Windhoek: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has unveiled a comprehensive strategy to deliver sustainable and durable solutions to the water challenges currently affecting communities countrywide. The ministry's Executive Director, Teofilus Nghitila, announced that the water crisis is particularly severe during the dry months of July to December, demanding urgent and coordinated action to secure water supply for all Namibians.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the initiative primarily focuses on rural areas and outlines immediate, medium- and long-term steps to address critical water scarcity. The ministry will coordinate its activities with NamWater and Nampower to address the challenges. The interventions include expanding water provision through pipelines and implementing rainwater harvesting via the construction and rehabilitation of earth dams. The plan also targets groundwater resources through the drilling, installation, equipping, rehabilitation, and modernization of boreholes, including the installation of mini desalination plants for treating saline water.
Other measures include sealing the Etaka Canal with concrete to prevent water loss, mobilizing community leaders to avail land for community gardens, and implementing measures to mitigate the impact of veld fires. Nghitila emphasized the severity of the water scarcity crisis, driven by recurring droughts, declining groundwater levels, and growing demand from domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors.
The ED noted that most rural communities, especially in the Kunene, Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Kavango East, Kavango West, and Omaheke regions, amongst others, continue to experience intermittent water supply disruptions. Urban centers are also showing increasing signs of strain on available resources due to climate variability, coupled with aging infrastructure and limited storage capacity.
The response strategy was discussed during an urgent consultative meeting convened in Windhoek on Friday. Various stakeholders in the electricity and water sectors, including NamWater, Nampower, and the respective line ministries, attended the meeting. All stakeholders have committed to coordinating and addressing the shortcomings and challenges with urgency. The necessary resources-human, technical, logistical, and financial-will be mobilized to enable the professional and technical response teams to carry out this important work.