N$665 million project set to enhance water supply in Kavango Region

Staff Reporter

THE Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, has announced that a new project designed to enhance the water supply to communities in Rundu and surrounding areas will soon be constructed near the Kavango River.

“The Kavango River is a source of livelihood for the communities living alongside it in both the Kavango East and Kavango West regions. For a long time, calls have been made and plans have been designed on how the communities in these two regions can get access to potable water from the Kavango River without risking their lives to crocodile or hippo attacks,” Schlettwein said.

He made these remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rundu Water Treatment Plant Extension and Associated Works, a project that aims to address the increasing water supply needs of the people and industries in Rundu and the surrounding communities. Schlettwein revealed that the project will cost N$665 million to construct.

“I should acknowledge that the N$665 million is part of the Africa Development Bank loan facility of about N$1.8 billion meant to finance projects under the Namibia Water Sector Support Programme, such as this one, the Ohangwena II Well Field Water Supply Schemes (WSS) Project, the Oshakati new purification plant, and many other related projects. The Government of the Republic of Namibia has committed to contribute N$1.5 billion to ensure the successful implementation of all projects under the Namibia Water Sector Support Programme,” he added.

Schlettwein explained that the current water supply infrastructure in Rundu has surpassed its useful economic lifespan, making it increasingly difficult to meet the growing water demands of the population.

“As the town expands and the population grows, the strain on our existing systems intensifies. We must act decisively to address these issues. Our access to potable water supply currently stands at 87%, and we are committed to closing the gap and extending the water supply to the remaining 13% in the shortest possible time,” he said.

Schlettwein emphasised that this infrastructure will not only benefit Rundu, as extension pipelines will be constructed from the Nkarapamwe station to the villages of Kayengona and Masivi.

“Similarly, we will construct another pipeline from the Rundu station westwards to the villages of Mupini and Sikondo. In essence, the communities between Rundu Town and Kayengona, Masivi, and Mupini and Sikondo will be able to tap from these brand-new pipelines too,” he said.

The minister revealed that the project includes the development of a new raw water river abstraction works on the Kavango River with an installed pumping capacity of 40,000 cubic metres per day up to 2037. However, he added, the civil works from the onset will be constructed with a capacity of 80,000 cubic metres daily to enable the installation of more pumps as water demand increases after 2037.

He revealed that a new water purification plant with an installed capacity of 36,000 cubic metres per day up to 2037 will also be developed as part of the project. However, he said, sufficient space will be created to double this up to 72,000 cubic metres per day beyond 2037 when demand is expected to increase.

The minister also revealed that the project will also see the construction of additional storage reservoirs amounting to 35,500 cubic metres in volume, as well as the construction of new pump stations with dedicated pipelines to existing and new elevated reservoirs at the Rundu and Nkarapamwe schemes.