Water supply
4.21 Bulk water supply sources and schemes24
Namibia Water Corporation Ltd (NamWater), the publicly owned national bulk water supplier, is responsible for supplying most Namibians with potable water. NamWater establishes schemes drawing on dams, rivers, groundwater and desalinated water to supply water in bulk via pipelines and canals to where it is required. It sells the water to local authorities, which in turn sell water to residents and commercial users in urban areas, and to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, which in turn sells water to residents in rural areas, and directly to some large-scale commercial enterprises. Municipalities and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform often establish and run smaller schemes to complement NamWater's bulk schemes. Many farmers supply their own water from small dams, springs and boreholes. Ultimately, a considerable variety of conduits are used to distribute water to where it is needed: pumps in boreholes and rivers, desalination plants, dams, canals, pipelines, and mobile and stationary water tanks.