Rudolf Gaiseb

Windhoek’s old underground water infrastructure contributes to the wasting of water in the city, the municipality’s spokesperson Harold Akwenye has said.

Currently, they cannot quantify exactly how much water they lose –  be it through negligent use by the City’s residents in their homes or the old water infrastructure.

 “Most of the water, including that flushed through the toilets, is captured and reworked at our reclamation plant. The water pipes are old, and have been bursting frequently for the past four years,” he said in an interview with New Era recently.

The City of Windhoek has identified the hotspots where clean water through broken pipes and sewers is flooding the streets, hindering traffic. 

“We have been fixing these hot spots for the past four years now. But you cannot quantify the water that floods the streets or goes underground. 

The entire underground infrastructure can only be fixed if we get millions. But for now, we gradually only fix the hotspots with the available budget in the department,” he said.

Some residents have since vented their frustration, saying practically, Khomasdal and  the Southern Industrial Area in Windhoek are just two of the residential areas with streets covered by pools of water.

The pipes have left large holes – some at street corners and pavements, which results in severe accidents for runners and pedestrians. 

Further, there is a hole at the street corner of a house on Heide Road – just behind Khomastura High School.

“We called the municipality, and they came and tried to fix the pipes. But the water persists to flow freely onto the road in front of the house,” a resident stated.

She added: “Street kids usually bathe in this water, while some collect it for drinking, cooking or other uses”.

Akwenye urged residents to report leaks, burst pipes and sewers to the City. 

-rrgaiseb@gmail.com