Water Debate Must Take Centre Stage

ACCESS to clean potable water is a basic human right, and we should do all in our power to ensure that all our people are guaranteed this fundamental need.

Having said that, it also needs to be emphasised that water saving is a priority for our country, and the two issues may appear conflicting on the surface, yet it is possible that we give water accessibility to all while at the same time trying to ensure everyone is educated about the need to prevent excessive use and wastage of any kind. This week the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) expressed concern about the privatisation of water in Namibia, and said it was causing hardships, particularly in the northern regions of the country.In certain areas, the NSHR said, people were deprived of clean drinking water because they could not afford to pay for it, and added that opinion polls showed that water access was second only to unemployment as the biggest problem faced by people in rural areas.It is also an issue that is persistently raised by Namibians on our daily SMS page.Water privatisation is one of the biggest public controversies in many countries, and more particularly in the developing world where there are strong arguments opposing the privatisation of this most precious resource, and that of course, is a subject worthy of a separate debate.Perhaps a good argument would be that privatisation should not be permitted UNLESS it guarantees access to water to all, even if this comes at a price.And that price, certainly, should depend on the nature of the consumer.If one follows this trend of thought then our country should be able to ensure accessibility to water, particularly for the poor and those in remote rural areas, while at the same time charging large corporations and private companies higher levies, particularly when their usage levels are high, and Ramatex certainly springs to mind as a good example in this regard.Crudely speaking, the saying, ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’, may be applied in this instance.One cannot say access to water is guaranteed if people cannot afford to pay for it, so every effort must be made to ensure this access for many important reasons, including health.That having been said, the country in general (and the water providers in particular) needs to ensure that wastage is kept to the very minimum.Too frequently we hear and see cases of wastage, whether it is a burst water pipe in the city centre that is not tended to promptly, or unlimited use on the part of certain businesses.Restrictions in this regard should be applied as a matter of course in Namibia, and not only at times when the rainy season failed to fill the storage dams.Rich or poor, no one should waste this most precious resource, and measures should be put in place to ensure that this does not happen, and if it does, it needs to be paid for.But if we can manage to guarantee that our population, no matter how widespread or rural, have such access, at the same time we need to ensure that they are properly educated to know that access does not allow abuse, by whomever, and that steps need to be taken in the event that this occurs.A campaign, in all local languages, is necessary to educate people about just how precious this resource is and how to ensure it is not wasted.Even given that our water is privatised, Government must nevertheless ensure that NamWater’s priorities are in line with the country’s Constitution, and access to water cannot be denied to the people of this country.As part of its PR drive, NamWater could also set national water-saving targets for individual consumers and companies alike, so that the population as a whole is motivated to keep our usage within reasonable limits.There is a great task ahead of all of us, and no one is exempt, to rise to the challenge of water conservation while ensuring access to everyone.This week the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) expressed concern about the privatisation of water in Namibia, and said it was causing hardships, particularly in the northern regions of the country.In certain areas, the NSHR said, people were deprived of clean drinking water because they could not afford to pay for it, and added that opinion polls showed that water access was second only to unemployment as the biggest problem faced by people in rural areas.It is also an issue that is persistently raised by Namibians on our daily SMS page.Water privatisation is one of the biggest public controversies in many countries, and more particularly in the developing world where there are strong arguments opposing the privatisation of this most precious resource, and that of course, is a subject worthy of a separate debate.Perhaps a good argument would be that privatisation should not be permitted UNLESS it guarantees access to water to all, even if this comes at a price.And that price, certainly, should depend on the nature of the consumer.If one follows this trend of thought then our country should be able to ensure accessibility to water, particularly for the poor and those in remote rural areas, while at the same time charging large corporations and private companies higher levies, particularly when their usage levels are high, and Ramatex certainly springs to mind as a good example in this regard.Crudely speaking, the saying, ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’, may be applied in this instance.One cannot say access to water is guaranteed if people cannot afford to pay for it, so every effort must be made to ensure this access for many important reasons, including health.That having been said, the country in general (and the water providers in particular) needs to ensure that wastage is kept to the very minimum.Too frequently we hear and see cases of wastage, whether it is a burst water pipe in the city centre that is not tended to promptly, or unlimited use on the part of certain businesses.Restrictions in this regard should be applied as a matter of course in Namibia, and not only at times when the rainy season failed to fill the storage dams.Rich or poor, no one should waste this most precious resource, and measures should be put in place to ensure that this does not happen, and if it does, it needs to be paid for.But if we can manage to guarantee that our population, no matter how widespread or rural, have such access, at the same time we need to ensure that they are properly educated to know that access does not allow abuse, by whomever, and that steps need to be taken in the event that this occurs.A campaign, in all local languages, is necessary to educate people about just how precious this resource is and how to ensure it is not wasted.Even given that our water is privatised, Government must nevertheless ensure that NamWater’s priorities are in line with the country’s Constitution, and access to water cannot be denied to the people of this country.As part of its PR drive, NamWater could also set national water-saving targets for individual consumers and companies alike, so that the population as a whole is motivated to keep our usage within reasonable limits.There is a great task ahead of all of us, and no one is exempt, to rise to the challenge of water conservation while ensuring access to everyone.