02 Oct 2024

Completion of  Moshupa Sanitation Scheme comes at a time when government is working towards a nationwide adoption of wastewater reclamation in a bid to augment water availability for agricultural purposes.

Commissioning the Moshupa sanitation scheme on Wednesday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi explained that the scheme would mirror what would in future be happening nationwide with regards to management of wastewater.

“We want to fast-track the process to reclaim wastewater from this plant for use in nearby ploughing fields so that we enhance our food production,” he said and encouraged Moshupa residents to take advantage of the facility for agricultural production.

Dr Masisi said because of the ever-increasing demand for water for different uses, it was only proper that the nation embraced the notion of wastewater reclamation to power on the work of different sectors of the economy for which such use was permissible.

“We should not shun the call to use wastewater seeing that the demand for water keeps rising,” the President said.

He implored Moshupa residents to explore opportunities brought about by the stable water situation in the village, especially  businesses whose operation was water-reliant.

President Masisi said with easier access to water for many communities across the country, provision had since been made for citizens to apply to Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) to connect potable water in agricultural production areas.

This, he said, was done with the intention to encourage the emergence of light industries for which the use of potable water was necessary, including accommodation facilities like lodges as well as businesses within the food processing space.

He, therefore, encouraged Batswana to seize the opportunity created through such efforts to create jobs for fellow citizens, thereby contributing to national efforts to address unemployment.

Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Dr Kefentse Mzwinila, announced a year-long connection fee waiver for Moshupa residents, which exempted them from the P1 500 fee they were expected pay.

He said this was done to encourage them to connect to the sanitation network so that the sanitation plant could operate optimally.

Dr Mzwinila said the plant required at least 3 000 connections for optimal operation but that currently only 500 connections had been made.

He reiterated President Masisi’s remarks that wastewater reclamation was necessary to support the work of other sectors of the economy, in particular agriculture.

WUC chief executive officer Mr Gaselemogwe Senai, said the project started in November 2020 but could not be completed in April 2023 as was initially planned due to several challenges that compelled a one year extension to February this year.

Mr Senai said the project, with a project horizon of 20 years, entailed a 450-kilometre pipeline network with 4 000 connection points.

He said the sanitation plant required 6.3 million litres of water per day for optimal operation and presently received only 0.2 million litres per day, which he said was way below the daily minimum volume of wastewater that was needed to optimally operate it.

He said the plant was fully automated and was being operated by one person per shift unlike the usual four needed for each eight-hour shift.

The Moshupa Sanitation Scheme adds to several other ongoing government efforts to enhance national water management systems. Ends