Stakeholder Accountability: Water Demand Management in South East Botswana

Botswana's population and water demand are growing at a high rate particularly in the dry south eastern part of the country. A Water Conservation Policy and Strategy framework document was formulated in 1999. The implementation of the strategy recommendations to guide a transition from a supply driven water management approach to that of water demand management started in 2002. Although Botswana is said to be one of the countries in the region with a good choice of policy and analytical frameworks, it is also said to lack the capacity to effectively implement them. Documentary sources and open-ended interviews were used to establish information from the three water supply authorities with particular interest in Mogobane, Otse, Ramotswa and Tlokweng villages, as well as, Lobatse town and Gaborone city. The findings of the study revealed that although some of the recommendations had been implemented, their implementation was not in the recommended order or manner. As a result, coordination and monitoring the water conservation and demand management programme through horizontal accountability is difficult to achieve.