Central coast water demand nearly doubles permitted groundwater supply

NamWater says the central Namibian coast is consuming roughly twice as much water as its natural aquifers are legally permitted to supply, relying heavily on desalinated seawater to bridge the deficit. Speaking at the third Namibia Regional Water Symposium in Swakopmund, NamWater’s Adelino Batista revealed that groundwater extraction from the Omdel Dam and Kuiseb aquifers is capped at 14 million cubic metres a year, while coastal demand has surged to around 29 million, driven largely by the mining sector. Yanna Smith has more.