IWRM SURVEY AND STATUS REPORT:

Namibia

Desert Research Foundation of Namibia

March 2009
National IWRM Status Report: <Namibia>

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
· Namibia is the most arid country south of the Sahara with scarce and unpredictable rainfall and
perennial rivers only on its borders. Increased temperature and shorter rainfall events predicted
with climate change are expected to reduce water availability.

· Elements of Water Demand Management are developed, implemented and well accepted by
decision makers, for example conjunctive use of water and use of unconventional sources. Other
elements such as water banking in the unique Windhoek aquifer, while recognised as important,
are bogged down in institutional negotiations. These efforts should be more widely publicised to
raise overall water awareness and understanding and to facilitate implementation.

· The basic policy framework incorporating IWRM is well established but the associated legislation
and regulations lag behind. Although originally accepted by decisionmakers, aspects of the
policies are later queried thereby impeding implementation, e.g. cost recovery. This experience
points to the need of providing a dynamic platform for broad information exchange and
awareness and involving decision makers at all levels on an on-going basis.

· Sanitation was incorporated in the 1993 Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Policy but
implementation was negligible. Its importance has been reinforced in the 2008 policy revision
and an institutional solution identified. The importance of sanitation in terms of health and
productivity has not been publicised, is little understood and requires concerted attention. An
equivalent of natural resource accounting to address sanitation and its manifold implications is
recommended

· Insitutional arrangements for water supply are well established while those for regulation, tariffs
and subsidies and other oversight and coordination elements are planned but not implemented.
The relationship between cost recovery and infrastructure maintenance as a key element of
WDM requires ongoing provision of information and awareness at all levels. It is recommended
that these oversight and coordination elements are enacted to facilitation IWRM.

· Limited human resource capacity for water management is a key factor holding back
implementation of the policies already in place. These limitations are observed at local, regional
and national levels and have a major impact on water supply, water demand management and
other elements of IWRM. Although these limitations will be addressed in the IWRM plan being
formulated, they must be seriously adopted and a cohesive plan established to address this
crucial deficiency. Alternatively, the shift of available capacity from government to the private
sector capacity, where efficiency, effectiveness and other elements of IWRM are valued and
acted upon, must be recognised and integrated into the water management fabric. DWAF has
recognised that it should be overseeing and regulating water resources and their management
while Basin Management Committees assume greater responsibility for implemention. This
recognition is not widely accepted to date and capacity to implement this arrangement is not
established.

· Monitoring of water resources is taking place but not integrated to provide and overall picture of
water resources and their management. It has been recognised that this is essential but funds
and capacity to do so are not prioritised. The private sector has entered the gap and is now
working with selected urban areas; data and information may be obtained for a fee.

· Namibia is embarking upon the formulation of an IWRM plan with expected completion date of
mid-2010. The key intention and recommendation is that decision makers at all levels are aware
of and involved in the process as far as possible.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ ii

Chapter 1: Background and Context ............................................................................................1
1.1 Project Background ............................................................................................................1

1.2 Geographic Context ...........................................................................................................1

1.3 Social and Economic Context ..............................................................................................1

Chapter 2: Water Resources Situation .........................................................................................3

2.1 Water Availability and Infrastructure..................................................................................3

2.2 Water Use, Demands and Requirements ............................................................................3

2.3 Key Water Resources Issues, Concerns and Priorities .........................................................4

Chapter 3: Actual State of the IWRM Process ..............................................................................7

3.1 Policy and Legislation .........................................................................................................7

3.2 Institutional Arrangements.................................................................................................8

3.3 Water Strategy and Instruments ........................................................................................9

3.4 Practice (Implementation) of IWRM .................................................................................10

3.5 Monitoring and Evaluation ...............................................................................................12

Chapter 4: Actual State of Water Accounting ............................................................................13

4.1 Reliability of the Water Use Information ..........................................................................13

4.2 Allocation of Water ..........................................................................................................13

4.3 Water Pricing and Tariffs ..................................................................................................14

4.4 Economic Data .................................................................................................................14

4.5 Economic Water Accounts................................................................................................15

Chapter 5: Future Perspectives .................................................................................................16

5.1 Key Lessons from the Country Experience ........................................................................16

5.2 Future Perspectives and the Need to Continue the Process ..............................................17

5.3 Constraints, Opportunities and Perspectives ....................................................................17

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CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

1.1 Project Background
Regional consultant and GWP to provide a common introductory paragraph

1.2 Geographic Context

Namibia lies along the south-western coast of Africa bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west,
Angola and Zambia to the north, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south.
It covers an area of about 823 680 square kilometres. Namibia is the most arid country south of the
Sahara and two predominant features of its climate are scarcity and unpredictability of rainfall. The
pattern of rainfall is highly seasonal with rain during the summer months (between October and
April) in the north and winter rainfall in the south. The average annual rainfall is 250 millimetres per
annum. Namibia is generally a hot country but temperatures vary a good deal. Furthermore, Namibia
is generally not humid and the lack of moisture in the air has major impact by reducing cloud-cover
and rainfall and increasing rates of evaporation. In the current rainy season (2008/9), Namibia
experienced major floods in the southern, central northern and north-eastern parts of the country.
While droughts were experienced in the early 1990’s, disaster droughts as earlier in the century have
not been recently experienced .

The predominant use of land in Namibia is agricultural, mainly livestock production, with crop
production limited to the northern parts. The agricultural sector consumes around 75 % of all water.
Commercial crop irrigation takes about 50% (~160 Mm³) of national demand, and the Green Scheme
is likely to add about another 80% (~290 Mm³) above current irrigation abstraction. Major land use
issues are overgrazing, erosion and poor management practices leading to bush encroachment, thus
reducing land productivity, and increased water requirements for irrigation of crops and vegetables.

In terms of climate change, it is estimated that Namibia will experience increased temperatures in
winter and summer. Climate change will mainly affect temperature and rainfall to a lesser extent.
Rainfall seasons will be shorter with more intense rainfall. A reduction of 10-20% in rainfall by 2045-
2065 over the catchments of the Zambezi, Kavango, Cuvelai and Kunene rivers is expected to lead to
a reduction in runoff and drainage in these shared river systems by +/- 25%.

According to the vulnerability and adaptation study on climate change for Namibia, groundwater
recharge may suffer a reduction of 30-70% across Namibia; a potential exception could be found in
the recharge of alluvial aquifers that have their origins in central areas of Namibia, where more late
summer convective rainfall can be expected by the middle of the 21st century (a trend that is already
evident). It is predicted, even without the additional stresses of climate change on the water
resources, that demand will have surpassed the installed abstraction capacity by 2015.

