13 Oct 2023

The long awaited North-South water Carrier (NSC) pipe line and related water infrastructure meant to deliver water to Molepolole and other villages in the periphery has come to completion.

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi made announced when addressing a kgotla meeting in Molepolole on Friday.

With the bulk of water supply project having been completed, President Masisi assured Bakwena, who had thronged Lewis Primary School grounds in large numbers that for the first time water from Letsibogo and Dikgatlhong had finally reached Kweneng and Molepolole in particular, to which the crowd reacted with a thunderous applause and ululations, indicating a sigh of relief.

“We are currently at a stage where we are flushing out the water infrastructure to ensure delivery of clean water to the locals,” the president said. The president went further to breakdown opportunities that  have been derived from the national water master plan projects, saying over 6 000 units of earth-moving machinery have been sourced from Batswana while more than 30 000 jobs were created.

This, he said was a clear demonstration of commitment and effort by government in empowering Batswana as value derived from the implementation of national water master plan. Further, he reiterated that the development of the pipeline necessitated the construction of Mmamashia water treatment plant, which is by far the biggest in SADC, with a capacity to treat approximately 200 million liters of water per day.

So far president Masisi said government has spent about P8.5 billion on water projects nationally. “Government prioritised water projects because water is essential for both development and human survival,” he said. The president indicated that the second phase will be to rehabilitate water distribution infrastructure, which will be a costly exercise. Therefore, he pleaded with residents of Molepolole to be patient while waiting for water to reach their homes. To buttress the President’s remarks on the water situation in Molepolole, Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila said the Gamononyane pump station, which will be distributing water to Molepolole, Kopong, Lentsweletau and Thebephatshwa is complete. He also confirmed that water from the NSC pipeline reached Molepolole in February this year. Currently, he said, the ministry is testing equipment and infrastructure such as pipelines, pump stations and reservoirs to ascertain their functionality. After testing, he said the next step will be to introduce chemicals into the system to flush out impurities such as rust caused by aging of pipes.

For that reason, he said water distribution will then be commissioned next month while network rehabilitation will immediately follow before the end of the year. He however cautioned Bakwena to expect massive water leakages due to the aged distribution network. The minister stated another development on the cards is the construction of a sanitation water treatment plant, which will convert wastewater to potable water. He said the project will cost P607 million. Remarking on land allocation back log, he said they are awaiting the completion of the layout in which about 2 830 plots are expected to be availed and issued to Molepolole residents by March next year.. On the other hand he said the land board is expected to buy land, which is anticipated to produce about 1 744 plots to be issued in the next financial year.

MP for Molepolole South, Mr Kabo Morwaeng also applauded the president and his government for delivering on their promises to the electorate. He made reference to developments such as the water and related infrastructure, kgotla offices, two new police stations on the cards, two primary schools and the newly completed museum at Ntsweng heritage site.

Earlier when welcoming him to his village, Kgosi Kgari Sechele III of Bakwena commended President Masisi, expressing gratitude for the latest developments on the water situation in Molepolole as it is now evident that the water crisis will be over soon. Ends