Windhoek — The Karas Regional Council has come up with big plans for the region's development following participatory poverty appraisals conducted countrywide.

Among major development plans identified is the building of a bridge at the confluence of the Fish and Orange rivers, as well as the establishment of a juice extraction plant at Aussenkehr, an area of irrigated orchards on the banks of the Orange River.

Also envisaged are plans to set up new police stations including accommodation and mortuary services, open markets and to extend basic services to the informal settlements.

Agriculture plays a significant role in the Karas Region as 70 percent of the population in the rural areas depends on the sector.

The council thus plans to distribute improved seed varieties to farmers and open up marginal land in the Karas Region for traditional and non-traditional production.

In addition, the council plans to improve conditions of traditional herds and agri-tourism through water supply and access by roads that will enhance the chances of positive development in these sectors.

Council also identified the need to improve immigration services and thus plans to construct a new regional immigration office at Keetmanshoop and extend the Lüderitz immigration office.

Six district magistrate's courts at police stations are also planned as well as the establishment of two facilities for protection of vulnerable people.

The region also wants to uplift its poor by lobbying central government to increase its focus on providing assistance to the poorest of the poor.

A modern council office building for administrative use will be developed on land the municipality has agreed to avail.

In the education sector, there are plans to establish tertiary institutions such as vocational training centres, a teachers' training college, University of Namibia southern campus and a Polytechnic and an agricultural college.

HIV/AIDS prevalence in the region stands at 18.7 percent. The region plans to increase the training of counsellors and distribution of anti-retrovirals and improve access to treatment for tuberculosis and malaria patients.

There are also plans to strengthen and expand regional health care facilities and health post services at border posts and check points, as well as avail affordable basic health care and services access to the poor and vulnerable citizens.

Although it is one of the major mining regions in the country, Karas faces a lack of financial resources to cope with the influx of people into the region, and providing housing and other infrastructure is a serious challenge.

Keetmanshoop is the administrative capital of the region, with 13 primary growth points identified.

Considerable economic activities are centred in Lüderitz and the mining towns of Rosh Pinah and Oranjemund.

The region has 69329 inhabitants, which translates to 3.8 percent of the country's population.

About 97 percent of the population of Karas has access to safe drinking water, 66 percent have proper sanitation and the literacy rate stands at 92 percent.

The main sources of income are farming which is 7.2 percent, 10.3 percent from pensions, 68.6 percent from wages and salaries while business and non-farming income accounts for 4.5 percent, 6.2 percent from cash remittance and 3 percent from other sources.

Per capita income per annum is N$6655 and the unemployment rate stands at 33.3 percent.