NamWater washes hands of blame on water crisis

BULK water supplier NamWater said yesterday that it was being used as a scapegoat for the dire water situation faced by several towns across the country, while local authorities were escaping with little blame.

NamWater CEO Vaino Shivute said over the years many local authorities had managed their affairs poorly and this had culminated in people now having their water cut for non-payment of bills. “The inability of councils to perform has a direct effect on the performance of NamWater,” said Shivute.He was addressing a round table discussion hosted by the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung in Windhoek to thrash out concerns around the impact of water supply in the country.At present, NamWater’s clients countrywide owe the company N$63,3 million – with town councils responsible for more than half of this figure.Rural communities owe the bulk supplier some N$17,9 million.Shivute said despite recent Government interventions to save the towns of Katima Mulilo and Okakarara from prolonged water cuts, NamWater would continue to punish defaulters in this way.”If towns are not in a position to pay their bills, then we can’t supply them with water,” he said.Reacting to strong criticism from the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) and civil society representatives that the water utility was charging too much for water and that the services be returned to Government, Shivute said the company only charged enough to cover the cost of supplying water.”Whether you abolish NamWater or not, that cost will be there.It will only be transferred to Government.That cost must be carried by somebody,” he said.Shivute cited as an example the situation of Katima Mulilo where, he said, the present water system could not cope with supply needs.He said it would cost at least N$20 million to upgrade the system – while the town owes the utility even more than this in unpaid debts.But NUNW Deputy Secretary General Evilastus Kaaronda was of the opinion that Government would have a more sensitive approach to the social-economic conditions of the country if it were directly in charge of water provision.Participants highlighted high unemployment and the gross income disparities in the country as major contributing factors to the non-payment of water.They also felt that the country’s development needs were not being taken into account.One participant argued that millions of dollars were being pumped into ailing parastatals and subsidising the utility supplies of huge business concerns, while poor people were made to do without a constant supply of water.”Are we saying it is more important to the Namibian people to have a national airline than water? Is it more important to subsidise the water of Ramatex than provide the people of Goreangab with water?” one participant asked.Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development Helmut Angula, Under Secretary Piet Heyns also maintained that it was a misconception that poor people were being made to pay for water in Namibia.”Water in Namibia is free but the service to provide water costs money and that is what we have to pay for.We pay for the service, not the resource,” he said.He said given the aridity of the country, vast distances and the scarcity of water, provision costs were high.Government agreed with NamWater that if water was available totally free of charge, it would lead to wastage and little respect for the scarce resource.”Each person should therefore make a contribution to pay for this commodity in order to remind us that we have a responsibility to take special care of such a basic natural resource like water,” said Heyns.Windhoek Municipality Strategic Executive for Infrastructure, Water and Technical Services, Piet du Pisani, said on average it took the City nearly three months to collect debts it was owed for service provision, with current total debt in the region of N$100 million.”Nobody is taking responsibility for the socially needy,” he said, “and Local Authorities just can’t deal with it.”Researcher and community activist Jade McClune made a call for a free daily basic quota of water for struggling communities.He said in the long term the country would have to deal with the consequences of denying people access to water as the outbreak of disease and increase in poverty were inevitable spinoffs.”The inability of councils to perform has a direct effect on the performance of NamWater,” said Shivute.He was addressing a round table discussion hosted by the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung in Windhoek to thrash out concerns around the impact of water supply in the country.At present, NamWater’s clients countrywide owe the company N$63,3 million – with town councils responsible for more than half of this figure.Rural communities owe the bulk supplier some N$17,9 million. Shivute said despite recent Government interventions to save the towns of Katima Mulilo and Okakarara from prolonged water cuts, NamWater would continue to punish defaulters in this way.”If towns are not in a position to pay their bills, then we can’t supply them with water,” he said.Reacting to strong criticism from the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) and civil society representatives that the water utility was charging too much for water and that the services be returned to Government, Shivute said the company only charged enough to cover the cost of supplying water.”Whether you abolish NamWater or not, that cost will be there.It will only be transferred to Government.That cost must be carried by somebody,” he said.Shivute cited as an example the situation of Katima Mulilo where, he said, the present water system could not cope with supply needs.He said it would cost at least N$20 million to upgrade the system – while the town owes the utility even more than this in unpaid debts.But NUNW Deputy Secretary General Evilastus Kaaronda was of the opinion that Government would have a more sensitive approach to the social-economic conditions of the country if it were directly in charge of water provision.Participants highlighted high unemployment and the gross income disparities in the country as major contributing factors to the non-payment of water.They also felt that the country’s development needs were not being taken into account.One participant argued that millions of dollars were being pumped into ailing parastatals and subsidising the utility supplies of huge business concerns, while poor people were made to do without a constant supply of water.”Are we saying it is more important to the Namibian people to have a national airline than water? Is it more important to subsidise the water of Ramatex than provide the people of Goreangab with water?” one participant asked.Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development Helmut Angula, Under Secretary Piet Heyns also maintained that it was a misconception that poor people were being made to pay for water in Namibia.”Water in Namibia is free but the service to provide water costs money and that is what we have to pay for.We pay for the service, not the resource,” he said.He said given the aridity of the country, vast distances and the scarcity of water, provision costs were high.Government agreed with NamWater that if water was available totally free of charge, it would lead to wastage and little respect for the scarce resource.”Each person should therefore make a contribution to pay for this commodity in order to remind us that we have a responsibility to take special care of such a basic natural resource like water,” said Heyns.Windhoek Municipality Strategic Executive for Infrastructure, Water and Technical Services, Piet du Pisani, said on average it took the City nearly three months to collect debts it was owed for service provision, with current total debt in the region of N$100 million.”Nobody is taking responsibility for the socially needy,” he said, “and Local Authorities just can’t deal with it.”Researcher and community activist Jade McClune made a call for a free daily basic quota of water for struggling communities.He said in the long term the country would have to deal with the consequences of denying people access to water as the outbreak of disease and increase in poverty were inevitable spinoffs.