Maria David
IN an effort to combat water shortages in the Ohangwena region, Prime Minister Dr. Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila officially handed over a borehole to the community of Ohamutwetautende village in Epembe constituency during the belated 34th independence celebration held on Saturday.
The borehole, which will cater to close to 11 villages, was funded as part of a drought relief project to the tune of N$ 604,641.25.
According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, the project was implemented in partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform and the Office of the Prime Minister.
She said that the project was funded as part of the drought relief project under her office to the tune of N$ 604,641.25, while the MAWLR took care of the piping of water from the borehole over a 10-kilometre radius to over 9 water points or 11 villages at a cost of N$ 2,760,522.
Moreover, she indicated that another borehole has been drilled at Ohamukwata village to the tune of N$ 822,223.17, with installations and reticulations at Ohamukwata main, Ohamukwata A, Omakango Omumakani No.1, Omushayi Community, Okakando komupanda, and Omakango Omumakani No. 2, at the cost of N$ 2,765,205.76.
Another drilling and installation took place at Oikuku village at the tune of N$ 3,620,820.
“I implore you to use these boreholes to strengthen your households’ resilience to disaster risk and increase food security, as well as create jobs for the locals, through community irrigated gardens and school gardening,” she said.
She explained that the water infrastructure given out to the community is an outcome of the government’s efforts to mitigate disaster risk and strengthen the resilience of their community to drought.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said that the investment in this project will not only ensure water supply to the community in the immediate proximity of the borehole but also to more communities through the several pipelines that will supply water to different communities from this borehole.
She also implores the community members to protect and guard these assets against vandalism.
She stressed that the current vandalism and theft of equipment at the boreholes undermine government efforts to provide safe water to all needy communities.