When every drop mattered
Maranyane Ngwanaamotho | Friday December 20, 2013 14:25
Watering a garden from the tap or washing that car with a hosepipe was not even to be considered; the situation was too bad.
We all ought to save for drinking. And these restrictions still stand. No, you cannot use potable water for construction purposes.
Please buy grey water from the corporation. You cannot use portable water for washing pavements, sidewalks and streets.
Grey water is available for sale at the corporation. Many are fond of their water fountains and enjoy the view when sitting outside in the evening with children running around, simply having fun. But no, not this time.
All water fountains and other ornamental water features must be shutdown with immediate effect, the WUC demanded. It is their duty to ensure proper use and continued supply of water especially when times are tough like these.
Further, the Corporation vowed to repair all defective plumbing and pipefittings, which result in water wastage. It is however not known if they did live up to their own standards. Some citizens claim to have alerted the Corporation of leaking spots but these have remained unattended to, some for months, while some have run in to years by now.
No wonder some question the Corporation’s seriousness about conserving water.
Are they saying what they are expected to say, or are they actually worried about the situation? All things considered, it was a tough year. Especially for the southern part of the country, which has seen two dams drying up and the greatest dam, Gaborone Dam, struggling for survival.
The situation was even dire for the livestock across the country. The sun is baking. Hundreds of thousands of livestock could not survive.
Carcasses lie along roads.
Farmers each can give a number of how many they have lost. For some it is sad, the whole herd has been lost. This is a time when one gets to really understand just how much life is dependent on water, or say rain. Three years in a row rains have been unsatisfactory.
It could be said that this year’s government’s intervention of providing cattle feed at 50 percent subsidy came a little too late.
Small farmers had already lost most livestock. However it has already started to green up here and there.
Probably if the government could have thought of this earlier some animals could have been saved. But the generosity is however welcome. Hey, all is not lost. Let us all keep praying. The president asked that we pray for rain. So let us pray. There is a desperate need for rain.
The Meteorological Services predicted the onset of the rainy season to be in October. Three months on and rains are still not satisfactory.
It has been three years of consecutive drought. Both commercial and subsistence farmers have not really been bringing much from the fields. Clearly there is need for divine intervention.