Windhoekers still not saving enough water
Residents in Windhoek continue to exceed the set target for water consumption.The City of Windhoek's (CoW) weekly report for water consumption for 16 to 22 July shows that residents have exceeded the target for water consumption by 15%.
In accordance with category D of the Windhoek municipality's water management plan, all residents must reduce their weekly water consumption by 15% in order to achieve goals set for water conservation.
The overall average of dam levels in the country has dropped to 53.6% compared to last season when it was 66.3% full.
In the central parts of the country, the average dam levels now stand at a low 19.4%, while a year ago it stood at 36.4%.
The Swakoppoort Dam is currently 30.4% full, the Von Bach Dam 11.5% and the Omatako Dam 0.1%. This three-dam system supplies water to Windhoek and the total average level of these dams is currently 16% compared to the previous season when, according to NamWater's weekly dam bulletin, it had an average level of 33.5%.
In the south of the country, the average level of dams is 60.8% compared to last season when it was 74.4% full.
Namibia's largest dam, the Neckartal Dam, is at 81.5% of its capacity, while it was 91.2% full the previous season.
The level of the Hardap Dam near Mariental has dropped to a mere 10.3%. When the dam drops to about 6% of its capacity, the supply of all untreated water to the Hardap scheme will be stopped.
South
Farmers at the Hardap irrigation scheme signed an agreement with NamWater to control the dam's water supply so that they irrigate only 25% of their fields.
The agreement runs until November this year and was signed when the dam was 13% full. The municipality on Mariental also suspended the supply of semi-purified water for gardens on April 30 and until further notice.
The Naute Dam is at 43.4% capacity, Oanob at 39.9%, Dreihuk at 15.7% and the Bondels Dam at 32.3%.
In the east of the country, the total average dam levels are only 2.4% compared to last season when they stood at 7.4%. The Otjivero main dam is 3.4% full, Tilda Viljoen 4.5% and the Daan Viljoen is at 1.8%.
In other parts of the country, the Olushandja Dam in Oshana stands at 43.4% compared to last season's 30.4%.
Both the Omaruru Delta Dam in the Erongo Region and the Omatjene Dam in the Otjozondjupa Region are empty, which was also the case in the previous season.
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