A/HRC/42/47/Add.5 30. The Special Rapporteur commends the Government’s efforts, with support of the international community, in seeking to improve the availability of water supply and support drought-affected communities. However, it is disappointing to note that these projects are currently not achieving their aims. All efforts to promote greater availability of water in drought-affected communities must be implemented in a way that promotes the realisation of the rights to water and sanitation progressively, and if projects are failing to meet this standard they must be revaluated and greater efforts must be made to achieve their objectives. PROGRESS ON-GOING: The Special Rapporteur calls on the Government to strengthen its efforts towards the achievement of water security in the country and reiterates that contingency plans should be in place to face situations where water rationing is required, prioritizing the protection of the poor and people living in vulnerable situations. C. Recommendations on water quality RECOMMENDATION 6: “Immediately adopt measures to improve water treatment, including disinfection of the entire water supply system and revisiting water rationing measures.” (A/HRC/33/49/Add.3, para. 72(b)) RECOMMENDATION 7: “Set up a systematic water quality monitoring between the Water Utilities Corporation and the Ministry of Health and increase the frequency of the water quality monitoring programme carried out by the Department of Water Affairs, regardless of the creation of an independent regulatory body.” (A/HRC/33/49/Add.3, para. 72(c)) 31. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur observed the prevalence of waterborne diseases in Botswana, the low compliance levels of microbiological analysis of water sources, and the insufficiency of existing wastewater treatment facilities in Gabarone and Francistown. Equally, sampling of 34 monitoring areas, performed by the WUC, revealed high levels of non-compliance with microbiological parameters and/or an absence of data (A/HRC/33/49/Add.3, paras. 28-30). Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur noted the low effectiveness of Botswana’s current water quality monitoring system, in particular the lack of water quality information exchange between the country’s main provider, the WUC and the Ministry of Health, which has responsibility for monitoring the quality of drinking water, the lack of availability of information regarding water quality for communities, and the sporadic nature of testing (A/HRC/33/49/Add.3, paras. 28-34). 32. At the time of the visit, the Government accepted the recommendation to improve water treatment, and outlined several methods utilised by the WUC to address microbial contamination of water sources, including the auditing and servicing of disinfection systems and the use of disinfecting floaters where systems do not exist (A/HRC/33/49/Add.6, para. 22). In its response to the questionnaire, the Government further stated that “[r]aw water from surface water sources is treated by passing it through conventional water treatment facilities with flocculants and finally [is] disinfected with chlorine/chlorine dioxide. Currently the chlorine facilities are being upgraded to the use of chlorine dioxide which is more effective. Raw water from groundwater is treated with appropriate treatment facilities e.g. Reverse Osmosis technology.” 33. The Special Rapporteur is pleased that the Government accepted his recommendation and takes the upgrading of the water treatment facilities as a positive step. However, he notes that as no data has been made available regarding water quality levels after the upgrading processes it is not clear whether the updated treatment facilities have impacted positively the quality of water. 34. In relation to establishing an improved system for water quality monitoring, during the Special Rapporteur’s mission the Government noted that it had already implemented plans to improve the frequency of water quality monitoring by establishing a “multistakeholder Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme,” which brings together stakeholders including the WUC, Botswana Bureau of Standards, and Ministries of Health; Minerals, 8