WINDHOEK, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's Cabinet has approved expediting the implementation of short- to medium-term projects to mitigate foreseeable risks from insufficient water supplies in response to the looming water crisis in the country.

Speaking at a media conference Thursday to announce the 2nd Cabinet decisions for 2024, Emma Theofelus, minister of information and communication technology, said that the Cabinet also approved prioritizing long-term water supply solutions to ensure water security in the North Central, Southern, Northeastern and Erongo Regions, as well as the Central Areas of Namibia, which includes Windhoek, the Namibian capital.

"Cabinet approved, in principle, funding for the long-term water supply solution from the Okavango River with a volume of 32 million cubic meters per year," Theofelus said.

According to Theofelus, if no inflow is received in the dams, the existing water sources will only be sufficient to secure a regular water supply to the Central Areas of Namibia system until July 2025, with water savings of 5 percent by consumers as a prerequisite to achieving this target.

Despite ongoing short- to medium-term projects, severe water shortages are still expected in the next four to seven years if a viable long-term solution is not implemented, she said.

As part of the measures to address water challenges, a feasibility study is set to commence for a desalination plant in the country's Northern region funded by the African Development Bank.

"Further studies to assess and investigate the feasibility of supplying potable water to southern regions through pipelines from the integrated southern dams will be carried out," Theofelus said.

Namibia's geographical and climatic characteristics make it highly vulnerable to water scarcity. The country's arid conditions, coupled with erratic rainfall patterns, have left water as an exceedingly scarce resource. Moreover, the above challenges have been exacerbated by the impacts of climate change.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture Water and Land Reform, the country's water demand, driven by industries such as mining and energy, is on the rise and projected to nearly double by 2025, reaching 772 million cubic meters per year by 2030. Enditem

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