Water supplies restored to Berseba Village

By: LUQMAN CLOETE

THE Berseba village, which went without water for almost three days because of an accumulated water bill arrears of N$1 million, has had its supplies restored.

The water bulk supplier, NamWater  last Monday disconnected supplies to the village after the council defaulted on its monthly payments as well as on the accumulated debt.
From Monday to Wednesday the residents had to draw untreated water  from wells and other unprotected sources.
The council’s chief executive officer Thomas Dreyer, said the local authority paid N$60 000 on Wednesday in addition to the N$140 000 the council had initially paid to make up the 20 per cent (N$200 000) of the accumulated debt that NamWater had demanded before reconnecting water supplies to the sleepy village, situated about 80 kilometers north-west of Keetmanshoop.
Asked whether government had bailed the council out to pay the N$60 000, Dreyer replied: “We used our own resources”.
Dreyer said the council and NamWater had reached an agreement that the authority would pay N$20 000 every month towards reducing its accumulated debt while honouring its monthly water bill of N$60 000 to avert future water disconnections.
Dreyer said that most residents and government departments were failing to pay their monthly water bills to the council: “I don’t know whether we will (council) cope with the N$80 000 payment each month. All will depend on how the residents pay their council debts.”
He urged residents and government departments, whom he claimed are the biggest defaulters, to pay up and warned that those who do not honour their bills by the 7th of each month will have water supplies cut.
“By this Monday we expect to suspend water supplies to a number of defaulters’ houses and buildings,” said Dreyer.
luqman@namibian.com.na

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