Steven Ramontsho

Water Utilities Corporation

The Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) is a parastatal organisation, wholly owned by the Botswana Government. It was established in 1970 by an Act of Parliament (Laws of Botswana Cap 74:02) with a manadate to manage a single project for the supply and distribution of water in what wasthen called the Shashe Development Area. This involved planning, constructing, operating, treating, maintaining and distributing water resources in the country's urban centres and other areas mandated by the Botswana Government, as well as the supply of bulk water to the Department of Water Affairs and the various Local Authorities for distribution to villages and other smaller settlements in the country. In the fifty years since its inception, the Corporation's mandate has expanded to supplying potable water to all urban centres and villages in the country, as well as managing wastewater under the Water Sector Reforms Programme. The programme resulted from a study to rationalise the water sector in Botswana and ensure uniform service levels for all. The implementation of the Water Sector Reforms Project effected in May 2009 and was completed in 2014. With a property, plant and equipment value of over P3.4billion, the Corporation's infrastructure includes six dams; Gaborone, Nnywane, Bokaa, Shashe, Letsibogo and Ntimbale as well as the North South Carrier Scheme . Additional dams, the Dikgatlhong, Thune and Lotsane are under construction.