Africa-Press – Botswana. Sepako residents have decried that a single bowser, which is used to provide them water is not enough for a population of 800 people.
Updating the Member of Parliament for Nata/Gweta Mr Polson Majaga in a kgotla meeting on Wednesday, Kgosi Joseph Ramaditse said the village was faced with a severe water shortage not only for the community, but for wildlife as well.
Kgosi Ramaditse said this was endangering their lives as some had to wake up in the early hours to queue for water so that they could get something from the 12 000 litres bowser brought to them to be shared among the villagers as well as government institutions being the school, health post, kgotla and wildlife offices.
He said the situation was bad for the people more so that the area had a lot of wild animals that were very dangerous such as elephants, buffalos and lions, adding that they had had fatalities resulting from human encounters with buffaloes and elephants.
He pointed out that although there had been an arrangement by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to provide water to the animals, it was also not enough as they awee also served by a single bowser, which was always in need of maintenance because of the terrain it used taking water to the ponds.
He thus appealed to government to drill more boreholes in wildlife prone areas so that water could be pumped, and thus reduce the movement of animals into the village in search of water.
Sharing similar sentiments was Ms Mmamohau Ramaditse who suggested that Water Utilities Corporation should consider connecting them to Majeregwa well field for they were less than 50 kilometres from the boreholes instead of them having to be provided with water taken from Dukwi on daily basis.
She said this was not sustainable in terms of costs and the distance the truck had to travel on daily basis to give them water.
Ms Ramaditse further suggested that in future government should consider building a dam along the river, which passesd through their village for it would help give water to both the people and wild animals.
In addition, she asked for strengthening of law enforcement such as Special Support Group (SSG) along the border line at their village to curb cross border crime ranging from stolen vehicles to stocktheft.
She stated that currently there were served by officers based at Maitengwe camp and it was a distance on a bad road to respond to reported incidents of crime in their area.
Chief Wildlife Warden, Mr Bonalemong Kwambala explained that as per the consultation meeting they had had with village leadership regarding drilling water for wild animals, they were at an advanced stage to complete the processes of drilling boreholes at the places they had shown them.
He also noted that they were going to drill more boreholes to add to the four they already done at Ngwasha area in their efforts to drive away these animals to the designated areas.
He acknowledged that it was costly and unsustainable to bowse water for them hence the influx of these animals in people’s areas.
MP Mr Majaga said though he would take their concerns and suggestions to the relevant ministry regarding water situation, there was a project, which government had funded this financial year to bring a permanent solution and should look out for its commencement.
He nonetheless urged them to adopt new mindset change and develop strategies on how they could benefit from these animals.
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