Martin Endjala
Gibeon residents are blamed for the village’s sewage problem because they vandalized the pump station and stole electrical cables and the sewer pump.
As a result, sewage water has been accumulating in residents’ yards for the past week.
Teo Nghilundua, a civil engineer and civil contractor for TJ Civil Technology Company, told the Windhoek Observer over the weekend that the main culprits contributing to the malfunctioning of the sewage structure in the village are the residents’ behaviour.
“The sewage issue cannot be blamed on the Gibeon Village Council or politicians, although often they are used as scapegoats. The community is to be blamed for the sewage issue in the town. Because for the past three to four years the system has been working well. But vandalism and the pump station and cable theft, has led to the disruption of the sewerage system,” he said.
He said the residents should stop pointing fingers and take responsibility for their actions.
“You find people flashing down the drain all sorts of bad things like condoms which block the drainage pipes, causing sewage spewing in the streets,” he argued.
A local daily paper reported in 2015 that the issue began in 2011, following the installation of a N$20 million vacuum sewerage system by the Gibeon Village Council.
Initially intended as a pilot project for the local government ministry, the system has not functioned well since.
Nghilundua clarified that the process of moving and storing sewage typically repeats itself.
He added that at first, the village council adopted the vacuum system, but the council realised that it was not viable because such a system is used in developed towns and not developing towns.
Nghiluanda added that as a result, a gravity system was installed.
He said due to the stagnant of the sewage, mosquitoes have turned it into a breeding ground and are now terrorising the community, due to the pump station house vandalism, given the volumes being pumped by the station are not enough to keep up with the affluent.
Meanwhile, the village’s acting chief executive promised to give answers later this week.
