A harsh reminder of reality

Monitor Editor | Monday September 14, 2015 16:17

Existing dams and normal to above normal rainfalls in the past guaranteed more than sufficient water resources throughout the year, making most of us forget that in reality water is a very scarce resource.

Recent climate patterns that have led to less and less drops of water into the neighbouring dams are both a reminder of how fortunate we have been in the past by trapping water for everyday use.

The ever expanding population of the greater Gaborone area, combined with the fact that the southern region has no giant rivers, as well as the unfavourable climatic conditions, call for a new mind-set as a matter of urgency.

We can no longer afford to let the water that we use everyday to go to waste like it was the case before. We urgently need new technology to recycle all our wastewateri This has to be investigated and rolled out. We need to investigate doing this now otherwise anymore delays may prove detrimental as by then all our water sources would have been depleted.

There are surely perfect examples around the world how conservation of the scarce resources can be harnessed without hampering day-to-day economic activities.This situation should also motivate our water experts to look harder and harder for aquifers similar to the underground giant bodies of water found in Kenya and Namibia. In 2012, Namibia, a desert like Botswana, announced the discovery of a water source in the middle of the desert which, it was announced, could last for 400 years.

In 2013 Kenya’s dry region of Turkana discovered a huge water source that could supply the whole of Kenya for 70 years. The sources were found using satellites and radar. In fact, in 2012 scientists released a map of Africa showing vast water reservoirs.

Interestingly, the northern part of Botswana was identified as one of the African regions with high aquifer production, along side Nambia, Angola, parts of Zambia and the DRC. The majority of Botswana was rated moderate.

Actually the map showed that Botswana has more underground water reservoirs than most parts of Southern Africa. The current harsh times should motivate us to investigate ways of harnessing this invaluable resource lest we perish.