The supply of the current single functioning borehole in the village is inadequate to cover the entire community of a population of approximately 1,700, a situation that has left residents irate.
For almost two months now, residents of Moshaweng village have been struggling without a single drop of potable water from their domestic taps. To get answers on Thursday, villagers summoned water authorities and the Letlhakeng Sub-District Council chairperson Meshack Tshenyego to a kgotla meeting to shed light on the matter.
The Village Development Committee (VDC) chairperson Kagiso Basuthile told The Monitor about the acute water shortage the village faces, saying it jeopardises their health and negatively affects their daily lives as they have resorted to using unsafe water from the ponds to drink. Basuthile said if not the ponds, it would be the bathwater or the dishwater.
He said either way residents are risking their health as they fetch water from the ponds as an alternative to the acute water supply which poses a health risk to them because they also use the same water to cook and bath. He said the borehole that has been servicing the village for years is inadequate, a situation that calls for immediate attention.
“We have suffered enough due to the persistent water shortages. The situation is worse in Lesarwa, Tsie, Lekgethiso and Dikhuhang wards as their taps have been dry without a single drop of water as compared to other areas where there can be drops late at night. Water bowsers are also struggling to reach us because of the bad state of our gravel road,” Basuthile said.
He stated that they have long been promised that the water shortage situation would be permanently resolved but this has not happened. He said their concern is further worsened by the fact that their area Member of Parliament (MP) Liakat Kablay has not yet visited them to appreciate their struggle. “Water is a basic need and our MP should be concerned when we are faced with a situation like this. Through the VDC office, villagers have been pleading for help but Kablay is yet to come and appreciate the situation we are in.
There is noway residents can empower themselves neither by venturing into businesses nor attract investors with this situation,” he said. However, Basuthile said they are hopeful as during the Thursday kgotla meeting, the Water Utilities Corporation authorities revealed plans to do side drilling at one of the old abandoned boreholes in the village to open up supply.
Reached for comment, the area MP, said he is aware of the water situation in Moshaweng stating that efforts are in place to alleviate the crisis. Kablay said the village borehole is pumping but the water is not coming out, a situation that has left residents reeling in severe thirst. Kablay revealed that even water bowsers are unable to meet the demand amongst villagers faced with a similar situation in the Kweneng District. He further admitted to have not visited the village as yet due to his health condition. “It’s true I have not yet visited them because I have been held up. Following the closure of Parliament session, I had to undergo eye survey hence I could not visit them as had planned.
However, I share similar concerns as them as their leader. Scarcity of water remains a concern amongst most areas in Kweneng District, a situation that I have already presented before Parliament,” Kablay said.
