01 Jun 2022

Maun’s water supply upgrade project will ensure the village and its environs have adequate supply beyond 20 years, Minister of Lands and Water Affairs Dr Kefentse Mzwinila said Tuesday during a tour of the project.

He said the project entailed pumping water from ground sources and surface water from rivers.

Dr Mzwinila said research had shown that Maun and the periphery required 15 million litres of water a day and the new project would provide 17 million litres a day, resulting in a two million-litre surplus.

He said the excess water would come in handy in the future, as Maun’s population grew and developments took place.

The water supply project, he said, was part of a four-part project.  Project one project included water distribution and sanitation network; water source and treatment storage, in project two; waste water treatment in project three and finally water sources and bulk supply to satellite villages. This would require P4.5 billion, he said.

Dr Mzwinila explained that when research was done for the project during the 2011 population censors projections were made for a further 20 years.

“As the economy grows, water supply also needs to be expanded because as time goes by, population expands and industries also experience growth,’’ he said

He acknowledged that developments of such magnitude affected people’s lives because they were planned to pass through residential areas.

Resultantly, government  had to seek permission for people to be relocated elsewhere.

The project engineer from DNK/Haas- JV, Mr Davis Nkala said the project covered Maun and villages within a 30-kilometre radius namely Komana, Nxaraga, Sexaxa, Matsaudi and Shorobe.

He stated that contract two, which was toured on Tuesday consisted of six boreholes in Kunyere North, six in Kunyere South and 18 in Shashe, Gogomoga and Tsutsubega expected to be completed February next year.

Mr Nkala said the contractor was expediting construction of platforms at the Kunyere River borehole in Nxaraga.

He explained this was necessary because the borehole was positioned on the river and they needed to finish the job before it started flooding.

MP for Maun West, Mr Dumelang Saleshando said Maun and its neighbouring villages faced water supply challenges due to lack of dams,  hence its reliance on inflow from the river.

He said that with the new water supply project, villages would have ample supply once the project was complete.

Mr Saleshando said that land issues were among key ones that delayed progress of the project, forcing revision of layouts. ends