Delegation from City of Bremen and BORDA South Africa visits Windhoek to launch DEWATS pilot

To improve sanitation in peri-urban informal settlements in Windhoek, the cities of Windhoek and Bremen have partnered to implement a pilot Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Solution (DEWATS), with support from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In June 2019, a delegation from the City of Bremen, along with colleagues from BORDA, visited Windhoek to launch the project. During the weeklong visit, the delegation met with Windhoek city officials, toured the wastewater treatment works and water reclamation plants, and visited the informal settlement where the planned sanitation project will be implemented.

The project design process will utilise a participatory, community-led approach to ensure the community’s voices are heard and their preferences are incorporated. As a pilot, this DEWATS project will serve as an example of how Windhoek can deliver waterborne sanitation that is safe, appropriate to local conditions, and uses no electricity or chemicals in the treatment process. With potential for replication in peri-urban areas throughout Namibia, DEWATS may provide Namibian cities and towns with an additional tool to achieve SDG 6 and its target of access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all.

In her speech to the Windhoek City Council, Carley Truyens, BORDA South Africa Country Coordinator, thanked the City of Windhoek for their warm welcome and incredible hospitality. Upon returning from Windhoek, the project team is hard at work planning the project, and the baseline study and community engagement process are set to begin in the coming months.