•  December 2000February 2001 Local News Headlines

Tuesday, February 27, 2001 - Web posted at 9:15:42 AM GMT

Nam mulls Angolan water plan
CHRISTOF MALETSKY

Namibia is considering a plan to supply clean water to three provinces in southern Angola "in the SADC spirit".

Cabinet announced last week that the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development is to weigh up whether Namibia should re-sell the water it imports from the Calueque dam 16km inside Angola.

Currently Namibia imports the water from the Calueque pump station on the Cunene River (Angolan side) and purifies it at Olushandja, Ombalantu, and Oshakati before it is distributed to the water network in the north-central regions.

If the plan is given the green light, Namibia will re-sell the purified water to three provinces in southern Angola.

Windhoek and Luanda met twice last year to discuss the water supply to the north-western regions of Namibia.

The two countries agreed that illegal water off-takes from Calueque should be replaced with legal ones and that Angolan users should pay for the water.

Namibia has previously regarded the rehabilitation of Calueque and the Gove Dam further north as a risky investment.

Gove was damaged during the civil war and has not been used since 1975 But it was considered necessary for the improved regulation of water flow in the Kunene River and as a boost to the chances of having the Baynes site selected for the Epupa hydropower scheme.

An Angolan delegation to last year's meeting of the Permanent Joint Technical Commission on the Kunene River Basin in Windhoek said the country was now in a position, due to an improved politico-military situation, to start with urgent repairs to both the dams.

They informed the PJTC that the demining operation along the canal running from Calueque to the border of Namibia had been successfully completed, but that further demining operations would be required to enable the repair work scheduled to start early this year.

A special committee - called Task Force Calueque - was formed to rehabilitate the canal, upgrade the gravel road, rehabilitate the pump station, upgrade the electricity substation and provide power for the town of Calueque.

In what sources described as "start of a positive working relationship with Namibia", Angola has approached NamWater, through Cabinet, to purify water along the Calueque canal on both sides of the border area.

Cabinet said Namibia would provide water to Ondjiva in Angola's Cunene Province for an interim period.

The Calueque pump station will be fenced off for security and management reasons.