Omega at the end of the line

RESIDENTS of Omega in the western Caprivi are entering their third week without electricity supply – and have now also been living without water since last week.

In both cases, old and over-worked generators have been identified as the culprits. When the area’s main generator broke down just before Christmas, residents were reduced to reliance on an emergency water supply pumped by a machine belonging to NamWater.But last week this machine also stopped working.Omega residents have called The Namibian to say people are facing severe hardships without water.The church mission is distributing five litres of water every time an elderly resident visits the local church mission.Since then the settlement has been reliant on one generator from the Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, while the other, bigger one is being overhauled.NamWater also came to the rescue, installing its own emergency generator, but now both these machines are disabled.The Lands Ministry is responsible for the operation of both generators, but a Lands Ministry official at Omega, Pondianus Meronga, said he had “no idea” about the situation and would not comment further.The delay in fixing the generators appears to be be due to the closure over Christmas and New Year of businesses that could supply the needed parts.NamWater’s area manager for Kavango and Caprivi, Erwin Shiluama, assured The Namibian that the matter was being attended to, but stressed that its generator had been installed only as a temporary measure.Shiluama said NamWater hoped to have its generator up and running again this week.Kavango’s regional head for the Works Ministry, Blasius Siyemo, said that his department had ordered a new fan for the main generator, and that its radiator was still being repaired.”This problem of staying without water is a great concern.But there is nothing that can be done.The machine is not big enough to cater for the whole town.It gets overloaded due to the fact that it runs for about 18 hours a day,” he said.Siyemo could not say when the machine would be fixed: much depended on other parties to repair old parts or supply new ones.Last year the Ministry said it would cost more than N$200 000 to fix Omega’s big generator, while the other one was still being overhauled in Windhoek.When the area’s main generator broke down just before Christmas, residents were reduced to reliance on an emergency water supply pumped by a machine belonging to NamWater. But last week this machine also stopped working. Omega residents have called The Namibian to say people are facing severe hardships without water. The church mission is distributing five litres of water every time an elderly resident visits the local church mission. Since then the settlement has been reliant on one generator from the Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, while the other, bigger one is being overhauled. NamWater also came to the rescue, installing its own emergency generator, but now both these machines are disabled. The Lands Ministry is responsible for the operation of both generators, but a Lands Ministry official at Omega, Pondianus Meronga, said he had “no idea” about the situation and would not comment further. The delay in fixing the generators appears to be be due to the closure over Christmas and New Year of businesses that could supply the needed parts. NamWater’s area manager for Kavango and Caprivi, Erwin Shiluama, assured The Namibian that the matter was being attended to, but stressed that its generator had been installed only as a temporary measure. Shiluama said NamWater hoped to have its generator up and running again this week. Kavango’s regional head for the Works Ministry, Blasius Siyemo, said that his department had ordered a new fan for the main generator, and that its radiator was still being repaired. “This problem of staying without water is a great concern. But there is nothing that can be done. The machine is not big enough to cater for the whole town. It gets overloaded due to the fact that it runs for about 18 hours a day,” he said. Siyemo could not say when the machine would be fixed: much depended on other parties to repair old parts or supply new ones. Last year the Ministry said it would cost more than N$200 000 to fix Omega’s big generator, while the other one was still being overhauled in Windhoek.