Oshikoto regional head of rural water supply and sanitation in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Stevenson Tuukondjele has implored communities to desist from tendencies of stealing their own properties.
Tuukondjele in an interview with Nampa on Friday said he is aware of cases of theft of five pumps reported to their office recently.
“We are facing a water crisis so we encourage our communities not to steal these pumps because they are helping the community as a source of water and they are too costly to buy,” said Tuukondjele.
Tuukondjele said people steal elements in the pumps and sell them to private farmers at a cheaper price.
“Private farmers should stop buying these pumps or anything that does not have a receipt,” said Tuukondjele.
He said that pumps are in a range of N.dollars 20 000 to 50 000 and community members that steal them normally sell them for much less.
“We encourage community members to take care of these pumps because they are no longer for the government, they belong to the communities, who should put up neighbourhood watches to safeguard their properties,” he said.
He narrated that they are not progressing because “people are stealing their own things”.
Tuukondjele said boreholes were drilled strategically in Akazulu, Otatashe, Olundje, Onelago, Omutse gonime and Onamishu villages while the government is exploring the possibility of getting a pipeline from Oshivelo to these areas.
He stated that the boreholes are 250 to 350 metres deep and have a lot of water, but unfortunately are not suitable for human consumption because of a high content of fluoride.
“The government will help to purify this water so it can be consumed by both animals and humans but in the meantime, we urge communities to use their traditional ways of purifying water such as boiling,” Tuukondjele said.
He further stated that the ministry has awarded tenders to drill more boreholes in Eengodi, Okankolo, and Nehale constituencies.
Source: Namibia Press Agency