Model for regional water management

Drought-prone Namibia could serve as a model of water demand management in a Southern African region facing perennial water shortages, according to resource economists. “Windhoek is the most vulnerable capital and Namibia is the most vulnerable country in terms of drought. It had to do something,” Ben Groom at the department of water affairs told IRIN on Tuesday. “It means that Windhoek has some good examples of water demand management.” These include sliding tariff charges to cut demand, restrictions on water use, the recycling of water, installation of water-efficient equipment in all new buildings, water metering for residential blocks, and even the mandatory covering of swimming pools to avoid water loss. In terms of direct intervention, efficient pipe monitoring means that leaks are quickly fixed and meters checked to ensure the optimum use of water supplied. According to Groom, Windhoek is down to 10 percent for “unaccounted-for-water” compared to some southern African cities that average 50 percent. In a more ambitious test programme, the Windhoek aquifer is being recharged to reduce evaporation from the dams around the city, which if successful could lead to “water banking” where excess water is stored for consumption during drought periods. The expected savings in Windhoek’s water consumption for 2005 are estimated to be “at least 30 percent if the current policies and strategies are adhered to,” a country study by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says. “Other parts of Namibia are not so good,” Groom concedes, particularly in the north, the most densely populated part of the country. “There is a lot of work to be done to changing people’s attitudes.” But at the regional level, instead of responding on an ad hoc basis to drought emergencies, neighbouring countries could use the Windhoek example as “an integral part off their water management policies,” Saliem Fakir of the IUCN in South Africa told IRIN. “Current policies are focused on laying new pipes and building dams rather than looking at what more they could do to manage consumption.”