DRC to be flush with toilets soon

RESIDENTS of Swakopmund’s informal settlement area are still waiting for the upgrading of sanitation standards six months after the town council agreed to buy 500 non-flushing toilets for the township.

“The people are getting very impatient. They feel the council is not delivering on its promises,” a resident told The Namibian.During the Local Authority Elections in May, the main motivation for most residents to vote was to improve the provision of services at the DRC.Selma //Hoaes (19), who voted for the first time, said she could only hope things would change.”We need new leaders who will do more,” said Thusnelda Kauaria (20).Since the DRC was established about six years ago, municipal services have remained limited to street lighting, refuse removal and communal water points for the 1 092 registered tenants and more than 2 000 residents.In January, the council finally addressed the long overdue sanitation problem by agreeing to buy toilets after recognising that the “current sanitation situation could pose serious health risks to the community as well as environmental problems”.The toilets – which don’t need to be flushed with water and use bacterial decomposition instead – will be installed on the basis of one toilet for every two households.In the absence of facilities, residents have had to dig their own pits and build their own facilities.PRO of the Swakopmund Municipality, Freddy Kaukungua, told The Namibian that the installation of the toilets had started.He could not say how long it would take, but expected it to last at least three months.He told The Namibian the six-month delay was caused by the finalisation of the DRC layout plan.”The plan has not yet been approved by Government, but as this is usually a long process, the council decided to start with the installation of the toilets in the meantime.”According to Reinhard Kubirske, Deputy Town Engineer for Town Operations, the process would take so long because an enclosure needed to be built for every toilet.”We will be building a cement floor, walls and door for every toilet.”He said they were looking at using materials such as precast slabs to speed up the process.The doors will be lockable with a padlock and every family receive a set of keys.”This will ensure that it does do not become a public amenity and users have no control over it.”They feel the council is not delivering on its promises,” a resident told The Namibian.During the Local Authority Elections in May, the main motivation for most residents to vote was to improve the provision of services at the DRC.Selma //Hoaes (19), who voted for the first time, said she could only hope things would change.”We need new leaders who will do more,” said Thusnelda Kauaria (20).Since the DRC was established about six years ago, municipal services have remained limited to street lighting, refuse removal and communal water points for the 1 092 registered tenants and more than 2 000 residents.In January, the council finally addressed the long overdue sanitation problem by agreeing to buy toilets after recognising that the “current sanitation situation could pose serious health risks to the community as well as environmental problems”.The toilets – which don’t need to be flushed with water and use bacterial decomposition instead – will be installed on the basis of one toilet for every two households.In the absence of facilities, residents have had to dig their own pits and build their own facilities.PRO of the Swakopmund Municipality, Freddy Kaukungua, told The Namibian that the installation of the toilets had started.He could not say how long it would take, but expected it to last at least three months.He told The Namibian the six-month delay was caused by the finalisation of the DRC layout plan.”The plan has not yet been approved by Government, but as this is usually a long process, the council decided to start with the installation of the toilets in the meantime.”According to Reinhard Kubirske, Deputy Town Engineer for Town Operations, the process would take so long because an enclosure needed to be built for every toilet.”We will be building a cement floor, walls and door for every toilet.”He said they were looking at using materials such as precast slabs to speed up the process.The doors will be lockable with a padlock and every family receive a set of keys.”This will ensure that it does do not become a public amenity and users have no control over it.”