Windhoek: Leevi Hakusembe Secondary School in the Kavango West Region is facing a health and sanitation crisis as raw sewage is overflowing into hostels, classrooms, and teacher accommodation.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the sewage system of the school, which accommodates 900 learners, has been failing since 2010. Principal Amandus Hamutenya described the situation as 'unbearable', with faeces floating in overflowing water in hostel blocks and a pervasive stench in classrooms. "Last week, as learners were moving in the corridors, the water was smelling so bad, even in the classrooms," Hamutenya told Nampa.

The school's infrastructure, installed in 1980, was originally designed for 400 learners. The existing 110 millimetre pipes are now inadequate for the current population of 900 students. Hamutenya indicated that 210 millimetre pipes are necessary to resolve the issue.

Multiple attempts to address the problem have been unsuccessful. The Ministry of Works and Transport has dispatched teams that often leave the job incomplete due to unwillingness to work overtime. Companies contracted by the regional education office provide only temporary relief by unblocking pipes without addressing the underlying structural issues.

Teachers have taken matters into their own hands, purchasing pipes for repairs, while school workers are exposed to health risks by cleaning the sewage machinery without protective gear or hazard pay. Hamutenya has called for immediate and permanent solutions, recommending the installation of a new sewage system as the only viable resolution to the ongoing problem.

Kavango West Regional Director of Education Pontianus Musore acknowledged the severity of the crisis, stating, "We acknowledge the situation and have involved higher offices. We're waiting on the way forward."