China's expertise in water infrastructure can help address Botswana's water scarcity challenges, according to Onneetse Ramogapi, Botswana’s Minister of Water and Human Settlement. At the fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, which opened on Thursday in the central Chinese city of Changsha, China and Botswana are building partnerships to drive development. Their cooperation covers mega-infrastructure projects, drought-resistant agriculture, and advanced wastewater management systems. In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Ramogapi said that China's technology can help Botswana recycle wastewater. "China can help us in water reclaim mission, known as wastewater reclamation, whereby we recycle used water and then we reuse it again. China has got that technology. Currently, we have a so-called Glen Valley and all other areas that need the recycling of water. That is another area that is really needed. China can help us with that technology," he said. Ramogapi said he was looking forward to exploring water projects with China focused on supply enhancement and wastewater treatment at the Expo. "Number one, like I said, through water reclamation, wastewater reclamation, where we will be recycling wastewater. Secondly, we have a Chobe-Zambezi project, whereby we want to take water from the Chobe-Zambezi, which is a very, very big river in the southern part of the country. So China can also assist us in terms of that, and that is very, very important. On the other hand, there is also a board of boreholes, and China can assist in that. They treat the water, and then we can have enough water," the minister said. Speaking about future cooperation, Ramogapi outlined a project aimed at combining renewable energy with water conservation. “You know, there are so many projects. The other project that we are envisaging is whereby we will be coming up with floating solar panels; then we put them on dams so that they will reduce the evaporation of water. And if we put those solar (panels) on dams, it will also assist in providing power energy. By so doing, we will be saving a lot of power. So, the power that we need through coal, instead, we will generate it through a green technology by using solar panels. So these are the areas that we need,” he said.
China’s water infrastructure expertise can help tackle Botswana’s scarcity: minister
