NamWater, City raise alarm over poor rainfall

NamWater and the City of Windhoek have warned that low rainfall in Namibia poses a serious threat to the water supply in the central areas of the country.Central Namibia is supplied with water primarily from an integrated supply system consisting of three interconnected dams - Omatako, Von Bach and Swakoppoort.According to an update from the Hydrological Services recently, the levels of these three dams stood at 0%, 13% and 44.4% respectively last Monday.On the same day, the collective water level in the three dams was recorded at 22.2% of their combined capacity, compared to 39.9% during the same period in 2023."The aforementioned supply system is heavily dependent on favourable climate conditions – i.e. rainfall and associated runoff - in a region with highly variable climatic conditions,” NamWater said.“The water supply system is further supplemented with water from the Windhoek aquifer (boreholes) and the new Goreangab water reclamation plant as part of critical interventions aimed at breaching water supply shortfalls in the supply area and, in particular, to the capital city.”In addition, the uninterrupted water supply from multiple water sources has made it possible to continue operations in the central areas of Namibia, the water utility said.Alternative strategiesDuring its 2023 annual stakeholder workshop, NamWater adopted strategies to ensure water supply security to the central areas of the country covers at least the next two rainy seasons."These strategies included water demand management, comprising a 10% reduction in water consumption, and predicted water inflow into the three supply dams according to the long-term observed statistical model.”With the rainy season currently underway and January fast coming to an end, no water inflow into any of the three dams has been recorded.“Unfortunately, aided by exceptionally high temperatures since October 2023, water consumption has been consistently above the savings target, further depleting available water stock faster than predicted," a statement read.NamWater further warned that the persistence of the poor rainfall indicates that the breaching of two rainy seasons may no longer be possible."This has potentially serious repercussions for the water supply in the central areas of Namibia, and further water demand management measures may be warranted," it said.The total level of the country&#039;s major dams stood at 57.8% last week. This is lower than the two previous rainy seasons.

NamWater, City raise alarm over poor rainfall

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-05

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NamWater, City raise alarm over poor rainfall

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-05

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