Martin Endjala
The Omaruru Municipality has implemented a three-day restriction on the use of water due to power outages and a burst supply pipeline.
According to the notice seen by the Windhoek Observer, these disruptions have prevented reservoirs from meeting the town’s water demand.
“The restrictions will be implemented from 2 to 4 October from 09h00 to 17h00. The purpose for this is to allow the reservoirs to be refilled to full capacity,” read the notice.
The municipality urged all stakeholders to use water wisely until the reservoirs are refilled to full capacity.
The town’s chief executive officer, Sindongo Valentinus, said the power outage and pipe burst have impacted the supply from boreholes, placing pressure on the reservoirs.
He said power supply interruptions cause water supply disruption because the connections to the national grid of water pumps at boreholes were damaged by extreme weather.
“The reason why we implemented water restrictions is to allow our reservoirs to fill up to full capacity. Because we are struggling to keep up with demands. If, for example, the town uses 20% water daily at night but the dams only fill up to 50%, if you take out that amount, the dams are empty again,” said Valentinus.
He added that the three-day water restriction is to allow the reservoirs to reach 100%, so even if they use up 50%, the levels will not decline to critical levels.
He said the situation persisted over the past three weeks, making this week the fourth that the town is struggling to satisfy the demands of the residents as reservoir levels have declined.
Residents have experienced extended outages beyond the specified hours, with some demanding discounts on their rates and taxes.
Valentinus explained that water usage is separate from these charges and urged residents to pay their accounts to help fund infrastructure improvements.
The Windhoek Observer understands that some residents experience water restrictions exceeding the set time, up until 20h00 without water.
Valentinus, however, said those demanding discounts on rates and taxes can forget about it.
“This is one aspect we have observed from the residents. They just don’t pay their accounts and it is concerning because if we don’t deliver, they blame us. The residents also have a role to play,” he said.
He urged residents to pay their bills to allow the municipality to develop the town, as most of its infrastructure has aged and is in need of revamping.
He said efforts are underway to repair the pipeline and restore power.
Valentinus attributed the power outages to recent strong winds, which damaged ageing power poles and uprooted trees.
