Govt raises awareness for increased water cooperation

SHINGIRAI MADONDO
Correspondent | Tuesday March 26, 2013 00:00

Minerals, Energy and Water Resources Minister Kitso Mokaila revealed this in his guest speech during the World Water Day commemorations held on Friday morning at Letlhakane village in the Boteti Sub-District under the theme: 'Water cooperation, building partnerships'.Mokaila urged the nation to build momentum and advocate for the sustainable management of this much-needed resource with a special focus on water cooperation, its benefits and the challenges associated with it.

'We should throughout this year highlight the history of successful water cooperation initiatives at the same time identifying emerging and burning issues,' said the minister. He further said the concepts of cooperation and partnerships are not new in the context of development, resource planning and the management of resources in Botswana.'The culture of Batswana has always been driven by cooperation and partnership,' he said.

According to Mokaila, Batswana depend on the limited and vulnerable water resource for sustaining life and wellbeing saying the interdependence is growing every day. 'Building partnerships will advance future cooperation and help find commonly agreed and supported solutions to our water challenges,' he said.During the planning of the National Development Plan (NDP) 10 Mokaila said the government introduced the concept of thematic working groups to ensure proactive involvement of all stakeholders together with the water sector for effective programme implementation. The thematic working groups have been tasked with aligning sector specific development strategies and policies with evolving national priorities.

In this regard, Mokaila said water has been identified as a priority area as it cuts across all sectors of life. The minister further said water cooperation is important at different levels; local, regional and globally. To him, water is an instrument of peace, bringing people and institutions together instead of driving them apart. In acknowledging that there is need for a multi-level and inclusive approach for water cooperation, Mokaila said his ministry recently completed the Botswana Integrated Water Resources Management/Water Efficiency (IWRM/WE) plan in partnership with the United Nations Development Plan (UNDP) and other stakeholders.