1.3 Social and Economic Context

Namibia has a human population size of approximately 1.83 million people, with a growth rate of
about 2.6%. According to the 2001 Population Census the country has a relatively youthful
population with 39% of the population under 15 years of age and only 7% over 60. Despite rapid
urbanisation, Namibia is still a mainly rural society with only 33% of the population living in urban
areas. The overall rate of urban growth for the whole country is about 6%/annum. If this rate of
urbanisation continues 75-85% of Namibians will be living in urban areas by 2020. There are active
movements of people over the Namibia/Angola border. A large portion of the Namibian population
migrates between South Africa and Namibia for schooling and work; the opposite applies as well.

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The mining sector is the traditional backbone of the economy, contributing about 13% to GDP and it
still generates the biggest share of Namibia's foreign-exchange earnings. The agriculture sector
continues to be one of the most important sectors, although only half the country is suitable for
farming and is highly susceptible to drought. The sector contributes about 8.4% to GDP and it is a
major source of income and employment for the bulk of the population. Other main contributors to
the GDP are fishing, meat processing, beverages, metal and pre-cast concrete products.

Since independence the government's main policies have been aimed at achieving sustainable
economic growth and a real increase in income per capita. The economic policy is expected to
remain broadly unchanged, aimed at reducing poverty and income inequality, creating employment
in the private sector, promoting black economic empowerment, achieving sustainable economic
growth and diversification, and combating the spread of HIV/AIDS. Privatization was removed from
the agenda in 2007-08, as the government prefers to improve the performance of state owned
enterprises through better management and commercialization.

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CHAPTER 2: WATER RESOURCES SITUATION

2.1 Water Availability and Infrastructure
Namibia depends on the following water resources: ephemeral surface water, groundwater,
unconventional water sources and perennial surface water. Water supply from boreholes contributes
73% of all water used. Groundwater recharge is from rainfall. The water balance model estimates
recharge to be approximately 1% of the total rainfall received. The total assured yield of both surface
and underground water resources, excluding the perennial rivers, is estimated at only 500 million
cubic metres per annum. An important aspect of Namibia’s water availability and water management
is dictated by the fact that all perennial rivers are located on the borders of the country, whilst the
entire interior is dependent on stored surface flow from ephemeral rivers, alluvial aquifers of
ephemeral rivers or groundwater. Perennial rivers available to Namibia are: the Kunene (344 km of
which 14 100km2 lies within Namibian territory), Okavango (470 km), Kwando-Linyanti (340 km) and
Zambezi-Chobe (340 km) on the northern border and the Orange (580 km) on the southern border.

There are many significant surface water storage dams in Namibia despite the high evaporation
rates. These dams are generally for bulk water supply to municipalities and/or mines but also for
supply to irrigation projects. Furthermore, there are also small dams used by smaller communities
and farmers for human consumption and stock watering. Namibia has a total of ten major dams with
storage capacity of about 665 million cubic meters per annum, but the 95% assured safe yield is only
87 million cubic meters per annum which indicates low efficiency of surface water storage facilities in
the arid environment. Of these dams, three large dams, the Von Bach Dam, the Swakoppoort Dam
and the Omatako Dam have been built in central Namibia to supply water to the capital city
Windhoek, a number of smaller towns and two mines. The individual 95% assured safe yield of the
three dams is about 12 million cubic metres per annum which is increased by conjunctive use.

In terms of groundwater, a total of more than 150 000 boreholes have been drilled in Namibia to find
water and to understand the hydrogeological environment. Of the total, about 60 % are suitable for the
purpose for which they were drilled. To date, 40 000 boreholes are in use. NamWater operates about
110 local water schemes, five major regional water schemes and the national water carrier. The
Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry constructed more than 3 000 kilometres of rural water
supply pipelines and established more than 7 000 water points for rural communities since 1990.

Furthermore, there are desalination plants being constructed on the coast, a reclamation plant in
Windhoek and small purification plants at some of the commercial farms.

In terms of planned infrastructure, desalination is seen as a solution for water supply to the booming
uranium mines in the central Namib Desert. Other planned infrastructure include raising the wall of
Hardap dam in the south for flood protection and not to supply more water.

2.2 Water Use, Demands and Requirements

In an arid country such as Namibia where water is scarce and water resources are costly to develop,
it is important to prioritize the use of water. The prioritisation takes into consideration the economic
outputs of each sector per m3 of water consumed, basic needs of humans and stock and numerous
socio-economic aspects. According to the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Policy (WSASP) of
2008, the first priority is water for domestic use. Agriculture is the highest water user in Namibia:
75% of water use in 2001/02 was for agriculture with about 23% in the communal sector and 52% in
commercial agriculture. The remaining percentages were consumed by other sectors such as mining
(3.3%), households (12.2%) etc.

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Water Master Plans are developed per water management area giving an overview of the water
demands for the country. Information on water demands per sector and per catchment is available in
the economic water accounts and the state of environmental report on water.

Environmental Water Requirements (EWRs) are established for the Lower Orange River; they are
however not achieved. The process of establishing EWRs on the Okavango River has been initiated.
To date no internationally accepted methods exist for assessing EWRs of ephemeral river systems.
Nevertheless, there has been an attempt to determine adequate environmental water releases from
the Oanob Dam. The idea was to maintain the Camel thorn (Acacia erioloba), woodland in the
floodplain immediately below the dam. This was one of the first government initiatives in Namibia to
assess EWRs. Other studies have been done on the Karst aquifer and Kuiseb River. For major
abstraction, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are conducted.

The Division of Planning within DWAF is in the process of developing a Water Demand Management
(WDM) Policy and a WDM country study was done for the IUCN in 1999. Unconventional water
sources involve recycling of water in industrial processes, the reuse of water for industrial or
irrigation purposes, the reclamation of domestic sewage effluent to potable water quality standards,
the artificial recharge of groundwater resources with surface water, the banking of treated surface
water in depleted aquifers and the desalination of brackish groundwater or sea water.
Unconventional sources are used in selected locations in Namibia; Windhoek was the first city in the
world to reclaim its domestic sewage water to potable water quality for use in the reticulation
system. The banking of treated surface water is being planned for Windhoek.

