WINDHOEK – The quantity and quality of Namibia’s water is continuously being compromised, especially due to changes in climatic conditions resulting from periodic droughts and devastating floods, according to Namibia’s Ambassador to France who is also the permanent delegate of Namibia to Unesco, Albertus Aochamub.
Addressing an audience during a meeting on Governance of the project on groundwater resources in transboundary aquifers phase 2 in Paris, Aochamub said approximately 60 percent of all water in the country is derived from groundwater.
“Other than these adverse effects of climate change, we are also cognisant of the fact that we have to effectively govern around issues of potential over-abstraction and fear of unsustainable use,” said Aochamub.
Therefore, there is a need to further streamline the way in which matters governing the use and access to underground and surface water sources as they both matter in the governance deliberations around groundwater, stressed Aochamub.
“We cannot deal with one at the exclusion of the other except through some form of a unified governance regime,” he added.
Furthermore, Aochamub said peace- building through transboundary aquifers plays an important role as part of water diplomacy.
He also said the realisation of the noble objective of the Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims ‘to ensure availability and sustainability management of water and sanitation for all’ requires building governance mechanisms that are predictable, transparent and fair to all parties involved.
He further pleaded with the audience gathered at the meeting to consider duplication of the assessment and capacity building outputs in the Cuvelai-Etosha basin.
“As we all know this basin is shared between Namibia and Angola and an equally important transboundary groundwater source where the lessons learned will have a significant impact on the lives of all our people,” Aochamub said.