Windhoek: Mpungu residents have called on the Kavango West Regional Council and the Department of Rural Water Supply to rehabilitate a borehole they said was drilled in 1972 and has never supplied water.

According to Namibia Press Agency, community representative Wonzi Siranda expressed frustration in an interview, noting that years of appeals have gone unanswered. This inaction has forced residents to walk approximately 10 kilometers to Nepara village or 15 kilometers to Namungundu village to fetch water. This routine, Siranda emphasized, places both families and livestock at risk, particularly during the rainy season when residents resort to drinking dam water due to the inability to travel to nearby villages.

Siranda highlighted that the dire condition of the borehole had been reported to a government program aimed at rehabilitating existing boreholes. Despite this, no action has been taken. 'This borehole has been in existence for a while now, or just as they informed us that if they come and find that the water is not fit for consumption or the borehole cannot be installed, they can drill another borehole. Let them come and do that for us. We are really faced with a challenge,' he urged.

Mpungu Constituency Councillor Titus Shiudifonya acknowledged awareness of the borehole issue, though not its complete history. He advised residents to engage with the authorities responsible for community water supply. 'Yes, my office was approached, but as I earlier alluded to that this is the responsibility of Ministry of Agriculture Directorate of Rural supply,' Shiudifonya stated.

Shiudifonya pointed out the constraints posed by limited resources, explaining that while the constituency has numerous villages lacking water, the current budget for the region only allows for two boreholes across all eight constituencies. 'With this current budget, our region was given two boreholes for all eight constituencies. And the government is doing rehabilitation on existing infrastructure. As I'm speaking, they are in Mpungu Constituency covering Nkulivere and Mukambo villages,' he elaborated.

Rural Water Supply's Control Administrative Officer, Richard Shikongo, commented on the situation, indicating that the Directorate of Water Supply and Sanitation Coordination, along with the Kavango West Regional Office, requires time to verify details about the borehole. 'We need to establish the location, get GPS coordinates, gather the serial number, if any, and check the archives. Information, if found, will tell us who drilled the borehole and why it was not installed, including poor yield, poor water quality, or unsuccessful development,' Shikongo explained.