Ongwediva
The water utility NamWater is in the process of constructing an additional 13 500 cubic metre-capacity reservoir at its water purification plant at Oshakati.
13 500 cubic metres translate to 13.5 million litres.
The reservoir is an addition to the already existing 5 000 cubic metres which translates to 5 million litres of water.
The 9 million litres of water reservoir is currently non-operational.
Head of corporate communications at NamWater Johannes Shigwedha says construction of the reservoir “is not a signal of water troubles in the north” as there is apparently enough supply for NamWater customers in the northern regions.
“We have enough reservoir capacity at the purification plant in Oshakati,” assured Shigwedha.
Shigwedha said one can however not wait until a disaster strikes in order to commence putting a plan in place.
“We are anticipating for the future – a crisis cannot be predicted hence we are preparing ourselves to have huge volumes of water to last several days should a crisis occur,” said Shigwedha.
NamWater provides water to more than half of the population in the north.
Earlier this month Shigwedha appealed to the community living along the Calueque-Oshakati canal to desist from interrupting the flow of water.
According to Shigwedha, the community has resorted to opening up the canal to feed their livestock.
Several others have also resorted to either using manual or electronic pumps to pump water from the canal in order to sustain their fruit and vegetable backyard gardens.
Although there is no regulating policy to prohibit the community from pumping water illegally, he noted the act affects the flow of water to the purification plant in Oshakati which is to ensure everyone has access to clean water.
“Deliberate drawing of water from the canal either with an electrical or manual pump should be discouraged,” he said.