Out of 62 villages in the Ohangwena Region's Epembe Constituency, 22 lack access to potable water due to low water pressure.

People are now left to drink water that is not fit for human consumption.
 
It is common in many villages to find traditional water wells covered by algae and unfit for human consumption.

This is the reality facing residents of Ohamenya and Omupanda Number 2.

Community members at Ohamenya have started working together to revive traditional wells to ensure water for both humans and livestock.
 
One villager, Cornelius Nakuta, says the situation has been worsened by a lack of sufficient rainfall in the area since last year.

"Every day we are fighting to have access to clean drinking water. When will we ever get a favourable response? We want this answer as the water we have been drinking both post-independence and pre-independence is not fit for human consumption, and we do not even receive any water purifiers."

The residents say they have not benefited from any boreholes in the area, although research has been carried out at various sites over the years.

At Omupanda Number 2, community members say their village has no taps.

Epembe Councillor Mathew Nanghama says government alone cannot promptly mitigate the crisis and has called on more stakeholders to come on board.

"This is a very serious crisis, and it needs the intervention of entities or government parastatals to help the people so that they can have drinking water. I therefore request all the government parastatals to come out and help the people, especially in the Epembe Constituency."