WINDHOEK – Government yesterday acknowledged an imminent water crisis in respect of the supply of water to the central areas of Namibia in the not too distant future.
Government launched a N$7.6 million pre-feasibility study to investigate all alternative water sources, which could be developed to secure a long-term, affordable water solution for these areas and parts of the Otjizondupa and Omaheke regions, as well as the Cuvelai delta. Launching the project in partnership with the City of Windhoek, Namwater and various local water experts, the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, John Mutorwa stressed that Windhoek’s run-away population growth and economic activities have prompted the urgent study.
The project launch comes on the heels of New Era reporting in mid-January that some of the above mentioned areas, specifically Windhoek, could run dry by August next year if the major dams do not receive sufficient water inflows very soon. The total water storage in the three central area dams plummeted to a mere 36.6 percent, compared to 91 percent in February 2012 and 63.3 percent in February 2013.
NamWater’s weekly dam bulletin yesterday confirmed that these dams have hardly received any inflows. Fears of Windhoek – the economic hub of the central areas – running dry, mounted when recent modelling predicted shortfalls in water supply by 2020, based on the median scenario, and this will be much earlier if Namibia experiences more poor seasonal rainfall, independent experts have warned. Driving home the urgency of the project, foremost water guru Chris Brown of Sustainable Solutions Trust said the pre-feasibility study and environmental scoping report will be completed in the first quarter of 2015, after which the full feasibility study will start.
Both he and Mutorwa stressed that easy and less expensive water supply options have largely been developed and that Namibia now has entered the age of the global village, where only the toughest will survive the challenges of future water supply. Mutorwa said developing future options will be more expensive and technically more challenging. “Namibia spends more than eight time more on water supply and sanitation than any other Sub-Saharan country, because of challenging climatic circumstances faced by Namibia, but also because government has made it a high priority to provide secure access to clean water for all Namibians and for the country’s economic growth and development,” Mutorwa said.
Harold Koch, director of Resource Management, told New Era that boreholes drilled in the Cuvelai delta are now being monitored at delivering some 20 cubic metres of water per hour, which will be pushed up soon to conduct further studies on the source with the help of the German government, which has already pledged 2 million euros for the project. It transpired yesterday that previous studies into alternative water sources did not include the Cuvelai area, which is dependent on a single source, the Calueque dam in southern Angola. Brown said this is of concern to Namibia and an alternative source is therefore required for the area. The new study will be the first to consider the area east of Okakarara and north-east of Otjinene.
At the media briefing yesterday, it became clear that the pre-feasibility study is of utmost importance as future options require complex and expensive planning processes. Namibia needs to ensure that it chooses the right options for the next three to four decades to ensure taxpayers and the public get value for money. Three independent teams – an engineering team, an environmental and social team and a review team – have been appointed to undertake the study. “We also need to be accountable locally and globally as all our perennial river systems are shared with neighbouring countries,” Mutorwa said.
Brown announced that the first round of public meetings will take place in early June in Windhoek, Oshakati and Rundu. In July and August findings will be updated and further investigated in August 2015 after more public meetings early in 2015.
“There is no easy fix, but by adopting an open, consultative, technically strong and interactive process, overseen by a strong project steering committee, we are confident that we will achieve the best possible outcome for us all,” Mutorwa said.
By Deon Schlechter