Allexer Namundjembo
The people of Onamatanga in the Omusati region no longer have to drink salty water after the official commissioning of the Onamatanga Water Supply Scheme on Friday.
The N$15 million project by the government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform was officially launched by minister Inge Zaamwani.
She said the new system would bring lasting relief to residents who have struggled for years with unreliable and saline water sources.
“For too long, the people of Onamatanga had access only to salty water,” Zaamwani said.
She added that the project provides a long-term and sustainable solution for the community.
Before the new scheme, residents relied on water tankers from Outapi, a temporary solution that frequently left them waiting for days due to delayed deliveries.
The new system includes a 150-meter-deep borehole powered by solar energy, which supplies about 250 households, a school, a clinic and a police station with clean, drinkable water.
It also has a backup generator, a water reservoir and a filling point for emergency deliveries.
Zaamwani urged the community to protect the new infrastructure and maintain it.
“True development begins when communities take ownership,” she said.
She encouraged villagers to use the water to start backyard gardens and improve food security.
The project has been in progress since 2019.
In 2017, the King of the Ongandjera Traditional Authority, Johannes Mupiya, raised alarm after learning that the community still lacked clean water despite earlier interventions.
During his visit that year, it was discovered that residents, including patients with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, survived on small amounts of rain-harvested water shared by a local school.
The school board allowed villagers to collect about five litres per person per week to take their medication.
In 2013, the Roads Authority drilled and equipped a borehole in the area while constructing the Omakange–Onamatanga road.
But the borehole broke down months later and was never repaired.
