Namibia - Groundwater Management in the North of Namibia

Country / Region: Namibia / Africa
Focal point: Groundwater

Begin of project: June 1, 2014

End of project: October 31, 2019

Status of project: February 18, 2020

Test well in Eenhana Source: BGR

The Cuvelai-Etosha Basin (CEB) is situated in the central-northern area of Namibia, extending northwards into Southern Angola. The CEB is the most densely populated part of Namibia hosting about half of the country’s population. Economically the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin is one of the fastest growing areas of Namibia.

Drinking water supply for most of the population in the CEB is provided by an inefficient open canal and pipeline network conveying water from the Kunene River/Calueque Dam (Angola).

But the pipeline does not cover by far all regions and groundwater is still one of the major water sources for rural people, cattle, and irrigation. Better access to groundwater could also lower the dependency from the current fragile system and serve as a back-up supply.

Therefore to improve groundwater management in the CEB is the main objective of the German-Namibian project and it contributes to the Namibian development goal to secure access to safe water for all.

Groundwater in the CEB is found in a complex system of stratified aquifers containing fresh to saline water. During previous investigations carried out by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and the BGR, the existence of the vast, deep seated Ohangwena II Aquifer could be proven and its general dimensions have been described. However, for a sustainable management of this strategic transboundary resource, shared between Namibia and Angola, the knowledge regarding its sustainable capacity and possible changes in the water quality needs to be improved.

The main objective of the 3-year project “Groundwater Management in the North of Namibia” is to enable the Department of Water and Forestry in the Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to provide fundamental information on groundwater potentials and on the protection of the Ohangwena II aquifer system to the decision makers.

Together with the main partners, the Department of Water and Forestry, the national water supplier NamWater and the University of Namibia, this project will provide all relevant information and describe the procedures necessary to take the step from groundwater investigation towards sustainable management and utilization of the aquifer.

Furthermore the Technical Cooperation project works close together with the research project in the Kalahari on Hydrogeology and Sedimentology of the CEB and with the project of the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Use (SASSCAL).

The project will hence contribute to:

Improved monitoring of the groundwater resources and protection from pollution, applying newly developed guidelines in line with the Namibian Water Resources Management Act;
Model-based determination of the sustainable capacity of the Ohangwena Groundwater System, including scenario analysis for water supply options
Further development of a Decision Support System (DSS) to assist planners in optimizing the use of water resources;
Establish the first bulk water supply from Ohangwena II for test purposes;
Capacitate Namibian water experts and young professionals in the field of modern groundwater management;
The implementation of the Namibian Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) strategy through sustainable groundwater management

Download Flyer: Groundwater of the Cuvelai-Etosha-Basin (jpeg, 841 KB)

Pressemitteilung vom 23.07.2012

Kalahari: Hydrogeology and Sedimentology of the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin
Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL)

Video: Namibia's new groundwater treasure

Project contributions: