The much-awaited second phase of the Neckartal Dam 19-thousand-hectare irrigation project is gaining momentum, with the project viability assessment currently underway.

A major rescue mission is being mounted in the Fish River Canyon to rescue close to a hundred hikers trapped in the canyon by rising waters.

Potential investors have conducted a fact-finding mission to the Neckartal Dam in the ||Kharas Region, as plans gain momentum for the second phase of the irrigation scheme’s development.

||Kharas Governor Dawid Gertze highlighted the need to fully harness the region's natural resources to drive Namibia's industrialisation agenda. 

An objection recently lodged against a successful bidder for the design of the second phase of the Neckartal Dam Irrigation Scheme has delayed the project's much-anticipated implementation.

NamWater’s latest dam bulletin, released on March 20, reveals a rise in water levels across several major reservoirs. The report, which compares current levels to those recorded on March 17, shows increases in dam storage percentages, particularly at the Hardap, Von Bach, and Swakoppoort dams.

The Governor of the ||Kharas Region has called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform to expedite the consultancy services procurement process for the design of the irrigation scheme at Neckartal Dam. 

Once fully operational, the envisaged 5,000-hectare irrigation scheme at Neckartal Dam, on the outskirts of Keetmanshoop, will provide sufficient produce for not only the domestic market but exports as well.

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.

The government has allocated an amount of N$10 million in the 2023/2024 budget for the development of the Neckartal Dam Irrigation Project.

The project will run on two farms of a combined size of 11 000 hectares, acquired by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform.