A task team has been set up to investigate the need for desalination plants at villages in the Kunene Region to purify salty underground water amid a persistent drought in the area.

This was confirmed by Regional Governor Marius Sheya following a recent one-day fact-finding mission to affected areas in the Khorixas Constituency.

Although mitigations such as the drilling of boreholes and the construction of reservoirs were introduced by the government to address water shortages, most of these initiatives just bring up saline, which has been the main challenge for household and livestock consumption.

Because of this and the continued drought effects, Sheya hopes desalination plants will be the ultimate solution in the affected areas.

Desalination plants will assist between 35 and 40 households in this particular area, where residents are also aspiring to set up small vegetable gardens for self-sufficiency.

In the meantime, according to Sheya, two water tanks are undertaking daily trips to distribute clean drinking water.

At a community meeting held in the Ward 9 farming area, residents there appealed for the government to look into setting up water dams, fixing the current windmill and pump station, and creating better roads to and from Fransfontein en route to Khorixas.

Ward 9 is one of the fastest-growing areas where many are being relocated to settle due to its fertile land and economic aspiration driven by the development taking place at Fransfontein, located about 20 kilometres away from Khorixas.