OKOMBAHE – With the school already grappling with ageing infrastructure and ill-discipline amongst its learners, the continuous water crisis at the settlement of Okombahe is further compounding matters for the Gaob Justus Garoeb High School.
Okombahe, which is in the Daures constituency in the Erongo region, recently had to go for almost three days without water, forcing the entire settlement, schools and other relevant institutions to cut their activities short.
The water crisis, which has become prevalent at the settlement over the past few years, is a result of dried-up aquifers and general drought in the area.
Most affected, especially when such water shortages creep in unexpectedly, are schools and hostel learners, who must be sent back home and miss vital days of class activities. Those in the hostel are furthermore forced to find alternative ways to relieve themselves.
Speaking to New Era during a recent visit to the settlement, Gaob Justus Garoeb High School principal Ausbert Siboli admitted that the situation tampers with the school’s planned activities, and the overall performance of learners.
“When these things happen (water crisis), we are forced to stop classes and send the learners back home because otherwise it will become a chaotic situation here. The biggest concern is always the hostel learners because many have nowhere to go, as the hostel is their only other home away from home. As we speak, all the learners have been sent home, and for those in the hostel, we will have to see what we will do with them. Although we try our best to make up for the lost classes and time by setting up weekend and evening classes, it is not enough at times. It is not a desirable situation,” shared Siboli.
The school, which was previously known as Dibasen Secondary School, was founded in 1982. It now boasts a population of almost 700 learners and 18 teachers, with more than 500 of those learners all staying in the hostel.
But despite the persisting water issues at the settlement, Siboli said they have no choice but to march on, and motivate their learners to look beyond the current crisis and focus on their books.
“We are striving to be the best, and that really remains our goal as teachers. Yes, we do have problems of ill-discipline amongst our learners, and also issues of ageing infrastructure, which is made worse by the water situation. But we are here to provide education, and I’m glad the community is also involved in pushing the school to greater heights,” he stated.
Shedding more light on the settlement’s water calamity, the Daures constituency’s control administrative officer Mauritius Goseb said they do experience pipe bursts from time to time. In such cases, NamWater is always available to help.
But the biggest challenge, Goseb shared, is the dried-up aquifers, which for years have been the settlement’s main source of water supply. The situation has now been worsened by the prevailing drought in the area.
“This is unfortunately a common occurrence in our settlement. I must admit that we have systemic challenges in maintaining a reliable water supply to Okombahe. We have been in touch with government and various key stakeholders to try and find a permanent solution to the problems of water here. Maybe a water pipeline from a desalination plant at the coastal towns to Okombahe could be one of the lasting solutions, but those things come with huge costs as well. We are trying our best, but as I said, the situation is now becoming worse due to the dried-up aquifers,” said Goseb.
-ohembapu@nepc.com.na