NamWater to address Rundu's critical water issues

Agriculture and water minister Calle Schlettwein has expressed concern over the increasing challenges of providing adequate and quality water supply to Rundu and its suburbs.Schlettwein made these remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for a state-of-the-art Rundu treatment plant extension and associated works valued at N$665 million.Schlettwein said the existing scheme is old and currently running at maximum capacity, and its ability to supply quality potable water may be compromised.“Importantly, the water distribution network of Rundu loses almost 50% of the water through leakages, making the system highly insufficient and costly," he said."In response to this challenge, the government concluded a financing agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2020 to support the Namibia Water Sector Programme, for which part of the loan is to be utilised in financing the provision of engineering consultancy services and construction of the Rundu purification plant extension,” the minister explained.Extensive challengesSchlettwein emphasised that "the challenges we face are significant.""The current water supply infrastructure in Rundu has surpassed its useful economic lifespan, making it increasingly difficult to meet the growing water demands of our population. As the town expands and the population grows, the strain on our existing systems intensifies. We must act decisively to address these issues."He added: “Our access to potable water supply currently in the country stands at 87%, and we are committed to closing the gap and extending water supply to the remaining 13% in the shortest possible time.”NamWater CEO Abraham Nehemia said many parts of Rundu currently do not have a reliable 24/7 water supply due to issues like low pressure or frequent pipe breaks.“These are serious problems we are experiencing with water supply. Additionally, the current system does not adequately cover areas outside the town&#039;s boundaries. We are now focused on extending the new infrastructure far beyond the town limits to serve a larger population in the two regions," he said.He said NamWater is also "dealing with numerous illegal connections and vandalism issues, and we aim to establish a robust system capable of addressing these challenges. With the new plant, we expect these anomalies to be resolved, provided the principle of cost recovery is enforced."SolutionSchlettwein said the contract for the construction of the infrastructure has been awarded to a contractor, and the project will cost N$665 million."I should acknowledge that the N$665 million is part of the Africa Development Bank loan facility of about N$1.8 billion meant to finance projects under the Namibia Water Sector Support Water Support Programme,” he explained.“The Rundu water treatment plant extension project is the government’s solution to the increasing water supply needs of people and industries within Rundu and the surrounding communities,” he said.“In addition, the construction of additional storage reservoirs amounting to 35 500 cubic metres in volume and the construction of new pump stations with dedicated pipelines to the existing and new elevated reservoirs at Rundu and Nkarapamwe schemes.”nikanor@erongo.com.na

NamWater to address Rundu's critical water issues

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-08

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NamWater to address Rundu's critical water issues

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-08

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