Namibia uses inter-basin water transfers to increase the efficiency of surface water resources. This
method of transferring water from a basin with less favourable to one with more favourable
evaporation characteristics to reduce losses is used at the Omatako Dam in conjunction with the von
Bach Dam. The infrastructure is available to include the Swakoppoort Dam in a three-dam system
with Omatako and von Bach. This is called conjunctive use of surface waters. In Namibia, the
conjunctive use of surface water from perennial and ephemeral rivers, groundwater and
unconventional water sources, such as reclaimed effluent, is an important management tool to
conserve water, to increase resource efficiency and to reduce water supply costs. Artificial aquifer
recharge was established in the Omaruru River at Omdel Dam approximately 20 years ago.

Furthermore, WDM methods are developed, recognised and used through pricing. Towns such as
Windhoek, Swakopmund and Okahandja use block tariffs. The only problem is that the water supply
and use chain involves at least three parties on different levels (NamWater, Municipalities and then
the users) and not all of them practice water conservation.

2.3 Key Water Resources Issues, Concerns and Priorities

Clarity of existing policy and legislation is not a matter of serious concern. What is problematic is the
lack of elaboration of policy into legislation and regulations. Another challenge is simply the
awareness of existing policies and legislation, even amongst those who should administer them.
During the 2008 revision of the 1993 WASP policy, many of the people responsible for its
implementation did not know of its existence, did not have a copy or had heard of it but were
unaware of its contents. Absence of regulations to implement the legislation, existing or being
revised, are a hindrance. This leaves the policies as statements of intent upon which many
developments are proceeding but not documents that can be enforced when required. This is said to
be in progress and should be a priority.

Capacity of the water bureaucracy is limited. Many officials are inexperienced although they have
some theoretical understanding of their responsibilities. Technical capacity and hands-on experience
is limited and represents a major priority for attention. In terms of politicians, on one side they know

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that Namibia is an arid country but on the other side they do not realize what it takes to manage
resources and supply potable water to the population. It is still said by a few that ‘water is from god’
and therefore should not cost money. They expect the bulk water supplier to show a profit so it can
pay dividends to the government but do not realize that this results in serious asset stripping and
threatens capacity to sustainably supply water. In the informal settlements and rural areas, many
politicians believe that water should be provided for free, but are not aware of the cost of making
such provision. Rapid urbanization compounds this challenge. Although subsidization and particularly
cross-subsidization have been discussed since at least 1993, no policy has been formulated to date.

Civil society in general has a modicum of empowerment in that they can attend meetings and
contribute to workshops where policy is being formulated. In the rural areas, Water Point
Associations and their Water Point Committees have major roles to play in water management
including maintenance and cost recovery. They have been provided with training and necessary tools
although further training is often requested. NGOs are playing a major role in establishing basin
management committees, e.g. the Okavango, Omaruru, Kuiseb and Fish, although these efforts are
all donor supported and their overall long-term sustainability is in question. Interest groups have
been effective in their organisations but only in the more affluent capital and more focused on
general environmental challenges including water but not directly focused thereon. The private
sector is playing an increasing central role in water management through engineering and data
management firms as they step in where government capacity is limited.

In an arid country such as Namibia, water should always be considered as scarce. Occasional good
rainfall years tend to give the impression of water abundance, but these are the exception. Some
water managers are of the opinion that Namibia has exceeded its water ‘carrying capacity’ when
consideration is taken of rainfall variability combined with the high water demands of agriculture,
particularly increasing numbers of livestock and irrigation farms, and enhancing life styles. Water
quality in urban areas is maintained by local authorities but increased use of recycled and purified
water may lead to inclusion of substances not fully monitored. Capacity to maintain the major water
purification schemes is limited and increasing cause for concern and should be prioritized.

Water quality deterioration occurs on a large and a small scale. At the household level, deterioration
of water quality after it is collected from communal standpipes is cause for concern. Deterioration of
groundwater including alluvial aquifers is observed when recharge is limited or absent during dry
years. Groundwater quality may also be affected by inappropriate placement of livestock kraals or pit
latrines directly above recharge areas. Quality of water in the perennial rivers is variable. For some,
e.g. the Okavango, there is little activity or use of water upstream of Namibia although farming along
the river in Namibia contributes to deterioration. For other rivers, Namibia is at the downstream end
and very poor quality water is delivered, e.g. the Orange. Plans for agriculture expansion on the
Kunene upstream from Namibia gives cause for concern in terms of quantity as well as quality.

Major threats to water resources include overuse and mismanagement of groundwater based on lack
of knowledge of the reserves, on poorly maintained infrastructure that leads to massive losses in
some instances and to inadvertent pollution. To date, the focus has been on understanding the
geology of the groundwater aquifers but their conservation, management and use has received much
less attention.

Threats such as pollution, siltation and saline intrusion are recognized and are considered
manageable threats but require the constant vigilance of technical staff with the capacity and
understanding of the potential threats. Awareness of these potential threats by decision makers and
all water users is also essential. These potential threats could escalate if appropriate monitoring and
evaluation is not applied. Examples of these types of escalated threats include, for example, flooding

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of the water supply infrastructure in irregularly flowing, ephemeral rivers and the consequent known
impact on coastal water supply. Another example is the predictable flooding of the Cuvelai
ephemeral wetlands which leads to contamination of surface water, used by some for domestic
purposes, because of poorly designed sanitation infrastructure not to mention the necessity to house
displaced families. The threat of water table decrease in dry years is also predictable and should be
monitored, planned for and managed rather than being treated as an unexpected emergency.

The priorities for engagement at national level are three fold. First is the involvement of decision
makers so that they have the required awareness and information to understand the issues involved
in IWRM. For example, understanding of the relationship between cost recovery, maintenance of
infrastructure and the ability to provide a sustainable water supply should be integrated into decision
making on all levels. Secondly, the priority for engagement should focus on concerted capacity
building as will be elaborated in the IWRM plan recently initiated. Technical skills and capacity as well
as theoretical understanding are essential to ensure adequate and appropriate implementation of
IWRM. Lastly, the focus on sanitation must be maintained and be appropriate to the social, economic
and geographical realities of Namibia.

