WUC leaves Borolong dry, residents angry

GALE NGAKANE
Correspondent | Wednesday February 10, 2010 00:00

From Wednesday to Sunday, with only a trickle coming out of some taps in the village by Monday morning, there was no water in the village.  Residents ran helter-skelter from one communal tap to another looking for the precious liquid, in vain. Some residents resorted to going to the river to draw the brackish water, which they used for their laundry, and bathing. However, unconfirmed reports are that some residents even resorted to drinking the water. 'I would not be surprised if there is an epidemic in this village sooner or later. You can imagine the dirt in the river and some people having to resort to drinking the water because they were thirsty and had no other option,' alleged an incensed villager.

Equally irate was assistant council secretary at the newly established Tonota Sub District, Kwele Puso who summed up the whole situation: 'This is gross negligence on the part of the authorities that have been tasked with providing water to the people of this village.'

Borolong councillor, Jabulani Vuke, who juggled a family bereavement and the water situation called Mmegi on Monday morning to say pensioners who had come for their proceeds at the village kgotla nearly manhandled him demanding to know where the water was.

On Sunday morning Mmegi visited Vuke at his home in Borolong where his family was subsisting on water they drew from their boreholes at the cattle-post.

He had just arrived from Marapong where a close relative of his had passed away.  Vuke said: 'When Water Utilities Corporation took over the distribution of water in this village, we thought they were a well organised lot.

But we are now in this mess.' In the presence of Mmegi, Vuke attempted to call the Water Utilities Water Distribution superintendent, Ndimi Shana who is based in Tonota, but the phone rang unanswered.

'I only spoke to him on Wednesday when he promised they would try to correct the situation, but after that when I tried to contact him, he did not pick his phone,' said a frustrated Vuke.

Vuke, who revealed that he used up to P200 of his airtime, said he was left with no option but to go in person to the WUC offices in Francistown to demand an explanation. 'I do not know why people are playing with the lives of people in this village.

Imagine some people have resorted to drinking the water. Does this not present a serious health hazard?' he inquired rhetorically.

Mmegi managed to get hold of Shana Monday who remorsefully said Borolong people deserved to be angry at what happened. 

Shana said he only got to know there was a problem in the village on Friday- three days after the taps went dry- and that he dispatched some officials from Water Supplies to go and fix the problem.

I have been led to believe they were handling the problem,' said Shana, who added that he never went to the village to check for himself. 'I was in Tonota the whole weekend. I did not know what was happening until Friday. Borolong residents deserve to be angry because of what happened. I will call the Water Supplies people to find out what happened,' he said.

Borolong resident, elderly Goitsemang Nthwaanaga, who lives near the kgotla, said on Sunday, she never had water in her home since last Wednesday.

She said her family has been drawing water from the river for their laundry and bathing. She however denied they drank the water although she could not rule out going to that level if the situation continued the way it was for another day or two.

'My neighbour has a newly born baby. We had to beg for water for her as the baby was thirsty,' she said. Another resident, who would not disclose his identity, was on his way to work when Mmegi caught up with him.  He was holding a toiletry bag explaining that as there was no water in the home, he was going to bath at his workplace.

'I do not know how the others I left home are going to survive. There is only a little left for cooking. They have not bathed for the past two days,' he said regretfully.

Elizabeth Kgogodi said she would not be surprised to receive a huge water bill this month even though there has been such a terrible disruption of water supply at her home.

'They are going to make us pay for the mess they caused. Just wait and see,' she said. Mmegi managed to get hold of WUC public relations officer, Matilda Mmipi on Monday and she requested a questionnaire, which by Tuesday, she had not responded to. Repeated follow up telephone calls did not bear fruit as her cellphone rang unanswered.

Council authorities told Mmegi that the Central District Council (CDC) handed over distribution of water to WUC on February 1.  A puzzled Vuke said Sunday on that he had thought since WUC was such a well-organised entity, things were going to run smoothly from day one. 'But all we have here with us now is this mess,' he complained.