{"id":100779,"date":"2026-04-13T14:31:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma"},"modified":"2026-04-13T14:50:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:50:46","slug":"ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma","title":{"rendered":"Ongwediva’s Sewerage Catch-22 Dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>Auleria Wakudumo<\/b><\/p>\n

The Ongwediva Town Council finds itself between a rock and a hard place as far as its sewerage system is concerned, with the clock ticking and the population growing.<\/p>\n

Initially designed to cater to at least 5 000 inhabitants, the town is now home to over 33 000 inhabitants.<\/p>\n

This was laid bare by the town\u2019s spokesperson Ottilie Shingenge.<\/p>\n

According to Shingenge, the town\u2019s sewer and wastewater infrastructure, originally designed for a much smaller population, is now operating far beyond its intended capacity as the town\u2019s rapid growth continues to outpace upgrades to critical sanitation systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe town\u2019s sewer reticulation system is currently connected to oxidation ponds that serve as the primary wastewater treatment facility. These ponds were constructed to handle a population of around 5 000 residents, but Ongwediva\u2019s population has since grown to an estimated 33 777 people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Shingenge said that the system was never designed for the current level of urban demand, and its continued use beyond its intended capacity highlights the urgent need for a modern wastewater treatment plant.<\/p>\n

To make matters worse, the council faces serious financial constraints in addressing the problem, as it does not receive central government funding for wastewater infrastructure projects, making it difficult to finance the construction of a modern treatment facility.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the town council said that it will continue to maintain and operate the existing system as best as possible while responding to overflows and service disruptions when they occur.<\/p>\n

Officials explained that pumps and motors have a lifespan of approximately 10-15 years and pipelines may last up to 20 years, while structural components can last up to 50 years.<\/p>\n

Outapi<\/p>\n

The situation is no different in Outapi, where residents rely on a sewer system that is more than 29 years old, with parts of the infrastructure constructed before the town was proclaimed in 1997.<\/p>\n

What is more, the growing urban demand has placed significant pressure on the ageing network, with a spillage imminent, if drastic steps are not taken.<\/p>\n

This could be deduced from the town\u2019s spokesperson, Joolokeni Haidula, who said their sewer reticulation system consists of gravity pipelines supported by approximately 15 pump stations, a vacuum sewer network, oxidation ponds, and a vacuum sewer wastewater treatment plant.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough the system remains operational, it was originally designed for a much smaller population and is now struggling to keep up with rapid expansion,\u201d Haidula said.<\/p>\n

Haidula added that the system has been extended incrementally over the years as new residential areas were developed.<\/p>\n

However, these expansions have not always been matched with major upgrades to critical components such as sewer rising mains and pump stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the major challenges facing the town is stormwater infiltration into the sewer network, particularly during the rainy season. Due to inadequate stormwater infrastructure in some areas, rainwater enters the sewer system, leading to overloading, overflows, and backflows,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Haidula said that the limited capacity of the sewer rising mains has further affected system performance. This forces the town council to manually manage pump station operations across different townships to balance flow and prevent overloading at the main pump station.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have already identified key infrastructure upgrades, including the improvement of the sewer rising main and the main pump station, a project estimated to cost about N$5.4 million,\u201d Haidula continued.<\/p>\n

However, implementation has been delayed due to funding constraints after a request for support from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development was not successful.<\/p>\n

The council, furthermore, says it is operating under difficult financial conditions that limit its ability to fully modernise the system. Maintenance and upgrades are being prioritised where possible to prevent total system failure.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. Auleria Wakudumo The Ongwediva Town Council finds itself between a rock and a hard place as far as its sewerage system is concerned, with the clock ticking and the population growing. Initially designed to cater to at least 5 000 inhabitants, the town is now home to over 33 000 inhabitants. This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":100778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-100779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nOngwediva's Sewerage Catch-22 Dilemma - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Auleria Wakudumo The Ongwediva Town Council finds itself between a rock and a hard place as far as its sewerage ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ongwediva's Sewerage Catch-22 Dilemma\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Auleria Wakudumo The Ongwediva Town Council finds itself between a rock and a hard place as far as its sewerage ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T14:31:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T14:50:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2026\/04\/sm_1776079154.902506.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"488\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Ongwediva’s Sewerage Catch-22 Dilemma\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-13T14:31:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-13T14:50:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma\"},\"wordCount\":622,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2026\/04\/sm_1776079154.902506.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ongwedivas-sewerage-catch-22-dilemma\",\"name\":\"Ongwediva's Sewerage Catch-22 Dilemma - 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