15 May 2020

Molapowabojang West councillor, Mr Alex Ramatshogwana says he is working with relevant authorities to come up with initiatives to ensure water reticulation in the village. Molapowabojang residents have complained of water shortage during the extreme social distancing period.

The pipe from Lobatse supplies villages such as Molapowabojang, Kgomokasitwa Lorwana, Digawana, Mogojogojo, Gathwane, Lejwana, GaMajaalela, Kgoro, Gopong, Good Hope, Bethele, Pitsane, Magoraapitse and Mmathethe

Mr Ramatshogwana said Water Utilities Corporation (WUC), which had embarked on a massive water disconnection exercise in Molapowabojang for those owing the corporation, was forced to re-connect them as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

He said they also augmented water supply through Jojo tanks and bowsers to mitigate the impact while waiting a longterm solution. He noted that the number of people in households had increased due to lockdown.

For her part, WUC corporate communications manager, Ms Beauty Mokoba said Molapowabojang pipeline was currently receiving water directly from the Lobatse reticulation network.She noted that the rate of development in Molapowabojang and surrounding villages was high and exceeded the capacity of water reticulation infrastructure.

She said WUC was aware of the situation, and that they had initiated a project to address the challenge and that of future growth and demands. Ms Mokoba said the project entailed the construction of a pipeline from Crescent Primary School pump station to Hillside reservoir, which collected water directly from the Gaborone/Lobatse water scheme.

She noted that drawing water directly from the Gaborone/Lobatse water scheme would build enough capacity to avail water to the Barolong Farms area, adding that the project was scheduled to be completed by November 2020 but may experience delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said there were interventions in place to address short, medium and long-term challenges of water shortage in the Barolong Farms area. She said the construction of the Mmathethe/Ramonnedi water scheme, which was expected to take six months from this month, was a short-term intervention that would alleviate water shortage in the Mmathethe area.

She said construction of the Masama/Mmamashia water scheme was a medium-term solution, adding that the Masama East and West well-fields had boreholes with high yield. She also said the construction of the North-South Carrier was a long-term solution. She noted that the Lobatse water master plan would augment water supply, adding that the Good Hope area had limited water sources. ENDS