Desalination plant for northern regions on the cards
By Adolf Kaure.
The Minister of Information and Communication Technology Hon. Emma Theofelus informed her colleagues in Cabinet on Thursday that the government plans to construct a desalination plant for the northern regions of the country, is at feasibility stage.
According to Theofelus, a feasibility study will be conducted to help guide the decision-making process before implementing the plant. The study will be funded through an African Development Bank grant.
“Cabinet has approved the prioritisation of the long-term water supply solution like the Okavango-Link and a desalination project to reduce any foreseen risks from insufficient water supplies,” she said.
The long-term water supply from the Okavango River, approved in principle by Cabinet will have a capacity of 32 million cubic metres per year.
Cabinet directed the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform to notify the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) of Namibia’s planned measures to develop the Okavango Link Project.
This comes after, it became apparent that if no inflow is received in the dams, the existing water sources will only be sufficient to secure a regular water supply to the Central Areas of Namibia system until July 2025.
With water savings of 5% by consumers as a prerequisite to achieving this target, Namwater will attend to the inefficiency hampering the water supply in the current water distribution systems, through urgent rehabilitation and maintenance.
Despite several ongoing short to medium-term projects like the second direct potable reclamation plant, the upgrades to the Gammams and Otjomuise sewage plants, the Berg Aukas capacity upgrade, and the Abenab development, the central areas are still expected to experience severe water shortages in the next 4 to 7 years should a viable long-term water supply solution not become available.
WATER IN THE SOUTH
Further studies to assess and investigate the feasibility of supplying potable water to the southern regions through pipelines from the integrated southern dams, Neckartal, Hardap and possibly Naute, will be carried out.
Water supply for the northern regions has become a concern for the government. Photo File/Archive.
