Thirst, school closures due to Okahandja water crisis
Okahandja residents endured nearly five days without water after a major pipe burst last Thursday morning cut off water supply to households, businesses, essential services and schools, leading to school closures on Monday.NMH understands that water was restored to most areas of the town late yesterday afternoon.
In response to the crisis, parents were informed on Monday morning that learners should not attend school until further notice.
The latest water outage followed heavy rains that damaged the town’s main pipeline.
Many residents, however, said the frequency of water outages has grown increasingly concerning and is not a new problem.
Residents voiced their anger on social media, stressing the recurring nature of water shortages plaguing the town.
Resident Tina Cloete wrote: “This is a very, very old story. It happens every rainy season, actually, not just in the rainy season but even during dry months. Okahandja is now a village. If the pipes are repaired, the electricity shuts down. The town planner must come and check because some of these pipes keep bursting repeatedly.”
Others echoed these concerns, blaming poor municipal management for the crisis. “This is further exposing how incompetent the municipal artisans are,” one resident said.
The municipality, in collaboration with NamWater, meanwhile mobilised teams to repair the damaged infrastructure. However, initial repairs revealed further damage to the pipeline, leading to additional delays. To help mitigate the impact, the municipality had set up seven designated water points where tankers dispensed water to residents.
No water, no schools
Despite these efforts, dissatisfaction remained high, especially after schools were forced to close on Monday on the instruction of the education ministry.
In an official letter signed by regional director Gerhard Ndafenongo, permission was granted under Section 46(2) of the Basic Education Act, 2020, to suspend school activities until water supply was restored.
On Sunday, Okahandja mayor Beatrice Kotungondo provided an on-site update, detailing efforts to fix the crisis.
“The repair teams have been working tirelessly since Saturday. They even worked throughout the night. There are two wells that have been dug out to stop the water from flowing into the repair area. The section we are prioritising is in the middle, where the pipe has broken and needs replacement.”
She explained that the main challenge was removing water from the affected area. “We are trying to get the water out using a small pipe, but we are also waiting for a private company to bring a larger pipe that will assist in draining the water faster. Once the area is cleared, the repair work itself will not take long.”