Time to act on water safety
Mmegi Editor | Tuesday June 23, 2015 15:06
During a workshop in Francistown last week, officials from BoBS stated that out of the 23 districts, 14 are non-compliant with safe drinking water standards.
The capital city Gaborone has been counted among the unsafe water distributors. While we may react in shock to BoBS revelations, this is not news. For years, Batswana have been crying foul about taps producing dirty looking water, and with some reporting seeing burst pipes producing brownish water.
When the Embassy of the United States stated, a little under two years ago, that their experts had sampled water from some sections of the city, and found the water unhealthy for human consumption, the Botswana government responded with guns blazing. The minister of Minerals, Energy, and Water Resources Kitso Mokaila went on State television accusing the American government of trying to cast doubt on the administration’s ability to provide for its citizens. The minister vehemently denied any wrongdoing and assured the nation that the water was safe for consumption. Even officials from the troubled Water Utilities Corporation joined the chorus and stated that the water is regularly checked for safety before it is distributed.
The minister’s reaction was understandable as the revelations were made at the time when tempers were flaring, with the tense 2014 elections just around the corner. We hope that this time around, the two parties – the ministry and WUC – will not accuse the messenger of ‘treason’ and engage BoBS to find out why the water is not up to acceptable standard. What needs to be done as a matter of urgency to rectify the problem; and how the two can start working together in the future.
We should also commend BoBS for taking a bold position to caution the nation on the low standard of clean water safety and urge other oversight institutions to do the same in their fields. It is in the best interest of this nation that institutions that were established to public safety speak when they are confronted with situations like this one.
We also call on legislators to establish more regulatory institutions whose mandate will be to guard against any unfair deal on the unsuspecting members of the public. These will complement the institutions we already have, such as the Competition Authority, Non Banking Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority, Gambling Authority, Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes, and Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority amongst others. We hope the above-mentioned institutions take a leaf from BoBS and share information with the public without fear or favour.
Today’s thought
“The 21st Century has begun as an era of uncertainty, with a heightened focus on security and public safety.”
-Gavin Newsom