A/HRC/33/49/Add.3 is one of 16 countries that increased access to piped water on premises by at least 25 percentage points during that period. As of the end of 2015, Botswana had realized 63 per cent access to “improved” sanitation. These are commendable achievements. 21. While Botswana has significantly expanded piped water networks, access to piped networks in rural areas still remains at 45 per cent. In remote areas such as the Okavango Delta, the proportion of households with access to “improved” water sources is even lower. In rural areas, only 43 per cent have access to improved sanitation. A significant proportion of the population (14 per cent), particularly in rural areas (34 per cent), still practice open defecation. Open defecation is not only a matter of public health, but also a matter of dignity and privacy. Under the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development, ending open defecation is an urgent priority. 22. Access to water and sanitation by urban poor is equally a concern. The Self-Help Housing Agency runs a settlement upgrading and low-income housing programme and the councils used to provide water at water standpoints free of charge. The population in those areas mostly use pit latrines, which can be a concern for contamination of the groundwater. The high density of the population, such as in the self-help housing areas in Gabarone, is considered a direct cause for increased contamination and deterioration of water sources. 5 Migration from rural to urban areas is continuing and the urban population (58 per cent in 2015) now exceeds the rural population (42 per cent in 2015). The Water Utilities Corporation is carrying out projects to shift from pit latrines and septic tanks to sewerage networks, which is a necessary measure for densely populated areas. B. Availability of water supply 23. Botswana relies primarily on surface water and groundwater in aquifers as its water sources. There are eight major dams that supply mainly urban areas, while most rural areas are supplied from boreholes. Most of the rivers are located in the northwest, while the population is increasingly concentrated in the urban areas in the south, where rainfall is lower. Therefore, in addition to scarcity of water resources, the country suffers a geographically uneven distribution of water. Furthermore, the major rivers are shared with neighbouring countries, which makes it more challenging to secure stable water resources. The Government has concluded several agreements and commissions with neighbouring countries for sound water management. In 2013, as one of the measures to address the issue of water scarcity, the Government signed a memorandum of understanding with Lesotho and South Africa to initiate a feasibility study on the possibility of transferring water from a river in Lesotho to Botswana. Water demand is expected to grow from 200 million cubic metres in 2013 to 335 million cubic metres by 2020, and more than half of it will be consumed by the domestic sector and small industries. 6 The average consumption for personal and domestic use per capita remains relatively acceptable in villages (0.15 cubic metres or 150 litres per day). In cities and towns, however, consumption can be as high as 0.55 cubic metres or 550 litres per day.7 5 6 7 GE.16-12031 Botswana, Population and Housing Census 2011: Analytical Report (Statistics Botswana, 2014). Botswana, Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Botswana Integrated Water Resources Management & Water Efficiency Plan, vol. 1: main report (May 2013), available at www.gwp.org/Global/Activities/Impact%20Stories/Further%20reading/IWRM%20WE%20Plan.pdf. Government of Botswana and United Nations Development Programme, “Reflecting on the challenges of attaining a green economy for Botswana: water policy brief” (2012), available at https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1007National%20Report%20(Water)%20%20Botswana.pdf. 7