08 Dec 2020

 Southern District Council chairperson Mr Thamiso Chabalala has appealed to residents to use water sparingly since the district was still faced with shortage emanating from inadequate groundwater sources and infrastructure.

Addressing a full council meeting on Monday, he noted that even though plans were underway to address water supply in the district, shortage had resulted in water rationing in greater Gaborone area.

“The water corporation continues to be faced with challenges of providing sustainable water to communities in the Southern District as it has been in the previous quarters mainly because of our ailing groundwater sources and inadequate infrastructure which supplies greater Gaborone zone. We therefore take this opportunity to encourage our customers to be prudent in water usage through conservation and demand management. The greater Gaborone has water supply shortages and has to be rationed between supply zones,” he said.

To further address the shortage, the chairperson noted that Water Utilities Corporation was undertaking the Masama 100km pipeline project to augment existing water supply. The project, scheduled to be completed in May next year, is expected to generate an additional 60 000 cubic metres daily from the well field.

Additionally, Mr Chabalala noted that the Lobatse and Mogojogojo pipeline project, which was currently 20 per cent complete, would improve water supply from Lobatse Hillside reservoir to Crescent pump station which in turn feeds Molapowabojang and Good Hope areas.

The project commenced in January this year, and would complete by March next year.

He said other interventions to address water shortage were underway across the district, noting Debswana had funded Mahotshwane project to the tune of P3 million for construction of a collector tank at the borehole, design and construction of a transmission pipeline as well as associated works.

He said the project would reduce the bowsing distance from 70 km to 22 km for the village. He also noted that construction works for Itholoke Water Supply Scheme was expected to commence before end of March next year.

“This project, administered by Department of Water Sanitation, entails procurement of works for cleaning, fishing, construction, development and test pumping of two production boreholes, BH10292 and BH281, connection of Itholoke water supply scheme and equipping of the two boreholes. Ends