The major project challenges include:
Obtaining final approval to proceed with the project from both governments;
Timely sourcing of project finances;
The establishment of the Songwe River Basin Authority, which will take time, but will
contribute to the consolidation of the good cooperation between the two countries and the
implementation of such projects;
In order to minimise the risk of low stakeholder response to the project, considerable
attention has to be paid to the environmental and social issues, including mitigation,
resettlement, compensation schemes, land tenure security, gender equality and stakeholder
involvement throughout the project's lifecycle. The project’s focus on economic development
and poverty eradication should also encourage positive stakeholder response; and
Changed hydrological conditions due to climate change and variability is a potential threat to
the economic viability of the investment. The project includes an analysis of hydrological
sensitivity to clarify the risks and advise on possible mitigation measures to be taken by the
Songwe River Basin Authority once established.
Vaal‐Gamagara Water Supply Project (Project XB‐2)
Water availability in Botswana decreases from the east to the west, with the south‐western corner of
Botswana having the least reliable water supply. The residents in this area suffer constant water
supply constraints, which compromises their quality of life. As most of the country’s water sources
are found in the north‐east of the country, Botswana has proposed that water supplies to the
southwest be sourced from the Vaal River in South Africa, which is part of the Orange‐Senqu River
Basin. Botswana is a member of the Orange Senqu River Basin Commission (ORASECOM) and
therefore has rights to the waters of the basin in terms of the agreement that establishes
ORASECOM. Botswana’s proposal is to annually draw up to maximum of 5 million m3 of water from
the Vaal, and to deliver this to the villages in the extreme southwest of the country through the Vaal‐
Gamagara Water Transfer Scheme. The scheme will involve the construction of cross‐border water
transfer infrastructure over an estimated distance of 400 km. It is assumed that no dam will be
constructed, but water will be stored in ground tanks at appropriate locations along the 400 km
pipeline. It is further estimated that 50 000 people will be served with safe domestic water supply
and sanitation services
The project proponent is the Department of Water Affairs, Botswana. The next project development
stage is a pre‐feasibility study to be completed in 2013. This requires US$400 000. Thereafter,
feasibility studies will be carried out in 2014. Detailed designs and tendering for construction will be
done in 2015. Implementation and construction of the associated project components is expected to
start in 2016 and will be completed in 2017.
The estimated total project costs are US$175 million, and a possible financier is KfW. The project can
be considered to be in Phase 2 of the ICA Project Development Phases.
The major project challenges are the timely sourcing of project finances and possible failure of
Botswana to access the Orange‐Senqu waters due to lack of agreement with other riparian states.
Ressano Garcia Weir (Project XB‐3)
Under the Inco‐Maputo Agreement (IMA) between Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland, it was
agreed to release a minimum cross‐border flow by the two upstream countries amounting to 2.6
m3/s on average over a three‐day period. The gauging methods used on both sides of the border
provide data that is not consistent with each other, resulting in disputes and the non‐compliance of
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