HOW BOTSWANA LOOSES BILLION PULAS DURING RAIN SEASON

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When It Rains this season — See Wealth, Not Waste

From where i come from we harvest rain and store it, and use is during summer and other times. I also saw it happen in South African Houses, each has a Jojo Tank to collect rains.

This season, as the rains fall and you watch each drop gather around your home, your fields, or even flood your surroundings — pause and think differently.
That water flowing away is not just rain; it is money, it is life, it is a resource slipping through your hands.

Every drop you see running off is the same water that utility companies purify and sell back to you — for drinking, for washing, for cooking, for sustaining your household and your farm.

If only we could learn to harvest it, store it, and use it wisely, we would turn floods into fortunes and rain into resilience.

 

Botswana Loses Billions by Not Harvesting Its Own Rainfall — It’s Time to Save and Win!

Every year, Botswana receives an average of 416 mm of rainfall — a national treasure that, if properly managed, could transform our agricultural economy, water security, and resilience to climate change. This rainfall equals approximately 242 billion cubic metres of water falling across our nation annually.

Yet, due to extreme evaporation rates, limited storage infrastructure, and inefficient runoff management, most of this precious water simply disappears — evaporating into the skies or flowing into neighboring river systems like the Limpopo.

Scientific models show that only about 10 % of this rainfall becomes surface runoff — roughly 24 billion m³ — and barely 20 % of that is ever harvested or stored. This means Botswana loses nearly 20 billion m³ of potential water every year — a staggering quantity of uncollected wealth.

 

 In monetary terms, at a conservative value of USD 0.10 per m³, this loss equals USD 1.9–2.0 billion annually — or about BWP 25–30 billion that literally flows away each rainy season.

That’s not just water loss — it’s lost opportunity: fewer irrigated farms, unfulfilled industrial potential, and weakened rural livelihoods. It’s a gap between poverty and prosperity, between drought and resilience

Here is a refined and professional expansion of your statement, shaped into a powerful message that aligns with your climate-smart and sustainable agriculture advocacy:

Economic Justification:

Monetary Value of Rainwater

The WUC charges households and industries an average of P1.50–P7.22 per cubic meter depending on usage blocks. Therefore, every uncollected cubic meter of rainwater represents a potential economic loss of the same magnitude. If Botswana loses 20 billion cubic meters annually to runoff, it effectively forfeits BWP 25–30 billion in equivalent water value each year.

This means that by merely installing JoJo tanks, catchment ponds, and rooftop collection systems, each household could save an equivalent of P3,000–P6,000 annually, while larger farms could reduce irrigation costs by 40–60%.

Cost Reduction for Government

Currently, water treatment and distribution consume a significant portion of public expenditure. Capturing water at the point of fall would reduce pressure on WUC, delay the need for expensive infrastructure expansion, and improve service reliability in rural and peri-urban communities. This aligns with the principles of Vision 2036 Pillar 2 – Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure.

Agricultural Productivity and Job Creation

Water harvesting allows year-round crop and livestock production under the Rural and Urban Agriculture Innovative Production Program (RUAIPP) and Agriculture-Based Clusters (ABCs). Irrigated smallholder farming supported by harvested rainwater could create thousands of jobs, increase household incomes, and improve local food supply chains.

Environmental Justification

Climate Change Adaptation and Aquifer Recharge

Rainwater harvesting directly supports climate resilience. Captured water can be used during dry spells, reducing dependence on groundwater sources and protecting aquifers from over-extraction. The Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) approach—where collected surface water infiltrates storage basins—ensures long-term hydrological balance.

Reduction of Flooding and Soil Erosion

Urban flooding and soil erosion are persistent problems during Botswana’s heavy rains. When every house and farm channels rainwater into storage tanks or lined ponds, runoff velocity is reduced, preventing soil degradation and infrastructure damage.

Biodiversity Protection

Sustained water availability supports wetland ecosystems, improves micro-climates, and enhances vegetation recovery, particularly in semi-arid regions such as Kweneng, Gantsi, and Kgalagadi.

Social and Developmental Justification

Empowering Households and Communities

Household-level water harvesting reduces dependence on municipal water, granting families greater self-reliance. Women and youth—often the primary water managers—benefit through reduced travel time to collect water and increased participation in home-based agricultural production.

Poverty Reduction and Food Security

In rural and peri-urban areas, access to stored rainwater enables vegetable gardening, poultry projects, and livestock rearing, all of which generate income and improve nutrition. This aligns with SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Gender and Youth Inclusion

Through Farmer’s Pride International’s cluster model, women and young people can be trained in rainwater harvesting technologies, tank installation, and micro-irrigation system management, fostering local entrepreneurship. Each tank or pond installed represents a new green job within the water economy.

