Independent boreholes could solve Kavango schools' water crisis

Solutions exist, but tight budgets prevent authorities from implementing them.

Independent boreholes could solve school’s water crisis

‘Community cannot take it anymore’

Education authorities say the only sustainable solution to recurring water shortages in some Kavango schools is to install independent boreholes to ensure reliable water supply that does not depend on community boreholes.

Meanwhile, Kavango West's Kapako Combined School learners and teachers said by last week, when they protested the crisis, they had been without water for months.

The water supply was cut off due to a faulty community borehole, and in addition to the school, it affected a local clinic and other households.

While the borehole has been fixed since then, the situation remains fragile.

Nicodemus Tjakula, the education inspector for the Ncuncuni circuit, highlighted the possible solution following the community protest that had resulted in parents removing their children from school last week over the ongoing crisis.

On the ground, frustration had reached a breaking point. Parents cited unsafe and unhygienic conditions for removing their children from school.

Speaking during the demonstration, parent representative Alfred Hausiku said the absence of water has made basic sanitation impossible.

“There is no water… nothing in the toilet to flush,” Hausiku said. “Kids are just getting outside there to relieve themselves. Just all around here, it’s smelling.”

He added that the situation has already led to a health scare, with about 40 learners reportedly testing positive for a sanitation-related illness at a local clinic.

With 755 learners across nine grades, the impact on teaching and learning has been noticeable, forcing multiple classes to halt lessons entirely.

“The community cannot take it anymore,” he said. “They came to collect their kids.”

No money to fix it

Tjakula admitted that “this is not the only school in the Kavango West region that is currently affected".

He explained that while the long-term solution is clear, most schools remain reliant on community sources due to budget shortfalls, leaving them vulnerable whenever boreholes fail.

Kapako, which caters to 755 learners from Grade 1 to Grade 9, is among those hardest hit.

The school depends entirely on a community borehole, which has now failed, cutting off water supply to both the school and surrounding households.

“When the community borehole is affected, the school is also affected,” Tjakula said. “The only lasting solution is for schools to have their own boreholes so that they remain independent and are not at the mercy of community water sources.”

He emphasised that the issue is a wider regional problem of ageing or shared water infrastructure.

The school has repeatedly raised water supply concerns with authorities, with formal complaints dating back to August 2023, followed by additional letters in April 2024 and March this year.

Learners penned a letter addressed to Tjakula earlier this year, highlighting the impact of the water shortage on their education and wellbeing.

“These matters were forwarded to the relevant offices,” the inspector confirmed.

“It’s not to say we are not doing anything."

Long-standing inaction

The community has submitted a second petition to the local councillor, demanding urgent intervention, including the drilling of a new borehole dedicated solely to the school.

Efforts to resolve the issue in the past have included proposals to connect the school to a constituency borehole and plans to install pipelines. However, these attempts stalled due to administrative hurdles and jurisdictional complications involving the regional council.

Tjakula maintained that while interim measures such as water deliveries are being attempted, they are insufficient.

The region currently relies on a single water tanker to supply multiple schools, a system he acknowledged cannot meet the growing demand.