Martin Endjala
The Eengodi Constituency in the Oshikoto region is grappling with a water crisis due to a lack of boreholes.
Residents are forced to drink water with high salinity from wells.
According to Iita Sinsikus, a resident of Oshana-Shomupanda village, the constituency has had to deal with this water crisis for several years.
This is despite the recently announced borehole drilling program currently being carried out by the Ministry of Water, Agriculture, and Land Reform in various regions.
He told the Windhoek Observer on Wednesday that despite their concerns, the water crisis remains unaddressed.
“As we speak, we have no water in the village, and this is due to a lack of boreholes in the entire constituency. The borehole we have here is not in operation due to undrinkable high salinity water, both for us and our animals,” he said.
Sinsikus said the village has been without proper drinking water since 2011, and the constituency has been struggling with the situation for at least six years.
He explained that residents travel daily to the nearby Onambiya village to fetch water. There are about five wells used by residents of more than five villages.
The villagers fear that the wells may run dry if it does not rain soon, and some well owners have already taken strict measures to control access to their water.
“The owners usually remove the containers used to fill water drums from the wells, and if you don’t have one, you cannot get water. Now, people often get into fights over water, which is really bad. How can we live like this in an independent country?” he said.
Sinsikus added that due to the ongoing water crisis, they have requested the council to bring in experts to inspect the situation and perhaps use chemicals to reduce the salinity levels of the borehole water, making it drinkable while they wait for new boreholes.
“Right now, we have no choice but to sometimes use salty water, which often upsets our stomachs. The Onambiya boreholes get so crowded that one wonders if it’s a show happening or not. That’s how serious the water shortage is in this constituency,” Sinsikus claimed.
He said some areas with boreholes often go a day or more without water due to weak pressure.
At times, water only comes at night, but it hardly fills a 25-litre container.
According to Sinsikus, old pipes frequently cut off water to prevent waste.
This has resulted in some areas remaining without water until such pipes are replaced.
Constituency councillor Protasius Neshuku explained that the water crisis is being experienced throughout the region and has been ongoing for the past three years.
“I sympathise with the residents, and we, as a council, are doing everything we can. However, the issue of boreholes is long overdue. As we speak, I am at the council office and we haven’t had water running at 100% for four months. It is very slow,” he said.
He said that the council had made requests to the drought relief program under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) for the provision of water truck tanks to supply water to areas that have no water.
Neshuku said they have yet to receive a response from OPM.
He explained that NamWater’s method of pumping water into the Omuthiya dam is the root cause of the pressure pump problem.
During his own inspections, Neshuku said they discovered that NamWater normally pumps water for 10-24 hours to other areas, while they pump water in Omuthiya town 24 hours uninterrupted.
“This has led to some residents going to fetch water at the dam physically, while the dam is not yet at full capacity. When the NamWater officials pump the water into the systems to distribute to other areas in the region, the pressure is often insufficient to take the water to reach other areas,” he explained.
The ministry’s public relations officer, Jennifer Paulus, said they are aware of the water issues reported to their office and that these are being addressed.
She urged people to remain patient while the ministry attends to their concerns.