New boreholes at Uis not connected

While thousands of litres of water are being transported by road to Uis daily, boreholes that were drilled last year remain unused.

NamWater spokesperson John Shigwedha yesterday confirmed to Namibian Sun that new boreholes were drilled about 50km from Uis last year to address the village's water crisis.

Shigwedha said the boreholes were not connected to the Nei-Neis aquifer scheme located in the Omaruru River.

Due to the ongoing drought, most boreholes have run dry, while the infrastructure distributing the water to the settlement is dilapidated.

Since March last year, Uis has been receiving water for only a few hours a day because most boreholes have run dry. NamWater informed the residents that only four of the ten boreholes in the Nei-Neis aquifer were in use.

In September, the boreholes ran dry and tap water was only available for a few hours, prompting NamWater to start delivering water to the town by road.

According to Shigwedha, three new boreholes were drilled as a “lifeline solution” to address the water problem at Uis. The drilling was completed by 1 December last year.

He explained that these boreholes needed to be connected to the Nei-Neis scheme where boreholes had run dry.

“It was a question of financing and to find the money to complete the process, but it is currently ongoing.”

According to him, the drilling of boreholes cost N$300 000 and laying pipes and connecting them to the village will cost N$10 million more.

Shigwedha said the connection of the boreholes, which are located 13km from the Nei-Neis scheme, would take up to two months.

He said the new boreholes would supply enough water for the settlement.

Shigwedha said NamWater was still transporting water to residents every day.

However, yesterday the Ugab River was in flood for the first time in four years and the NamWater truck could not cross to collect water at Sorris Sorris.

Shigwedha further said NamWater had repeatedly advised Uis to rectify problems with its water reticulation system and to minimise water losses given the water scarcity situation in the town.

“But it seems the management of the town are not willing to do anything to secure water for their village. Taps, basins, showers are still not repaired. Surely, when boreholes are connected to the town, the status quo will prevail,” he said.

Meanwhile the Uis Emergency Water Project has been established with people from across Namibia donating water to the residents of Uis.

Namibians opened their hearts to intervene in the dire situation when an urgent message was circulated on Facebook asking for help to bail out residents of Uis who had gone without water for days.

Thousands of litres of bottled water were collected at Henties Bay, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Windhoek and transported to Uis, where residents had been without running water for nearly two weeks.

The Uis Settlement Council has in the meantime informed residents that water can only be collected at the tanks between 16:00 and 19:00, after which they will be locked.

“Each household is strictly permitted to collect a maximum of 100 litres (4 x 25-litre containers) per day,” reads the public notice.

It warns that any person found stealing water and/or vandalising water tanks “will be dealt with accordingly”.

ELLANIE SMIT