NamWater slashes Windhoek water supply by 35%
NamWater has been forced to decrease Windhoek’s water supply by 35% of its actual demand.The levels of the three dams that supply the city - Omatako, Swakoppoort and Von Bach - are critically low due to minimal inflow during this rainy season, the City of Windhoek announced this week.
Water minister Calle Schlettwein last year said the total water demand for Windhoek is about 28 million cubic metres per year, of which 22 million cubic metres comes from the three-dam system.
According to the latest dam bulletin issued by NamWater, the levels of these three dams now average 19%, compared to last season when they were 38% full.
Swakoppoort is at 37.5%, Von Bach 11.5% and Omatako 0.5%.
The City further said that the Windhoek aquifer water levels have decreased by an average of 75 metres, primarily due to extensive pumping activities since May 2023.
No water rationing - yet
While City spokesperson Harold Akwenye could not tell Namibian Sun what the current water demand for Windhoek is, he said they will still be able to manage water supply through boreholes and the reclamation plant.
No water rationing will take place, but he urged residents to use water sparingly. “Taps will not run dry. You will not even notice that we are in a drought.”
Akwenye, however, stressed that Windhoek is facing a water crisis, with its current supply only set to last until next year if there is no rainfall and inflow into the dams.
The City has urged residents to make concerted efforts to conserve water.
“Currently, there is a requirement to reduce water consumption by at least 10%,” Akwenye said.
The municipality's weekly Water Watch showed that from 9 to 15 April, residents once again exceeded the water consumption target by 18%.
To contribute to water conservation efforts, it asked residents to refrain from establishing new gardens, limit watering existing gardens to before 09:00 and after 17:00 and consider temporarily closing pools to mitigate evaporation. Windhoek residents have also been urged to use buckets and water-efficient pressure cleaners when washing cars.
Hardap Dam
Meanwhile, producers have received approval under the Hardap Irrigation Scheme to irrigate 25% of their fields. Hardap Dam is currently 12.6% full, representing 37 million cubic metres of water.
Dawie de Klerk, chairperson of the Hardap Farmers Association, said the producers may only irrigate 25% of their listed hectares.
“This means that at least 25% of wheat can be planted. Furthermore, it helps that there will not be total layoffs from the workforce. Water consumption will be strictly monitored to reach 24 November when the wheat will be ready to harvest.”
NamWater CEO Abraham Nehemia was not reachable for comment.
The Namibia Meteorological Service has said that the bulk of Namibia experienced a shortage of rainfall on a seasonal scale, mainly due to the poor rainfall recorded in December and February.