Lüderitz hit by water disruptions

Concerns have been raised over a four-day water disruption at Lüderitz since Thursday.

Lüderitz has been experiencing a rise in water and electricity disruptions, with continued unplanned disruptions of both.

This can be linked to demand as more people flock to the town in search of jobs in the green hydrogen and oil sectors.

Residents of the town express concerns over continued disruptions as demand soars.

“Council needs to sort out this problem before it gets worse,” says resident Otto Mwiiyale. “We cannot allow the continued disruptions, as water is a basic necessity.

“We were not even informed beforehand that we are going to experience water disruptions.”

Resident Elmien Malgas told The Namibian that “this was an unfortunate situation as some of us have newborns, and water is extremely important.

“I am especially concerned about the state of sanitation and hygiene at certain areas during these unplanned disruptions.”

Lüderitz mayor Phil Balhao on his social media on Thursday said Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) discovered a faulty release valve on their reservoir feeding the town.

“They have dispatched an additional team and parts from Keetmanshoop to attend to the urgent repairs tonight.

“Unfortunately, they will be forced to empty the reservoir in order to gain access to the valve and to replace it,” he said.

The Lüderitz town council, in an effort to curb the problem and assist residents, availed a truck to dispense water to different areas in the town.

Balhao said according to reports, NamWater has managed to address the supply issue and the terminal reservoir is busy filling again.

“It usually takes about four days to fill completely but once the reservoir levels reach approximately 30%, the supply to town is more stable, except for a few high lying areas,” he said.

Balhao added that NamWater and the council teams are throttling the inflow in the evening to ensure the reservoir also refills during the early morning hours.

“Council has awarded the bid, during January, for the engineering and construction of an additional water reservoir for Lüderitz.

“It’s our aim to ensure we have more water security and to also address the water supply problems to higher lying areas,” he added.

NamWater could not be reached for comment.