By:Nghiinomenwa-vali Erastus
As plans get in motion to utilise the 800 million cubic metre body of water in one of the most improvised and less populated regions, the community is worried about how the Dam can economically empower them.
The sentiments were raised last week as the Ministry of Agriculture, Waterand Land Reforms held a community engagement meetingat Keetmanshoop regarding the planned Phase 2 of the billion-dollar Neckartal Dam.
The Neckartal Dam is one of the country’s largest dams, representing one of the biggest single investments in a region- the construction of the dam commanded N$5,6 billion through various loans.
The small delegation of high-level decision-makers in the Ministry led by the Minister Calle Schlettweinmet various !Karas region community leaders – both rural and urban – to get their input on how phase 2 should be implemented, rather than planning from Windhoek in the absence of the community aspirations and inputs.
The Dam Phase 2 plans which will requireroughly a minimum of N$2,4 billion is the real deal as they involve setting up the agricultural infrastructure to utilise the body of water.
However, coming up with a model of operation which is inclusive enough seems to be the hardest task as the dam lay idle supplying the atmosphere with water vapour.
The model of operation will detail whom to operate the planned agri-schemes and the funding modality with the interest of the !Karas region community to be prioritised.
The Villager’ observationof the consultation is that the region’s leadership and youth expressed worry that they might be left out from benefiting from the country’s biggest asset.
The hall was filled with the question how the region’s populace will be placed at the centre of the economic benefit of the dam- with every leader who got a chance to ask the ministry team, just asked how they will benefit in a way.
The Region’s worry is substantiated by the ministry analysis of the massive potential of the dam and the dry !Karas.
At full capacity, the Neckartal Dam is estimated to be able to irrigate seven existing Namibian Schemes for three years with no rain.

The Ministry plans to facilitate 5,000 hectares of intensive agriculture to utilise the 800 million cubic metre body of water. However, the question the community has is who will utilise this land.
So far the ministry has already acquired 4200ha of agricultural land.
The !Karas leadership highlighted that they do not just want to be labourers for Phase 2 but want equity and ownership in the projects..
“We want ownership, we want to be owners in this project. Do not come and offer us jobs we want ownership so we give jobs to our people ourselves,” one leader stated.
Certain leaders have also suggested to government that positive discrimination be employed to ensure that the !Karas region people be the preferred beneficiary in the Phase 2 implementation process.
Some leaders also suggested that certain members of their community be part of the whole planning process and implementation of Phase 2.
“This is to ensure that the planning process is informed by the real issues on the ground. We want full participation, so we inform the technical team of what we want on a continuous basis,”a leader demanded.
At the meeting, the community members bemoaned the benefits of the grape projects in the region, saying it has created seasonal and limited job opportunities for the youth in the region, suggesting diversified crops for the projects for more permanent jobs for the region than the grapes and dates projects.
The community members also questioned the figure of 12,000 permanent jobs envisaged to be created by the implementation of Phase 2.
Given the magnitude of the project, a Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) representative in the region, has suggested the need to integrate water management-related subjects in secondary schools.
The representative further called for vocational training in the region to train students in water management and agricultural skills in view of Phase 2 implementation.
Landless People Movement deputy leader, Heiny Seibeb expressed appreciation the Ministry team’s effort to engage the regional leadership regarding the best way to formulate a socially and economically rewarding approach for the dam plans.
He advised the Ministry to ensure that the potential small-scale farmers who intend to participate in Phase 2 are assisted with upskilling and also enabled to access capital.
Furthermore, Seibeb asked for the Minister to consult the banks, development financiers, and asset management firms to devise funding solutions for the small-scale and commercial producers to participate in Phase 2.Email: erastus@thevillager.com.na