After much hype in the late '90s that water utility NamWater would build one, nothing came of it and after 2001, the project was shelved.

At a breakfast meeting on water conservation and management hosted by the Namibia Economic Society (NES) on Wednesday, NamWater CEO Vaino Shivute said the project was back on.

"The desalination plant is back on the table.

We are looking into it again how to restart it, look at the problems of the past and learn from that," he said.

Shivute did not say what timeframe the parastatal was looking at but said the project was previously aborted because of "problems".

In 2000, the plant was estimated to cost N$100 million.

Shivute told the NES gathering that a desalination plant would be necessitated by increased development at the coast and the need to supply more water.

He said although recent flooding in the Kuiseb River would help recharge aquifers, these resources would not be enough to sustain the needs of the coast in the long term.

Shivute took issue with what he felt was undue criticism and blame levelled against NamWater for the cost of water supply.

"What people are really paying for is the cost of delivering water to them, not he water as such.

Water does not have a price," said Shivute.

He said while the price of bulk water supply was regulated by Cabinet, the price of water as charged by Local Authorities was not, and they were able to impose any tariffs on their customers.

"It costs money to supply water.

Someone must pay; we can't run away from that.

" For those who can't pay it is the responsibility of Government to introduce a subsidy scheme," said Shivute.

"Leaders need to instil discipline in people to pay for water if we are going to make progress in the long run."

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