Stefanus Nashama
Following an outcry from the residents of the Kaniita location in Omuthiya Town, the Council on Sunday met with the community residents to discuss the current water supply crisis and find amicable solutions to have the service restored.
Omuthiya Mayor, John Ndeutepo, stated that the Council leadership resolved to provide the residents with new communal water meters free of charge and that the water charges will be discounted to be affordable for all residents. He indicated that the council will charge N$1.00 per 20-litre container.
He further indicated that residents, who own plots at the Kaniita location with updated accounts can volunteer to take up the responsibility of managing the new water meters in their names.
“Volunteer residents are the ones to facilitate the operations of the new water meters,” Ndeutepo added.
According to the Omuthiya Town Council, the new water meters will remain the property of the resident who volunteered to facilitate and manage the water meters provided by the Council.
“The Council will provide and do the installations of the new water meters,” Ndeutepo said.
This comes after the residents in the Kaniita location filed several complaints about being charged an unreasonable N$30.00 per 20-litre container of water by the tap owners.
This situation has offended and upset the residents, which resulted in them reporting the matter to the Council and calling the Council’s leadership to resolve the matter.
The residents said that all the water taps are currently in debt, causing the Council to cut off the water which has resulted in the water crisis in the location.
“We are being charged an unreasonable amount of money per container by the tap owners, yet they do not pay the Council. We are tired of this crisis in this location,” the concerned residents said.
The residents requested help from the Council and said that it is not fair at all because they paid the tap owners but at the end of the day, they are the ones to suffer.
Where do they take the money to and what do they do with the money they charge us per container, they questioned.
Residents who are renting in the Kaniita location said they use to pay the renting fee including water; however, sometimes their property owners do not pay the water bills on time, which results in the Council cutting off the water due to high debts.
To this, Ndeutepo said residents should never be silent on the issues that are contributing to the water crisis in the location, adding that they should approach the Council to report the matter and seek help.
“The problem is with us residents. If you are renting, that is the agreement between you and a landlord. However, you cannot keep quiet about things that are not working between you and the landlord. If a landlord is not paying the water bill at the Council while you pay him or her, the two of you should resolve this, and if it is not working you report the matter to the Council because if the Council cut off water, you will be affected,” Ndeutepo urged the residents.
The tap owners and landlords who fail to pay water bill should be held accountable for creating such a dreadful situation in the location, however, only the Council can do so if the matter is reported.
The Mayor advised all the Kaniita residents to take up the responsibility of paying their water bills on time to avoid the issue of the water crisis.
“If you do not pay the water bill, what should the Council do? We should learn to take up responsibility on our own,” he urged.
