Africa-Press – Namibia. THE government has approved projects worth about N$10 billion to develop and upgrade water infrastructure to supply all corners of the country up to 2037.
This was said by minister of agriculture, water and land reform Calle Schlettwein when he commissioned the reconstructed Omahenene-Olushandja canal on Wednesday.
This is a section of the open water canal that conveys water for about 150km from Calueque Dam to the Oshakati Water Treatment Plant.
Schlettwein said the projects, approved by government, are an absolute requirement to achieve national developmental goals of access to water by all Namibian citizens.
“With the establishment of the Cabinet committee on Water Supply Security and the Technical Committee of Experts by president Hage Geingob, the water sector has been receiving priority funding to upgrade water supply infrastructure, including this canal,” he said.
Plans are already underway to refurbish all weak sections along the entire canal up to Oshakati, he said.
“The nation should expect new bids to be advertised soon for more works on subsequent sections of the canal.”
Schlettwein said the government had also made funds available to NamWater for water projects, and the water utility was finalising designs for major projects in northern Namibia, such as new water treatment plants at Oshakati and Rundu, as well as pipeline networks and related infrastructure to extract water from the Ohangwena II Aquifer.
“Construction tenders for those projects are expected to be advertised during the first quarter of 2023,” he said.
The funds for these projects were secured from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and further funding arrangements are being finalised with the German Development Bank (KfW), Schlettwein said.
Two contractors had been awarded tenders to reconstruct this part of the canal.
Section A between Olushandja Dam and the bridge on the Outapi-Ruacana Road was awarded to Radial Truss Industries in a joint venture with Imperative Construction and Engineering, and Section B, which lies between the Omahenene border post and the bridge, was awarded to Brumar Construction.
The two contractors commenced work in February 2021 and according to Schlettwein, the once dilapidated canal has now been replaced by a sturdy new structure that is expected to last for many more years to come.
Schlettwein said the canal, constructed in the 1970s, bears historic and socio-economic significance.
“The majority of our citizens in Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena and Oshikoto get fresh water from the Calueque Dam in southern Angola, through this canal.
“Along the 150km stretch, the canal is a source of water for livestock and an enabler of horticulture activities for small scale farmers,” he said.
“It is for this reason that one of the government’s largest green scheme projects – the Etunda Irrigation Scheme – was developed in this region and is being supplied with water from this canal,” he said.
Stressing that water infrastructure operation and maintenance is a costly exercise, Schlettwein urged the community to look after the water infrastructure and not to vandalise it.
He appealed to traditional authorities, the police and community leaders to continue taking stern action against those found vandalising the canal.
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