The water crisis in the Amaupa village of the Omusati region continues to worsen daily as the drought hits harder.

Amaupa resident Petrus Shiweva said community members of the Tsandi constituency held a demonstration against the region’s water crisis some three months back. 

They promptly handed over a petition to the region’s governor and the relevant councillor, asking for clean water and other water facilities.

“Until now, nothing was done. Community members are still drinking from wells – and the drier the wells become, the saltier the water gets,” he stressed.

Shiweva said some community members receive water delivered by a truck after two to three months, which they pay for.

“When the water truck makes an effort to visit the villages that have people who purchased water, some households end up not getting water because people are always a lot and the truck’s carrying capacity is small,” added Shiweva.

He said the regional governor never gave a response to the petition, while constituency councillor Junias Amukete indicated that he forwarded the letter to the directorate of rural water supply.

Meanwhile, the ministry of agriculture’s spokesperson, Jonas Musheko, stated that the ministry is aware of the situation, and they are currently serving the community with water tanks.

“We are busy with consultations for the development of a Ruacana South pipeline project, which will pass through to Kunene, Omakange and Itanga. It will, thus, distribute to all villages, including the Amaupa village”.

Current consultations focus on the number of houses, domestic animals and people. 

“This will enable us to set up water facilities, which will speak to the demand of both livestock and people,” said Musheko. 

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