Africa-Press – Namibia. MINISTER of Agriculture, Carl Schlettwein officially inaugurated an additional Outapi settler with the aim of ensuring sustainable water supply to communities in and around the town of Outapi.
The Outapi settler which is set-up by NamWater is a primary water treatment component in the water treatment process that is designed to remove suspended solids in water by sedimentation.
Schlettwein said the settler is a direct response to the need for increased access to adequate and secure water supply for domestic and economic activities.
He noted that with the increase in urbanization over the past years in Outapi and the surrounding areas; the water demand has significantly increased from 70m3/h to 200m3/h.
“For the past five years, the Plant has been under significant pressure to produce enough water to meet the increasing demand of the community and businesses,” he said.
He added that this new settler will provide between 50 – 60m3/h additional water to the current capacity.
This will raise its capacity to 100m3/h once the lamellas have been installed.
Schlettwein indicated that NamWater has put in place plans to meet the medium to long term water supply demand of the Outapi Town and surrounding areas.
This will be done through the construction of the new Water Treatment Plant for Outapi, in about 3 years.
Schlettwein then urged the Water Utility to continue fast tracking the provision of access to secure water supply through the development and rehabilitation of the required infrastructure.
NamWater Chief Executive Officer Abraham Nehemia said the Outapi Water settler serves as a temporary solution while funds are being mobilized to build a purification plant.
He said that over the past years, the demand for portable water significantly increased due to various factors such as urbanisation thereby rendering the treatment plant insufficient to meet the potable water demand.
“To meet consumer demand, the treatment plant operated at flow rates higher than the design capacity in an attempt to meet demand, however, that attempt has resulted in poor water quality production due to the water treatment process units that are overloaded,” he said.
He added that this settler has opened the gateway for the Water Utility to deliver on its brand promise, Water for all, forever.
Nehemia indicated that looking into the future, NamWater continues seeking for mitigation strategies to continue meeting water demand by implementing its five-year strategic plan, covering a period of FY2023/2024 to FY2027/2028.
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