28 Oct 2024

Kasane water treatment plant and associated works is a fitting development for the Chobe District as a destination of choice, says Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane.

Delivering a keynote address to mark the commissioning of the plant on Sunday, Mr Tsogwane said Chobe was a tourism hub, therefore it was imperative for it to have sufficient water supply. 

The Vice President stated that the plant, which started feeding Chobe villages with water in January 2024, had ended the long-standing Chobe water woes. 

 “The water infrastructure is part of a drive to improve attractiveness of Kasane, which includes relocation of the old water plant on tourism and government facilities at the Chobe River front to pave way for the Kasane-Kazungula redevelopment plan,” Mr Tsogwane noted.

The Kasane water treatment plant project scope encompasses extraction of four million litres a day from the Chobe River, a filter building, 32 million litres capacity clear water tank, a laboratory and chlorine station embracing state-of-art water treatment process, and cutting edge technologies. 

He noted that the treatment plant signified fulfillment of government’s promise to expand water infrastructure to reach every Motswana. 

He said government was committed to infrastructure development, which included roads, water and sanitation and housing. 

The Vice President said Batswana enjoyed better living by being connected to portable water as per the World Health Organisation standards. 

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs, Dr Kekgonne Baipoledi, remarked that the Chobe River was part of the Zambezi water basin. This, he said meant that countries planning to extract water from this source were bound to conduct consultations with member states of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission. 

He reiterated that the project was also part of the Kasane-Kazungula redevelopment plan to relocate offices and services from the riverfront to pave the way for tourism purposes. 

Dr Baipoledi noted that the plant embraced high technology and automation, which opened avenues to explore the recycling of water in future. 

Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) CEO, Mr Gaselemogwe Senai, stated that the new Kasane water treatment plant would sustain Chobe District for 20 years. 

Complemented by the Nyungwe pump station with 32 million litres capacity reservoir, he said the plant  could also sustain the district for 48 hours with water supply in the event of a plant dysfunction or supply interruption. 

The CEO said the infrastructure project aims at ensuring sustainable water supply for Kasane, Lesoma, Kazungula and all the villages in the Chobe enclave up to Parakarungu. 

He stated that WUC was experiencing water supply challenge in Pandamatenga due to the abandonment of the project by contractor who was engaged to draw water through reverse osmosis from the boreholes. 

However, he indicated that government would address this through the expansion of the Kasane water treatment plant infrastructure to Pandamatenga. 

Kasane Court President, Kgosi Thuso Wasetso, stated that the project created employment for the youth, women and SMMEs hence contributed to local economic development empowerment. 

He said residents of Chobe District from Kasane and surrounding villages and the Chobe Enclave were currently drinking water from the plant since January after years of water woes. 

He thanked government for the infrastructure development across the country, which improved the livelihood of Batswana and promoted local economy. ends