The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, has declared Mahalapye and the surrounding areas’ water supply to be under threat, following vandalisation of the North South Carrier pipeline, the lifeblood of the nation, on Saturday last week.
Briefing the media, Kedikilwe said the water pipe burst has unleashed gallons of water flowing at 1000 litres per second at a pressure of about 10 bars. The water pipe burst has sent muddy water flowing into the surrounding areas.
The damage was caused by man (name withheld) who was prospecting for minerals and strayed on to the pipeline corridor hence damaging the pipeline.
“The water pipe burst pressure has formed a deep crater and the damage is severe,” said Kedikilwe. He said they expect correction to be done within four days.
“Water interruptions should be expected in the surrounding area and we urge residents residing in the affected areas to use water sparingly,” he said. Kedikilwe said part of Gaborone might be affected by this mishap.
He alerted the public that the fault is not with WUC operations but this is an individual who strayed on to the pipeline corridor.
Kedikilwe would not clearly say what the Government would do to intervene in the event that the situation is out of control.
“The matter is with the police, this is vandalism of national property and it is a criminal offence,” he said.
The construction of the North South Carrier Scheme II has commenced and completion is scheduled for 2014. The pipeline will aid in transporting water from the north to the south, where supply is a challenge, and through this project villages such as Kanye, Molepolole, Thamaga, Moshupa as far as Mmathete will start getting a reliable supply of water.
