MARIENTAL – Residents of the Wit Huis settlement outside Mariental will soon have access to clean drinking water on a permanent basis, the Hardap regional leadership has promised.

Hardap governor Riaan McNab, accompanied by Mariental mayor Ethel Isaacks and other local authority councillors and senior officials from the Mariental Municipality, on Friday visited the settlement where residents raised concerns over years of relying on unsafe water from the nearby NamWater tunnel.

The community has reportedly been using tunnel water for the past years, while the municipality occasionally supplied clean water through tanks. This, however, stopped in November 2025.

Speaking during the visit, McNab said the settlement developed over the years due to employment opportunities at the Hardap Green Scheme project.

“Wit Huis settlement came due to the employment at the Hardap Green Scheme. Over the years the community grew and people settled there because of employment opportunities,” he said. He noted that access to safe drinking water has remained a longstanding challenge for residents, adding that efforts to address the matter started last year but were delayed by uncertainty over which authority was responsible for the installation.

“I have said let’s come together because it does not matter who is responsible, it is a matter of people getting clean drinking water,” said McNab.

According to the governor, regional representatives and relevant stakeholders will meet on 02 June 2026 to finalise the way forward.

McNab said the project would not require consultants or contractors as the municipality and regional council already have the manpower needed for the installation.

“It’s only four standpipes and water pipes that need to be installed. It cannot take us very long,” he said.

He added that NamWater has already indicated willingness to assist by providing a water meter, while existing tank infrastructure at the settlement can also be utilised.

McNab said he foresees the project being completed within a month after the planned stakeholder meeting.

Residents welcomed the announcement and expressed gratitude to the regional leadership, saying the tunnel water they have been consuming is dirty and unhealthy. 

Some residents said children in the settlement frequently suffered from diarrhoea and vomiting after consuming the water.
-Nampa