Nathanael Heita
RESIDENTS of the Efinde village in the Oshikunde constituency of the Ohangwena Region are still suffering due to the scarcity of water in one of the most extensive and densely populated villages in the area.
The villagers depended on a borehole, but the water pump broke earlier this year and they are now sourcing their water from wells, which is not enough for hundreds of families and more than a thousand head of cattle and other livestock.
Villager and veteran of the liberation struggle, Benjamin Shimhanda, said the situation is unbearable and authorities to come to the villagers’ rescue urgently.
A teacher at the Onehoni Combined School, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the school has been without water for the past six months.
“The situation was reported to the authorities, but nothing was done so far,” he said, adding that it is very hard to control the movements of learners as they simply disappear to look for drinking water at the distant wells.
Notwithstanding the scarcity of water, however, villagers see light at the end of the tunnel based on the electrification project currently underway in the village.
A member of the community said: “Our hope is that, with the electrification project nearing completion, the provision of water would be next.”
