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dam-l Namibian rains/LS

>From The Namibian:



      November 17, 1999 - Web posted at 09:59 a.m. GMT

      Don't let the rains fool you!

      NAMIBIANS have to be constantly reminded that wasting water could
mean trouble for both animal
      and plant life in the country.

      A senior hydrologist with the Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater),
Rolf Albrecht, told Nampa
      yesterday that the good rains being experienced at present did not
mean that Namibians could now
      abuse water.

      "People should remember that they are living in the desert and that
water is scarce," he said, adding
      that when people heard that the dams were full or when they saw the
good rains, then they thought
      they could waste water.

      But, said Albrecht, water remained a scarce commodity and needed to
be preserved as much as
      possible.

      Despite the recent rains four of Namibia's dams are reported to be empty.

      According to the NamWater weekly dam bulletin issued on Monday they
are the Daan Viljoen dam in
      the Gobabis area, the Bondels dam in the South, as well as the
Omaruru Delta and Omatjene dams.

      Albrecht said overall the dam levels were satisfactory because the
country faced a promising rainy
      season.

      However, he said, the inflow to dams might not be enough.

      "We have to be able to supply water for at least two years ahead and
when we see that we cannot
      supply this water, we then have to look at other sources where we can
get water," he said.

      Albrecht said once the corporation had gauged that there would not be
sufficient water for two years
      drastic measures would have to be taken to manage the water effectively.

      "That is when we step in and say that so much water must be saved in
order for it to be enough for
      all," he said, adding that hopefully it would not come to that. - Nampa

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      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
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