N$34m allocated to tackle sanitation crisis

Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare told the National Assembly last week that N$34 million has been allocated to sanitation as part of the government’s response to the declared state of emergency on housing and sanitation.

Ngurare was responding to a question from Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) lawmaker Ottilie Haitota, who asked what had been done since President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah declared the state of emergency in June.

Haitota noted that there had been no update on measures taken since the announcement and called for a detailed implementation plan to be shared.

Ngurare said N$34 million had been allocated to sanitation and that a disaster risk management meeting, along with other meetings, had been held since the declaration.

He said the discussions covered both sanitation and housing, particularly in informal settlements.

“Implementation is taking place. Whether it is adequate, that is a different conversation,” Ngurare said.

He cited local authorities such as Grootfontein, which he said is prone to cholera, as examples of the sanitation challenges facing the country. He said such areas were among the first to be considered, along with improvements to sanitation facilities at schools.

“Sanitation is a 24/7 obligation that we have. Sanitation is a human right. Sanitation is dignity,” Ngurare said.

“We want to make sure that every Namibian must have access to sanitation, access to water and basic amenities which make life worth living.”

Ngurare invited Haitota to visit some of the schools where sanitation facilities are being built.