said, experienced delays as the initial design that was made did not conform to World Bank requirements and government was compelled to re-design.  

Mr Mzwinila said the project was also delayed by environmental and social impact assessment as there was an objection against the project.

The minister was responding to Kgosi Gowinnemang Matlhare of Mopipi, who had complained about the village’s saline water, dysfunctional water stand pipes and requested for an update on Boteti southern water cluster project. ENDS