The Namibian government has taken another major step in addressing the persistent water scarcity challenges facing the Kunene Region with the official commissioning of the Ohamaremba-Okanguati Water Supply Pipeline.
Given prospects of good rainfall, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has said discussions are on to ensure that schools in floodplain areas do not close during the rainy season.
Schools such as Onghala, Ohaingu, Oudjobala and Shingunguma would need urgent intervention to avoid their temporary closures.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform said that, despite significant strides in the supply of potable water to households, sanitation remains a major concern.
Inge Zaamwani said that 40% of households nationally still practice open defecation.
Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has assured the National Assembly that the government is taking urgent steps to address water challenges in some parts of the Oshikoto Region.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah assured residents of Kuvukiland, an informal settlement in Tsumeb, that they will be getting water soon, while the provision of electricity will come at a later stage.
Kuvukiland is divided into A, B and C, with A already supplying water and electricity.
The Otjozondjupa Regional Council will take over the water supply to residents of Kombat.
This comes after CENORED made a payment of close to N$160,000 for the installation of an independent power supply to pump water to residents.
Omatjete and the surrounding areas in the Erongo Region now have access to water, following the commissioning of a 31-kilometre water pipeline from Ozondati.
Since 2019, residents at Omatjete and surrounding areas in the Erongo Region have endured a water shortage that turned into a crisis.
The Namibian government, in partnership with NamWater, has embarked on the Ogongo–Oshakati Water Pipeline Project, marked by a groundbreaking ceremony at the Ogongo Treatment Plant in December 2024.
Otavi Constituency Councillor George !Garab has said that the Otjozondjupa Regional Council must take over the provision of water to residents of Kombat without the involvement of NamWater.
When the Kombat mine was in full swing, it was providing the residents of Kombat with free water.
Namwater is calling for public cooperation to protect critical water infrastructure and ensure a steady water supply in the Ombafi-Ongongo canal.
The water utility has noticed that some community members are illegally siphoning water from the canal to fill oshanas for fishing.
