The City of Windhoek (CoW)’s water supply system is a ticking time bomb as frequent water shutdowns are experienced in the capital, causing frustration among residents.

Recently, residents have been experiencing water shutdowns in different areas of Windhoek due to pipes bursting.

In an interview with Nampa on Tuesday, CoW External Communication Officer, Lydia Amutenya said outdated water infrastructure are common, causing problems of unexpected water interruptions.

Amutenya explained that residents are informed prior to a major water system repair to find alternative means, noting however that the municipality is only automatically alerted of water pipe bursts from main pipe water supplies and when residents report such incidents through the customer care number.

“CoW mostly rely on residents to report about pipe bursts, which the City attends to promptly. It is not that CoW just puts out water in certain areas to cause inconvenience. Mostly when one knows for sure about pipe bursts, it is when there is construction work and a pipe was hit, but in most cases it is difficult to know until the only thing you know is the pipe has burst and it needs repair, hence we cannot rule out aging infrastructure,” she said.

Amutenya noted that although CoW is aware of certain old infrastructure, it is unable to replace the entire outdated system at once until funds are made available.

She further indicated that residents should continue to use water sparingly, especially during major water infrastructure repairs, such as the scheduled Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) plant shutdown on 15 and 29 July 2022, as it supplies water to the entire Windhoek.

“CoW will commission the borehole scheme to augment the water shortage as a result of the interrupted water supply from NamWater. Residents are urged to use water sparingly during these periods to avoid running out of water,” she noted.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency