A/HRC/42/47/Add.5
and plans were under way to increase that number. Furthermore, water containers with a
capacity of 10,000 litres were filled on a monthly basis.” (A/HRC/38/8, paras. 13-14).
63.
Regarding the budget line, the Government reported that “[o]f the P4,960,600,000
allocated to [the] water supply and sanitation programme, P3,947,494,687.00 has been
allocated to the expansion of potable water coverage and development of waterborne
sewerage system to serve all the existing and future development areas within the Maun,
Moshupa, Molepolole and Kanye major villages with production of recyclable effluent.” 20
64.
The Special Rapporteur is encouraged by the actions and budget allocation taken by
the Government and regards it as positive that the Government of Botswana has begun
implementing dedicated strategies to address water need in rural areas. The progress that has
been made under these plans suggests that the Government is, as far as the right to water is
concerned, seeking to progressively realise this right for non-urban dwellers. However, the
he notes that little information has been made available regarding the impact that the strategy
has had on access to sanitation for rural people. At the same time, the Special Rapporteur is
concerned about the pace of the current efforts to increase water and sanitation for rural
Motswana, which are unlikely to lead to Botswana achieving Goals 6.1 and 6.2 of the SDGs
by 2030. Furthermore, whilst the Special Rapporteur is pleased that Botswana has developed
policies which consider the water and sanitation needs of those living in remote communities,
he is concerned to learn that remote-area dweller settlements only become entitled to
assistance, including being provided with water supplies, when the population is more than
250 persons, meaning that settlements with populations under this number may not have their
water and sanitation needs met. The Special Rapporteur stresses that the Government must
equally ensure that people living in rural areas are able to access adequate sanitation and that
efforts to achieve this are implemented progressively, utilising the maximum of available
resources. He therefore calls upon the Government to continue and accelerate its efforts also
in order to ensure it can achieve Sustainable Development Goals 6.1 and 6.2 in fewer than
11 years.
RECOMMENDATION 15 – PROGRESS NOT STARTED: The Special Rapporteur
notes that the Government has not revisited the National Settlement Policy.
RECOMMENDATION 16 – LIMITED PROGRESS: The Special Rapporteur is
pleased that budgetary allocations have been made to improve access to water and
sanitation in rural areas which are not connected to the central network. The results of
this budgetary allocation on access to sanitation in rural areas are, however, unclear.
Accordingly, the Special Rapporteur reminds the Government of its obligation to utilise
the maximum of its available resources to improve water and sanitation access for
people in rural areas, and advises it to publish data highlighting the impact of increased
budgetary allocations on rural sanitation.
B.
Recommendation on nomadic population
RECOMMENDATION 17: “Continue and strengthen dialogue with communities who are
living a nomadic life or who are in transition from a nomadic to a sedentary life to find
sustainable solutions for their access to water and sanitation.” (A/HRC/33/49/Add.3, para.
72(j))
65.
During his visit to Botswana, the Special Rapporteur met with members of the San
community, who are traditionally nomadic. He noted that the situation of water and sanitation
for these communities was often precarious, and their needs were often not accounted for by
the Government. For instance, even where some San community villages surpassed the 250person requirement that should entitle them to be provided with basic services, no water
20
16
According to the 2011 Population and Housing Census, Maun is a village (population 60,263 in 2011)
and administrative centre of the North West District. Moshupa is a village in the Southern District
(population 20,016 in 2011). Molepolole is a city in the Kweneng District, located approximately
60km from Gaborone (population 66,466 in 2011). Kanye is a village and the administrative centre of
the Southern District (population 47,007 in 2011).
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