Residents urged to pay for water services

Zambezi regional governor Lawrence Sampofu has called on residents to pay for water services punctually to ensure providers are able to supply potable water.

He was speaking at the groundbreaking of the Katima Mulilo raw water pipeline replacement and the inauguration of the Sachinga booster pipe station last week.

NamWater awarded the N$13,6 million replacement of the pipeline tender to Ndakalimwe Investment CC.

Sampofu said the provision of water supply is costly as money is not only spent on infrastructure development, but also operations and maintenance of infrastructure to ensure water is provided in the right quantities and quality suitable for the end consumer’s purposes.

“Therefore, it is everyone’s obligation as a responsible citizen to pay for water services rendered to enable the corporation in the future to continue serving the nation. What lies behind the tap is an amazing and complicated process that requires detailed planning, commitment and dedication to ensure that the goals of the government are carried out through the water service provisions, so that every citizen has access to clean water,” he said.

He further noted that supplying water to Katima Mulilo and the surrounding areas in adequate amounts and of acceptable quality, has become a major concern and challenge for NamWater.

“The residents of this town can attest to the endless water supply interruptions and associated inconveniences to livelihoods and the economy of Katima Mulilo. In response to this challenge, the board of directors of NamWater approved the execution of this project to address the growing water demand and in supporting the government in its bid to extend the supply of water to rural areas to provide clean drinking water.”

Sampofu encouraged the different government agencies in the region to collaborate to ensure the planning and development of public infrastructure are harmonised and address the needs of people on the ground.

“A lot is required by all stakeholders in the delivery value chain in ensuring that critical services are well planned and potential conflicts between services are avoided at all cost,” he said.

NamWater chief executive officer Abraham Nehemia noted that the construction of the raw water pipeline replacement will be 1,8 kilometres long, 630 millimetres class 100 pipeline from the abstraction tower to the purification plant and is expected to be completed by January 2024.

He implored to contractor to ensure the project is completed within the agreed time, cost and to acceptable quality standards.

“This pipeline is the core water supply in the Zambezi region, as the town of Katima Mulilo, the communities serviced by the Katima-Sibbinda pipeline, Katima-Bukalo pipeline and Katima-Linyanti pipeline would not receive water if the raw water pipeline is not in good operating condition.

“We completed the pump station at a cost of N$2,4 million at Sachinga to boost the water pressure in the pipeline, so that the communities at the end of the line can receive water. I would like to reiterate that NamWater has heard the regional leadership’s concerns when it comes to water supply challenges and we are surely addressing them step by step,” he said.

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