Maria David
THE Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Ingenesia Inga Zaamwani, officially commissioned the construction of the Oshakati Purification Plant extension on Thursday.
This significant project, valued at about N$743.3 million, will be undertaken by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. and is expected to be completed within 26 months.
According to Zaamwani, this initiative is an integral part of the broader Namibia Water Sector Support Programme, a national priority intervention implemented by NamWater through a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
She indicated that the extension of the Oshakati Water Treatment Plant is not merely about infrastructure, but about restoring dignity, expanding livelihoods, and ensuring sustainability.
“Once completed, the plant is poised to serve tens of thousands of residents, farms, businesses, and public institutions, enabling a reliable water supply to the Oshana, Ohangwena, and Oshikoto regions,” she said.
She added that it will support food production through backyard gardens and broader food production efforts, create jobs for local contractors and workers—particularly youth and women—and reduce dependency on groundwater while improving water quality.
Zaamwani said that the expanded plant will also conform to the latest Namibian Water Quality Standards and Effluent Disposal Guidelines.
Zaamwani emphasised that this project embodies the Ministry’s policy direction of integrated water resources management.
She highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships with regional and local councils, traditional authorities, civil society, and the private sector to deliver inclusive, climate-smart, and economically viable solutions.
Meanwhile, NamWater Chief Executive Officer Abraham Nehemia said the critical reliance of the North Central Regions on a 160-kilometre-long canal and pipeline system that transports water from the Calueque Dam on the Kunene River in Angola.
He acknowledged that while this infrastructure, built in the 1960s, has served well, it is now under increasing stress.
He said that the Oshakati Water Treatment Plant stands as “the heart of the bulk water supply system for the Central Northern Area of Namibia (CNA).”
Commissioned in 1996, the current facility has a nominal capacity of 40,000 m³/day, but demand has now outstripped capacity, particularly during high-demand months.
“The Oshakati Purification Plant Extension Project, implemented by NamWater under the Namibia Water Sector Support Programme (NWSSP) and funded by the AfDB, will increase the water treatment capacity at Oshakati by an additional 50,000 m³/day, bringing the total design capacity to 90,000 m³/day,” he said.
Nehemia also provided updates on other crucial water infrastructure projects.
He said that the Ogongo–Oshakati pipeline replacement project is underway, replacing a 53 km asbestos-cement pipeline constructed in 1978 to address frequent bursts and pressure constraints, including a critical 15 km stretch between Onambira and Oshakati.
Additionally, he said they are on track with the upgrading of the Ondangwa–Omutsegwonime pipeline and replacing aged pipelines prone to bursts and pressure drops, improving supply reliability for rural communities.
Further, Nehemia indicated that the refurbishment of the Calueque–Oshakati canal, a strategic transboundary lifeline ensuring consistent raw water intake, is progressing well.
He stressed that together these projects form a resilient bulk water supply grid supporting industrial growth, agriculture, domestic supply, and social infrastructure like clinics and schools.
