28 Jan 2016

Water shortage remains a challenge in Ngamiland District as some villages continue to experience acute shortage of water.

Nxaraga, which is about 25km from Maun, is one of the villages that has been hard hit by water shortager.

This was revealed by the Village Development Committee chairperson, Mr Geoffrey Manja in an interview. He said villagers have stayed for over two weeks without portable water.

The village is supplied by Water Utilities Corporation bowsers. Mr Manja said the village has been experiencing water shortage since 2010. He said residents were promised a project to improve water infrastructure in the village, but that it was suspended because of financial constraints.

 Mr Manja appreciated that the corporation was overwhelmed as it supplied other villages, but said their situation was also bad.

He said it was agreed that the corporation would bowse water after every three days, but that it has failed to fulfill the promise, adding that they even failed to communicate their challenges.

Mr Manja also pointed out that the old borehole in the village, which has been pumping water  to the Nxaraga Rural Training Centre, was not functioning. He added that the centre had been supportive to residents as it supplied them with water during hard times.

He explained that the borehole, which has been utilised by the Department of Agriculture Research, was only supplying the school, but that some residents collected water illegally from the borehole during difficult times.

He said the water shortage has affected other domestic errands, adding that without water there was no life. Mr Manja said efforts were made to contact corporation officials, and that they were promised that the situation would be addressed before end of the week.

The chairperson said the situation has forced some residents to fetch water from the river.

 Mr Manja also noted that the river was drying up, and that people were forced to look for deeper areas to fetch water where dangerous animals such as crocodiles live. Ends