Maria David
A SEVERE water shortage in and around the Eengwena Village in the Ongenga Constituency of the Ohangwena Region has the community that resides there up in arms.
Residents are accusing their councillor Sakaria Haimudi of just playing jackpot, gambling and drinking alcohol, while the community suffers from a severe water crisis for the past three months.
In his own defence Haimudi, however, claims that he did not know that the people have a problem because all they did was to complain on social media without approaching his office.
“I was not aware of the water crisis, I only found it out from social media when people were calling me a drunkard and a useless councillor,” said Haimudi.
Sub-headman Andreas Elsa said that some of the community members travel as far as five to ten kilometres to fetch water, following the closure of the communal water pipe.
Elsa stated that they were not informed or told what led to the closure of their community water line that has seen council and the councillor remaining silent on the matter, while those affected are suffering.
“The taps has dried up completely and we are forced to buy water or fetch it from a neighbouring village where we only have access to water from the earth dam for human and animal consumption,” said Elsa.
According to him some of the villagers pay N$5 and more for a 25 litre can of water. He said the price depends on which person from the neighbouring village sells the water on the day.
Haimudi stated that the community have been experiencing water shortage from different water pipe lines since the beginning of the year in the area which includes the lines between Eemwele- Elakalapwa, Omundud- Okahenge and Oshikuku- Omungwelume.
“As we all know our country has been hit by the biggest drought in 90 years and having water for animals which are already dying and for human consumption is very important, but the crisis is not only in Ongenga,” he said.
Ohangwena Regional Governor Usko Nghaamwa, promised to find out what caused the water pipe line to be closed.
Nghaamwa stated that the water crisis is not only affecting the community of his region, but the entire country.
“We are facing water shortages as a country.”
