Namibia Unveils Water Projects

Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry is to construct a desalination plant worth R2bn ($290m) at Mile Six on the Namibian coast.

The Ministry’s permanent secretary Andrew Ndishishi said that the proposed plant will improve water supplies to coastal residents, catering to a growing population and mining activities in the Erongo region.

The Ministry has also started the construction of a new 5,000ha dam in the Karas region, at a cost of R3bn ($440m), to improve irrigation and economic development in the south of the country.

The Ministry is building earth dams in all communal areas to provide water supplies for livestock and is in the process of installing water treatment plants to treat salt water in other areas of the country.

Namibia has also earmarked R200m ($29m) to drill 100 boreholes during 2011, according to nbc.com.na.