Water: Namibia cannot keep failing her people
Every year, around this time, the same story unfolds across northern Namibia: dry taps, long queues at communal water points, and frustrated families wondering why the most basic necessity of life—water—remains so hard to come by. NamWater issues its seasonal warning, urging citizens to use water sparingly because supplies are running low. Then, silence.
This is not new. Namibia is, by definition, a dry country—one of the driest in sub-Saharan Africa. What is painful and unacceptable is that our leaders know this, yet every year we are caught unprepared. Between October and January, people in the “O’fours”—Oshana, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, and Omusati—are forced to live without water.
It has become a routine national embarrassment. Households can go for days without running water. Schools are hit hardest: children sit in classrooms unable to concentrate because they are thirsty. Toilets become unhygienic, teachers are demoralised, learners distracted, and communities angry. This is not just a seasonal inconvenience—it is a humanitarian failure.
Namibia cannot continue to call itself an aspiring upper-middle-income country while people live like this. The government knows we are a dry country, yet it does not address water availability with the seriousness it deserves. We plan for conferences, celebrations, and social programs—but not for water security.
When millions are allocated for youth grants, business initiatives, and high-level consultancies, why can’t water investment receive the same priority? Youth development is important, yes—but what kind of development can thrive in a country where schools have no water and communities are thirsty?
Namibia receives good rainfall during the rainy season, yet much of that water is wasted—flowing into rivers, disappearing underground, or evaporating. Northern regions lack adequate reservoirs to store rainwater for dry months. We also have a vast underground aquifer that could sustain the north for decades, yet it remains largely untapped.
When I proposed in the 7th Parliament that the government fully tap the Ohangwena II Aquifer and connect it to the national water supply grid, it was not just a political suggestion—it was a call for survival. This aquifer could ease pressure on NamWater’s surface sources and ensure reliable water access even in dry seasons.
It is painful to watch Namibia—a country blessed with both a sea and underground water reserves—suffer as if we were landlocked and helpless. Desalination technology exists. Aquifer systems exist. Rainwater harvesting works. What we lack is not water; what we lack is political will and long-term planning.
Water is not just another government portfolio. It is the foundation of every human right and every form of development. Without water, there is no life, health, agriculture, education, or economy.
The constant excuse of “low water levels” must stop. We need permanent solutions—not temporary warnings. This includes investing in regional reservoirs in the north and central regions to capture and store rainwater during the wet season. Full operationalisation of the Ohangwena II Aquifer would ease the pressure on surface water sources and ensure sustainable access for communities. Rainwater harvesting must be scaled up at both community and institutional levels to make the most of seasonal rainfall. Desalination technology and pipeline expansion from the coast should also be explored to supplement northern water supplies. Finally, old and leaking canal systems must be upgraded to prevent the waste of millions of litres every year.
Our leaders must stop treating water like a seasonal inconvenience. They must treat it as the national emergency that it is. We can no longer wait for droughts and warnings before reacting. The same energy and resources poured into political programs and conferences must now secure Namibia’s water future.
If the government had acted sooner, implemented aquifer proposals, and prioritised water harvesting, we would not be watching our people, children, and farmers suffer today.
* Hidipo Hamata was a member of the 7th Parliament. These views are his own.
This is not new. Namibia is, by definition, a dry country—one of the driest in sub-Saharan Africa. What is painful and unacceptable is that our leaders know this, yet every year we are caught unprepared. Between October and January, people in the “O’fours”—Oshana, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, and Omusati—are forced to live without water.
It has become a routine national embarrassment. Households can go for days without running water. Schools are hit hardest: children sit in classrooms unable to concentrate because they are thirsty. Toilets become unhygienic, teachers are demoralised, learners distracted, and communities angry. This is not just a seasonal inconvenience—it is a humanitarian failure.
Namibia cannot continue to call itself an aspiring upper-middle-income country while people live like this. The government knows we are a dry country, yet it does not address water availability with the seriousness it deserves. We plan for conferences, celebrations, and social programs—but not for water security.
When millions are allocated for youth grants, business initiatives, and high-level consultancies, why can’t water investment receive the same priority? Youth development is important, yes—but what kind of development can thrive in a country where schools have no water and communities are thirsty?
Namibia receives good rainfall during the rainy season, yet much of that water is wasted—flowing into rivers, disappearing underground, or evaporating. Northern regions lack adequate reservoirs to store rainwater for dry months. We also have a vast underground aquifer that could sustain the north for decades, yet it remains largely untapped.
When I proposed in the 7th Parliament that the government fully tap the Ohangwena II Aquifer and connect it to the national water supply grid, it was not just a political suggestion—it was a call for survival. This aquifer could ease pressure on NamWater’s surface sources and ensure reliable water access even in dry seasons.
It is painful to watch Namibia—a country blessed with both a sea and underground water reserves—suffer as if we were landlocked and helpless. Desalination technology exists. Aquifer systems exist. Rainwater harvesting works. What we lack is not water; what we lack is political will and long-term planning.
Water is not just another government portfolio. It is the foundation of every human right and every form of development. Without water, there is no life, health, agriculture, education, or economy.
The constant excuse of “low water levels” must stop. We need permanent solutions—not temporary warnings. This includes investing in regional reservoirs in the north and central regions to capture and store rainwater during the wet season. Full operationalisation of the Ohangwena II Aquifer would ease the pressure on surface water sources and ensure sustainable access for communities. Rainwater harvesting must be scaled up at both community and institutional levels to make the most of seasonal rainfall. Desalination technology and pipeline expansion from the coast should also be explored to supplement northern water supplies. Finally, old and leaking canal systems must be upgraded to prevent the waste of millions of litres every year.
Our leaders must stop treating water like a seasonal inconvenience. They must treat it as the national emergency that it is. We can no longer wait for droughts and warnings before reacting. The same energy and resources poured into political programs and conferences must now secure Namibia’s water future.
If the government had acted sooner, implemented aquifer proposals, and prioritised water harvesting, we would not be watching our people, children, and farmers suffer today.
* Hidipo Hamata was a member of the 7th Parliament. These views are his own.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article