The lack of potable water for the Oshilunga Shonkoshi community, a remote village in the Oshana Region, is now a thing of the past.

The community previously relied on water from wells and floodplains during the rainy season and made long journeys to Onaanda using donkey carts to purchase potable water.

The initiative was made possible through collaboration between the community, the constituency councillor, the office of the governor, and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Directorate of Rural Water Supply.

“We have just opened a tap of fresh water, where I myself also touched it with my hands, drank it and tasted it — quality water. The community is now very happy. No more suffering, no more travelling long distances to go and buy water 15 kilometres away from their villages using donkey carts. Now it is just a matter of walking from home for two minutes, fetching water and then taking it home. And those who could have money, the pipeline came nearby; they also got that chance to pull water from the main pipeline into their houses so that rural water supply will cover the whole Oshana Region,” said Oshana Governor Hofni Iipinge.

Okatana Councillor Petrus Ashipala commended the community’s unity and determination displayed during the excavation of the pipeline.

“I want to sincerely commend you for your hard work. What you have displayed is rare in many nations, especially when you left all your house chores and your households unattended, with children gone to school, just to go and dig a pipeline. It is very rare,” he said.

Our news team caught up with Ashipala Jesaya, headman for Etope Village, a neighbouring village to Oshilunga Shonkoshi.

“I see the water scarcity at Oshilunga Shonkoshi, especially; every household that endured periods of waiting to see if their buckets of water would fill up overnight to have drinking water has now been relieved,” he said.