Otjozondjupa Governor James Uerikua says the regional council agrees to the writing off of historic water debts in certain cases.

Uerikua was speaking at a meeting with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources and Community Development, which is currently hosting a hearing on historic write-offs of water and electricity debts.

Uerikua says local authorities with access to natural water sources must strengthen themselves to provide water to their communities.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Anna Shiweda, stated that the water crisis being experienced in the northern-central regions has been partially resolved.

Shiweda was responding to concerns raised by Rally for Democratic Party (RDP) MP Kennedy Shekupakela regarding the severity of the water situation in the Oshikoto Region.

A shortage of water in the Oshikoto Region has unleashed devastating effects on humans, livestock, and projects.

Some residents are forced to travel long distances to buy water, both for their own consumption and for livestock.

Some villagers, such as Shikongo Mingeli from Omutsegwonime, still have no access to potable water.

The 85-year-old travels 40 kilometres to and from Omuthiya to buy water for consumption for his family and their livestock.

It is a costly exercise.

Africa has regressed in attaining commitments made in the 2008 Declaration on Accelerating the Achievement of Water and Sanitation Goals. 

This is according to Namibia's Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, who officially opened the 7th Africa Sanitation and Hygiene Conference at Swakopmund.

The five-day conference is a platform for technical and political dialogue with governments and stakeholders to address sanitation and hygiene challenges in Africa.

A team of veterinary experts is in the Zambezi Region on a fact-finding mission to establish the cause of cattle deaths in the flood plains of the region.

Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed hemorrhagic septicemia as the cause.

Hemorrhagic septicemia is a disease of water buffalo and cattle in tropical regions caused by specific serotypes of Pasteurella.

Farmers were advised to immediately vaccinate all their healthy cattle against Pasteurella, black quarter, botulism, and anthrax, as such diseases are common during the dry season in the region.

Namibia's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, observed a minute of silence in solidarity with the people of Palestine, calling on the international community to act.

Namibia's goal is to enhance agricultural production and ensure national food security and self-sufficiency.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Anna Shigwedha, made the remark in response to Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani's inquiries regarding drip irrigation and soil moisture management for small-scale commercial agriculture.

Residents of Tsumeb are advised to continue boiling water for consumption.

This was said by the town's chief executive officer, Victoria Kapenda.

Since last year, Tsumeb residents have been having serious water issues as a result of underground water contamination.

Dundee Precious Metals, which operates a copper smelting plant in the town, also confirmed that the water had high microbiological traces.

The process of shock chlorination, or the disinfection of water sources, led to an improvement in the water quality compared to last year.

"As heads of state and governments, we must aim to close the water investment gap in Africa for the achievement of not only the water-related SDG targets on the continent, important as they are, but to enable the African continent to achieve her overall developmental goals."

This was the clarion call by President Hage Geingob during the launch of the International High-Level Panel Campaign, titled Mind the Gap: Invest in Water Raising Ambition, in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform officially handed over the Rundu abattoir to MeatCo yesterday.

The abattoir is intended to serve as a market for cattle and small stock farmers in the Kavango East, West, and surrounding regions.

The construction of the Rundu abattoir started in 2014 and was expected to be completed in 2017.
 
The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, stated that the outbreak of COVID-19 and disruptions in tourism and other economic activities delayed the completion of the abattoir.