WUC steps up water supply projects

Kabelo Adamson
REINFORCING GABORONE WATER CARRIER: North-South Carrier

Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) Chief Executive Officer, Gasennelwe Senai, says there are currently three projects in Gaborone undertaken to transfer water from the North-South Carrier to reinforce the Gaborone Water Master Plan.

Speaking to the media last week, Senai said this puts the capital city in a position to completely deal with the water deficit of 30 percent which Gaborone has been contending with.

“This will also put the Gaborone dam in a position to transfer water to downstream demands like Lobatse, Kanye and Goodhope. There are three projects, there is one running on the east from Mmamashia to Gaborone dam,” revealed Senai, adding that the project is also capable of operating in reverse.

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He said this is in the event dams in the north dry out, WUC would be able to supply Gaborone through Mmamashia with Gaborone Dam in use.

“There is another project that we are implementing connecting Mmamashia from Oodi reservoir right at the connection point near Oodi junction to supply Gaborone North, Sebele and the SEZA area at the airport,” revealed Senai.

The third project that WUC implements runs on the western side of the city which will supply water to the reservoir currently being built at Forest Hill.

“This will reinforce water to the western side of the Gaborone dam as well as to enhance supply to Lobatse and you might have noted that there was another water project called Lobatse Water Master Plan,” Senai said.

Senai further revealed that WUC has recently awarded another project called Goodhope Phase Two which is intended to supply water to 32 villages in the Goodhope cluster.

“Recently we have completed another strategic project funded by the World Bank loan in North East covering five constituencies and 52 villages, supplying all the villages from Ntimbale Dam,” he said.

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According to Senai, the intention under National Development Plan 11 (NDP11) going forward is that the entire eastern corridor of the country should be supplied from the North-South carrier.

“In terms of our operating philosophy, we endeavor to supply our demand from dams as much as we can and for as long as dams can carry capacity to supply such demand,” stated Senai.

He said the ground water would be preserved for augmentation of surface water as ground water doesn’t recharge as much as surface water.

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