Water woes still plague Aus

THE people of Aus in the South have to make do with a daily water ration between 14h00 and 15h00.

According to NamWater, the cost of providing them with water around the clock is ‘prohibitive’. At times, they are left without water for two to three days. A prominent community member, businessman Johannes Vlees, says a delegation of which he was part met with the NamWater Managing Director on October 26 in an effort to solve the problem, but they were told that the cost is prohibitive.The delegation was led by Lüderitz Constituency Regional Councillor David Shoombe and !Aman Chief Dawid Frederick.Vlees said residents were pinning their hopes on the possible construction of a pipeline from the Naute Dam near Keetmanshoop, but their hopes were dashed when a consultant indicated that he had stopped carrying out a feasibility study on the construction of the pipeline. Vlees said at times residents are left without water for two to three days, compelling them to fill all available containers when water is available.’The water woes started after Independence. During the days of the colonial era we had not experienced water problems at Aus,’ said Vlees. ‘I bet you, if this water problem had been experienced in the northern parts of the country, Government could have come up with a solution a long time ago,’ Vlees added. NamWater has drilled a number of boreholes around Aus but could not find water, according to Vlees. ‘They [NamWater] told us that the water resources at Aus and surrounding are depleted,’ Vlees said.