Parley Approves Maun Potable Water Estimates
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday July 29, 2019 13:23
The village is currently facing serious potable water shortage and inadequate sanitation network coverage.
The Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services says it has approved the implementation of Maun water supply and sanitation phase II project.
“The objective of the project is to meet the potable water supply of Maun village and villages within the 30km radius of Maun as well as meeting the waste water collection demands to allow for re-use and recycling of waste water,” approved estimates expenditure 2019-2020 states.
“The horizon of the project is 2038, hence all infrastructure development to be implemented in the Maun phase II project will meet demands to year 2038. Therefore, the project requires an additional P1,100,000,000.00 to augment its approved Total Estimated Cost (TEC).”
The document says there is an additional P900, 000,000 needed for the implementation of the Lobatse water supply master plan project.
The project is aimed at upgrading the current water scheme to augment the increased water demand from the current average annual potable water demand of 8,429,699m3/annum.
It says the project comprises mostly the villages along the Gaborone to Lobatse corridor and extends as far south as Sekhutlhane village.
“In light of the above, water supply and sanitation networks TEC need to be increased by P2 billion from P4, 960,600,000 to P6, 960,600,000,” it says.
Still on estimate expenditure, following the presidential directive, the National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA) -now renamed National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA)-is being transferred to the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration.
Therefore, TEC for the programme was decreased by P499, 557,415 from P720, 000,000 to P220, 442,585.
On the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism, it is reported that poaching and illegal trafficking of wildlife is on the rise continentally.
“This has ramification on tourism, which is largely dependent upon wildlife in Botswana. Efforts are underway to curb poaching and trafficking of wildlife. The past three years have witnessed elephants moving further south reaching districts of Southern, Central, Ghanzi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, and Kgalagadi,” it says.
“Therefore, for promotion of co-existence and effective wildlife management there is need for resources, especially provision of drinking water. Resources are also required to strengthen the department for tracking of these wild animals and improved management practices. As such, the TEC of the wildlife species management project needs to be increased by P110, 957,992 from P381,352,224 to P492,310,216.”