The town council of Omuthiya has announced the provision of free water meters to its residents at Kaniita location in the vicinity of Omuthiya in order to address the issue of water shortages being experienced by the community.

Town Mayor Johannes Ndeutapo, during a meeting with the residents at Kaniita recently, said the water meters are readily available and can be applied for on a voluntarily basis.

“The interruption of water in some parts of Omuthiya will be a thing of the past as we aim to address this challenge,” he said.

The decision by the council comes after residents held a gathering to express their dismay over the shortage of water in their area and called on council to do something.

Omuthiya is one of the towns where water interruption is experienced frequently, with some of the extensions left with no water for hours as a result.

They also noted that they were not happy with the proposed idea of the new water meters.

Helena Iyambo, a resident indicated that they were left without water after the end of the Covid-19 measures.

“In that instance our meters were closed,” she said, adding that the council should have just cut off the water bills used during the pandemic, for residents to continue using their old meters instead of the new ones.

However, Ndeutapo noted that the residents will not have to pay a cent, as the new water meters will be provided by Council for free.

He said the water charges of the new water meters will be discounted and the council will charge N.dollar 1 per 20 litres.

“The water will hence be affordable to everyone in the community,” Ndeutapo said and urged residents who own plots with up to date accounts to volunteer and take up the responsibility of managing the water meters on their names.

The residents who volunteer will be responsible for the record keeping and paying of the charges at the council based on the water consumed at their respective water meters, he said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency