28 April 2008
Windhoek — Although Namibia is ahead in meeting its Millennium Development Goal on access to clean water, it is lagging far behind in providing adequate sanitation to its people.
This was said by EU Ambassador Elisabeth Pape at the official opening of the Luederitz sewage treatment facility on Friday.
Pape said Namibia was too slow in improving sanitation in rural and urban areas alike.
"Not much progress has been achieved in sanitation, since still only 13 per cent of the rural population have access to improved sanitation coverage, compared to eight per cent in 1990," Pape said.
"Sanitation remains a great concern not only in rural areas, but also in urban areas, as was rightfully recently observed by President Hifikepunye Pohamba, that in urban areas the problem is in informal settlements where many inhabitants resort to flying toilets [chamber pots] in their moments of need," she said.
In her inaugural speech, Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila conceded that Namibia was lagging behind on sanitation.
She promised that sanitation would receive priority attention during a Cabinet retreat scheduled for next month.
"Flying toilets are not acceptable," Amathila said.
According to Amathila, Government in 2002 enlisted a foreign consultant to carry out a feasibility study on sanitation, but he was killed in a road accident before starting his work.
The state-of-the-art sewage treatment facility at Keetmanshoop, one of the best in the country, was built at a cost of N$75 million.
The European Union contributed about N$50 million of this, with the remainder paid by the Ministry of Local Government.
The plant, which replaced the town's unhygienic oxidation ponds established in 1960, was completed in November last year after construction began in June 2006.
Luederitz is now able to treat the wastewater generated by about 40 000 people.
The Mayor of Luederitz, Emilia Amupewa, appealed to the town's people to protect the new infrastructure built for them at great expense.
She thanked the EU and Government for funding the plant, and Windhoek Consulting Engineers who designed it.
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