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Namibia municipalities reconnect water to curb #Covid19

───   15:15 Mon, 23 Mar 2020

Namibia municipalities reconnect water to curb #Covid19 | News Article

Municipalities in Namibia are reconnecting water supply to defaulting residents in an attempt to halt Covid-19 transmission, local media reported.


The daily newspaper The Namibian said the Oshakati town council would reconnect water supply that had been cut due to unpaid bills from March 20 until further notice.

This comes after President Hage Geingob declared a state of emergency in Namibia in response to the globally spreading coronavirus outbreak.

The council's acting chief executive officer Helena Thomas told the newspaper that reconnecting water was a temporary measure only applicable during the time of the pandemic, until the state of emergency was lifted.

"Water is not free of charge and residents are encouraged to continue paying their services. Oshakati Town Council will continue with charging of municipal services and collecting revenue as well," she said.

Earlier this week, the council banned job seekers' gatherings in the town as a precautionary measure to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

The council has also banned vendors from selling their wares on the streets, while urging those at the open market to maintain good hygiene at their stalls at all times.

The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Outjo municipality in the Kunene region had also heeded a directive by the ministry of urban and rural development to reconnect water supply to disconnected households.

The directive aims to allow people to have access to water and avoid the spread of Covid-19.


African News Agency

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