"The old water was salty, but now it is sweet," said Mmabaledi Tebalo, a villager in Boteti, northern Botswana, taking a fistful of water from a faucet in his backyard.
GABORONE, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- One December morning, your correspondent braves the scorching sun and stops by the home of Mmabaledi Tebalo, a resident of Mokobaxane Village, Boteti region of northern Botswana.
As his mother and brothers are enjoying the coolness in the shade of a tree, Tebalo, 28, deftly turns on a faucet in a corner of his backyard. Clear tap water flows continuously. Tebalo first washes his face and then takes a fistful of water to drink directly.
"The old water was salty, but now it is sweet," he said.
CHINESE-BUILT BOTSWANA BOTETI WATER SUPPLY PROJECT
Boteti is located in northern Botswana, which is more than 100 km from the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans to the north, and adjacent to the Orapa Diamond Mine to the east. The area lacks freshwater resources.
According to staff from Botswana Water Utilities Corporation, the underground water in the region has excessive salinity and an unpleasant odor, which, when used over a long period, is harmful to health. Due to the vastness of the region and the scattered distribution of the villagers, a clean water supply project, which required significant investment for construction, was not prioritized until recent years.
Boteti Water Supply Project was started building by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Botswana on Feb. 13, 2023 and took 18 months to complete. It involved the construction of the main water supply infrastructure and supporting facilities, including 184 km of water pipelines, four booster pump stations, ten elevated water tanks, three concrete reservoirs, and the design and construction of a water treatment plant. Additionally, two administrative office buildings, ten staff apartments, and supporting facilities for housing electricity, machinery, and remote sensing equipment were built.
30,000 VILLAGERS BECOME BENEFICIARIES
The water supply project officially started supplying water in September this year, which makes it possible to provide the local villagers with clean tap water, ending the long history of relying on salty water in eight local villages, including Mokobaxane Village. Around 30,000 villagers have benefited from this project.
Mmabaledi Tebalo said in an interview with Xinhua that since his birth, he had always used salty water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. "Using salty water for a long time is harmful to the body, but we had no other choice," he said.
"No more drinking salty water!" Villagers in Mokobaxane Village declare one after another as their lives have changed better since the commissioning of the Chinese-built water supply project in September.
Bomgere Jane, chairperson of the Village Development Committee of Mokobaxane Village, heaped praises on the clean water supply project. "The Chinese construction company has brought us a great project. The water now is excellent, and life has become much more convenient. Everyone in the village is very grateful."
According to Yang Weimin, project manager with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Botswana, the water supply project currently has a daily water treatment capacity of 4,000 cubic meters, which meets the water needs of more than 30,000 people in the Boteti region. The project has provided a total of 140,000 cubic meters of clean tap water to the region since September.
The initiation and completion of the project have indirectly promoted local economic and social development. At its peak, the project employed 600 local workers, helping train many technical professionals and increasing local employment. Additionally, the demand for building materials, housing rentals for workers, and catering services has stimulated the local economy, Yang said.
Montgomery Peter, who now works as a driver for the project, earns more than 5,300 pula (about 390 U.S. dollars) a month. "The arrival of the Chinese company has not only improved our region's water supply but also significantly increased our income levels." ■