City urges consumers to save water

The Windhoek City Council on Wednesday confirmed that the city’s water resources are limited and the only way to see development in the capital is by implementing water savings.

According to the city’s spokesperson, Lydia Amutenya, “The water demand of Windhoek has been suppressed since 2012 to successfully keep the demand below 26 million kilolitres per annum. This is the only reason why Windhoek has escaped severe water crises to date,” she said

Amutenya said NamWater only provides 39% of Windhoek’s water demands, with the Windhoek Goreangab Operating Company supplying the 23% of the city’s water needs.

“We are only able to meet Windhoek’s total water demand, thanks to the aquifer’s current good condition,” she said.

Amutenya said the water level in dams such as the Von Bach Dam is critically low, staggering at 20%. The low water levels are due to low rainfall and inflow during the dry season.

In response to the water fountains currently running at the parliament building and at the statehouse, Amutenya said water fountains and other water features are currently prohibited.

The city plans to embark on a campaign to raise awareness on the ongoing drought situation in Windhoek.

“The campaign will be a proactive measure to create awareness … it is crucial to conserve water in order to avoid water shortages,” Amutenya said.

The city council is urging public and private facilities and institutions to implement weekly or daily water monitoring to ensure responsible consumption, identify leakages, isolate water leaks and invest in water efficiency equipment.

The city’s bulk and waste water division has implemented these guidelines and could successfully reduce water consumption by 65%, said Amutenya.

The current water demand is only 35% of the historic water demand.

“All consumers are advised to implement the three mentioned guidelines. The investment in water-efficient equipment especially has a substantial return in the recovery of initial cost by the water consumption savings achieved,” she said.