“SINCE Wednesday, we have not had a single drop of water.”
This was the devastating message from a 73-year-old pensioner at Kalkrand, Magriet Mouton, during a visit by The Namibian on Friday.
According to her, they used to get “a few drops” of rationed water from the Kalkrand village council for about two hours daily, but nothing since Wednesday.
The rationed water, Ouma Mouton said, is not nearly enough for washing themselves, cooking and using ablution facilities.
Instead, her son-in-law, who is based in Windhoek during the week, has to travel at least 90 km to and back from a farm in the Kalkrand area to collect water for them with his small pickup until he returns the following weekend to repeat the exercise.
Moreover, pupils at AA Denk Memorial Primary School at Kalkrand have to be escorted to nearby bushes if nature calls after 11h00. That is when their water, which a school board member transports at his own cost to the school daily, is finished.
Teachers at the school say having to walk pupils to bushes in order for them to relieve themselves poses a number of challenges, amongst others, the possibility of being bitten by snakes. Boys and girls, who have to answer a simultaneous call by nature, are escorted to separate bushes by separate teachers.
Kalkrand, a village situated 100 km south of Rehoboth in the Hardap region, has been without water since last month.
These water woes are the result of a whopping arrears’ water bill to NamWater totalling no less than N$3 million.
Despite undertakings to write off their water debt, pensioners have to fork out between N$200 and N$400 per month, Mouton told on Friday.
Like community activist James Hansen, Mouton expressed shock at the sky-high bill. What the village council does with the money residents pay for water is something that they are dying to receive clarity about, residents said.
Ruben Sitanga, Kalkrand’s acting chief executive officer, last week confirmed that their water supply was severed in October.
He said the N$3m crisis will be discussed at a meeting between the parties this week. “We are currently consulting. There will be a meeting to discuss the way forward.”
According to Sitanga, about 700 of the village’s estimated 4 000 residents do not even have access to daily rationed water because of where their houses are situated in the village.
Although Sitanga said water rations are made available between 08h00 and 13h00 daily, Hansen said their taps are only open between 10h00 and 12h00 daily.
Sitanga, who has been occupying the hot seat since Seth Boois’ recent suspension, says the multimillion dollar debt started accruing in 2013 to October this year. “It is not a good situation.”
Hansen, who did not mince his words, said the affairs of the Kalkrand village council are a mess.
Upon enquiry, Cornwell Chadya, Namwater’s chief financial officer, said: “I confirm that Kalkrand owes us money. The exact amount owed is not public information, and due to contractual obligations, can only be confirmed directly with the village council.”
Earlier, human rights lawyer Norman Tjombe warned that cutting a council’s water supply over non-payment was not the way to go.
In September, it was reported that Boois alleged that his suspension was the result of a political witch-hunt.
