WINDHOEK – For the 2019/2020 financial year the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has allocated N$1.5 million to Khomas Rural Constituency for sanitation. Khomas regional governor Laura
McLeod-Katjirua said the Khomas Regional Council has planned to use these funds to construct about
113 toilets.
Of these 113 toilet beneficiaries, 32 were identified for Dordabis, four for Welgemoed, 31 for Garib, 10 for
Noaspoort, 10 Arovlei, 13 at Verdruk and 13 at Uiros. The governor noted the recommended list will be verified before the construction of the toilets and if the list falls short, additional beneficiaries will be drawn from Kransneeus and Noaspoort B.
Due to the unit cost per toilet, she said, other localities will be catered for in the next financial year.
President Hage Geingob declared a humanitarian crisis in the informal settlements last year.
“We reaffirm our full support to your sympathetic and fatherly sentiment of the immediate declaration of the humanitarian crisis in our informal settlements. While we are awaiting the finalisation of the needed legal framework and the national mobilisation of resources to address the humanitarian crisis,
the formalisation of our informal settlements will remain our priority intervention in our development
endeavours,” she said.
She said that under rural sanitation, the regional councils are tasked with the construction of toilets during the Harambee period 2016-2020. A number of toilets were already constructed with 31 at Dordabis;
25 at Autabib; 12 at Khanubeb; 21 at Noaspoort while 37 toilets were constructed at farm Versailles.
According to her, the total 108pending or ongoing construction of toilets in Windhoek Rural includes
20 toilets recently constructed at Ongombo West, ongoing work on 20 toilets at farm Garib, nine toilets
earmarked for Arovlei, 25 toilets at farm Areb and 34 toilets for Stinkwater.
TheconstructedtoiletsatDordabis, Autabib, Khanubeb, Noaspoort and farm Versailles were officially
handed over to the beneficiaries on March 16 in Dordabis by Minister of Urban and Rural Development Peya Mushelenga. Regarding hepatitis E, she said Khomas remains the most affected
region, accounting for 3,819 (64 percent) confirmed cases. The majority of the cases are among the
age group 20-29 years (39 percent) and 30-39 years (34 percent), while the lowest are children under one year and in most cases, males are more affected than females. To contain the disease, she said, community mobilisation interventions are on a full course.
These include school health education for learners and teachers; community education; distribution
of water purification tablets; meeting with stakeholders; distribution of hepatitis E hygiene kits; distribution
of soap and water containers for handwashing; construction of sanitation facilities and improvement
of the sewerage system; radio talks and leaflets in different languages.
The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has allocated N$50 million under the 2019/2020
-2021/2022 MTEF to the City of Windhoek for formalisation of the informal settlements for the
provision of potable water and sewer lines, toilets, roads, and electricity. Funds have been earmarked for
Tobias Hainyeko Constituency to construct 65 water points, 65 toilets and 30 skip containers; at Moses
Garoeb Constituency there will be 65 water points, 65 toilets, and 30 skip containers; Samora Machel
Constituency to build 65 water points, 65 toilets and 30 skip containers; Khomasdal Constituency to
install 40 water points, 40 toilets and 10 skip containers; Windhoek Rural Constituency to install 30
water points, 30 toilets and 20 skip containers.
It will also cover road level design, sewer lines and water construction for 14 saving groups and grading of
roads in unplanned areas; relocation from upgrading areas to planned areas and five high mast lights.