Gaborone Dam drops to 7%
Mpho Mokwape | Thursday October 16, 2014 16:06
However, last week the water level stood at 7.4 percent meaning that in a space of a week it has dropped drastically by 0.4 percent likely due to the high rate of evaporation.
The dam is also reported to be pumping less water per day than what is normally expected resulting in water rationing. The Minister of Minerals Energy and Water Resources, Kitso Moikaila during a press briefing on the water supply situation yesterday said the unsatisfactory situation of the dam was exacerbated by the excessive monthly drop in water levels due to a combination of factors such as overdraft from dams and high evaporation rates. “The monthly drop in water levels, two thirds is mainly due to evaporation which under normal circumstances warrants abstraction from the dams at rates in excess of the safe yields,” he said.
Mokaila said despite the dam failing there were other alternatives put in place to make sure that there is a continuous supply of water for Gaborone and its greater areas.
He added that the south region would continue receiving water from the North Side Carrier while other measures like drilling boreholes in other areas like Ramotswa are still in motion.
However, Mokaila explained that the fate of water supply for the region would be dependent on the strength of the North Side Carrier adding that the greater Gaborone area has a daily peak demand of 145 million liters per day from a population of 522,906.
“We have measures put in place for the continuous supply of water but as of now the fate of water taps not running dry will depend only if there are no failures on the North Side Carrier,” he said. Mokaila added that they are in the process of building another pump station that after its completion would make sure that it produces 60 million to 90 million liters of water per day.