Oshikoto regional head of rural water supply and sanitation in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, (MAWLR) Stevenson Tuukondjele has encouraged Oshikoto regional constituency residents to maintain traditional wells as an alternative to the shortage of water supply.

Tuukondjele, in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday, said there is currently a shortage of water in Eengodi, Okankolo, Nehale and some parts of Omuthiya constituencies.

“These areas are at the receiving end point of the Calueque Canal from Angola which supply us water”, said Tuukondjele.

He said that the Government is busy upgrading the canal so that it can start holding a huge volume of water to accommodate the demand for water as it is high this time of the year.

“From August the weather changes, from cold to hot, and people and animals get dehydrated. Plants need to be watered and when the water is come from the main sources, it is already occupied severely and when it reaches to Oshikoto region, it is fewer”, said Tuukondjele.

Tuukondjele is not certain when the challenge of the shortage of water will be resolved, saying the process might take time as pipes need to be filled first before it reaches these constituencies.

In the meantime, residents are encouraged to maintain the traditional wells as an alternative source and people should purify the water either by boiling it or using water tablets that they receive from Ministry of health, he advised.

He further said the ministry is also trying to get tanks to transport water to schools and clinics in the meantime, adding that it is a very hectic and costly exercise as there are no proper roads.

“The roads are not conducive as our trucks either get stuck in the sand road or get stuck by thorns, and it is costly to repair them,” said Tuukondjele.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency