The current water supply infrastructure in Rundu has surpassed its useful economic lifespan, making it increasingly difficult to meet the growing water demands of its population.

Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein made these remarks during the official launch of the Rundu Water Treatment Plant Extension here on Monday.

‘As we all know Rundu, by population, is the second largest local authority in Namibia of about 118 000 people. It is one of the fastest growing towns and thus the strain on its water supply has been notable over the years,’ Schlettwein said.

He said as the town expands and the population grows, the strain on its existing systems intensifies.

‘We must act decisively to address these issues. Our access to potable water supply currently in the country stands at 87 per cent, and we are committed to closing the gap and extending water supply to the remaining 13 per cent in the shortest possible time,’ he stated.

The minister explained that water for the town of Ru
ndu is abtracted from the Kavango River using two different abstraction installations and conveyance pipelines, which pump the water to two distribution points – Rundu and Nkarapamwe, respectively.

At present, both water treatment plants at Rundu and the Nkarapamwe schemes are direct filtration systems and the total capacity of these schemes is about 840 m3/h.

These two schemes are old and have reached their full supply capacity. Components of the schemes have reached the end of their economic useful life.

Schlettwein pointed out that the contract for the construction of this infrastructure was awarded to a capable contractor, and the project will cost N.dollars 665 million.

‘While here, I should acknowledge that the N.dollars 665 million is part of the African Development Bank loan facility of about N.dollars 1.8 billion meant to finance projects under the Namibia Water Sector Support Program such as this (Rundu’s new purification plant), the Ohangwena II Wellfield Water Supply Schemes (WSS) Project, the
Oshakati new purification plant, and many other related projects,’ he noted.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency