The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform says it has lost N$120 million worth of water pumps and solar panels in the past year alone through theft and vandalism.
According to the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, the stolen equipment represents a complete loss of service for communities as the boreholes drilled specifically to serve these areas are now unusable.
“An unfortunate aspect, which needs to be addressed is the fact that we lose significant amounts of money and infrastructure through theft and vandalism. Last year alone the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform lost about N$120 million in stolen water pumps and solar panels,” he said.
Schlettwein called upon authorities to collaborate on preventing the crimes and cooperate in apprehending those responsible for such thefts.
“It is not tolerable and we must look after water infrastructure because it belongs to the communities, it is your installation and I call upon Traditional Authorities, Regional and Local Authorities to join us in preventing these crimes,” he said.
This comes as the government through a contribution of N$1.5 billion and a N$1.8 million loan from the African Development Bank has embarked on a series of projects aimed at providing reliable access to safe drinking water to communities around the country.
The government has so far made N$91 million available towards the Ondangwa-Omutsegwonime pipeline replacement project and N$250 million towards the Ohangwena II Well Field Water Supply Schemes (WSS) Project.
“The AFDB provided a loan of about N$1.8 billion which is being utilised for projects such as this one (Ohangwena II Aquifer), the Oshakati new purification plant, the Rundu’s new purification plant and many other related projects that are being implemented by the Ministry. These funds do not cover all costs and the Government added a further contribution of N$1.5 billion to ensure successful completion of the projects,” Schlettwein added.
