Windhoek water restrictions still in place

Despite the recent good rains and rising dam levels, Windhoek's water restrictions are still in place, because long-term water supply remains a critical concern.City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya says the municipality's 40% water savings target remains in place, in addition to water restrictions introduced last year.Over the past four weeks, water savings of 25%, 28%, 28% and 29% were achieved.The concern is that this is not necessarily an indication of consistent savings, as water consumption usually goes down after good rains, Amutenya says.“Although we have received significant rains thus far, we need to instil the culture of water saving in our community to avoid the critical situation of water scarcity in the future,” she emphasises.“The water scarcity has very little to do with the amount of water in the dams, and mostly with the capacity deficiency in the water supply system.” While dam levels drive the crisis, the capacity problem “drives the general water scarcity in the area,” she explains. As such, although dam levels have risen after the recent rainfall, “the water scarcity will remain and in fact intensify as the gap between the available supply capacity of the system and the ever-growing demand increases until government has upgraded the capacity of the existing supply system,” the municipality advised. With plans in place to achieve this, the estimated time in which these issues will be addressed is anywhere between six and eight years, which means that saving water will remain a crucial part of overcoming the supply gap. Amutenya says sustainable water supply to the central towns, including Windhoek, remains a long-term concern that needs long-term solutions.According to yesterday's dam bulletin, the Swakoppoort, Omatako and Von Bach dams are collectively 49.5% full.Swakoppoort is at 35.5%, Von Bach at 55.9% and Omatako at 62.9%. The other two central dams, Goreangab and Friedenau, are at 100.2% and 36.9% respectively.Under the water restrictions announced last year, Windhoek residents may only water trees, shrubs and perennials once every second week. The watering of lawns, annual flowers and vegetables is strictly prohibited. Cars may not be washed at home, and only certified carwashes may be used. No public parks and sports fields may be watered unless semi-purified water is used. Pool covers are mandatory and no further filling of private pools is allowed. No water features, fountains or decorative ponds are allowed to be filled at private, business or government premises.A full list of the restrictions can be found on the City of Windhoek website, under the Windhoek Drought Response Plan. JANA-MARI SMITH

Windhoek water restrictions still in place

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-16

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Windhoek water restrictions still in place

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-16

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