Staff Reporter
GOVERNMENT has allocated N$34 million towards sanitation and is implementing interventions in informal settlements and other affected areas as part of its response to the declared state of emergency on housing and sanitation, Prime Minister Tjitunga Elijah Ngurare told the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Ngurare was responding to a question from Independent Patriots for Change MP Ottilie Haitota, who asked what had been done since President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah declared a state of emergency on housing and sanitation following a motion she moved in Parliament in June.
Ngurare said a Disaster Risk Management meeting, chaired by the Secretary to Cabinet and comprising ministries responsible for the affected areas, had been convened to address both sanitation and housing.
He said the participating ministries include the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry responsible for water and the Office of the Prime Minister.
“Where are we? Implementation is taking place. Whether it is adequate, that is a different conversation and that is the conversation we are pursuing,” Ngurare said.
He said the interventions include work by local authorities in informal settlements, particularly areas previously identified as cholera hotspots.
Ngurare stressed that sanitation is a continuous obligation and a human rights issue linked to dignity.
“Every Namibian must have access to sanitation. Every Namibian must have access to water. Every Namibian must have access to basic amenities that make life worth living,” he said.
He also offered to invite Haitota to visit schools where sanitation facilities are being constructed to assess the work being undertaken and discuss areas where improvements may be needed.
Ngurare said efforts were being made through both disaster-response mechanisms and funding made available by the national fiscus to ministries working in the sector.
He called for cooperation between Parliament and Government to ensure that all Namibians have access to adequate sanitation and basic services.
Photo: Parliament of the Republic of Namibia
