Water crisis hits central Namibia

WINDHOEK – The central area of Namibia is facing a scarcity of water supply due to recurrent droughts and unpredictable rainfall, exacerbated by climate change.

This statement was made by Abraham Nehemia, CEO of the Namibia Water Corporation during a site visit to the Von Bach Dam last Wednesday.

The dam, which is situated near Okahandja, has a maximum capacity level of 48.56 million cubic meters, but is currently standing at about 5.4 million cubic meters of water. Nehemia stated that the central area is supplied with water primarily from an integrated water supply consisting of three interconnected dams.

“As of Monday, 6 May 2024, the water levels in the three dam systems, namely Omatako, Von Bach and Swakoppoort are at 18% of their combined full supply capacity, compared to 37.2% at the same time in 2023,” he said.

He further stated that the available water resources will not be enough to sustain two rainy seasons if water demand management by all stakeholders and the public is not implemented.

Nehemia said NamWater and the City of Windhoek have embarked upon an initiative aimed at raising awareness towards water demand strategies. “The initiative shall run for a period of six months with the aim to meet the agreed-upon water demand management targets to ensure that we breach two rainy seasons.

Water supply from surface ground and reclamation has successfully supplied water However, due to variability and increasing water demands caused by the increase in socio-economic activities, the capacity of water resources to supply will remain limited in the central area,” Nehemia stated.