The quality and quantity of groundwater are threatened by climate change as well as increasing demand from rapid urbanization in southeast Botswana, as is the case in much of southern Africa. A case study of Ramotswa, a growing peri-urban area in southeast Botswana (population about 40,000), revealed the impact of the 2013-2016 drought on groundwater quality. Water shutoffs by the public water supply scheme to ration and save water during the drought made flush toilets and the sewage treatment system inoperable.