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Namibia expedites drought response measures to alleviate impact on communities

Agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein

Namibia’s severe drought conditions have prompted the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform to expedite drought response measures.

This follows president Nangolo Mbumba’s declaration of a drought emergency last year.

Speaking at the opening of a management review workshop for the third quarter of the 2024/25 financial year at Swakopmund yesterday, agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein emphasised the critical need for swift action to alleviate the effects of drought.

“This is a challenging year. The public is looking to us to remedy the impacts of drought, both nationally and at the household level. We should expedite the implementation of the measures in place to achieve immediate impact on the ground,” he said.

The ministry, according to Schlettwein, has prioritised several interventions, including the construction of 16 earth dams, the drilling of 136 boreholes and the installation of 238 sanitation facilities in rural areas.

These initiatives aim to support livestock, improve rural water access and address sanitation challenges.

“These measures are designed to alleviate the immediate impacts of drought and safeguard livelihoods,” he said, calling on stakeholders to enhance their efforts in addressing the crisis.

Schlettwein said agriculture remains the backbone of rural communities and underscored the importance of water and land reform in ensuring food security, economic prosperity and social equity.

He called for a renewed focus on small-scale and resettlement farmers, as well as livestock production and veterinary services.

In the Erongo region, governor Neville Andre painted a picture of the drought’s impact on local communities, saying the hardest-hit areas, including Otjimbingwe in the Karibib constituency and the Dâures constituency, have endured drought conditions for over eight years.

The prolonged dry spells have killed livestock, disrupted food security and threatened livelihoods.

“Water scarcity remains one of our most urgent challenges. While efforts have been made, the need to accelerate access to water cannot be overstated,” Andre said.

The governor said the Erongo Water Crisis Committee was established to address the region’s water issues and it identified several challenges, including water losses due to leakages, vandalism of infrastructure and illegal water connections.

He emphasised the importance of fast-tracking infrastructure projects, including borehole drilling, desalination projects and expanding rural water supply networks, to mitigate the crisis.

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