Water restrictions stay, Masama West goes on
Mbongeni Mguni | Tuesday February 28, 2017 17:29
Gaborone Dam filled up and spilled over on Saturday sparking celebrations and highlighting its return to health, after it failed in December 2014. President Ian Khama has called for a National Day of Thanksgiving this Sunday at Gaborone Dam, to be attended by Cabinet ministers and religious leaders.
Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) spokesperson, Matida Mmipi told Mmegi that despite the Dam’s return to full health, water restrictions currently in place would be maintained.
The restrictions, originally introduced in November 2012, and tightened subsequently as the Dam dried up, prohibit watering of gardens, filling of swimming pools and other similar uses.
“Lifting the restrictions is a major decision and it is not automatic,” Mmipi said.
“Some of these restrictions are a way of life, in fact. Once the rains have ended and we have our final reading, then we will review, but this does not mean we will lift them.
“Rather, we will be charting the way forward. That bridge will be crossed when we reach it.”
Smarting from the harsh lessons learnt during the Dam’s failure, part of the factors to consider for the WUC will be the forecast for 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 rain seasons. While at its current levels, Gaborone Dam can supply the region for 31 months, some researchers are already forecasting a drier 2017-2018 season, which will put a strain on levels.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environmental Affairs has recommended that the 30 million litres per day Masama West wellfields project be allowed to proceed.
The project consists of drilling 25 boreholes and eight exploration boreholes over a 100 square kilometre area about 110 kilometres north of Gaborone.
When complete and fully functional, the project will supply Greater Gaborone with the 30 million litres a day, complementing the Masama East wellfields, which presently supply about 33 million litres.
Masama West is part of a slew of water projects fast-tracked by Government before and after the drying up of Gaborone Dam.
Originally budgeted to cost of P420 million, including construction of pipelines to the North-South Carrier, Masama is due to complete by October 2017, according to details provided by the parent ministry in last year’s Committee of Supply.
Other fast-tracked projects include the construction of Pump Station No.4 along the North-South Carrier, to increase the volume of water through the pipeline, cleaning up of nitrates at the Ramotswa boreholes and the P4 billion North-South Carrier 2.2 consisting of a steel pipeline from Dikgatlhong Dam to Gaborone, which is due by March 2020.