SWAKOPMUND – Water relief is in sight for residents in the Ozondati and Omatjete areas in the Daures Constituency, as the installation of the water pipeline is due for completion early next year.
Currently, residents, schools and clinics in some areas receive their water from Okombahe on a daily basis.
Last Thursday, the chairperson of the Erongo Regional Council Benita Imbamba indicated that the project being implemented by the council, in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Office and the agriculture ministry, is 35% complete. Speaking on the project’s progress during the tabling of the council’s budget for the 2023/24 financial year, Imbamba said the contractor is ahead of schedule and the 23-kilometer pipeline is expected to be completed in February next year.
According to Imbamba, the pipeline will bring much relief to the water-deprived communities in the Daures constituency, which has been gripped by a merciless drought for the past seven years.
“These communities currently rely on the council to supply them with water on a daily basis. However, it has not been enough to quench their thirst. We can, however, inform them that the contractor is ahead of schedule and that their water struggles will soon be over,” Imbamba said.
Overall, the project has been well-received by Omatjete community members and its surrounding areas, as it will not only give them access to portable water but also create better employment and agricultural opportunities.
Last month, ombara Manasse Zereaua of the Zereaua Traditional Authority during a visit by the parliamentary standing committee on natural resources said water shortage is hindering the horticulture progress in communal areas.
“My communal area, as you know, has always been in the news for a lack of water. We have no water at all. In the newspaper, you would always read that the clinic is closed, and the schools have closed because of a lack of water. I had been on the neck of our government, “he explained.
He said they have requested for trucks to have water delivered on a daily basis to schools, clinics and residents.
“They indeed gave us some trucks that we currently use to ensure water reaches everyone in the area. Our hope is that the pipeline will soon be completed to bring relief to our people,” he said.
Water woes
Erongo is notorious for water shortage – so much so that even the country’s first hydrogen project is threatened by the situation.
Namibia’s first hydrogen project is located at Daures, and it is reportedly looking at sourcing water from the Atlantic Ocean, some 140km from the site.
Back in 2019, it was reported that the regional council distributed 12 936 bags of maize meal to drought-hit households between November 2018 and March 2019 to farmers and households in Karibib and Daures constituencies.
The drought situation in Erongo has been critical, especially in the Karibib, Daures and Walvis Bay constituencies, whose inhabitants mainly depend on livestock farming.
Livestock have been dying, especially in these two settlements, leaving farmers and their families at the mercy of council, as they now depend on drought relief.
According to official figures, at least 1 764 households benefitted from the allocated drought relief – 686 were from Karibib constituency and 1 087 from the Daures constituency.
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edeklerk@nepc.com.na
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