The Opuwo Town Council needs at least N$147 million to upgrade and relocate its existing oxidation ponds while also establishing a water treatment plant, the town’s acting CEO Karui Rikambura said.
Rikambura said this in an interview with New Era recently. The discussion zeroed into the council’s work, strategic plan, and how it is navigating the different challenges it faces.
At the moment, the town is faced with a water crisis due to insufficient reservoirs.
So bad are things that the town council is forced to close water taps every night to ensure that there is sufficient water the following day.
This practice has been going on for over a decade now.
“We have a scarcity of water. This is an evidentthing. Our water demand and supply are not equal. We have a community demanding more than
what the boreholes can supply. The water quality is also questionable. It is not the best,” the engineer stated.
Presently, there are ongoing discussions between the council and the Namibia Water Corporation to upgrade the water plant to improve water quality and
the construction of additional reservoirs.
For the current financial year, the local authority has set aside N$1.5 million to fence off the existing oxidation ponds.
“We have an issue of dilapidated infrastructure, such as our oxidation ponds. We have received cost estimates on the relocation of the oxidation ponds and to construct a water treatment plant. It is really costly. It is up to N$147 million to relocate these oxidation ponds and construct a treatment plant,” he added.
Rikambura conceded that the council does not have the financial capacity to finance the project on its own.
“We have put in our strategic plan to do maintenance such as fencing and remove slush from the existing oxidation ponds, while we are looking into what the future can offer us,” he added, optimistically.
As a short-term solution, Namwater has drilled three new boreholes.
Additionally, the “Opuwo Town Council has provided water, sewer systems, electricity and roads to Katutura Extension 2 and Otuzemba Extension
for the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) houses.
The PPP agreement between Octagon and the council has likewise provided water and sewer services for Opuwo Extension 7. The agreement between Namibia Development Workshop has provided water and sewer services at Etati Extension 1, and we have done road clearance at Otuzemba Extension 3.”
On the affordable housing front, the council has embarked on a pilot project under the banner ‘Okatase’, through which the construction of affordable housing is envisaged.
“The houses will cost less than N$50 000, almost the same as the SDFN. We have to copy from the best. The SDFN have proven that houses can be built below N$50 000. That’s what we want to roll out during the next financial year. Currently, we have built three pilot houses in Katutura Extension 3,” he continued.
The project will cater for the ultra-low-income group.
Opuwo is furthermore busy formalising three more informal settlements, namely Old Katutura, Okatuuo Informal and Extension two of Katutura.
All in all, over 4 000 erven have been surveyed and planned, while the erf pegs have been in the ground from 2018.
-emumbuu@nepc.com.na