Vandalism and theft of water borehole equipment such as cylinders and solar panels are rampant in the Ohangwena Region.

This has left some communities without water during this critical time when it is needed most.

During the recent handover of deep boreholes to the community by the Office of the Prime Minister in the Ohangwena Region, the governor expressed disappointment with the irresponsible acts by criminals who are depriving the community of this scarce resource.

Residents of the Suncity location at Rundu have been without running water for months. 

They have now resorted to collecting water from the supply lines found above the ground. 

Residents say they have been without water since October last year, while others have never had running water since their taps were installed. 

This has left the community with no choice but to get water from any other pipe.

The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Sylvia Makgone, commended Golden Fin Fishing Masters for using part of their allocated fishing quota to drill two boreholes and build water infrastructure for the community of !Gainachas in the ||Kharas Region.

As part of their social corporate responsibility programme, Golden Fin Fishing Masters Group drilled two boreholes and installed associated infrastructure at a cost of N$215,000 in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Forestry.

NOROS Fishing has assisted with the rehabilitation and drilling of boreholes in the Omaheke Region.

The Fishing company spent N$500,000 in two different villages in the region.

Speaking at the handover of the borehole at Kalpan village in the Epukiro constituency, the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Sylvia Makgone, applauded the company for improving the livelihoods of the community.

Makgone also added that the government alone will not address underdevelopment.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform has intervened in a water crisis at Omatjete that has been ongoing for years.

The Ministry will be sourcing water from a village near Omatjete to mitigate the ongoing shortage of water in the village.

Situated more than 200 km from Otjiwarongo, Omatjete Village has faced challenges in terms of water availability since even before independence.

About 15 years ago, the regional council installed boreholes and linked them to the reservoir to provide water to the community.

Residents of Uvhungu-Vhungu and Mutengo Mukuru villages now have clean water following the drilling of boreholes in the area.

About a month ago, the nbc News team visited the village, and people were complaining that they had not seen visible development, particularly the provision of water, since independence.

They fetch water from the river at the same spot where they bathe and the cattle drink.

The Councillor of Rundu Rural, Paulus Mbangu, says the drilling of a borehole was delayed by hold-ups in the procurement process.

The Outjo Municipality has drilled three more boreholes in an effort to address the water shortage in the town.

For the past four years, the underground water in Outjo has been going down as a result of subduction.

"It's a natural process that takes place underground, which can be because of weathering, chemical, biological, or physical, and they are still getting water, but sometimes we have to close so that the water can be opened in intervals so that they can at least get water," said Outjo Mayor Johannes Bapello.

The Namibian government will soon rehabilitate eight boreholes at Duineveld Settlement in the Hardap Region.

The Director of Water Supply and Sanitation, Dr. Elijah Ngurare, says the community of Duineveld is supplied with water from a borehole that is situated on private land.

There are about 600 inhabitants at the tiny settlement of Duineveld who use this borehole, and the owner now threatens to cut off the supply because of vandalism.

The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, says his ministry will first monitor the current boreholes at Groot Aub, which are said to be without water, before considering other options.

This follows complaints by residents about the lack of water at the settlement in the Windhoek Rural constituency.

Schlettwein and the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, were in Groot Aub on a familiarization trip to see the situation on the ground.

The Khomas Regional Council concluded its visits to the Windhoek Rural Constituency aimed at assessing the status of boreholes drilled in the area.

The delegation assessed boreholes at the Satan Slog settlement, Enos and Ernest, and Diep Rivier.

They also visited the construction of toilets at Khanubeb and the youth gardening project at Nauaspoort.

A borehole at Enos and Ernest was not functioning due to a lack of water.