Namwater has urged residents of Henties Bay and Swakopmund to use water sparingly following infrastructure damage due to the theft and vandalism of power poles.

The Erongo Regional Electricity Distributor (Erongored) infrastructure has been damaged, leading to significantly ompacted power supply to the water utility's water supply system.

The entity in a public notice on Monday said the water available at Henties Bay would only last until Tuesday afternoon.

"A severe incident of vandalism and theft occurred on Erongored's infrastructure, resulting in the cutting and destruction of seven power poles. Erongored has dispatched its technical team to attend to the damage, and repair works are currently underway. It is anticipated that restoration will be completed by late evening of Monday," the notice said.

NamWater urged residents and businesses at Swakopmund to use water only when "absolutely necessary".

It said the Omdel water scheme is offline due to the severe vandalism and theft of Erongored power poles, which has resulted in a complete loss of power supply to the facility.

"As a result, no water is currently flowing from Omdel into the system. In addition, the Orano desalination plant is currently offline due to high sulphur levels, meaning no water is being received from this source either," it added.

The entity said no inflow of water is currently reaching Swakopmund and it has engaged the Swakopmund municipality to reduce water supply in response, and further reductions may be implemented to preserve remaining reserves.

"We strongly condemn the acts of vandalism and theft that continue to threaten the delivery of essential services. We call on the public to help safeguard our infrastructure and report any suspicious activity. Let us all play our part in protecting these vital resources to ensure smooth and uninterrupted water supply," NamWater said.