Water-stricken BMC fights for survival in Maun
Boniface Keakabetse | Wednesday January 20, 2016 15:23
The river’s demise, which has also affected the village and the area’s tourism industry, has ground regular operations to a halt at the abattoir, a traditional lifeline for hundreds of cattle farmers in the region.
Yesterday, plant manager, Oabona Ramotshwara said the abattoir needs 450 cubic metres of water daily for regular operations, but was currently only receiving an average of 250.
He said the Water Utilities Corporation has promised to supply the abattoir with 150 cubic metres of water, while bowser trucks will bring in another 100 cubic metres daily.
The plant will still have a deficit of 200 cubic metres, hence the reduction of slaughter days.
“We started facing a serious shortage on Monday last week after the drying of the river at the Old Bridge where we were pumping water to the abattoir,” he said.
“Due to the shortage, we have been forced to operate under capacity and will only be slaughtering cattle three days a week.
“This is to allow us time to search around for alternative supplies.”
Ramotshwara said contrary to media reports, they had not closed down the plant, but had merely suspended operations to come up with ways of containing the situation. “We have a long term water scheme, which involves sinking a borehole to provide us with water whenever the river dries up,” he said.
The Maun abattoir was recently upgraded to be able to slaughter 120 cattle daily from 100. However, since being reopened from a long closure caused by the 1995 lung disease outbreak in Ngamiland, the abattoir has continued to face a mountain of challenges.
Chief among these has been the continued resurgence of Foot and Mouth Disease, which affects production as well as uncertain portable water and power provisions. This is despite the fact that the facility is key to the much-needed restocking of the district’s cattle population.