Oshikoto Governor, Penda Ya Ndakolo on Wednesday expressed concern, to still see thousands of people in rural areas of Oshikoto still surviving on dirty water.

Ya Ndakolo said this at his 2022 annual State of the Region Address (SORA) at Omuthiya where he said thousands of people in rural Nehale Lya Mpingana, Eengodi, Okankolo and Olukonda constituencies still drink saline and dirty water on a daily basis.

“We know they are in dire need of safe water. Water is a critical resource and due to the financial challenges we face, our people in deep villages of these constituencies continue to drink saline and dirty water drawn from their traditionally dug wells,” he said.

The governor also attributed the situation to the lowly pressured water pipelines found in those areas, saying a few boreholes were drilled in 2021 and some rehabilitated by the division of rural water supply of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform.

He said a total of 13 boreholes were drilled at a cost of N.dollars 1,9 million by the division in the villages of Nehale Lya Mpingana, where seven out of 13 boreholes are functional.

Two other boreholes were rehabilitated in the same area at a cost of N.dollars 621 000.

The governor stated that the Oshikoto Regional Council also in 2021 channelled three water pipelines to residents of Ndinelago Elwatha in the Olukondo Constituency.

“For Egolo Amikoka residents in Okankolo Constituency and Onangolo village in the Eengodi Constituency, the regional council also funded 13 other water pipeline projects at a cost of N.dollars 800 000,” he announced.

At Amutenya Gwa Nuutumbo and Omtaa Gwa Nuule, two earth dams were upgraded with a grant which was sourced from the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF) at a cost of N.dollars 2.2 million, he added.

Ya Ndakolo concluded by saying these water supply efforts are still not enough for the affected constituencies as the water points there are shared between people and livestock.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency