In particular, Kaura called for a discussion on the situation at Opuwo, where residents have lived with a two-hour daily water ration for several months now.

He cited crude realities to drive home the point that people were suffering without a regular water supply - maintaining that people were forced to relieve themselves on the streets at night because toilets were blocked.

"That statement of 'not a drop of water without NamWater' is preposterous, self-righteous, asinine and must be removed immediately," said Kaura.

Kaura insisted that the high content of lime in the water put the water in classification D and thus unsuitable for human consumption.

NamWater has said otherwise.

Kaura said the situation had left at least three school hostels without water.

He said given that at least 12 ministries were represented at the town, they were responsible for doing something to improve the situation and he hoped that they were not contributing to the town's unpaid water bill by defaulting on payments.

Besides past debts running into several millions, the Opuwo Town Council has run up new debt of more than half a million dollars since it entered into a prepayment agreement with NamWater only a year ago.

Kaura's scathing remarks caused Deputy Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare Angelika Muharukua, a resident of Opuwo, to object.

But Kaura would have none of her interruptions, saying: "You don't know what the hell's going on in Opuwo."

Kaura did not buy NamWater's explanation last week that it did not have N$12 million to build a water-treatment plant to improve the water quality at the town.

NamWater says the water in the Opuwo area's boreholes is naturally rich in minerals and that the water quality has not changed in the last 30 years.

Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare Marlene Mungunda postponed the debate to today.

Muharukua also indicated that she would debate the motion today, telling Kaura: "I know better than you."

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