MARIENTAL – Residents of most neighbourhoods in Mariental have been facing a water crisis, enduring five days without access to water.

Mariental Municipality CEO Paul Nghiwilepo said, the issue began last
Thursday when a pipeline broke. 

Communities started complaining to the municipality about not having access to water on Friday.

During an interview with Nampa on Tuesday, Nghiwilepo explained the actual cause.

“The pipeline between the storage dam and purification facility broke, causing widespread water shortages since Friday,” he said.

Approximately 70% of Mariental’s population has been left without water, particularly in areas such as Sonop, Aimablaagte, Empelheim and Takarania.

“Once the water in the network is depleted, it takes time to rectify the issue. That’s why certain parts of the town received water, but NamWater is fixing it,” Nghiwilepo added.

He revealed that NamWater sought extra assistance from their Keetmanshoop offices to expedite repairs.

The repair efforts took three days, with NamWater working diligently over the weekend. While water has been restored in some areas, settlements like Takarania, Empelheim and Sonop remain without access.

In response to the crisis, the municipality has mobilised efforts to assist residents, including dispatching trucks to informal settlements, providing residents with limited access to water, and allowing each household to collect only one bucket per day.

On Tuesday, the CEO expressed the hope that the water crisis would be resolved by the end of the day. -Nampa