NamWater CEO Abraham Nehemia has declared that with the recent good rainfall received in the three main supply dams feeding water to the central areas including Windhoek, Gobabis and Karirib - the drought experienced over the past few years is over for now.  Nehemia stated there will also be a bit of relaxation on water restrictions for now, although he was unable to say for how long this will last. 
He said they intend to have a post-rain season meeting with the City of Windhoek to do an assessment on what should be done and inform the public.

The country has been experiencing drought over the past few years and the water levels in the three dams that supply the central areas was declining due to poor rainfall. 
NamWater has been pleading with residents to save water. This also saw City of Windhoek imposing strict water restrictions on its residents as of 1 July 2019 such as only certified commercial carwashes are allowed while hotels and lodges and other large water consumers were expected to implement water saving measurements.

Nehemia said with the recent rain, the water is secured for the next two consecutive years but this also depends on the climatic condition such as evaporation during the coming dry season between August and December.

According to NamWater’s latest dam bulletin sent on Wednesday, Von Bach dam water level stood at 99.8%, Swakoppoort at 85.8% and Omatako Dam at 63.6%.

Goreangab Dam is 100% full and with the good recent rain, there is a spill over to Swakoppoort.  “The drought is over for now, but because of environmental demand, the water might go fast- the ground is dry, taking in a lot of water and evaporation will take its toll. We will only be safe if we get similar rainfall next year,” Nehemia told New Era upon enquiry.  He added that although drought is gone, the problem is some parts such as Khorixas did not receive any rain and it is quite dry. In the last week, City of Windhoek weekly water watch indicated that Windhoek’s water consumption was nine percent under target. The statement read

that this was the third week of water saving in a row. The statement further states that Windhoek is still challenged by a severe water scarcity. “Windhoek is in a water scarce region and weather patterns remain uncertain. We should adopt smart lifestyles and use water responsibly. Remember, the more you save, the less you pay,” read the statement.