NamWater on verge of cutting Rundu’s water

The Rundu Town Council is on the verge of facing water cuts after accumulating debt of N$333 million with the Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater).

NamWater spokesperson Lot Ndamanomhata on Monday highlighted the Rundu Town Council’s escalating debt, which stood at N$250 million in July 2024 and had reached N$333 million by 28 February 2025.

“NamWater, through its chief executive, Abraham Nehemia, has sent multiple letters and reminders to the council regarding this overdue amount.

“Despite these efforts, no payment or acceptable repayment proposal has been received. If this situation persists, Rundu could face a return to a water rationing system,” he said.

Ndamanomhata said strict measures do not automatically mean disconnection, as it is not their first course of action.

“We prioritise discussions, structured payment arrangements, and intervention agreements,” he said.

However, with the current trend of debts exceeding N$2.4 billion, non-payment has become unsustainable.

“If the situation does not improve, NamWater may have no choice but to implement stricter measures, including water rationing, to recover funds and sustain service provision,” he said.

NamWater also urged residents paying their rates and taxes to local authorities, but whose payments are not reaching NamWater, to contact their representatives and demand transparency and accountability in revenue collection.

Ndamanomhata said non-payment directly affects NamWater’s ability to deliver reliable water services as it receives no subsidies and depends on revenue to ensure continued water provision.

NamWater has made an urgent call to its debtors to service their bills, amounting to N$2.4 billion.

They have gone so far as to issue letters to those with substantial outstanding balances, even sending formal demand letters to local authorities.

The only council they have entered into an intervention agreement with was Khorixas.

“However, some councils, such as Rundu Town Council, have accumulated substantial debt without presenting viable repayment proposals,” Ndamanomhata said.

Rundu Town Council chief executive Olavi Nathanael on Monday said they have not made a payment plan because their council meeting did not take place for them to commit to religious payments.

54% UNACCOUNTED WATER

The Otavi Town Council cannot account for approximately 54% of the water supplied by the national water utility.

The council owes NamWater N$70.5 million.

The council told The Namibian on Monday that they have been assessing their bill since 2019 to address discrepancies between the volume of water supplied by NamWater and the amount billed to their consumers.

“Current assessments indicate that approximately 54% of the water supplied to the council is unaccounted for, necessitating a thorough investigation to determine the cause of these inconsistencies,” said Otavi municipality chief executive Wodibo Haulofu.

The council further raised concerns regarding the tariff structure applied to Otavi.

Haulofu said: “Given that the operational costs of the Otavi Fontein scheme — exclusively supplying the town –– are relatively low compared to those of other towns, the justification for these charges remains under discussion.”

To dig further into the unaccounted water, the utility and the council established a joint technical task team.

“This team will conduct a detailed assessment of the billing discrepancies and provide recommendations to guide the way forward,” Haulofu said.

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