Marythar Kambinda
KATIMA MULILO – Namwater, which supplies bulk water to local authorities, commercial customers, government institutions, such as ministries, schools and clinics as well as rural communities, held a stakeholders’ engagement in Katima Mulilo on Tuesday under the theme, ‘Unlocking Stakeholder Value’.
The engagement involved input from various stakeholders on measures that should be adopted by Namwater to improve on service delivery.
Speaking at the event, Namwater’s CEO Abraham Nehemia highlighted the water corporation’s operations in the country, including challenges experienced.
According to Nehemia, some of the challenges in the country that hamper service delivery include the fact that Namibia is a dry country with scarce water sources.
He noted constant climate changes creates an additional challenge.
“If you go to other parts of the country, vegetation is dry, the areas are brown. We are lucky to be in Katima Mulilo, which is green,” said Nehemia.
The Namwater CEO said another challenge includes “a notion of belief within the country that water is a human right, which includes the perception of water as a free good, as well as the public perception about price of water, debtors and shortage of critical skills needed to operate efficiently,” stated Nehemia.
At the same event, Namwater’s head of programme management Timothy Silombela touched on completed projects within the region, which include the Katima Mulilo Raw Water pipeline (Interim), new pumps intake tower as well as additional floating pumps that have been installed.
The relining of the Katima Mulilo 6 000 cubic metre reservoir and the Katima Sibbinda pump station capacity upgrade form part of the completed projects.
“Other projects include the Katima new pump station and purification plant and the Katima-Sibbinda pump station capacity upgrade, which needed a new booster, while a new booster will be constructed at Sachinga. Power supply application has been completed and the company now waits for harvesting on cultivated land to be done before work is carried out,” Silombela added.
Namwater’s head of engineering, Saltiel Shaanika, elaborated on the company’s financial aspects and pointed out that local authorities are the biggest defaulters.
Shaanika noted that Katima Mulilo, Rundu, Eenhana, Opuwo, Rehoboth, Tses, Divundu, Bukalo and Maltahohe local authorities are categorised as being high continuous defaulters.
He further highlighted the fact that money owed to the company by other institutions as well private individuals is due to either historic balance build up, as well as being government subsidy dependent.
Meanwhile, Zambezi governor Lawrence Sampofu said “water for all, forever, is very important”.
He called on the town council as well as the regional leadership to emulate Namwater’s conduct by engaging stakeholders within the region.
“Water is life and, therefore, should be clean for human consumption. That is why Namwater is mandated to provide clean portable water to our communities,” said Sampofu.
Sampofu further asked the Katima Mulilo town council to find ways in which they can minimise debt owed to Namwater by installing prepaid water meters to prevent customers defaulting on payments.
“Water is vital in all aspects of life, and we, therefore, thank Namwater for the work they are doing to ensure that water is eventually accessible to all,” said the governor.