Coastal towns to pay N$74m for pipeline

NAMWATER is telling central coastal communities to pay their part in the half a billion dollar pipeline from Areva’s desalination plant near Wlotzkasbaken – a demand that has taken the towns by surprise as it was never discussed with them.

The issue came up during an information session between central-coast municipalities, NamWater and senior officials from the agriculture ministry.

The meeting was about water supply challenges in the region, specifically highlighting NamWater’s mandate to supply enough quality and affordable water; government’s decision not to buy the Areva desalination plant; and the growing water demand and the non-debatable option of desalinated water as the only recourse.

Swakopmund councillor Wilfried Groenewald asked NamWater CEO Vaino Shivute why the parastatal is demanding that the Swakopmund municipality pays N$74 million for water supply infrastructure – which initially was for the government’s tab.

Groenewald said NamWater never informed Swakopmund that it had to pay for the pipeline, of which the chief purpose was to carry desalinated water from the Areva desalination plant to the Langer Heinrich, Rössing Uranium and Husab mines. Towns along the pipeline could also benefit from it.

Walvis Bay water engineer Andre Burger said Walvis Bay has not been requested to pay for the infrastructure yet as the pipeline does not benefit the harbour town at this stage. Walvis Bay gets most of its water from the Kuiseb delta.

“There will first have to be a pipeline from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay before we can get desalinated water. That could very well happen in the future,” he told The Namibian.

Henties Bay strategic executive Topper Kuhn said the town does not have a link to the pipeline.

He, however, said the municipality was slapped with a bill of less than a million dollars from the desalination plant during December holiday when water demand was too high to satisfy from the Omdel aquifer.

“NamWater, however, considers Henties Bay to be part of the central coast water supply area, so is holding us accountable to share the bill,” stated Kuhn.

Arandis mayor Risto Kapenda said his town must pay N$11 million, and that there was no prior consultation about such a tab.

Arandis CEO Florida Husselman said the town’s water bill was about N$450 000 a month on average.

“The effected local authorities are questioning now how NamWater got to these sums,” she said.

Shivute admitted that the water corporation did not consult the local authorities about the payment for the pipeline, but added that it was necessary to recover the costs of building the pipelines because the government apparently could not pay the subsidised amount they promised.

Now, the mines and local authorities must pay the outstanding amount, according to him.

Shivute said the amount charged is calculated on the percentage of desalinated water each client uses.

Agriculture minister John Mutorwa invited frustrated councils to submit a letter to his office for a review of how the matter could be resolved.