NamWater to rehabilitate Omahenene-Olushandja canal

NAMWATER will reconstruct two sections of the Calueque canal between Omahenene and Olushandja, covering 5,8 kilomertres, at a cost of N$93,5 million.

This was said by minister of agriculture, water and land reform Calle Schlettwein during the groundbreaking ceremony at Omahenene border post.

The canal is the lifeline for the majority of the people in the Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Ohangwena regions who depend on water from Calueque Dam in southern Angola chanelled through the 150 kilometre canal to Oshakati. Some people are supplied through pipelines.

Schlettwein said the canal was not only built to supply potable water to people in the northern part of the country, but also for agricultural production.

“NamWater operates four treatment plants at Olushandja, Outapi, Ogongo and Oshakati to make the water safe for human consumption,” he said.

Operating the canal, built in 1972, is a costly exercise as NamWater forks out millions of dollars annually to maintain it, he added.

“NamWater has been maintaining it to ensure that water flows to its customers without disruption, however, as the saying goes, nothing lasts forever. There comes a time when maintenance costs become unsustainable such that total reconstruction of the canal becomes necessary.

“The contractors are expected to reconstruct this piece of infrastructure and restore it to its original design so that it can continue to serve our people for many more years to come,” said Schlettwein.

Schlettwein added that the entire canal from Omahenene border post is in a bad state, but plans are in place to reconstruct it soon.

“In addition to maintenance costs, NamWater spends millions on electricity to pump water into the canal from Calueque Dam. Sadly, the company loses a lot of that water to evaporation and lately increasingly so to illegal offtakes by farmers who have set up gardens along the canal. The proliferation of illegal offtakes along the canal has become a major concern as NamWater now struggles to get sufficient water to the Oshakati treatment plant,” he said.

He added that NamWater is likely to spend close to N$500 million on rehabilitating the Oshakati treatment plant.

Schlettwein cautioned the community living along the canal against vandalising the facility as anyone caught committing such an act will be brought to book.