Northern communities receive 20 new boreholes

Twenty boreholes valued at a total of N$14.1 million were handed over to communities in Omusati, Ohangwena, Kavango West, Kunene and Zambezi regions last week. The boreholes will support 6 790 people in the regions, directly impacting 805 households and 34 000 livestock.The Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihood and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty (NILALEG) project, supported by funding from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Namibia, facilitated the drilling and installation of the boreholes. The boreholes were officially handed over to agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein at an event in the Omusati Region&#039;s Ombambihaka village, who subsequently handed them over to the communities.Omusati governor Erginus Endjala said the interventions offer a lifeline for some communities that are adversely affected by drought in his region.“Ombambihaka is one of the areas that has been neglected for some time. Our people suffered a lot. The project came at the right time when people needed water due to the drought being experienced in the country and is a huge relief to them and their animals,” he said.Support Schlettwein said the NILALEG project aims to provide extension support to promote agroforestry and sustainable crop and rangeland management across at least 15 000 hectares.He said the project also focuses on effective resource governance frameworks and markers, the provision of incentives for livestock off-take and compliance with sustainable land management.Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said the handover of the boreholes is a clear signal of government&#039;s efforts to improve the livelihoods of its people.ManagementShifeta said the concept of integrated landscape management highlights the strong links between drought and human decisions on land use and land use changes, which impact water availability and determine ecosystem and human resilience to drought.He said the NILALEG project is being implemented in forests, savannah and rangeland areas in Namibia’s northern areas as a pilot project on the integrated landscape management approach aimed at reducing poverty.“The project draws together a wide range of stakeholders from the public sector for intra-governmental coordination, in partnership with the private sector, civil society, research organisations and donor and technical partners, to bring about a shift in the way Namibia approaches rural development, coordinating actions to reverse environmental degradation and maximise nature-based livelihoods,” he said.

Northern communities receive 20 new boreholes

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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Northern communities receive 20 new boreholes

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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