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CHAPTER 3: ACTUAL STATE OF THE IWRM PROCESS

3.1 Policy and Legislation
The Republic of Namibia initiated a process to review the water sector in the early 1990’s, just after
independence. At the initiation of the review the water sector was administered through the Water
Act of 19561. The Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Policy (WASP) was the first sectoral policy to be
adopted in 1993 after independence. WASP had four overall goals; namely:
· To make essential water supply and sanitation services accessible to all
· To achieve equitable improvement of services through combined efforts of the
government and the beneficiaries, based on community involvement, community
participation and the acceptance of a mutual responsibility
· To provide opportunities for communities to participate in decisions regarding water
supply and sanitation solutions and services and for communities to contribute to the cost
for services
· To achieve the above goals in an environmentally sustainable manner

The WASP had a very strong focus on water supply and sanitation services and little to do with water
resources management. For this reason, the formal Namibia Water Resources Management Review
process was established leading to the National Water Policy that was adopted in 2000 with the aim
of addressing water resources management. This policy was formulated at the time of global
paradigm shift towards IWRM. The policy adopted the IWRM approach for water resources
management in Namibia. Following this policy, the Water Resources Management Act no. 24 was
promulgated in 2004 (even though it has not yet commenced). Unfortunately the Act as originally
formulated could not be put into practice and therefore is currently being reviewed. Regulations for
implementation are being formulated concurrent to the revision of the Act.

The Act provides legislative alignment between water supply/sanitation services and resource
management. In agreement with and supporting the National Water Policy and Act, Namibia is a
signatory and ratified the RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands, Convention on the law of the non-
navigational uses of international water courses, SADC Protocol on shared water systems as well as
the UN conventions to Combat Desertification, on Biological Diversity and the Framework
Convention on Climate Change. Since the country shares all its perennial rivers with its neighbouring
countries, transboundary cooperation is important and both the National Water Policy and Act
address transboundary water management. Namibia is a member and a signatory to the Zambezi
Commission (ZAMCOM), Permanent Okavango River Basin Commission (OKACOM), Permanent
Orange-Senqu Commission (ORASECOM) and it is represented on the Permanent Joint Technical
Commission (PJTC) for the Kunene River.

The Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Policy (WASP) of 1993 was recently reviewed, to incorporate
new development in the water sector and to better address gaps particularly on sanitation. The
Government recognised that it was doing well in terms of realising its water supply goals whereas the
sanitation targets were lagging behind. The revised Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Policy
(WSASP) was adopted in 2008 and it replaces the 1993 policy.

1
The Act of 1956 still holds to date because the Act of 2004 has not commenced.

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In addition to the above, there are several other pieces of legislation and policies that support and
have relevance to the water law and policies. These include:
· the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia,
· Namibia Water Corporation Act, 1997 (Act 12 of 1997
· Environmental Assessment Policy, 1996;
· Environmental Management Act, 2007 (not yet commenced)
· Decentralisation Enabling Act, Policy and relevant implementation instruments
· The National Strategy for Rural Sanitation, 2004
· Green Scheme Irrigation Policy, 2005
· Local Authorities Act (No. 23 of 1992)
· Regional Councils Act, (Act No 22 of 1992)

3.2 Institutional Arrangements

The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and
Forestry (MAWF) is overall responsible for water allocation and water resources management.
Arising from the new Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Policy in 2008, DWAF also has the overall
coordination responsibility for sanitation. The department is divided into three directorates, the
Directorate of Resource Management, the Directorate of Rural Water Supply (DRWS) and Directorate
of Forestry (DoF). The DoF has indirect influence on water resources. Also, within MAWF (part not
DWAF) is the Department of Agriculture that has indirect influence in water resources management
as it is mandated to advise on the development of farm dams, irrigation schemes and soil
conservation practices.

Even though, water supply and resource management institutions will be presented separately below,
cognisance is given to the interlinkages and dependencies between the two functions.

Water supply and sanitation institutions

The Water Supply and Sanitation Policy (WASP) of 1993 recommended several institutional changes
to enhance supply of water throughout the country. It recommended the formation of a bulk water
supplier and a directorate within DWAF to deal with water supply to communal rural areas. It also
allocated responsibilities for other water supply and sanitation functions such as on private land,
government institutions and towns.

The WASP led to the establishment of Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) as a State Owned
Enterprise based on the Namibia Water Corporation Act, 1997 (Act 12 of 1997). Since its
establishment, NamWater provides bulk water to a variety of waterworks and water schemes
throughout the country. The Directorate of Rural Water Supply was also formed as following from
WASP. NamWater also supplies water to some of the rural water supply distribution network
established by the DRWS, particularly in central northern Namibia. The DRWS further on supplies raw
water from boreholes direct to consumers and their livestock.

The DRWS established regional offices in 12 of the 13 Namibian regions where communal areas
occur. The directorate developed a Community Based Management (CBM) approach as a means to
involve communities in water supply. Phase 1 and 2 of the 3 phases of the DRWS CBM strategy have
been completed. DRWS has increased rural coverage of access to water to approximately 80% by
2000 (from about 43% in 1990). At the local level, Water Associations and Water Point Committees
are established as platforms for communities to participate in decisions pertaining to water supply,
maintenance of infrastructure and collection of water fees. Cost recovery from the rural consumers
and capacity amongst these local community institutions remain key challenges.

The mandate for rural sanitation in communal areas was allocated to the Ministry of Health and

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Social Services, a development which was reconfirmed by Cabinet in 1998. The revised WSASP policy
of 2008 made a recommendation for the establishment of the Directorate of Water Supply and
Sanitation Coordination (DWSSC). This new directorate will address the integration of water supply
and sanitation within one sector to ensure coordination amongst all the role players. It is envisaged
to encompass the national component of the Directorate of Rural Water Supply and to integrate a
complementary sanitation component. It will serve to coordinate water supply and sanitation
services in rural and urban areas through the existing institutional structures.

The mandate for urban water supply and sanitation falls under the Local Authorities and Regional
Councils who, inter alia, distribute water to consumers supplied, in most instances, by NamWater.
Water supply and sanitation on freehold tenure farms and mining companies are the responsibility of
the individual farmers or companies at full supply cost recovery but under the coordination and
control function of the DWSSC. The Ministry of Health and Social services provides hygiene and
health awareness and education on water and sanitation.

Water resources management

The Directorate of Resource Management within DWAF is in charge of assessment of water resource
potential, long term strategic planning and overall water resources management including elements
of water demand management. The directorate is divided into 5 divisions; namely:

· Geohydrology carries out research and monitoring of groundwater resources and oversees
management in controlled aquifers. It provides advice and guidance to the division of law
administration that grants abstraction permits.

· Water Environment is responsible for water quality and pollution control. This division is
tasked with the assessment, approval and administration of pollution permits for effluent
discharge to water bodies. It also assumes responsibility for water awareness activities.

· Water Law and Administration administers and grants permits.

