Uakutura Kambaekua
OPUWO – The Kamanjab Village Council is in the process of drilling its boreholes to guarantee that the community and surrounding areas have enough water supply, as well as to avoid relying on NamWater for delivery.
The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development funded the project with N$5 million last month to drill four boreholes. Shamarunga Trading Enterprises CC has been contracted for the project.
Bianca Nguaiko, CEO of the Kamanjab Village Council, recently told Nampa the project is likely to be completed around February 2024.
It is intended to alleviate the water issues, which inhabitants in the separate areas suffer. One of the boreholes has been completed.
The CEO stated that the project aims to address some of the root causes of the management crisis in water resources management and service delivery.
The council intends to shift away from traditional sub-sector-based approaches to a more holistic and coordinated approach to water management that is based on a set of agreed fundamental concepts, which means the village council will be the sole service provider of water to its
residents.
“Two more boreholes are still to be drilled during the course of this week,” she continued.
Once the drilling project is completed, the council will construct a new reservoir and treatment facility to provide purified water to households at a reduced rate.
“New pipes need to be installed from the boreholes of the Worth solar plant to reduce overhead expenses,” Nguaiko said.
The Kamanjab Village Council owes NamWater N$3.6 million because of the government’s order that entities should offer free water services to residents during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She further mentioned council created a specific tariff that will be linked to prepaid water meters to ensure all ultra-low-income consumers do not default and run out of water.
“For ultra-low earners, the card will include 5 000 litres of free water. The tariff ranges from N$ 75 to N$ 475,” she noted.
The inhabitants owe the council N$13 million, which includes N$2 million in Build Together loans and N$3 million in erven loans.
– Nampa