WUC Breaks The Bank for COVID-19 Pay

Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Monday August 24, 2020 12:53

 

WUC Breaks The Bank for COVID-19 Pay

Moreover, WUC has also been funding other operational costs related to bowsing water to various parts of the country.

Senai revealed this in an interview following the commissioning of the Shashe Mooke village booster pump station on Friday. The booster pump will help address water challenges in the area.

He told The Monitor that since the outbreak of COVID-19 the Corporation’s employees have been working on a 24-hour basis so that they could supply areas that have been hit hard by water shortage on a constant basis. WUC supplies the aforementioned villages using bowsing trucks.

Water bowsing is meant to augment lack of proper water supply infrastructure in respective villages. Following the outbreak of COVID-19 the Corporation resolved to increase supply of water to villages that did not have enough water supply as part of efforts to help curb the spread of COVID-19.  “In the past five years we bought 20 bowsers. Since the COVID-19 outbreak all expenses relating to our bowsing activities have gone up to around P30 million per month.  We were using 60 bowsers before COVID-19, now they are close to 100 with loaned ones,” he said.  Senai added that although he did not have readily available figures the amount is significant compared to what the Corporation spent pre-COVID-19 era. 

He further said currently WUC supply water to over 440 villages and towns across the country of which 100 villages are supplied using bowsing trucks.

“In some of the villages we travel long distances to supply water using bowsers. For instance in villages like Hukuntsi we travel for about 100km from Kang on a daily basis in order to offer water bowsing services. This leads to a rise in operating costs,” he added.

Senai also stated that currently they have borrowed 40 water bowsers from government institutions such as the Central Transport Organisation, local councils and Botswana Defence Force, so that they can provide water services to villages affected by the shortage of water.