Maria David
A sewerage system is critical for achieving the goals of good sanitation,” said Minister of Urban and Rural Development Erastus Uutoni. He emphasized the importance of a sewerage system, as all the water used by the community has to flow back as sewage loaded with the waste of community living.
Uutoni made these remarks during the inauguration of the Extension 15 and Sky Phase 1 sewer projects on Thursday. He highlighted that these projects are a result of the Council’s commitment to improving sanitation and providing basic services to the community of Ongwediva.
Currently, most of the sewage waste in these areas is discharged into septic tanks, which unfortunately causes groundwater pollution in the surrounding areas where such waste is discharged.
“One of the fundamental principles of community sanitation is to remove all decomposable matter, solid waste, liquid, or gaseous, as soon as possible after it is produced, to a safe place without causing any nuisance, and dispose of it in a suitable manner so that it is permanently harmless,” he said.
The Ongwediva Town Council successfully constructed these sewer systems at Extension 15 and Sky Phase 1 at a combined cost of N$15.2 million to provide sewer service to 620 erven.
Uutoni said that the sewerage system will greatly relieve these areas of previous problems caused by the continuous emptying of septic tanks and contribute to the further development and improvement of the residents’ standard of living.
He urged the community to take advantage of the Council’s offer to connect for free and to protect the facilities against vandalism.
Town Mayor Taarah Shalyefu mentioned that in May, the Council, through a team of consulting engineers and contractors, successfully delivered the two sewer reticulation projects, namely, the Provision of Sewer Reticulation to Extension 15 and Sky Phase 1.