· Hydrology monitors water resources , flood management and oversees basin management
institutional development

· Planning is responsible for long term strategic planning, transboundary agreements and
resource accounting

All the above mentioned divisions are also responsible for capacity building.

NamWater is responsible for the management of all the large dams in the country as well as pipeline
schemes that supply bulk water. There are a few cases where the local authorities operate and
maintain water infrastructure such as in Windhoek.

3.3 Water Strategy and Instruments

The broad objectives of the Namibian water sector are to achieve the efficient supply and allocation
of water to ensure equitable access to water and sanitation considering the social, economic,
environmental and conservation/ sustainability requirements/ demands on the resources. Currently,
MAWF, with the support of the Namibian Water Partnership (NWP), is facilitating the process for
formulation of an Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Plan. The plan will recommend
strategies for the country to achieve its water sector objectives. This will be based on the
optimisation of water supply and allocation and reduction of water demand to realistic levels and
efficiency improvement throughout the water sector taking sustainable development into account.

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Below are highlights on expected outcomes of the Plan

· The existing information reviewed, documented and adopted

· The resources potential, use and allocation established
· Water demand management strategies and programme formulated,
· A comprehensive, strategy and action plan optimizing water supply and demand for economic
development and social welfare and environmental use prepared as an input to the overall
IWRM plan.
· A mechanism for sustained information and knowledge management prepared.
· A framework for long-term Monitoring & Evaluation for integrated water and land resources
use and management including attainment of the Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) targets.
· A strategy for securing financing implementation for the IWRM plan prepared.
· An integrated framework to enhance institutional capacity and human resources development
established, and adopted for implementation.
· An awareness campaign on integrated water and land resource management launched.

Stakeholder participation is considered important throughout the process of formulating the plan.
Public workshops and focus-group consultations will play a prominent role in the development of
the IWRM Plan. Workshops and consultations, with awareness raising components, will be held in
each of the 13 regions of Namibia during the course of development of the IWRM Plan. A press
release was placed in national newspapers to announce the commencement of the formulation of
the Plan and to invite Interested and Affected Parties (IAAP) to register so that they receive
reports and information as they become available and have the opportunity to comment.

3.4 Practice (Implementation) of IWRM

Although several efforts have been implemented to raise awareness on IWRM, no formal studies
have been done to determine the level of awareness. During the formulation of the IWRM Plan
ongoing awareness creation activities and their suitability will be reviewed.

There was a major review of the water sector between 1994 and 2000; the review process involved
awareness raising and capacity building at the various levels. At about the same time of the review,
the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia had a project that produced Environmental Updates, a
one page document, on pertinent issues including IWRM and distributed to parliamentarians for a six
year period. These were supplemented by presentations to parliamentarians e.g. through the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources.

For the professionals, the NWP hosts information sharing seminars on IWRM and in the past
distributed a newsletter on IWRM activities. Several people in the water (and related sector such as
agriculture) participate in regional (mainly through WaterNet and GWP-SA) and international events
related to IWRM such as the World Water Forum and World Water Week in Sweden. Since the early
1990’s there have been several IWRM projects and programmes that were implemented; these have
contributed to hands-on capacity building. The government (DWAF) has a programme in place that
supports its staff to receive professional training in fields related to IWRM.

At regional (administrative) and basin level, awareness creation and capacity building on IWRM is
mainly done through the basin management initiatives. IWRM is introduced at the local level through
the CBM approach.

UN days, such as the World Water Days, are used for raising awareness on water related issues for
the general public .

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Comprehensive consultations are conducted during the formulation of water policies and legislation.
Such consultations raised awareness on IWRM at national and regional levels.

Transboundary cooperation is important because Namibia shares all its perennial rivers with
neighbouring countries. Namibia is involved in joint agreements on all transboundary rivers with the
aim to manage and share the water resources in an integrated manner.

Water needs and requirements per sector are fairly well quantified; however they are not always
met. There are cases where the DWAF does not approve applications for groundwater abstraction
permits because of limited water resources. The Division of Planning within the Directorate of Water
Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) carries out resource accounting.

Water use regulatory instruments such as issuing of abstraction and discharge permits are
recognised in the Water Resource Management Act for 2004 and the Water Policy for 2000 and they
are being supported by the still-in-force Water Act of 1956. The Division of Water Environment
within DWAF is tasked with the assessment, approval and administration of pollution permits for
effluent discharge to water bodies. The Division of Geohydrology also within DWAF carries out
monitoring of groundwater resources and provides advice and guidance to the division of law
administration that grants abstraction permits. DWAF further monitors compliance according to the
policy and legislation and there are fines with regards to non-compliance.

Namibia is divided into 11 river basins. Two Basin Management Committees have been established;
efforts towards establishment are ongoing in four others. Due to limited financial and human
capacity and to a lesser extent the commencement of the Act; the basin management committees
are not yet able to fully carry out their mandates. Nevertheless, the draft Act indicates that a Basin
Management Committee will be expected to protect, develop, conserve, manage and control water
resources and water resource quality within its water management area; supervise formulation of
IWRM Plans for the respective basins; to make recommendations to the Minister to issue or cancel
licences under this Act; to collect, manage and share such data as are necessary to properly manage
the water management area in coordination with the Ministry; to determine abstraction charges
based on approved abstraction licence volumes with the approved policy in concurrence with the
Minister for data collection, resource monitoring and other approved purposes; refer serious water
or pollution problems to the minister.

The Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Policy of 1993 introduced cost recovery in rural settings and
gave it stronger emphasis in urban areas. As a result of this policy water charges/tariffs are collected
by local authorities in urban areas and by water point committees in rural areas. In an assessment on
the implementation of the WASP done in 2008, it was reported that cost recovery for water in
communal rural areas and in informal urban settlements has been marginally successful. There is
limited acceptance of the approach by high level and local authority decision makers which has a
negative effect on cost recovery. There is also a prevailing attitude of entitlement to services by the
population which hampers cost recovery. The estimated total debt owed to NamWater, mainly by
local authorities, amounts to approximately N$ 278 million. The total outstanding service debt
(water, sanitation, property tax and other services) owed to Local Authorities by consumers amounts
to approximately N$ 540 million.

The current situation of non-payment of accounts is exacerbated by the absence of equitable tariffs
and transparent cross-subsidies and subsidies as well as inappropriate government ‘bail-outs’ of
Local Authorities and rural communities. Non collection of debt leads to a reduction or cessation of
maintenance and expansion of water supply and sanitation services. The reduction in capital
spending results in lower levels of service with health implications, lower economic growth, more
unemployment and social problems. Moreover, service providers are not using recovered costs for

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operation, maintenance and expansion of water supply and sanitation services but apply them to
other expenses thus contributing to deterioration of coverage and infrastructure. In practice this
results in asset stripping including deterioration of infrastructure and overall coverage.

