The residents of Mangetti Dune in the Tsumkwe constituency have been without clean water for months now.

The generator that pumps the community boreholes broke down last year when the nbc news team visited the community just before the local authority and regional council elections.

 The community members are still depending on nearby institutions such as the school hostel, the police station and the clinic.
These institutions are only willing to assist each household with five litres of water, and this situation hampers the daily activities of the residents, such as doing laundry and cooking.

"We are really suffering here with this water problem. Now that the school is open and teachers and learners are back, we are now not allowed to fetch water there. We walk day and night looking for water so that we can be able to cook and wash school uniforms for our kids," complained Mangetti Dune resident, Elias Klauphas. 

He further added that they need urgent help with this water problem. 

Juli Gabriel, another resident, says, "Now that the water engine broke down, we are struggling. We have to go fetch water at the police station, school, and teachers' houses, but they used to chase us away, but when we send our kids, they at least help kids, and we get water from our kids, so we really need help with this water engine." 

The senior traditional authority leader Sarah Sungu said that the mechanics came to repair the water engine in December, but it broke down again within two days.

Contacted for comment, the control administrative officer of Otjozondjupa rural water supply, Ernestus Karabo, said the NamWater water meters in Mangetti and surrounding villages were disconnected due to high unpaid bills.

He said a borehole drilled in Mangetti last year dried up last year in November.

He further explained that another team will be sent to establish the root cause.

Karabo said the available options are either to entrust a contractor to restore the borehole or to drill another borehole.

The water tanker that was previously used to take water to the settlement has also broken down at Grootfontein; it was used there during the outbreak of cholera.

He added that the temporary solution would be for Namwater to reconnect the disconnected water while they are waiting for funds to repair the borehole.