Namibia's water : a decision makers' guide

Since Namibia is the most arid country in the Southern African Region and the water available is often of unacceptable quality, decision makers must take the vulnerable water resources into consideration when planning to improve the social and economic conditions of the country. By improving their understanding of how water can be put to its best and most efficient use, it is hoped that decision makers, who are not necessarily water experts, will take responsibility to develop and protect the limited water resources available even when making decisions about such issues as infrastructure development, agriculture, mining, industry, health, resettlement or export zones. This book provides background about Namibia?s water resource base and emphasizes the overall importance of water in sustainable development in order to support better decision making in general. It attempts to serve as a guide for use by water managers and decision makers throughout Namibia by providing an overview of existing guidelines and information, by outlining achievements in the water sector and by suggesting ways of improving water resource management. It deals with such issues as : the value of water as an economic good; how much rainfall contributes to groundwater recharge; how much water one person requires per day for hygiene, health and sanitation; what uses of water have the highest social and economic value; the average amount of water used per day by residents of various towns; the actual cost of supplying water; how this cost can be reduced to make it more affordable; and to what extent regions of Namibia are dependent on water originating in neighbouring states. It is hoped that decision makers will become better informed partners in planning for sustainable development of Namibia now and in the future.