As the bulk water supplier, NamWater is responsible for the management of all the large dams in the
country as well as pipeline schemes that supply bulk water, e.g. to municipalities. Since before 1990
no new dams have been developed even though some studies on potential dam sites have been
done. There are no official policies or guidelines for operating dams. NamWater which operates the
dams have internal flood management procedures which include releases, allocation and safely
issues.

There are platforms for stakeholder engagement. At national level, the NWP serves as a platform for
information exchange, awareness raising on issues that are of national concern as well as
participation in trainings. At basin level, their basin management committees and forums serve as
platforms to discuss basin issues and other issues that require cross sectoral coordination and
implementation. Local water committees and water point committees create platforms where
communities can also raise and discuss issues related to IWRM. Most municipalities host information
sharing meetings for residents, e.g. Windhoek. Environmental Impact Assessment studies for new
developments often include public meetings for interested and affected parties.

3.5 Monitoring and Evaluation

There are several systems in place for monitoring of implementation of development plans, e.g.
national population census, done at ten years intervals, and the National Housing, Income and
Expenditure Survey, which provide valuable information about the status of implementing
development plans. The national population census contains information on access to basic services
such as water and sanitation. The National Development Plans (NDP), done in five years intervals,
have ongoing evaluation processes in place. For example, the current NDP 3 contains targets that the
water sector wish to achieve in the period 2007/08 to 2011//12. These targets will be reviewed
before formulation of NDP 4.

A monitoring and evaluation framework for the implementation of the IWRM Plan will be developed
during the formulation of the plan. The process will identify monitoring and evaluation needs
through consultations with institutions presently monitoring the sector, e.g. the DWAF. Central to
this activity will be to define which indicators should be used for monitoring of the water and
sanitation sector and the IWRM plan in particular. Indicators already in use will be identified and
assessed. New indicators will be defined for different sectors (e.g. urban, irrigation, mining), based
on the suggestions and approaches presented in the IWRM plan, and will be developed together with
indicators that answer to the monitoring needs identified during the stakeholders’ consultations. The
monitoring system has to be in compliance with the Water Resources Management Act, the WSASP
and other relevant policy and legislation. The monitoring and evaluation framework will include
methods and mechanisms to meet national objectives and will therefore be developed in close
cooperation with the institutions that will be responsible for the monitoring of water resources in
Namibia.

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CHAPTER 4: ACTUAL STATE OF WATER ACCOUNTING

4.1 Reliability of the Water Use Information
Information on water use per sector is available in the economic water accounts report and state of
the environment report for water in Namibia. Furthermore, there are estimates on water use per
catchment in the economic water accounts. The available water use information is based on
administrative records from DWAF, NamWater, Ae Gams Data (Company involved in costing systems
for local authorities) and some Municipalities with the majority of water use records based on water
meter readings. Comprehensive research and data collection is important for any major field of
resource management, including water. At DWAF, separate databases on water exist, namely on:
Surface water at the Division of Hydrology, Groundwater Database (GROWAS) at the Division of
Geohydrology and water quality at the Division of Water Environment. To enable economic water
accounts, NamWater provides information on water volume, distribution route, cost of supply and
User-Charged Levied.

Data collected for hydrological, geohydrological and water quality purposes are kept separately in
different databases. This is undesirable because it does not serve the purpose of facilitating and
supporting decisions concerning water resources management by offering one ‘piece’ of information
at a time. In terms of accessibility, water use information is provided upon request though it takes a
long period.

NamWater and DWAF have data on raw and bulk water, while Local authorities have data on retail
water. In some cases, the data is reliable, consistent and accessible and in some cases accessibility is
a problem. Data on current water demand, supply and projections are available from NamWater,
DWAF and in the economic water accounts.

Information on waste discharge is available but to a limited extent because there is lack of complete
monitoring of the whole country due to limited capacity and personnel.

4.2 Allocation of Water

Water allocation is recognised in the WSASP for 2008, the Water Resource Management Act for 2004
and the Water Policy for 2000 and they are being used. The first step in water allocation is to
determine the sustainable yield of water sources in order to avoid overexploitation. Water allocation
is done by DWAF through a permit allocation system. In order to abstract water from a river and/or
aquifer, a permit is required. Applications for abstraction permits are submitted first to DWAF. In
cases, where Water Management Bodies (WMB) exists, DWAF consults with these bodies to get
advice on water allocation. DWAF then processes the applications and gives recommendations (to
reject or accept). These recommendations are based on volume of water to be abstracted. In cases
where permit applications are for irrigation, the Department of Agriculture is consulted on suitability
of soils to be irrigated and types of crops to be cultivated. When DWAF has finished processing the
applications they are submitted to the WMB for the specific area who then also give
recommendations (accept or reject) based on volumes of water allocated by DWAF for abstraction in
a specific area.

In terms of groundwater, each area is allowed a certain volume of groundwater dependent on hydro-
geological parameters and, when this volume is reached, no further permits are granted. The WMB
also considers whether the volume of water applied for will then exceed the optimal amount given
above or not. However, it should be noted that according to the Water Resource Management Act of
2004 it states that a person who abstracts water from a water resource for domestic use is exempted
from the requirement for a licence to abstract and use water. A person may abstract and use water

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for domestic use, subject only to such public health limitations and environmental limitations, and
limitations imposed from time to time for the purposes of efficient water management practices.

Furthermore, economic water accounts are being used to provide information on water demands
and DWAF allocates according to these demands and value addition of water for that specific use.

Namibia does not practice water trading.

To date, the permit allocation system for water abstraction is effective and consistent. In areas
where there are active WMBs, water monitoring (quantity of water abstracted) is incorporated into
the system and that gives room for evaluation of whether permit holders are complying with the
permit conditions or not.

4.3 Water Pricing and Tariffs

NamWater (bulk water supplier) is obliged to cost recover the full operations, maintenance and
capital costs of water supply under the NamWater Act of 1997. NamWater proposes tariff
adjustments annually and submits to MAWF who then reviews the proposed tariffs. A working group
is established to ensure that all relevant information required for decision making is made available.
The information includes: costs per scheme, costs of operation and maintenance and capital costs. As
the next step, the Minister of MAWF submits the proposed tariffs to cabinet for approval. Once the
tariffs are approved by cabinet they are then gazetted and become effective/are implemented in
that financial year. NamWater then communicates to its customers such as local authorities
regarding the new approved tariffs.

