Oanob a critical wetland

NamWater CEO Abraham Nehemia has emphasised the importance of the Oanob River as a wetland and a critical water resource for the Rehoboth community. Nehemia was speaking recently at a World Wetlands Day, International Day of Forests and World Water Day commemoration event at the Oanob Dam near Rehoboth. He said wetland ecosystems are severely affected by impacts such as climate change, resulting in sea levels rising, coral bleaching, hydrological effects, changes in water temperature and alterations in water quantity and quality. Nehemia spoke about the importance of the Oanob River as a wetland, saying it is the main water supply source to the town, through its inflows into the Oanob Dam and the groundwater kept in its alluvial aquifer. Oanob Dam is located on the Oanob River approximately seven kilometres northwest of Rehoboth. According to Nehemia, the construction of the dam was completed in 1990, the year of Namibia's independence. The surface area of the dam is 3 603 km and it has a capacity of 34.505 million cubic metres of water. About 18% of the dam's water evaporates every year. He said prior to the construction of the dam and the purification plant, Rehoboth relied on 13 boreholes in the Oanob aquifer, which had the production capacity of 230 cubic metres per hour, while the town's demand at the time was around 200 cubic metres per hour,” said Nehemia.He said the decision to build the dam was therefore a proactive approach to meet future demand and ensure that development in the area is stimulated and that Rehoboth remains a centre of growth. According to Nehemia the purification plant, which is operated by NamWater, is situated about four kilometres from the Oanob Dam. Nehemia said the water from the dam is treated using a conventional purification process. The purification plant has a design capacity of 720 cubic metres per hour and is operated eight hours daily. Water from the dam is pumped into three reservoirs situated in the town and the plant continues to meet Rehoboth's demand, which currently stands at 5 000 cubic metres per day. “The enormously valuable wetland functions offer solid evidence that investing in natural solutions is a cost-effective way to enhance the resilience to climate change for vulnerable areas and communities,” Nehemia said. He said increased public awareness on the importance of wetlands should be encouraged, as well as stakeholder participation in their management, in order to maintain human well-being. “We should also encourage our lawmakers to strengthen national legal and policy arrangements to conserve all wetlands and develop and implement adaptation strategies for coastal and inland wetlands to minimise the impacts of climate change. “Coastal and unprotected wetlands are expected to be severely impacted by climate change, but conserving and restoring wetlands is a very effective way to mitigate climate change impacts for people and biodiversity,” Nehemia added.ELLANIE SMIT

Oanob a critical wetland

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-22

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Oanob a critical wetland

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-22

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