WINDHOEK: Residents in the rapidly expanding informal area of FiveRand in Okahandja have taken to using water from a nearby riverbed fed by the NamWater industrial pipeline, due to the absence of adequate municipal water points.

According to a new release by Namibia Press Agency, a group of children was found bathing and washing clothes in the riverbed, stating that despite their uncertainties about the water's safety, it remains a reliable source for their daily needs. The children noted the lack of sufficient communal water points in the large informal area, forcing many households to use the waste water for laundry, bathing, and occasionally cooking.

Kadiva Hamutumwa, Chief Strategy Officer for the Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater), cautioned that the water is untreated and not suitable for human consumption. She urged residents to limit its use to gardening. Hamutumwa explained that the pipeline was initially installed to transport excess water from ponds in the event of operational failures, such as a breakdown of recovery pumps, which could potentially flood the area and compromise the pond embankment.

Makina Mukula, a resident since 2016, said community members have repeatedly requested additional water points and electricity from the municipality. Mukula revealed that the difficulty in affording communal water tokens has also compelled people to rely on the riverbed water. “We have been requesting water for years, but nothing. The municipality has given us numbers to maybe formalize us, perhaps more water is coming soon too,” he said.

Okahandja Constituency Councillor, Bathuel Tjaveondja, highlighted that rampant land grabbing has placed substantial stress on the local authority to supply basic municipal services. He said the municipality is in talks to provide more communal water points and electricity for the informal settlements, including FiveRand. “People are forced to wake up at 04h00 to queue up for water, sometimes even from many kilometers away. We are engaging with the community to dig the water pipeline once the equipment procurement is finalized,” Tjaveondja noted.