Africa-Press – Botswana. Government is investigating the authenticity of a video of a certain individual washing vegetables at a grey water pond, which was recently doing the rounds on social media platforms.
Minister of Agriculture, Mr Fidelis Molao told a press briefing on Thursday that his ministry, in conjunction with those of Health, Lands and Water Affairs as well as Environment and Tourism were already on hand to investigate the incident.
Mr Molao assured the nation that the government had its health at heart and would leave no stone unturned in safeguarding it. He promised that the government would ensure that anything that had the potential to endanger the lives of Botswana would be addressed speedily.
“We have taken samples of the water at the pond for testing and we are expecting the results soon. We are still investigating whether the incident was the first or it has been happening for a while and we are still to establish whether it is a trend elsewhere,” he said.
Mr Molao stated that the incident did not occur at the grey water pond, but at a pond that had formed due to leakage from a Water Utilities Corporation potable water pipe.
He also cautioned consumers and businesses trading in vegetables to always establish the source of what they buy.
Stressing that grey water was safe for watering non-root vegetables with the use of drip irrigation, Mr Molao said at the ponds water was tested regularly to ensure safety. On why government waited for close to two weeks before briefing the nation, he said they were still gathering information on the incident.
“We were still doing some investigations so that we would have something tangible to tell the nation. We also wanted to authenticate the video and the place where it occurred,” he said.
Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti also attested to the regular testing of water at the Glen Valley grey water ponds, saying that was how the country managed to detect a polio virus that led to nationwide vaccinations.
Dr Dikoloti also warned small scale farmers that even though government wished to support the sector’s growth, they would not be spared if they flouted rules and policies. Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila also warned the public against drinking water from the ponds as it was not potable.
He also said farmers who grew vegetables along the Notwane River and the Glen Valley ponds had been given water rights with conditions, and that anyone who flouted such conditions would be penalised.
Mr Mzwinila promised that his ministry would monitor the situation, especially of farmers who were said to be using sprinklers to water vegetables, instead of the recommended drip irrigation.
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