24 October 2007
Windhoek — The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has condemned the privatisation of water provision in Namibia, saying that it is causing hardship in the northern regions.
NSHR Executive Director Phil ya Nangoloh says people in the eastern, northern and northwestern parts of the country are deprived of clean drinking water because they cannot afford to pay for it.
In parts of the Omusati Region, he said, the cost of clean water has compelled people living in villages located along the Calueque-Oshakati canal to drink contaminated water from the canal. He said a similar problem is being experienced in the Oshikoto Region along the Ondangwa-Omutsegwonime pipeline. At villages west of Oshakati, Ya Nangolo said people are required to pay N$25 per household per month, and can only fetch clean water from public water points for four hours a day. People in the Ohangwena Region also bitterly complained about chronic shortages of clean and affordable water, he said. People have informed the NSHR that all the community water points along the Omafo-Eenhana pipeline have been closed due to unpaid water bills. The Onangolo-Onambutu pipeline is not yet operational and the whole area of the Ohangwena Region east of Eenhana has no access to potable water, Ya Nangoloh said.
According to him, people are complaining that they used to receive free water during the colonial era and immediately after Independence, and are asking why this has changed.
"This is due to long-term marginalisation and neglect in respect of appropriate infrastructure. Hence, residents depend on dams and traditional waterholes for water. Since these water sources are highly infected with bacteria, residents also complain of vomiting and diarrhoea," he said.
He added that several people had died of undisclosed diseases characterised by vomiting and diarrhoea - possibly cholera - in the Ohangwena and Kunene Regions, where the deprivation of clean and affordable water is the most severe.
In the Kunene Region, the statement said, the Kaokoland district in particular experiences chronic water shortages despite being near the Kunene River. Opinion polls conducted by the NSHR revealed that access to water is the second biggest problem faced by people in rural areas, after unemployment, Ya Nangoloh said. He said in terms of the Constitution, the State is obliged to promote the welfare of the people by ensuring that they have access to public facilities and services, such as clean water, to maintain a decent standard of living.
According to the NSHR, access to public amenities such as healthcare, education and housing is becoming beyond the reach of the impoverished population throughout the country.
"This state of affairs is a direct result of a leadership crisis prevailing in the country soon after the country started being administered in accordance with the 2004 Swapo Party Election Manifesto, instead of the Namibian Constitution," Ya Nangoloh said.
He said it was not clear why the Constitution and the Acts of Parliament had to give way to the Swapo Party Election Manifesto as the source of guidelines for addressing the needs of the Namibian people.
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