Windhoek
Water as per NDP 4 has been declared the enabler, cross-cutting issue and basic requirement for sustainable livelihoods and development for all sectors. But water resource management will pose a challenge to water security if the current resources are not properly managed.
Hailing the French government’s continued financial support rendered since after independence, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Abraham Nehemia, described the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on scientific and technical cooperation on water resource exploration and management between the Namibian government and French government as unlocking the mechanism to Namibia’s groundwater resources that will contribute to sustainability and water supply security.
“To ensure that there is enough water for all competing uses such as domestic, agriculture, industry and tourism, the agricultural ministry, as the custodian for water resource management and regulation, needs to strengthen the knowledge base.
“Namibia’s water resources are scarce and vulnerable, mainly due to the arid and variable nature of its climate. With socio-economic growth, water will remain and continue to be vital for future generations and national development,” Nehemia said.
Groundwater is distributed unevenly, thus making the construction of pipelines necessary to tap their potential. In particular, the coastal area is nearly devoid of groundwater and recharge in these areas is low and unpredictable – and in areas where groundwater occurs, it lies at great depths and at times is of poor quality.
The first large desalination plant in sub-Saharan Africa was inaugurated in 2010 in the Erongo Region to augment potable water supply to Namibia’s coastal towns and uranium mines.
“All sectors and ministries need to be able to rely on MAWF (Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry) for information about water quality and quantity and their location in the country, and provide sound advice on development and use. This memorandum of understanding will provide the framework for the exchange and enhancement of scientific and technical knowledge to strengthen the scientific and technical capabilities of the MAWF, with respect to groundwater resource development and use,” Nehemia said.
“Namibia has made great strides in becoming fully fledged and is now at a level where it can deal with other nations as partners.”
“The MoU serves as a strategic and economic partnership established in the spirit of mutual benefit for both countries and it is through that approach that Namibia and France, through their implementing agencies, were able to reach a common understanding for cooperating in the field of groundwater resource management. This MoU will serve as a catalyst to enhance the cooperation between the two countries,” Nehemia concluded.
The MoU covers groundwater investigations and studies in Namibia, exchange visits of scientists and specialists, sharing scientific and technical information, training of individual scientists through participation in collaborative projects, conducting joint symposia, conferences and seminars.
These cooperative activities will assist in drought relief efforts by identifying, developing and managing new groundwater resources within the framework of rural development. The activities will be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws, statutes and regulations.