OMUTHIYA: The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) on Tuesday commenced with the Namibia Regional Water Symposium (NRWS), with the first being held in the north-central regions to explore and comprehend the water challenges faced in each region.
The regions include Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena, and Oshikoto and the symposium is a collaboration between the MAWLR, the Office of the Prime Minister, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), traditional authorities, waterpoint committees, regional councils and the Namibia Red Cross Society.
The ministry’s spokesperson Simon Nghipandulwa told Nampa on Tuesday that the workshop to be held under the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) will decide on sustainable solutions that are suitable for each specific region.
He added that the symposium will be an advocacy and awareness platform for promoting Integrated Water Resource Management and Conservation, as well as Water Supply Security and Rural Sanitation Provision on national, regional, and local levels including all water users.
The DWA, as the national water custodian, Nghipandulwa said, has been conducting research and providing services that are related to the sustainable management of water resources and rural sanitation management in Namibia.
The department has strived to ensure the attainment of water security for all, ensuring accessibility and availability of sufficient and good quality water suitable for usage in different sectors.
“This is done to meet the objectives of Vision 2030 through its NDPs, and Harambee Prosperity Plan 2.
Namibia is an arid to semi-arid country, and the driest country in Southern Africa. Its only perennial rivers are at its borders with other neighbouring countries. As such, Namibia is largely dependent on groundwater for domestic, agricultural, and mining activities,” said Nghipandulwa.
The available water sources are sporadically distributed and occur in various quantities and qualities, with some parts of the country more prone to flooding and severe droughts than other regions, hence, the demand and supply of water differ from one region to another.
“This implies that water-related challenges and issues encountered may be unique to each region,” said Nghipandulwa.
The event will be conducted in all 14 regions of Namibia until 14 November 2023.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency
