Namibia: 10km Pipeline Brings Clean Water Closer to Villages

What the report says

The Oshikoto Regional Council has commissioned and handed over a 10-kilometre water pipeline linking Onkani and Onakandi in Namibia’s Omuntele Constituency, a project that local officials say will improve access to clean water for more than 100 households across three villages. The handover took place at Onakandi earlier this week, according to New Era, which reported the pipeline as the longest the council has built in the region so far.

The project includes three public water points and was completed at a cost of more than N$600,000 under the council’s Cash/Food for Work Programme for the 2025/2026 financial year. Regional council officials said the effort combined government support, including pipes and other materials, with community labour used to dig trenches. They said this partnership helped complete a project aimed at easing long distances residents previously walked to fetch water.

Officials also said the water supplied through the pipeline is safe for both people and livestock. They added that the office plans to monitor the infrastructure and work toward installing tank stands, cattle troughs and private household connections. A resident from Onankazizi village welcomed the development, saying it had reduced the burden of collecting water.

The project matters because it addresses a basic service need in rural communities and is expected to improve day-to-day living conditions while supporting longer-term water access and sustainability.