Residents of Molapowabojang have called on the government to come up with an elaborate water management plan that will help ease water shortage experienced in the southern part of the country due to frequent North/South water carrier pipe breakages.

They said this during a kgotla meeting addressed by Area MP, Dr Alfred Madigele that alternative water sources for both potable and non-potable water needs to be sought.

One of the residents, Clement Mmope said the use of untreated groundwater for industrial purposes needs to be undertaken by the government.

“This will come as a great relief to communities, especially during dry spells,” he said, calling on Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) to consider equipping one of the nearby boreholes, which he said boasts better yields.

In response Water Utilities Corporation official, James Moyo said the water situation around greater Gaborone has not changed.

He however said the corporation has managed to fix a problem area that has been the primary cause of frequent breakages on the North/South Carrier and expressed optimism that the problem has finally been solved.

Keeping storage tanks

High consumers of water in and around Lobatse among them Botswana Meat Commission, Athlone Hospital, S’brana Mental Institution, Good Hope Senior Secondary School and Nthwalang Junior Secondary School, he said, were the reason Molapowabojang experiences water shortage.

Moyo urged institutions such as clinics and schools to keep storage tanks, which he said would prove handy every time pipes dry up.

He also told residents that the water from the borehole referred to by Mmope has a high concentration of manganese and was therefore not safe for drinking.

“Let me also advice against the equipping of such boreholes, lest people get tempted to consume the contaminated water,” he said.

–BOPA