Martin Endjala
The Mayor of Karibib Town Davey van Wyk says the consumption of water in some parts of the town is not 100 percent safe, as testing of water samples continues. Van Wyk says they are yet to identify and verify the root cause of the dirty tap water.
“At the moment, the town’s water consumption is not yet at 100 percent, particularly in some affected areas. However, we are busy carrying out water testing to make sure that communities are consuming purified water while we try to identify the root course of the dirty water or discoloured water, “he added.
The town of Karibib has been experiencing poor quality water in recent weeks, with residents complaining about the brownish water.
To date, the origin of this has not yet been identified, but plans have been put in place to investigate the matter.
Van Wyk said this during an interview with this publication yesterday, adding that preventative measures have been initiated with residents being urged to report any case of brownish water or poor quality of water to the Municipality, for immediate necessary intervention by the Municipal Council.
Currently, the Council is busy mapping out possibilities, with the underground aging pipes cited on suspicion as the root of the problem, however, this needs to be authenticated before making decisions on assumptions or suspicion, van Wyk added.
In addition to this, the Mayor stressed that they need to make sure that, the current unknown cause of the water crisis is authenticated in order to know how much it would cost and to see if the Council budget can accommodate such a cost.
Van Wyk also refuted allegations that the Council is just idle and doing nothing, saying that since residents brought the matter to their attention, they have been hard at work trying to find solutions and also the application of preventative measures.
He however, noted that the Council has set aside N$800 000 for the water crisis, adding that further costs will be covered by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development.
Van Wyk also revealed that he has since written letters to the Governor of Erongo region and the Minister of Urban.
“Once a final report has been compiled we will again share the report on the findings from the investigations. At the moment, i urge the residents to not consume the water, to adhere to the measures put in place such as consume water safely, by boiling the water,”van Wyk said.
No one has been reported sick as a result of the dirty water as of yet.
“Should such an incident occur, i advise residents to act swiftly by calling the emergency numbers provided to them. Residents are further encouraged to stay calm and patient and to trust in the Council to do its job,” van Wyk said.
He also revealed that the Council has appealed to the Gold mine to supply clean water to the affected residents.