The local authorities in turn review their own tariffs under the guidance of the Local Authorities Act
of 1992 and submit retail tariff adjustments to Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing
and Rural Development (MRLGHRD). The Minister of MRLGHRD submits the proposed tariffs of local
authorities to cabinet for approval. Once approved, they are also gazetted and then the local
authorities inform their customers about the new approved tariffs and thereafter are effected.

There is no link between the two different tariff setting process, namely, the one by NamWater
through the Minister of MAWF up to cabinet and the other one by local authorities, through the
Minister of MRLGHRD up to cabinet for approval. The institutions involved are not coordinated,
resulting in inefficient use of time and resources. The process of tariff setting can be improved
through establishing a water regulator.

In most cases, information on tariffs is available and usually the challenge is access to the
information and sometimes this is due to the format in which the information is stored as well as lack
of technical know how in using the system. The Ae Gams Data provides information on specific
municipalities at a cost. Furthermore, upon request, local authorities usually provide information on
their tariffs.

4.4 Economic Data

Reliable and well presented information on economic gross domestic product (GDP) at national level
is available and that indicates that the information required for determining GDP is available.
Information on GDP is available by sector and not by area. The average annual per capita for Namibia
is US$1,992, but it should be noted that the country has one of the highest Gini coefficients (0,67) in
the world, reflecting large differences between the rich and the poor.

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4.5 Economic Water Accounts

Development of water resource accounts for Namibia started in 1995 under the Namibian Resource
Accounting Programme. The programme was initiated by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism
(MET) in cooperation with DWAF. The first set of water accounts were compiled in 1993 and included
stocks and flows of water, but the information was limited and much of the data had to be
estimated. There have been a number of developments since the initial water accounts were
compiled. In 2001, DWAF specifically Division of Planning took over the responsibility of compiling
NRA for water. In 2002, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency funded the
compilation of NRA for water by DWAF and the plan was/is to compile these NRA for water on an
annual basis. Some of the outcomes of the NRA for water for 2001/02 are information on: total
water availability in various water sources, estimates of sustainable safe yield of aquifers in Namibia,
trends in water supply and use, water use by sector and catchments etc.

To help guide the compilation of NRA for water, a steering committee was formed and it meets twice
per year. The committee is comprised of representatives from Directorate of Rural Water Supply
(DRWS), Water Resource Management, Division of Agricultural Engineering all within MAWF,
NamWater, City of Windhoek, MET, Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN), Namibian
Economic Policy Research Unit (NEPRU) and some Namibia water sector consultants.

The methods that are used in compiling NRA for water are: desktop studies (collection of data from
reports and other relevant materials), regional consultations/workshops with service providers and
stakeholders, as well as face-to-face interviews. The NRA for water are partly compiled based on
records from NamWater, Ae Gams Data and local authorities. Data collection is supposed to be
carried out annually and analysis should be every five years in line with national development plans
(NDPs), but due to insufficient capacity within DWAF the NRA for water were last done in 2002.
Currently, the Division of Planning is working on collecting data that covers the period 2007 – to date
and this data will be used to draw up NRA for water for the period of NDP 3 (2009 – 2012).

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CHAPTER 5: FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

5.1 Key Lessons from the Country Experience
A number of key lessons were identified through this review and through the process of initiating an
IWRM Plan for Namibia. For the past twenty years or more, a number of international developments,
e.g., inter alia, the Dublin Principles, the Ramsar Convention, the Global Water Partnership, have
provided a foundation for IWRM. The Namibian government, particularly through the WRMR and
cooperating with the NGO and private sectors, has done its best to keep abreast of these
occurrences and ensure that they are integrated into evolving development plans, policies and
legislation. A key lesson is that cognisance should be taken of international and regional
developments, by all concerned, while integrating them appropriately into evolving national
processes.

A linked key lesson is that ongoing formal and informal capacity building, for young as well as
experienced managers, is a key basis for IWRM implementation. The importance of wide
participation and ongoing capacity building and awareness raising on all levels is a lesson not to be
underestimated. By involving water users, managers and policy makers on all levels in development
of plans, policies and legislation, awareness is raised and acceptance is generated, albeit slowly.

Implementation of components of IWRM often requires unanticipated changes not always readily
accepted, e.g. treating water as an economic good or participation of users in decision making, thus
ongoing provision of information and explanations of the implications are essential. This can be
facilitated by establishment of the appropriate communication and awareness-raising platforms,
covering aspects as widely diverse as implications of natural resource accounting, community based
management or outsourcing to the private sector, within and between levels, of users, managers and
decisionmakers.

In a very arid country such as Namibia, it is imperative to seek innovative mechanisms to conserve
water. At the same time, adequate technical capacity is required to maintain existing systems,
effectively apply WDM strategies and practices across all sectors, and investigate and implement
new and innovative approaches. The importance of adequate technical capacity, within government
and the private sector, in addition to theoretical understanding of IWRM including WDM, can not be
over emphasised.

Provision of an adequate, effective and integrated institutional framework is an important part of

IWRM. So long as central government, municipal and local government, parastatals and the private
sector are not moving in the same direction, IWRM can not be implemented effectively. Tariff
setting, subsidies and cross subsidies and similar issues should, for example, all be subject to the
same water regulator.

An adequate institutional framework should be based on an effective and operational framework of

policy, legislation with supporting regulations. Absence of legislation and associated regulations
constrains implementation of the good intentions embodied in the best of policies.

Water supply and sanitation should be closely linked in terms of policy and legislation as well as
institutional arrangements and implementation. This does not exclude specialised contributions
from, inter alia, health, groundwater quality monitoring or other related agencies and activities.

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5.2 Future Perspectives and the Need to Continue the Process

The formulation of the IWRM Plan for Namibia will create further opportunities for IWRM
implementation. The revised WSASP has sections which, if implemented, should improve access,
inter alia, not only to water supply but also to sanitation services. The policy makes provision for
investigations into alternative sanitation technologies which have not been systematically
investigated to date. It also recommends the creation of a Directorate of Water Supply and
Sanitation Coordination which will allow for coordinated implementation of water supply and
sanitation initiatives. The commencement of the Act will allow for the creation of the suggested
water resource management institutions.

