16-02-2025
K-water secures contract to install water management system in Botswana
The Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) secured a contract with Botswana to build and manage a total water management system in the African country on Friday.
According to K-water, the public enterprise signed a contract with the Botswana's Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs to establish a total water management system for the Limpopo River, which runs close to the capital Gaborone.
The project, which will work to install a remote sensing and real-time monitoring system for water and precipitation levels and also a control room close to the Limpopo River, will be carried out over three years until 2028.
The Limpopo River is an important water source for Botswana, especially in areas close to its southern edge.
However, as issues related to clean water security have heightened across Africa, Botswana too, was affected. The country has been experiencing chronic drought conditions for several decades, with the intensity and frequency of such droughts significantly influenced by climate change in recent years. Climate change has contributed to shifting rainfall patterns, erratic weather events and higher temperatures in Botswana, exacerbating water scarcity and drought conditions.
In accordance with such climate concerns, the Botswana government commissioned the project with K-water by establishing the management of water resources as its top national priority. According to the public enterprise, the project is worth up to 22 billion won ($15.3 million).
K-water has worked with Botswana since 2017 to establish a master plan to manage its national water resources, while also conducting a feasibility study to develop a total water management system.
The project gained significant momentum at COP28 in December 2023, following a meeting held with K-water CEO Yun Seog-dae and Botswana's then-Minister of Lands and Water Affairs Kefentse Mzwandile. K-water was designated as the sole executor and contractor behind the water management project in Botswana at the time.
'In a situation where water security is desperately needed to sustain rapid economic growth, the introduction of K-water's water management technology is expected to alleviate (Botswana's) water crisis,' said Botswana's Lands and Water Affairs Minister Oneetse Ramogapi, as the contract was signed on Friday.
'We will continue to strengthen our water management cooperation with K-water through ongoing technical exchanges to further enhance national water security.'
K-water CEO Yun underscored the "high importance" of the contract, as it marks the first time K-water's water management technology has been exported to Africa.
"We view this as an opportunity for not just our company to advance but for additional economic cooperation with other partnering companies in Africa.'
