Let us all do our part

Mmegi Editor | Friday May 15, 2015 16:06

A lot has been said about the shortage of these two utilities and it is time for consumers to make their input through action, specifically conservation. 

For the individual this has become a juggling act.

The best methods to conserve water have been discussed in many fora.  Whether the messages from these fora are making an impact have also been discussed. A recent report by the Water Utilities Corporation has confirmed that there has been slight improvement in conservation.   The same, however, cannot be said for Botswana Power Corporation, which is struggling to maintain the Morupule B Power Station, let alone produce enough electricity to meet local demand.

With these challenges, consumers are once again required to step in and do their part in conserving water and electricity.  We can do more with a change of attitude towards usage of the two utilities.

It starts with an individual making sure that the lights in rooms that are not in use are switched off.  If every household were to switch off one or two light bulbs that are not needed, this would make more power available and reduce load-shedding.

The same can be said about the use of other appliances such as kettles, stoves, and air conditioners.  It is important that during these hard times, households use other alternatives to electric stoves and air-conditioning for heating purposes. Such alternatives include gas, braai stands or firewood to prepare meals that take longer to cook such as samp and beans.

It is also important for those with offices to ensure that leaking pipes are attended to, and air conditioners are switched off at all times when they are not needed.

The contribution of each and every individual in conserving water and electricity will take us somewhere, since the signs are obvious that without cooperation, we are headed towards doom.

We all know Botswana’s water resources are drying up. The situation is compounded by the power shortages. It is no consolation that the challenges with water and power supplies are prevalent in other African countries. 

It is still unbelievable that after playing such a huge role in the collapse of Botswana’s proposal for the construction of the 2400MW Mmamabula Power Station, South Africa is also experiencing power shortages.

For this very reason, it is also important for our authorities to prioritise in their projections in infrastructure development. 

We once again call on each and every person in every household to play a role in making sure we share these scarce resources and beat this winter with anticipation and hope that Gaborone Dam will fill up again and Morupule B will be resuscitated.

Today’s thought

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the

change that we seek”

-Barack Obama