The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources says it will recommend the speedy implementation of phase II of the Neckartal Dam Irrigation Project.

The project's Phase II includes the development of 5,000 hectares of land for crop irrigation.

A Standing Committee member, Efraim Nekongo, said this during the committee's visit to the Neckartal Dam near Keetmanshoop in ||Kharas Region as part of its oversight function.

Finance Minister Ipumbu Shimi announced this week that the government has budgeted N$10 million for the development of the dam's irrigation scheme in the fiscal year 2023-2024.

Neckartal Dam is the biggest dam in the country, with a storage capacity of 850 million cubic meters of water.

"I think as a committee we would be able to recommend to the authority to make sure this water does not remain idle here; it must be utilized for its purpose. Let's irrigate green schemes so that we feed ourselves. It's a shame we have water and we continue feeding ourselves from South Africa."