Josephina Mwashindange
OMUTHIYA – The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry has provided the Omuntele constituency with a portable water facility. The water ministry, the Oshikoto Regional Council and the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) secured funds to establish a water pipeline with a reservoir between Ondangwa and Omuntele to supply water to the local communities. The reservoir is located at the Omuntele centre and will mostly cater to all communities in the surrounding. The Omuntele area has plenty of grass for livestock; however, there was a shortage of water.
Most farmers lost their livestock as a result of the devastating drought experienced last year. “The government has taken steps and has, thus, released money to fast track the Omuntele project for the construction of the reservoir,” said Stevenson Tuukondjele, the regional head of Water Supply and Sanitation in the ministry. During the official visit to Oshikoto, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Habitat visited the reservoir at Omuntele and some water infrastructure in the constituency to have an understanding of how the drought funds were spent. “Let us give our people the service they need; citizens are losing hope in us because we promise but do not deliver,” said Cletius Sipapela, the chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee. The Oshikoto Regional Council, through the OPM, was given N$11 million for drought relief. The money was spent on installation, rehabilitation and drilling of boreholes. An additional N$4.5 million was spent towards the completion of the reservoir and pump station.
*Josephina Mwashindange is the acting senior information officer at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in Oshikoto region.