WINDHOEK – The availability of water is a critical factor for improving grazing management by participating communities of the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs).
For participating communities not to lose interest, it will be important that improvements to water points are made as early as possible even better if during the initial stages of mobilisation to avoid momentum being lost. Speaking at last week’s Millennium Challenge Account Namibia (MCA-N)’s Livestock Support Activity Workshop, Jorrie Jordaan, a water infrastructure consultant, said farmers and communities in the Community Based Rangeland and Livestock Management Programme’s selected Graze Land Areas insisted on water supply as a prerequisite to participate in the CBRLM plan for planned grazing and herding.
According to him, the costs for water infrastructure provided per region were:
Kunene: N$ 8 664 000; Omusati: N$ 4 707 000; Oshana: N$ 986 000;
Ohangwena: N$ 6 106 000; Oshikoto: N$ 4 347 000 and Kavango: N$ 5 573 000 to make up the total of N$ 30 383 000. Various fast track and long track measures were implemented, which included repairs to existing water infrastructure that resulted in more sustainable water supply.
Sixteen x 10 000 litre water storage tanks, 60 drinking troughs, 1000 metre pipes and accessories were procured and temporary installed at existing water points to supplement water supply for livestock drinking. Eleven (11) submersible pump kits and generator sets were procured and temporary installed at newly drilled boreholes as interim measure to supply water for livestock drinking. Upgrades to 66 existing DWSSC water infrastructure installation across all six NCAs were done which resulted in optimization of the water points.
Nineteen new boreholes were drilled and equipped with solar installations across all six NCAs in close vicinity to grazing areas to enhanced planned grazing and herding. One earth dam was constructed at Nghishongw in the Epembe area, Ohangwena region to impound 60 000 m³ of rain water for livestock drinking. The dam is equipped with a solar pumping system, water storage tanks and drinking troughs and has a safe water supply for two years. There are 100 plus households in neighbouring villages that will benefit from this dam.Three existing hand dug wells in the Oshiku Shithilonde East area, Oshana region were equipped with a solar pumping system, water storage tanks and drinking trough. One (1) newly constructed and four existing hand dug wells in the Ongandjera area, Omusati region were equipped with either a solar or trash pump installation, water storage tanks and drinking troughs. One existing hand dug shallow well at Nghishongw in Epembe area, Ohangwena region was equipped with a trash pump installation, water storage tank and drinking troughs.
Two existing borrow pits that impounds rain water in Epembe area, Ohangwena region were equipped with trash pump installations, water storage tanks and drinking troughs. The majority of existing water infrastructure is old and not reliable for sustainable water supply to water large herds of livestock. GOPA Consultants have approached Lund Consulting Engineers CC (LCE) for assistance with identifying required upgrades to existing water supply infrastructure, identifying new infrastructure needs, providing cost estimates for additional water needs to the initially targeted 21 Rangeland Intervention Areas in six (NCAs) Northern Communal Areas, namely Kunene North, and the Omusati, Oshikoto, Oshana, Ohangwena and Kavango regions and compiled the same into a Summary Report.