The formulation of the IWRM plan addresses some of the main obstacles identified. Sensitising the
decision-makers is addressed at various steps where workshops will be held, reports will be
circulated for comment and special documentation will be made available. This is an essential
element for successful implementation.

The institutional framework will be reemphasised based on the existing policy and act. The IWRM
implications of the framework will be reviewed and recommendations made for enhanced
implementation. To date many good ideas in the policy have not been taken further.

Financial support for implementation of IWRM will be reviewed and recommendations made for this
key element of the IWRM plan to be formulated during the next 18 months.

Technical support for implementation of the IWRM plan will be provided by several sections of the
plan, e.g. WDM, a long-term monitoring and evaluation framework, an information and knowledge
system and human resource capacity building.

Nevertheless, the key obstacles expected to remain in place are a combination of limited human
resource capacity and limited understanding by decision makers.

The GWP: The NWP creates a platform where professionals in the water sector can share
information. It also provides opportunities to attend the annual regional symposium where scientific
papers are presented. The NWP is also providing representation from NGOs and the private sector on
the Steering Committee for Namibia’s IWRM plan. Nevertheless, the NWP has not yet been accepted
as replacing membership in international professional water organisations which has slowed the
integration and cooperation of government, NGO and private sector institutions involved in the
water sector. It is considered to be addressing the soft or theoretical elements of IWRM while not
addressing the technical support for, for example, WDM which is proving to be a key and growing
element preventing successful application of IWRM strategies.

5.3 Constraints, Opportunities and Perspectives

Constraints and opportunities: Areas to be improved (things that have not worked out so well)
· The WASP of 1993 was aimed at improving access to both safe water and sanitation services.
Targets for access to water supply have been achieved but little to no progress has been made on
sanitation. This is attributed to fragmentation of the sanitation function combined with limited in-
house capacity in the Ministry of Health and Social Services. With this realisation, a directorate to
coordinate the water supply and sanitation sector, rural and urban, has been recommended in
the revised WSASP of 2008.
· There is limited technical capacity to implement IWRM (at all levels, i.e. national, regional, basin
and local levels). For example NRA is considered as a good and useful tool; however there is

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limited capacity within MAWF to implement it. Similarly, there is also limited capacity for water
resources monitoring and mobilisation of community-based monitoring is limited. The
Government is continuously losing staff to the private sector, many of the technical qualified staff
are retiring and capacity building and training for Namibian staff is a slow, ad hoc, drawn-out
process.
· Although some progress has been made in terms of cost recovery, there are still many challenges
to be overcome. Many of the local authorities are experiencing ageing infrastructure and
infrastructure that is not maintained which causes major losses in the water supply system. This
state of infrastructure is largely the result of lack of cost recovery for water supply services
creating budget deficits for local authorities combined with limited capacity.
· Cost recovery for water in communal rural areas and in informal urban settlements, has been
marginally successful. In addition there is limited acceptance of this approach by high level and
local authority decision makers which has a negative effect on cost recovery. The prevailing
attitude of entitlement to services by the entire population also hampers cost recovery.
· Although the water sector has limited capacity, amongst technical staff there is also antipathy
toward out-sourcing when capacity is inadequate. This is most common amongst government and
local authority officials. They often consider outsourcing to be expensive and do not compare this
to the amount of water that is being lost and the cost of the lost water which needs to be paid.
The example was identified of a government institution in Windhoek paying N$1.2 million per
year for several years to the City of Windhoek for water that was lost from the system while the
cost of repair, when finally undertaken by a private contractor, was only N$300,000-. The cost of
outsourcing compared to the cost of doing nothing is frequently not calculated or comprehended.
· As previously stated Namibia is exploring mechanisms to conserve and use water sustainably. This
includes WDM approaches. During the review of the WSASP in 2008, many examples of the
results of ignoring WDM were uncovered. Many suppliers are not aware of their leakage losses
and do not know how to measure them or have limited capacity for repair. Various local
authorities believe they need additional bulk water when the majority (up to 91% was noted in a
recent assessment in Aminuis) of their water supply is lost to leakage. It is estimated that by
taking a strategic view, that is, measuring and understanding all the wastage caused by poor
infrastructure maintenance and management, water supply coverage could be improved without
exploiting new resources.
· The National Water Policy and Water Resources Management Act propose the creation of several
institutions to support IWRM implementation. The commencement of the Act to a large extent
caused a delay in the establishment of most of these institutions.

Perspectives: Namibia has an enabling policy framework, which supports IWRM implementation.
IWRM is well incorporated in developmental processes such as in the 3rd NDP. Implementation on
the ground has started though slow. Areas where progress has been made include:
· Overall access to safe water particularly to rural communal areas. In 1991, the rural population
that had access to clean water within a reasonable distance (2.5km) was 43%. This increased to
80% in 2001. This success is mainly attributed to the formation of DRWS which was established in
1993, following from the WASP.
· CBM. The approach creates a partnership between Government and communities in rural areas to
share responsibilities concerning management of rural water supply infrastructure and cost
sharing. A strategy for the implementation of CBM was launched in 1997. The strategy set clear
milestones with timeframes. Even though implementation is slower than initially planned e.g.
total hand over of water points to Water Point Associations for lease and full ownership was
suppose to have happened by 2007 and this has now been changed to 2010, there are positive
achievements.

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· Cost recovery for water in communal rural areas and in informal urban settlements, has been
marginally successful. In rural communal areas, water users were not paying for water services
before the WASP, now people are paying even though there is room for improvement.
· NRA was introduced, it is accepted as a valuable tool which provides information concerning value
added by use of water. It is a powerful tool to help decision makers in a variety of ways.
· Basin management approach was introduced as another means to decentralise management of
water resources and to allow involvement of a broad array of stakeholders in water resources
management. Even though the Water Act has not commenced, two basin management
committees have been established and efforts are underway in four other river basins.
· Namibia continues to seek innovative mechanisms to conserve water. Unconventional water
sources are regarded important and are being applied and further explored. These include: reuse
of grey water for landscaping, recycling of water for industrial or mining use, water reclamation as
practiced in Windhoek since 1968, artificial recharge of aquifers including ongoing negotiations
for water banking in Windhoek, and construction of a desalination plant to support uranium
mining on the west coast and plans for a second plant.
· The Government with support from the NWP secured funding from the African Development
Bank to formulate the IWRM Plan. Formulation of the plan will involve awareness raising and
capacity building on IWRM.
· The NWP creates a platform where professionals in the water sector can share information.
· Several professionals (particularly young professionals) have taken up short and full time studies
related to IWRM.

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