The Oshakati Town Council has urged residents to pay their water bills as council has run into debt with bulk water supplier NamWater.
The spokesperson at the town, Katarina Kamari, said some residents have opted not to pay for water following last year’s directive by government that local authorities should make water available to its residents during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since the directive was implemented, Kamari said some residents, including businesses and institutions, have not paid their water bills for over a year.
Residents are now accusing the council of denying them water at a time when Covid-19 positive cases are high.
But Kamari said council, before it began with the disconnection exercise, put out notices for those in arears to make arrangements with the council to settle their debts. “There are those who heeded the call and made arrangements to settle their debts, but there were those who ignored the council’s call completely. Those are the ones we started with,” she added.
“Some made agreements, but have not paid anything to council yet, and this is putting a strain on council,” said Kamari.
Council is aware of the difficulties that individuals are facing, but it is paramount to always honour payment arrangements.
She thus encouraged residents not to allow their bills to skyrocket as it becomes extremely difficult to pay up arrears.
Kamari noted that each case will be treated differently, and urged those who are particularly saying they are unemployed or live with pensioners to also come forth, instead of allowing their water to be disconnected.