Swakopmund:Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has ordered the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, along with NamWater, to ensure the immediate provision of water to communities facing shortages. He emphasized that administrative and financial procedures should not hinder access to this essential resource.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Ngurare addressed the issue during the third Namibia Regional Water Symposium in Swakopmund, specifically highlighting the dire conditions in the Otamanzi, Okahao, and Tsandi constituencies. Residents in these areas have reportedly resorted to digging for water due to the scarcity, which Ngurare described as unacceptable.

Ngurare announced that the government has agreed to a plan wherein the ministry will pay NamWater to pump water into the Etaka Canal. He stressed the importance of executing this arrangement without further delay and dismissed any technicalities that might obstruct the process. Ngurare insisted that NamWater must not wait for the funds before starting the water supply, stressing the urgency of the situation.

Highlighting the humanitarian aspect, Ngurare asserted that access to water requires cooperation between the ministry and NamWater, urging them to focus on the shared goal rather than payment disputes. He added that his directive is not restricted to the mentioned areas alone but applies to all affected regions.

Despite significant progress in expanding national water coverage, Ngurare's directive addresses ongoing challenges in achieving universal and reliable access to safe drinking water. The 2023 Population and Housing Census reported that 91.4 percent of Namibian households have access to safe drinking water.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, noted that while urban areas have an access rate of about 98 percent, there is still a pressing need to address the needs of those without water. Zaamwani pointed out that existing statistics do not fully capture issues like supply reliability, interruptions, and malfunctioning water infrastructure. In the previous financial year, the ministry undertook several initiatives, including drilling new boreholes and constructing pipelines, to improve water access across the country.