ONGWEDIVA – In an effort to achieve urgent relief on the water challenges in the Oshikoto region, the agriculture ministry will be introducing three newfangled water supply interventions.

This was announced by the regional council’s spokesperson, Petrus Nehale.

He said most communities in the region have faced water challenges due to either low pressure, or water which is unfit for human and animal consumption.

Potable water has for many years been a pipedream for areas such as the Okankolo, Eengodi and Nehale Lya Mpingana constituencies.

Communities have embraced trekking long distances to draw the precious commodity that is central to their very existence.

In the Eengodi constituency, only a portion of the area on the western side has a pipeline, but the low pressure means the water does not reach the targeted community.

Residents sometimes go for weeks without a drop from their taps when water pressure is low.

This prompted the ministry, in collaboration with the council, to intervene.

The intervention includes a water softening project in selected areas within the three constituencies.

“This will be a mini-desalination project, in which the ministry of agriculture and the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF) partner to fund the proposed projects in the Oshikoto region and the rest of the country,” said Nehale.

The ministry will also drill boreholes in the mentioned constituencies.

The three constituencies are historically prone to saline underground water, and an experiment is thus currently being conducted.

“The ministry is confident that the possibility exists to strike Class B water, which could go a long way to solve the water crisis in these constituencies. If the experiment does not produce the desired results, the water will be desalinated through the water softening project to be potable for the communities,” he added.

Another project is to modernise traditional wells.

That project is being trialed and implemented by the Division of Water Supply and Sanitation Coordination, a delegated function under the regional council.

These interventions form part of the existing short- and long-term solutions to this challenge, which encompass the extension of a water pipeline from Omutsegonime to King Kauluma under the Namibia Water Sector Support Programme, excavation of short water pipelines and the drilling of boreholes in the region.

These projects are expected to be implemented in the 2022/23 financial year.

Speaking to New Era, councillor Protasius Neshuku of the Eengodi constituency said the implementation of water supply projects in his area will be a dream come true for the residents.

“That is one of the biggest challenges haunting our constituency. We are thankful that the authorities have heard our cries,” he noted.

The council reiterated its commitment to address the challenges faced by the region, with water scarcity being one of them.

- ashikololo@nepc.com.na