AMANDA DAVID
Deep in the dry region of Northern Kgalagadi, residents of Zutshwa are decrying a severe and persistent water crisis due to a naturally hyper-saline groundwater and unreliable water supply which have left residents of the settlement in a state of chronic water distress.
The severe nature of the community’s cry came to light during a field trip to the settlement as part of a specialized climate and biodiversity reporting fellowship for local journalists, which was organized by the Botswana Society for Human Development (BSHD) recently, in its efforts to strengthen reporting on biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and sustainable solutions.
Unlike other regions in the country where water shortage usually stems from temporary infrastructure maintenance, Zutshwa faces a deeper environmental difficulty of the underground water sources in the area being extremely salty rendering water in Zutshwa unhealthy for human or animal consumption.
Because of the situation in the settlement, the entire community of Zutshwa depends exclusively on water brought in from Ngwatle village which is 56kms away. Residents report that some households are regularly forced to go for days without water, turning the basic human need for drinking, cooking, and sanitation into a daily struggle for survival.
Born and raised in Zutshwa, local youth resident Keeme Peelelo who has firsthand experience of the water scarcity, spoke to this publication in an interview were she noted that though they appreciate efforts of water supply from Ngwatle by local authorities, the reality is that it is not enough to sustain residents and their livestock. “We get water from Ngwatle, and sometimes the borehole in Ngwatle can break down and we can go up to two months without water, then we have to rely on water bowsing from Hukuntsi. We are struggling, we cannot plough anything, and we can even go two days without taking a bath. It can be really dry here. Even as a young person looking to start a business, there is nothing you can do because water is life,” she added.
The agricultural backbone of the community has been equally devastated with small scale livestock farmers in Zutshwa who are already struggling with harsh desert temperatures and scarce grazing vegetation reporting financial losses due to the water crisis in the area. Local livestock farmer Tshotlego Kgomo who is breeding cattle, goats, horses and donkeys says it is a challenge being a livestock farmer in Zutshwa as he is forced to fort out the bill to buy water for his livestock on a monthly basis.
“Every month I have to fill up one or two Jojo tanks for P1500 each. It is not sustainable because it seems like I am only working to buy water for my animals. I am considering selling all my animals and starting a business that will not cost me as much as this one,” Kgomo added.
Highlighting some of Tanate Sustainable Development’s interventions in the area, the Director- Conservation and Community Development, Mompoloki Morapedi explained that their work in Zutshwa has focused on providing practical relief to ease the village’s persistent water burden. He noted that through local water projects and infrastructure support, the NGO has been actively helping the community to access water to complement the struggling current supply.
“After realizing that the people in Zutshwa have a water crisis, we came up with a rain harvest water project for the community. Rain harvest is a technology that we use to capture rain water by any means possible. At the time we realized that the buildings at the salt mine lose a lot of water during rainy seasons because they have an abundance of roofing there. We came up with the idea to connect Jojo tanks to the roofing of the buildings. We started off by purchasing four 5000liter Jojo tanks,”
Additionally, Morapedi explained that depending on the availability of funds, Tanate is planning to start a water conservation program in the area, to help encourage residents in the area to proactively conserve the already scarce water as well as to encourage them to preserve water infrastructure for the benefit of the community.