Nuusita Ashipala
Ongwediva-Following the ongoing water woes at Onamatanga over the years the government has taken the temporary measure to ferry tanks of water to the community until a permanent solution is found.
Councillor for Ruacana Constituency Andreas Shintama said the water is provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry through the Ruacana constituency office.
Water is provided immediately before the tank runs dry. “We have put a contact there, who informs our office once the tank is about to run dry,” said Shintama.
Although the councillor could not provide the exact date when the government started ferrying water to Onamatanga, Shintama said they have not recorded any hiccups thus far.
The only challenge that could possibly hinder the process is communication because the area does not have network coverage and as a result attempts to communicate with the office are done in advance to avoid delays.
He said that currently Onamatanga does not have potable water and solely depends on borehole water, which is salty, making it unfit for both human and animal consumption.
Previously, residents of Onamatanga trekked long distances to secure water from boreholes that were not too salty.
In addition to the water, the marginalised community of the San is also provided with food through the Office of the President. The Ruacana office received bags of rice intended for the San community.
On a different note, Shintama said his office had also taken an initiative to clear the shrubs along the Ruacana-Omakange road.
He said the cleaning is important as there have been reports of lives lost through accidents.
The road is also used by tourists visiting the region as well as people travelling to the Kunene Region.