National water production dipped in the first quarter, while Gaborone 1 and the North region together supplied 54 percent of Botswana’s output.
GAZETTE REPORTER
Botswana’s physical volume of water production fell by 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2026 to 31,333,459 kilolitres (KL), from 31,511,986 KL in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Statistics Botswana’s Index of Water Production Statistics: First Quarter 2026 Stats Brief.
The figures show that production remained heavily concentrated in Gaborone 1 and the North region, which together accounted for more than half of the country’s total water output.
Output Concentrated
Gaborone 1 recorded the highest water production during the quarter at 9,062,247 KL, equivalent to 28.9 percent of national production. The region comprises Gaborone, Mogoditshane, Ramotswa and Tlokweng.
The North region, comprising Francistown, Selebi-Phikwe, Masunga, Tutume and Kasane, produced 7,875,598 KL, or 25.1 percent of the national total. Together, the two regions accounted for 54.0 percent of production.
Regional Split
The South region, comprising Kanye, Lobatse, Ghanzi and Tsabong, ranked third with 4,742,739 KL, or 15.1 percent of total output.
Central region, covering Mahalapye, Palapye, Serowe and Letlhakane, produced 4,586,719 KL, accounting for 14.6 percent, while Gaborone 2, comprising Molepolole and Mochudi, produced 3,681,094 KL, or 11.7 percent.
The Western region, comprising Maun and Gumare business centres, recorded the lowest output at 1,385,061 KL, accounting for 4.4 percent of national production.
WUC Mandate
The report also outlines the role of Water Utilities Corporation (WUC), a government-owned parastatal established in 1970 under the Water Utilities Corporation Act, Laws of Botswana Cap 74:02.
WUC is responsible for planning, constructing, operating and maintaining water infrastructure, distributing potable water and managing wastewater services as mandated by government.
The report says “the delivery of uniform service levels, as well as the upgrading of water infrastructure, to meet requisite water and wastewater standards remains a long-term objective” pursued by the corporation. At the time of publication, WUC had more than 550,500 customer connections.