Office of the Chief Executive
 59
80 Independence Avenue
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
Fax: (+264) 61 290 2615 Tel. (+264) 61 290 2344 www.cityofwindhoek.org.na
28 September 2016
Water Crisis and Water Supply updates
As the custodian of the Windhoek Aquifer the City of Windhoek has noted with some
concern the recent media statements containing information presented to the public that
does not reflect the reality of the situation. The City of Windhoek is currently actively
developing the Windhoek Aquifer as the only viable source to sustain the city through the
drought and as a result wish to ensure that the correct information is dispersed to the public
as follows:

There is enough water in Windhoek aquifer to supply the City for up to 13 years as
recently reported in the media.
The Windhoek aquifer can only supply 5-6% of the present demand of the city under natural
recharge conditions. The City of Windhoek is currently increasing the potential for
abstraction from this source to meet the emergency demand brought on as a result of the
failure of the normal supply system (dams). Pursuant to this the City of Windhoek targets to
establish access and install the necessary infrastructure for abstraction before the end of
year when the supply from NamWater is expected to diminish as a result of the dams drying
up. This is by no means considered a sustainable (long term) supply solution and only
implemented as an emergency action to fight the effects of the devastating drought
currently experienced.
The hope and the expectation is certainly that the drought will soon be over when normal
rainfall should restore the supply on the side of NamWater. In any event, the Windhoek
aquifer only holds sufficient water to sustain the city for between 2 to 3 years in the
absence of the NamWater supply system and not 13 years as reported. Given that the
infrastructure can be put in place after the drought the current project will be extended to
replenish the aquifer (provided adequate supply in the dams) from the NamWater system to
escape the effects of evaporation losses and to recharge the Windhoek aquifer in order to
serve as emergency backup in future drought situations.
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
The aquifer is supplied by the three central dams to ensure that there is always
available water when there is a drought.
The status quo of the aquifer is that currently high water table levels are recorded. This is as
a result of recharge actions implemented by the City of Windhoek between 2009 and 2011
as well as the fact that this source has been stored as an emergency supply and the
exceptional rain cycle experienced in the decade following the turn of the century leading to
above normal natural replenishment of the aquifer. As per the previous comment the
strategy is to develop the aquifer in a full backup supply for emergencies by installing
recharge infrastructure after the drought and replenish the supplies as and when sufficient
water is available. This will also greatly assist in the curbing of huge evaporation losses in
the NamWater supply system.

These two sources (presumed reference to Kombat and Berg Aukhas mines near
Grootfontein/Tsumeb), coupled with the recycled water, will ensure that
Windhoek will not be without water.
Give the current water crisis with the traditional supply system on the brink of failing the
supply to Windhoek is in a very precarious situation. Moving into 2017 when the dams are
expected to dry up prior to the next rainy season the supply to Windhoek will be
precariously balanced as follows:
Supply from CoW boreholes:
Supply from CoW Potable Reuse:
Supply from NamWater:
SAVINGS FROM RESIDENTS:
46%
16%
8%
30%
From the above it should be clear that the supply strategy to take Windhoek through the
Water Crisis in the short term heavily relies on the cooperation from all residents, including
the business community in terms of achieving and sustaining the required level of water
savings. In terms of active supply the bulk (+/-66%) will be from the Windhoek Aquifer with
the two mines contributing only 12%.
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THANK YOU!
ISSUED BY:
City of Windhoek
FFICE OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Corporate Communication, Marketing, Tourism and Customer Care
Tel.: +264 61 290 2365/2044
Fax: +264 61 290 2344
E-mail: [email protected]
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