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Botswana: New WUC Facility to Ease Water Supply Blues
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
25 March 2008
Posted to the web 25 March 2008
Uyapo Kgosi
Francistown
It is anticipated that the new look multi-million Pula water supply infrastructures for the Greater Francistown will ease the water supply shortages that have plagued areas supplied from the Shashe dam.
"This will ensure water supply to the city and surrounding areas up to the year 2015," Minerals, Energy and Water Resources Minister Ponatshego Kedikilwe said.
He was officially commissioning the completed first phase of the Francistown Water Supply Master Plan Review Project at Shashe dam last Thursday.
"It is deliberate that World Water Week commemoration coincides with the commissioning of a strategic project intended to ensure the provision of safe and clean water," Minister Kedikilwe told a gathering of dignitaries from the Greater Francistown area and other stakeholders, at this glittering event organised by the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC).
He said the rate of growth of towns, villages and industry has stretched available resources to the limit, adding that the rate of growth called for the upgrading, extension and development of new infrastructures. Francistown, the oldest and second largest city, he said, has become a sprawling urban settlement because of the considerable expansion of commercial and mining activity, thus raising the demand for water in the area.
The approach of the government of Botswana, he said, is reflected in the recognition by the WUC to regularly review its ability, within its statutory areas of supply such as Francistown and the surrounding areas, to meet future requirements of water supply and distribution.
"It is against this backdrop that the project we are commissioning today was conceived, and it is one of water master plans embarked on to address the water supply situation in the country," he stated.
The project is aligned to the City of Francistown Development Plan (1997-2021), which is a component of the periodic National Development Plans; the Greater Francistown Development Plan; Tonota-Shashe Development Plan and the North East District Development Plan. These regions are being catered for in the upgraded water supply infrastructure under the Master Plan Review, the minister told the ecstatic gathering.
The minister further said that the water supply infrastructure development has been phased to defer investment and also to minimise the impact on tariffs.
"The first is the immediate works, which is being commissioned today, and there is a latter phase called the Later System Expansion. The immediate works programme will ensure water supply to the city and surrounding areas up to the year 2015. It started in January 2006, costing P176million. The project, among other things, includes the refurbishment and extension of the existing water treatment plants at Shashe, and the provision of sludge treatment plant.
The treatment capacity of 24,000 cubic metres/day has been increased to 48,000 cubic metres/day. A new clear water pump station that will pump the increased water produced at Shashe to a reservoir situated on a higher level in Gerald Estates has also been constructed.
WUC chief executive officer (CEO) Fred Maunge had earlier enlightened the audience on the project's background. He said the water supply infrastructure for the Greater Francistown area has been reviewed several times in the past, since WUC took over these operations in the 1970s.
The last Francistown review, he said, was carried out in 1987 and the resultant infrastructure commissioned in 1990. "The current review addressed, in particular, the changes required for the medium to long term proposals included in the 1987 reports which were brought about by changed circumstances. And the project went through the normal stages of pre-investment study, detailed design, tendering procurement of finance and the final stage of construction," he stated. The project funding was through loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB), Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), local banks and the corporation's own resources.
Maunge said that by the time the project started, the existing water supply infrastructure could hardly cope with the demand, hence severe water shortages were experienced in Francistown and the surrounding villages.
He said this happened though the dam was constantly full but they could not treat and pump enough water to meet the demand. The main players involved in the implementation of the project included Gibb Botswana, Group Five Botswana, WBHO, and Grinaker LTA Botswana. However, the minister lamented the extent at which the corporation's infrastructure is being vandalised.
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"Vandalism of corporation infrastructure remains a great concern with increasing prevalence in the theft of domestic water metres and cast iron manhole covers in all operational areas, presumably for their scrap value," he said. He said that the number of stolen metres amounted to 686 with a value of P166,000 since 2006 while 650 cast iron manholes valued at P910,000 vandalised, bringing the total cost of vandalism to P1,076,000.
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