Policy and Institutional Justification

Legislative Integration: City and district councils should incorporate mandatory rooftop rainwater harvesting in all new building codes and housing projects.

Subsidies and Incentives: Tax deductions or rebates for households that install JoJo tanks, gutters, or solar pumps will accelerate adoption.

Integration with RUAIPP and ABCs: Every farm cluster should have a designated catchment system and water budgeting plan, tied to land-use permits.

Public Awareness and Education: Nationwide campaigns should promote water harvesting as both a patriotic duty and a personal investment in climate security.

Monitoring and Research: Collaboration with universities (BUAN, UB, and BIUST) should ensure data collection, technology innovation, and policy impact evaluation.

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Water Harvesting — The Hidden Wealth Beneath Our Feet

Harvesting water is not just an act of conservation — it is an investment in agricultural sustainability. Every drop we collect and channel into the soil contributes to recharging our underground aquifers, securing the future of farming for generations to come.

When we allow rainwater to simply flow away, we lose more than water; we lose potential food, income, and resilience. But when we harvest and store it — through ponds, dams, infiltration trenches, and contour systems — we give life back to the land.

Water harvesting ensures that our crops survive the dry seasons, that our livestock have a source of life, and that our communities remain food-secure even in times of climate stress. It is about building wealth underground — where it cannot be stolen by droughts or evaporated by the sun.

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Let us make every rainfall count. Let us turn every drop into a seed of sustainability.
For when we harvest water, we harvest the future of Africa’s agriculture

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 Advancing Water Harvesting for a Sustainable Future

As the rain season approaches, Farmer’s Pride International (FPI), under the Hunter’s Global Network (HGN), is launching a nationwide Water Harvesting Awareness and Training Campaign to promote a culture of conservation, resilience, and sustainable agriculture across Botswana and the wider African region.

Starting this rain season, FPI will be conducting a series of workshops and demonstrations on rainwater harvesting, aquifer recharge, and farm-based water catchment systems. Our goal is simple yet transformative — to ensure that every home, every school, and every farm learns to capture, store, and reuse rainwater effectively.

We strongly advocate that every household should have a JoJo tank or similar water storage facility to collect rainwater for domestic use. Likewise, every farm should be equipped with water catchment systems, dams, or ponds designed to support irrigation and livestock needs throughout the year.

We further call upon City Councils and Local Authorities to make water harvesting a compulsory practice in all urban and rural planning guidelines, and for Government Ministries to integrate these systems into national building codes and agricultural extension frameworks.

This initiative is not just about saving water — it is about saving the future.
Water harvesting enhances agricultural productivity, reduces the impact of droughts, recharges underground aquifers, and builds resilience against climate change. It also directly advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation; SDG 13: Climate Action; and SDG 2: Zero Hunger).

Let us build a nation — and a continent — where no rainfall is wasted and every household becomes a model of sustainability.

 

National Call to Action: Let’s Catch What the Sky Gives Us

It’s time to act. The science is clear — the next frontier in Botswana’s sustainable development lies not in waiting for rain, but in capturing it.

• Farmers: Adopt field-based rainwater harvesting systems such as contour bunds, check dams, swales, and small retention ponds. Every drop that stays in your field feeds the roots of food security and economic independence.

• Households: Install JoJo tanks or rooftop catchment systems on every home. Even a single 5,000-litre tank can collect enough water to sustain a garden, livestock, or household cleaning for months.

• Communities: Build and maintain community micro-dams and borehole recharge pits to trap stormwater and reduce dependence on municipal supply.

• Institutions and industries: Design buildings with rainwater harvesting architecture — roof gutters, underground cisterns, and greywater recycling systems.

• Government and private sector: Prioritize funding for a National Rainwater Harvesting & Runoff Capture Programme for Botswana, integrating it into the Vision 2036 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 6, 13 and 15).

   

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Every raindrop that escapes us is a lost fortune.
Every JoJo tank installed, every dam constructed, and every litre stored is a step toward water sovereignty, food security, and climate resilience.

 

 

Let us reimagine water not as a scarcity, but as a renewable resource gifted by nature — one we must harness wisely.

💧 This is our time to save every drop of rain and win.
🌍 Let us turn rainfall into wealth, one drop at a time.

#WaterSecurity #RainwaterHarvesting #Botswana #Agriculture #ClimateResilience #SustainableDevelopment #Hydrology #FoodSecurity #FarmersEmpowerment #ClimateAction #WaterForAll #SmartAgriculture #Vision2036 #ABCs #RUAIPP #FPI #HGN

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