Town councils owe NamWater N$1.2bn

Local and regional authorities owe NamWater over N$1.2 billion in unpaid fees. This was revealed by the water utility’s CEO Abraham Nehemiah during a stakeholder engagement session at the Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre on Tuesday.Nehemia did not specify how much NamWater is owed by individuals, but said local and regional authorities owe the biggest chunk, followed by the rural water supply.NamWater&#039;s tariffs will remain unchanged for the next two years, he added.“The water utility has come up with various debt recovery strategies, including the implementation of water pre-paid meters,” Nehemiah said. Debt recovery is, however, not easy, he said, due to public perception about water prices, which has now become a huge challenge to NamWater.Apart from the debts, the utility is currently faced with high demand for water, which he termed a “costly exercise”. NamWater produces 1 930 200 cubic meters (m3) of water on a yearly basis, however, the supply still fails to meet the 2 457 000 m3 demand. This has created a shortfall of 526 800 m3.Nehemiah said the Oshakati treatment plant produces 1 200 000 m3 of water, but the demand there stands at 1 350 000 m3.Closing the gap To close the gap and meet the demands of its consumers, NamWater is upgrading the canal from Calueque to Oshakati. “We are also in the process of upgrading the Olushandja, Outapi and Oshakati treatment plants. The pipelines from Ogongo to Oshakati and Ondangwa to Omuthiya are also being improved,” he said. Nehemiah added that Onambutu, which receives water from the Omakango water pipeline, is old and needs renovation on a monthly basis. This, he said, poses a challenge which needs a long-term solution. – tuyeimo@namibiansun.com

Town councils owe NamWater N$1.2bn

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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Town councils owe NamWater N$1.2bn

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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