Elly Ashikoto
Elly Ashikoto

Rural sanitation project takes root in Oshana

Tuyeimo Haidula
Taking a step towards health and hygiene in the region, the urban and rural development ministry has allocated over N$2 million for the Oshana rural development project.

The project is set to be implemented in the 2023/2024 financial year. Its primary objective is to implement a rural sanitation programme, focusing on constructing 152 rural toilets.

Senior public relations officer at the Oshana regional council, Elly Ashikoto said N$2.12 million will be distributed through the council. The cost of each toilet, inclusive of materials and labour costs, is estimated at about N$13 786.

The Ongwediva Rural Development Centre (ORDC) will execute the project, with a committed cost of N$1.62 million.

Community empowerment

According to Ashikoto, the sanitation initiative will create employment for approximately 116 unemployed youth from the region.

“The regional council is investing N$471 200 to engage these individuals in the project, ensuring that the benefits of the initiative are not only confined to improved sanitation, but also extend to economic empowerment within the community. Importantly, all employment opportunities will be strictly sourced from local constituencies, providing a direct avenue for community members to contribute to and benefit from the project.”

She added that to ensure a fair and transparent allocation of resources, the regional council has adopted a proportional ratio based on population statistics.

“The total of 152 toilets strategically addresses the sanitation needs of the various constituencies, with allocation based on the size and needs of each community. Furthermore, the regional council is actively promoting local businesses by acquiring bricks exclusively from local brickmakers within each constituency,” Ashikoto said.

The distribution of toilets across constituencies is as follows: Okatana will receive 18, Okaku 22, Okatjali 10, Ondangwa Rural 17, Ondangwa Urban 10, Ongwediva 17, Ompundja 10, Oshakati East 13, Oshakati West 10, Uukwiyuushona 15 and Uuvudhiya 10.

700 toilets

The regional council has been committed to the sanitation programme for the past five years and has so far built over 700 toilets, with priority given to people with disabilities and vulnerable communities - including pensioners and orphans, Ashikoto said.

The first 230 toilets were constructed during the 2017/18 financial year to the tune of N$2.3 million. In the 2018/19 financial year, a total of 333 toilets were built at a cost of N$5.4 million.

A further 76 toilets were constructed during the 2019/20 financial year for N$592 210, while the renovation of two blocks of toilets was done at Okakuejo.

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Namibian Sun 2024-09-20

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LaLiga: Leganés 0 vs 2 Athletic Club | Real Betis 2 vs 1 Getafe | Mallorca 1 vs 0 Real Sociedad Katima Mulilo: 25° | 39° Rundu: 20° | 39° Eenhana: 17° | 36° Oshakati: 15° | 34° Ruacana: 16° | 35° Tsumeb: 19° | 34° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 32° Omaruru: 14° | 32° Windhoek: 11° | 28° Gobabis: 9° | 30° Henties Bay: 11° | 18° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 06:23, High tide: 12:53, Low Tide: 19:02, High tide: 01:16 Swakopmund: 12° | 14° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: NW, Low tide: 06:21, High tide: 12:51, Low Tide: 19:00, High tide: 01:14 Walvis Bay: 11° | 17° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: N, Low tide: 06:21, High tide: 12:50, Low Tide: 19:00, High tide: 01:13 Rehoboth: 7° | 29° Mariental: 7° | 26° Keetmanshoop: 6° | 24° Aranos: 6° | 27° Lüderitz: 14° | 27° Ariamsvlei: 6° | 23° Oranjemund: 15° | 30° Luanda: 22° | 24° Gaborone: 11° | 17° Lubumbashi: 18° | 36° Mbabane: 8° | 9° Maseru: 3° | 13° Antananarivo: 11° | 28° Lilongwe: 21° | 31° Maputo: 14° | 15° Windhoek: 11° | 28° Cape Town: 10° | 21° Durban: 13° | 14° Johannesburg: 7° | 9° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 29° Lusaka: 21° | 34° Harare: 17° | 30° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.27 | EUR to NAD 19.54 | CNY to NAD 2.48 | USD to NAD 17.5 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.28 | EGP to NAD 0.35 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.65 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.16 | RUB to NAD 0.19 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 132.02 | USD to AOA 927.77 | USD to BWP 13.17 | USD to EGP 48.48 | USD to KES 128.48 | USD to NGN 1593.37 | USD to ZAR 17.47 | USD to ZMW 26.45 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1831.97 Down -0.38% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14246.86 Up +0.44% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 30937.69 Up +1.96% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9651.25 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - 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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 620.18/OZ UP +1.27% | Copper US$ 4.31/lb DOWN -0.0028 | Zinc US$ 2 882.80/T DOWN -0.07% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 74.85/BBP DOWN -0.0004 | Platinum US$ 976.42/OZ DOWN -0.0064