Problems and possibilities relating to rainwater utilization in Botswana

Water is a carce resource in Botswana particularly in rural areas which are mainly dependent on groundwater sources, the quality and reliabilty of which are somewhat problematic. Recent experimental work has confirmed the findings of earlier field bassed assessments in recognizing the potential for household rainwater collection systems for improving supplies in rural Botswana. By modeling long term system performance, previous studies have shown that a substantial of domestic water needs could be met by small scale household systems. The possibilities for supplementing community supplies has also been demonstrated through pilot projects involves the construction of large ferrocement rainwater tanks at school and clinics in several villages. At Zutshwa, a remote commnunity in the Kalahari desert, another successfull pilot project involves the collection and storage of surface runoff from the edge of a salt pan. Several excellent demonstrations of the benefits of using micro-catchments and permanent graded strips to concentrate surface runoff around trees and crops have also beeb undertaken since 1990. Despite the success of both the pilot projects and demonstrations, the adoption rates for the widespread usage of these techniques has been slow even though in some instances generous government subsidies have been available. Reasons for the limited replication of most of the rainwater utilization been available. Reasons for the limited replication of most of the rainwater utilization techniques are discussed in this paper. These include the relatively high initial capital costs of some systems compared to rural incomes, a lack of government commitment to government institutions. Future attemps to encourage broader use of rainwater utilization in Botswana will first need to overcome these constraints and a number of measures and strategies to address these are proposed. (MV)