Water project causes headache for Mzwinila
Monkagedi Gaothobogwe | Friday August 16, 2019 15:31
While he is fully aware that his request means there is no funding for the emergency project, Mzwinila also knows quite well that there is no Plan B or C. Not out of the laziness to think; but the more he counts all the water projects’ options remaining in the development plans, the more each of them reads more of poor, expensive options in comparison to the budget proposal Parliament turned down recently.
Mzwinila demonstrated using many scenarios that there is no how the Khato Civils water project could be postponed or allowed to fail, as it would not only have dire consequences for 11 constituencies south of Dibete, it could also drastically affect economic activities in the economic hub of Botswana.
According to Mzwinila, besides the 100km Masama-Mmamashia emergency water project that had been scheduled to start this month and finish inside 12 months, delivering 65 million litres of water per day, and drastically improving water supply situation from Molepolole to Lobatse and to Borolong villages and Kanye, other available options are way too expensive.
They run into tens of billions of pula, yet would not alleviate the emergency water situation or the long-term dire water needs of the southern region, which is the economic hub of Botswana without adding the Masama-Mmamashia project.
Last week, Parliament rejected Finance and Economic Development Minister, Kenneth Matambo’s request to fund the emergency water project from alternative sources to the tune of P900 million. The debate over the matter degenerated into a smear campaign against the winning contractor, Khato Civils in what many perceive as a Cabinet tender wars in the lucrative water sector, now playing out in Parliament.
When addressing the public for the first time on the water situation since Parliament rejected his proposal, Mzwinila explained that even though there are currently two 100km Masama-Mmamashia projects, the other one being part of the North-South Water Carrier 2.2 (N-SWC 2.2), means it can only deliver water once the N-SWC 2.2 pipeline, which is currently at Palapye, has reached Masama area.
It has been budgeted at P1.8 billion, against Khato Civils’ P900 million budget for the same distance.
Other than the 100km Khato Civils project, Mzwinila says other options include the N-SWC 2.2 from Palapye to Gaborone, about 300km of works, running into billions, and which would complete in four years, but also not bringing enough water for the region. It would cost over P10 billion.
Mzwinila also said the other option they have is to draw water from the Chobe River in Kasane for over P20 billion, a project budgeted to be carried out in eight years, funds permitting.
He stated that they also have the option of ocean desalination project, which would see Botswana pumping ocean water from Namibia, also in eight years time, and funds permitting, while other alternatives include water reclamation from waste water sources and the Lesotho Highlands Water Transfer Scheme, 10 years from now, and estimated to cost over P20 billion.
The more Mzwinila enumerated his options, the clearer it became that nothing comes close to the number one option of Masama Wells to Mmamashia.
Bombarded by media questions, a stressed Mzwinila literally cupped his head in the hands and shouted, “La re ke reng? Ke reng? We had a plan, I’m sure even the next water Minister would repeat that this is the best plan we have!”
Mzwinila further warned that the years 2020 and 2021 have been projected to be harsh for the country with hydrological drought that is projected to adversely hit major water sources including major dams in the north of the country, further plunging the economic hub into a crisis.
He added that the greater Gaborone area is estimated to have a 35 million litres a day deficit in five years time, even with the N-SWC 2.2 projects both in full swing, and delivering 215 litres of water per day at their best. However, Mzwinila asserted that the deficit could be worse when variables such as new connections into the pipeline, new plots allocations, new industrial uses in southern Botswana, are taken into consideration.
He said the stated factors are clear evidence that the Masama 100km borehole project is a necessity and not luxury as viewed by critics. Further justifying the project, Mzwinila said it is critical to run a separate borehole line for the project to conserve the clean state of borehole water and not mix it with the dirty dam water coming on the north south water carrier pipe line.
At the time he addressed the press conference, Mzwinila had the support of the ruling party which made it known that the Masama 100km project was of critical importance for the economic hub of the country and called for a way forward to implement the project with the urgency it deserves. According to a Botswana Democratic Party statement, the water situation in the greater Gaborone area is pressing and that government cannot afford to fold arms while the opposition attempts to cash in on the situation so as to depict the ruling party as a failure.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on President Mokgweetsi Masisi as he meets Cabinet early next week, amongst others to settle the emergency water project matter, once and for all. There is hope that a Cabinet memo or Presidential Directive could still save the day for the water stressed greater Gaborone region.
Proponents of the Cabinet or Presidential solution say since Parliament has already released the funds, albeit for a different water project, a diversion of such funds would still have been lawful with a Cabinet memo, a practice which is common in government.