The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has unveiled a comprehensive strategy to deliver sustainable and durable solutions to the water challenges currently affecting communities countrywide.
The ministry’s Executive Director, Teofilus Nghitila, stated in a press release that the water crisis is particularly severe during the dry months of July to December, necessitating urgent and coordinated action to secure a water supply for all Namibians.
Nghitila said the initiative is primarily focused on rural areas and outlines immediate, medium- and long-term steps to address critical water scarcity.
The ministry will coordinate its activities with NamWater and NamPower to address the challenges.
The interventions include expanding water provision through pipelines and implementing rainwater harvesting by constructing and rehabilitating earth dams. The plan, amongst others, targets groundwater resources through the drilling, installation, equipping, rehabilitation, and modernisation of boreholes, including the installation of mini desalination plants for treating saline water. Other measures include sealing the Etaka Canal with concrete to prevent water loss, mobilising community leaders to avail land for community gardens, and implementing measures to mitigate the impact of veld fires.
“At present, our country is facing a serious water scarcity crisis driven by recurring droughts, declining groundwater levels, and growing demand from domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors,” Nghitila said.
The ED said most rural communities, especially in the Kunene, Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Kavango East, Kavango West and Omaheke regions, amongst others, continue to experience intermittent water supply disruptions.
“Urban centres are also showing increasing signs of strain on available resources and climate variability, coupled with ageing infrastructure and limited storage capacity,” Nghitila added.
The response strategy was discussed during an urgent consultative meeting held in Windhoek on Friday, attended by various stakeholders in the electricity and water sectors, including NamWater, NamPower, and the respective line ministries.
“All stakeholders have committed to coordinating and addressing the shortcomings and challenges with urgency. The necessary resources, human, technical, logistical and financial, will be mobilised to enable the professional and technical response teams to carry out this important work,” the statement said.
-Nampa