Rural Namibian water management gives regional lessons

In near-desert Southern Africa, access to water in rural areas is already precarious. Climate change will reduce overall rainfall, decreasing the quality and quantity of water resources. In Namibia, the national government has rolled out a wide network of water infrastructure, bringing piped water to many remote villages. They have handed the management of the daily water distribution, and payments for that water, to local village volunteers. While the policy is hard to implement, the better this country handles the processes of decentralised water management now, the better it will be able to adapt to the impacts of climate change in future. LEONIE JOUBERT* writes