KATIMA MULILO – Residents of Katima Mulilo and other localities in the Zambezi Region have been without tap water for three days and many were forced to walk as far as the Zambezi River to fetch water for household use.
The task of drawing water is not only tiring, but it exposes residents to crocodile attacks and water-borne diseases, such as diarhea and cholera. The recent water crisis was not confined to Katima Mulilo, but affected the entire region. Scores of residents of Katima Mulilo flocked to the Zambezi River on Saturday and Sunday to draw water during the crisis that was exacerbated by the scorching summer heat that has engulfed the region following the sudden dissapearance of the rains. The problem is attributed to a water pump that was not properly aligned following routine maintenance of water pumps by Namwater. Water superintendent for the Kavango East and Zambezi regions, Joseph Mulisa however said the problem was rectified on Sunday after the water utility enlisted the services of a professional diver to carry out the required work. “From Friday last week, we were doing regular maintenance on our water pumps and somehow when we were putting them back, one of them was not put in the right position. It’s only the alignment, our water pumps are ok.” The Chief Executive Officer of the Katima Mulilo Town Council, Charles Nawa said during the three-day water crisis that ended on Sunday council had to ration water as a coping mechanism.
“Our water tanker had to ration water to residents. We also had to ask the Red Cross to help provide us with water purification tablets,” said Nawa. However, many residents were dismayed by what they perceive to be council’s lack of communication when it comes to water service interruptions. “They should have informed us in advance or informed us about what is going on. They keep talking about a pump year-in and year-out and Namwater is a company but fails to replace its water pumps,” complained one resident who preferred anonymity. “The water we are drawing here is very dirty and this might result in water-borne diseases. They should at least have standby generators so that when such crises occur we have something to fall back on,” said another resident while drawing water from the river.
Nawa said the council did not expect the situation to get out of hand since Namwater was only carrying out routine maintenance work. He however said people were informed on Sunday morning about the problem on radio and that council had also apologised for the unfortunate situation. “Unfortunately this was an emergency that we did not expect. The mayor apologised on air and I want to repeat by saying residents should forgive us,” Nawa said. In efforts aimed at finding a lasting solution to the problem that has become recurrent, Katima Mulilo mayor, Charles Matengu said the council is looking at sourcing a standby generator in order to avert a similar situation in future. “We want to engage the government as a matter of urgency in order to be provided with a standby generator. We are going to consult the ministry very soon and the board of Namwater to see how we can be able to do this,” Matengu said.
By George Sanzila