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Omaheke Council to bring basic services closer to settlements

Omaheke Council to bring basic services closer to settlements

A budget of N$15,939,400 has been allocated to the Omaheke Regional Council, for various development projects in the region for the during of 2022/23 financial year.

Council will start using the money for the construction of Corridor 13 at N$5 million and the Aminuis settlement offices at N$3 million.

Council said in a statement that Corridor 13 settlement office is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with possible savings to be re-allocated to other projects, while the allocation for Aminuis settlement office will be used for retention payment, also with possible saving to be re-allocated to other projects as the office has already been completed.

“An amount of N$6,903,000 has been set aside for the construction of service infrastructure in all settlements, which include water reticulation in Aminuis, Corridor 13, Eiseb 10, Tsjaka, and Drimiopsis and a new borehole will be drilled in Summerdown, while an existing one in Eiseb 10 will be installed and another one in Tsjaka will b cleaned,” they added. The Omaheke Regional Council further said the allocation for Tallismanus will be used to complete the ongoing construction of a dumping site while the construction of a water tower and sewer system Eiseb 10 will also be completed.

“In Omitara, the oxidation pond will be upgraded while the allocation for Buitepos will be used to complete the ongoing construction of 72 toilets and install prepaid water meters, plus, the Road Fund Administration has allocated N$1,036,400 to the Regional Council which will be used to maintain street roads in Epukiro Pos 3, which will address the extensive road erosions in the settlement,” they said.

They added that a further N$1,346,000 has been allocated for the provision of basic sanitation facilities for rural communities in the region. “The Regional Council is also busy implementing capital projects for Witvlei Village Council, due to limited capacity in the Village Council and an amount of N$946,000 has been allocated for the completion of a sewer treatment plant and a sewer reticulation system,” they said.

The Council further explained that in terms of rural development, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has allocated N$269,230,77 for the implementation of various projects in the region and projects will be funded through Micro-finance, Food/Cash for Work, or Regional Specific Action Plan initiatives which are aimed at improving the livelihoods of rural communities through income-generation and ensuring food security.

The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has further authorized an amount of N$55,432,396 for the Regional Council’s operational expenditure for the 2022/23 financial year, including remuneration for Regional Councillors and staff members, subsistence and travelling allowance, transport, utilities, and maintenance of service infrastructure in the settlement areas.

The Ministry will subsidise the Regional Council’s operational budget with N$45,633,00 and the rest of the income, amounting to N$13,975,123 will be sourced from the Council’s own revenue, mainly through the provision of municipal services in the settlement areas, such as water provision, sewerage management, refuse removal and electricity surcharges.

All reallocations are subject to approval by the National Planning Commission in terms of the State Finance Act, No. 31 of 1991.


 

About The Author

Mandisa Rasmeni

Mandisa Rasmeni has worked as reporter at the Economist for the past five years, first on the entertainment beat but now focussing more on community, social and health reporting. She is a born writer and she believes education is the greatest equalizer. She received her degree in Journalism at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in June 2021. . She is the epitome of perseverance, having started as the newspaper's receptionist in 2013.