Bethanie water ‘unfit for human consumption’

A STUDY into water quality at Bethanie village in the South has sparked an uproar among villagers, says the chief of the !Aman Nama clan, Dawid Frederick.

According to Frederick, the study classified the village’s drinking water as D-class, which is unfit for human consumption. Addressing the National Council Standing Committee on Regional Development at Keetmanshoop yesterday, Fredericks claimed that the water was a health hazard.”The water could cause kidney failure among the villagers and it left a brownish stain on the villagers’ teeth,” he said.”It is a common fact that many villagers, including whites, are identified as inhabitants of Bethanie by the brownish stains on their teeth,” he said.According to Frederick, the study was done in 2004 by NamWater’s water quality officials, but the findings were only disclosed late last year.He said many villagers vowed not to pay their water bills after the news about the water quality was related to them.”Some villagers are even demanding a refund from the water supplier, NamWater, claiming they were supplied with water which poses a health risk,” he said.The Namibian has it on good authority that the Bethanie Village Council owes NamWater close to N$500 000.When approached for comment yesterday, NamWater Area Manager Andries Kok denied that the water was a health hazard.”Yes, it is poor quality water, but it is suitable for human consumption and it can only have an effect on villagers’ health after many years,” he said.He disagreed that the water is D-class.According to him, the water is C-class.”People drinking C-class water is not something new, since we supply some places with C-class water,” he said.Kok would not identify which places these were.He said the Bethanie water was classified C-class because of the high level of fluoride in it.Kok said tests done by NamWater showed that all boreholes drilled within a 15-kilometre radius of Bethanie produce the same C-class water.Kok said the report made some recommendations to the Village Council on how to improve the water quality.”Now, they jump the gun while we’re still in consultations,” he said.He added that the recommendations included setting up a plant to filter out fluoride, but this would have serious financial implications for the Village Council.The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, Hilma Nikanor, who is also the Regional Councillor for the Keetmanshoop constituency, pledged that the committee would discuss the water issue with NamWater.Nikanor was accompanied by National Council members Ruth Nhinda, Dorothy Kabula and B Shangetha.Some of the main concerns raised during the Committee’s visit included a shortage of medicine at health facilities and dilapidated school buildings.Nikanor said the committee had found that many regions failed to use their budget allocations and this was the cause of most of the shortcomings.”Year after year funds allocated to develop the regions are returned to Government’s coffers untouched,” she said.The aim of the committee’s visit was to acquaint themselves with the conditions of health facilities and Government buildings, and to find a solution to long queues at pension pay points.Addressing the National Council Standing Committee on Regional Development at Keetmanshoop yesterday, Fredericks claimed that the water was a health hazard.”The water could cause kidney failure among the villagers and it left a brownish stain on the villagers’ teeth,” he said.”It is a common fact that many villagers, including whites, are identified as inhabitants of Bethanie by the brownish stains on their teeth,” he said.According to Frederick, the study was done in 2004 by NamWater’s water quality officials, but the findings were only disclosed late last year.He said many villagers vowed not to pay their water bills after the news about the water quality was related to them.”Some villagers are even demanding a refund from the water supplier, NamWater, claiming they were supplied with water which poses a health risk,” he said.The Namibian has it on good authority that the Bethanie Village Council owes NamWater close to N$500 000.When approached for comment yesterday, NamWater Area Manager Andries Kok denied that the water was a health hazard.”Yes, it is poor quality water, but it is suitable for human consumption and it can only have an effect on villagers’ health after many years,” he said.He disagreed that the water is D-class.According to him, the water is C-class.”People drinking C-class water is not something new, since we supply some places with C-class water,” he said.Kok would not identify which places these were.He said the Bethanie water was classified C-class because of the high level of fluoride in it.Kok said tests done by NamWater showed that all boreholes drilled within a 15-kilometre radius of Bethanie produce the same C-class water.Kok said the report made some recommendations to the Village Council on how to improve the water quality.”Now, they jump the gun while we’re still in consultations,” he said.He added that the recommendations included setting up a plant to filter out fluoride, but this would have serious financial implications for the Village Council.The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, Hilma Nikanor, who is also the Regional Councillor for the Keetmanshoop constituency, pledged that the committee would discuss the water issue with NamWater.Nikanor was accompanied by National Council members Ruth Nhinda, Dorothy Kabula and B Shangetha.Some of the main concerns raised during the Committee’s visit included a shortage of medicine at health facilities and dilapidated school buildings.Nikanor said the committee had found that many regions failed to use their budget allocations and this was the cause of most of the shortcomings.”Year after year funds allocated to develop the regions are returned to Government’s coffers untouched,” she said.The aim of the committee’s visit was to acquaint themselves with the conditions of health facilities and Government buildings, and to find a solution to long queues at pension pay points.