Gaborone dam supplies a greater part of the city and surrounding villages, but as the water demand and level of usage increases with time, water demand exceeds supply, and this is a serious cause for concern. The current water levels recorded on the 24th August 2015, are quite alarming, the water level is at a shocking 1.6%.
The amount of water available to us from rains is less than the amount we need. The ongoing water rationing, where people can go days without water in the city, is a serious problem that can cause amongst many things, compromised hygiene and poor health. Health is being compromised in that, water can be recycled at home, people bathing in the same water that someone has just used and touching food without washing your hands.
The Water utilities Cooperation latest dam level statistics shows that, Gaborone dam has failed for months to supply without inflow. This has caused some city residents to store water, which can be very dangerous to one’s health as basic hygiene measures might not be followed. All over social media, the residents update about going for days without taking a bath, or having to buy water at retailers.
Over 7million people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water and 2.5 billion cannot access basic sanitation, Botswana is no exception. If this situation is not back to normal, sooner rather than later, we are going to have some serious sanitation problems.
WATER IS A SOURCE OF LIFE!
