RESIDENTS of the Havana informal settlement have been without water for five days after a pipe burst the past Friday.
City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya confirmed that a pipe burst, causing water supply disruptions.
She said work on the pipeline started immediately after the burst was reported, although the repairs were delayed by the sourcing of materials to use.
“Extraordinary measures to enquire about possible repair fittings were launched on Monday with all suppliers, NamWater and local contractors. A suitable fitting was obtained on Tuesday, and supply restored on the evening of 31 January,” Amutenya said.
When supply was restored yesterday, Michael /Goraseb (54) and his daughter, Linda /Gorases, who live about two kilometres from the tap, collected at least 80 litres of water a day.
/Gorases said the past few days have been difficult because they either had to do without any water, or were forced to walk all the way to other parts of Katutura.
Justine Mbirimujo (44) also rushed to the communal tap yesterday morning to fill up her containers that had been empty for five days.
She said that her child did not go to school on Monday and Tuesday because they could not bath since the weekend.
“We stink. We have not bathed all these days, and you can imagine how it is for us women. This is a really big problem,” Mbirimujo told The Namibian at the water point yesterday.
A pregnant woman, who came to collect water with her 20-litre containers in a trolley, said the bucket system is not something of the past to them as they are forced to still make use of buckets during the night.
“The taps are far. The toilets are far. While we use the riverbeds during the day, we still have to use those old buckets at night and throw out the waste in the morning,” the woman, who did not want to be named, explained.
For Mannetjie Kauandenge (42), walking between three and four kilometres a day has been the norm since 2005 when he first moved to the Havana informal settlement.
He said it is easier to ask for bread and get it than to ‘zula’ (beg) for water.
“People will not give you even five litres; only those who know you,” Kauandenge said. “It is very difficult. I really do not feel well. While others have water taps inside their houses and in their yards, we have to walk so far for a few litres of water.”
He added that the community was promised that taps will be moved closer to their homes and that they will have more easily accessible toilets, but nothing has been delivered yet.
– Nampa
