Zambezi River Basin

improved water supply to rural communities through the provision of new boreholes and the rehabilitation of existing boreholes, as well as the development of pipelines. Namibia recycles water, especially in urban areas. Figures 4.35 and 4.36 show trends in access to water and sanitation.

Number of threatened species in Namibia

70 Number of species

60

50

Households with access to basic sanitation in Namibia

40

Percentage

30

100

20

90

10

80

70

Source: IUCN 2003, 2008 2000

2003

2008

60

Figure 4.34

50

The Community Based Natural Resource Management programme has contributed to empowering people to gain access to resources and to build their capacity. Opportunities are available to expand the programme and the support base by working closely with government institutions such as agriculture, inland fisheries, water, rural development, and by synchronizing and harmonizing approaches tomake optimal use of both the financial and human resources available. If the programme continues to grow at its present rate, and if the capacity to support and sustain this growth is available, 70 per cent of the communal areas – about 20 million ha – could be within conservancies by 2030, and the programme could be earning as much as N$800 million per year (Government of Namibia 2008). Access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation by 2015 Access by urban households to safe drinking water is slightly less than 100 per cent, but decreasing. Access of rural households to safe drinking water was 88 per cent in 2008, up from 67 per cent in 2000. The government has

40

2000

2004

2008

Urban

Rural

Source: Government of Namibia 2008

Figure 4.36

While Namibia has improved access to water and sanitation, the country’s primary environmental concerns remainwater pollution andwater scarcity, that is, insufficient water resources for its growing population (Namibia Nature Foundation 2007). Groundwater accounts for roughly half of all water consumption, but only one per cent of Namibia’s meagre rainfall goes towards recharging groundwater, thus over-extraction is a growing concern (Government of Namibia 2008). Improve the lives of slum dwellers by 2020 One-third of the urban population of Namibia lives in slum conditions, a situation that has remained almost static since 1990, reducing by less than one per cent, as shown in Figure 4.37.

Population using improved water sources in Namibia

Proportion of urban dwellers living in slum conditions in Namibia

Percentage

100

34.6

90

34.4

80

34.2

34.0

70

33.8

60

33.6

50

33.4

40

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

33.2

1990

2007

Rural

Urban

National

Source: Government of Namibia 2008

Source: AfDB 2010

Figure 4.35

Figure 4.37

99