Bucket system blues at Koës

THE pleasure of proper toilet facilities remains a dream for the residents of ‘Soek en Kry’ and ‘Plaatjies Heuwel’ at Koës.

It is 19 years since Independence, yet only a few appear to be enjoying the benefits of an independent Namibia.The majority of the residents living in the small and dusty village of Koës are still using the ‘bucket system’ for sewerage purposes.The Village Council makes use of a truck to deliver services like sewage disposal to the entire village, but it is not always the case. The truck used by the Village Council for this purpose is old and lacks a service record, resulting in the vehicle not always being readily available to provide this serviceAn apparent lack of proper service-delivery leaves the village in a very unhygienic condition, let alone the bad odour hovering over Koës. The situation sometimes lasts for weeks and even months.’When the truck doesn’t arrive on time, Koës is rotten for months…our children are battling to concentrate at school, while their (Councillors’) children are in Keetmanshoop, and they are experiencing better living conditions than us,’ said a resident who preferred not to be named.While this hygienic concern may result in health-related cases at Koës, the clinic refused to release health-related information since the Regional Council had not approved the release of such information.Vivier Allan of the Windhoek-based WML Consulting Engineers, visited the village on September 1 this year on behalf of the Karas Regional Council, in connection with tenders to supply a better sewerage system for the entire village. ‘After the tender applications have been processed and the contractor appointed, it will take eight months to complete the sewerage system construction process,’ Vivier said.* This article was prepared by a student from Echoes Polytechnic Student News Service.