… Hardap Dam near Mariental received an inflow of 13.7 million cubic metres of water since the start of last week, while an inflow of 8.9 million cubic metres was recorded at Naute Dam near Keetmanshoop, and Neckartal Dam received an inflow of four million cubic metres, NamWater re …
… Koryx Copper has previously indicated that it is working with NamWater to assess both the Orange River and Neckartal Dam as potential water sources for the project. …
… Hardap Dam saw an inflow of 4 million cubic metres of water in 24 hours between Tuesday and yesterday morning, while Neckartal Dam is at 101.4% of its capacity. …
… ce Day celebration at Karasburg on Saturday. Witbooi said the region has recorded significant progress across key sectors. “This includes expansion of export-orientated agriculture along the Orange River, table grape production, agri-processing linked to the Naute, Neckartal Dam …
… Meanwhile, the Neckartal Dam reached 96.6% capacity on 24 February 2026, up from 81.2% a year earlier, and the Oanob Dam rose from 33.2% to 60.6% over the same period. …
… According to figures provided by NamWater, the highest dam levels were recorded at Neckartal Dam at 97.7%, Swakoppoort Dam at 82.9%, Von Bach Dam at 81.2% and Naute Dam at 80.2%. …
… At one point, The Namibian criticised Swartbooi for playing up the Neckartal Dam and some infrastructure projects, which were clearly used to placate southern communities, who he now says are being marginalised. …
… A good example is the Neckartal Dam in the IIKharas region. We are building a network of life-sustaining infrastructure that will secure Namibia’s future for generations. …
Namibia Wildlife Resorts is rescuing 96 hikers from nine groups stranded in Fish River Canyon since Sunday after heavy rains caused the Naute Dam to exceed capacity, forcing NamWater to open sluice gates that sent dangerous, rapidly rising water downstream. The Fish River hiking trail has been temporarily closed until conditions are declared safe.
Why it matters
Active rescue of 96 hikers trapped in Fish River Canyon by dam releases continues to be a major ongoing emergency affecting public safety.
Namibia Wildlife Resorts is rescuing 96 hikers from nine groups stranded in Fish River Canyon since Sunday after heavy rains caused the Naute Dam to exceed capacity, forcing NamWater to open sluice gates that sent dangerous, rapidly rising water downstream. The Fish River hiking trail has been temporarily closed until conditions are declared safe.
Namibia Water Corporation opened the Naute Dam's floodgates on Sunday as water levels exceeded capacity, with releases from both Naute and Neckartal dams flowing into the rapidly-rising Fish River. NamWater has warned residents, tourists, and farmers to stay out of the Fish River and canyon areas due to high water volumes and strong flows.
Ninety-six hikers, including school children, are trapped in Fish River Canyon after heavy rainfall and dam releases caused water levels to rise. Police and Namibia Wildlife Resorts have launched a rescue operation involving ground teams and a helicopter.
The south experienced sustained heavy rainfall over the weekend, with several areas in Hardap and //Kharas regions receiving significant amounts, including Bethanie which recorded more than 40 mm. Dam levels rose notably, with Naute Dam reaching over 117% capacity, prompting NamWater to open a sluice gate.
Namibia Wildlife Resorts has temporarily closed the Fish River Canyon Hike following heavy rainfall in the Naute Dam catchment area and the opening of sluice gates, which pose a safety risk. The Naute Dam reached 117.3% capacity and released water at about 780 m³/s into the Fish River, while the Neckartal Dam also overflowed at 105.7% capacity with a spilling rate of 870 m³/s.
The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment will be undertaken to advance the Neckartal Dam project into Phase Two, which aims to develop the irrigation component. The project covers approximately 19,000 hectares of government farms in the //Kharas Region.
Koryx Copper has signed a memorandum of understanding with NamPower for bulk electricity supply to its Haib Copper Project in southern Namibia and is advancing water supply plans from the Orange River. The project will use a hybrid power system combining national grid electricity, solar generation, and potential battery storage, designed to meet an estimated peak demand of 152 MVA and annual consumption of about 1,131 GWh, with a pre-feasibility study expected later this year.
An opinion piece argues that Namibia's core problem is not a lack of plans but failure to implement them, citing the Neckartal Dam as an example of infrastructure built without realizing its full economic promise. The piece contends the nation has numerous strategies for agriculture, housing, industrialisation, and other sectors but chronically struggles to turn these plans into functioning economic systems.
Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare said the Namibian Government is accelerating efforts to move the Neckartal Dam project into Phase Two, which aims to unlock the irrigation component. The dam is currently at full capacity (857.781 million cubic metres), but the irrigation phase has yet to commence.
Recent rainfall in catchment areas has boosted southern Namibian dams to a combined 90.8% storage capacity, up from 88.7% the previous week, with Hardap Dam receiving the largest inflow of 13.7 million cubic metres. However, dams supplying Windhoek remain significantly depleted at 58.2% capacity, down sharply from 88.4% a year ago.
Members of parliament have expressed concern over the continued underfunding of the agriculture ministry, with lawmakers warning that declining allocations for land distribution, drought support, and veterinary services risk compromising national food security and employment. The ministry received N$1.8 billion for the current financial year, with over N$1.4 billion allocated to operations and over N$300 million to development.
NamWater is pursuing environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to build water infrastructure, including a large-scale off-channel storage dam, to supply Koryx Copper's proposed Haib copper mining project in the ||Kharas region with around 20 million cubic metres of water annually from the Orange River. The project is expected to create up to 3,500 jobs during construction and around 1,350 during operations.
Major intermittent rivers in the ||Kharas region have been flowing following recent heavy rains, though several roads are temporarily impassable. Despite the rainfall, water resources in southern Namibia remain under pressure due to high evaporation rates and limited groundwater recharge, with six southern dams currently storing 3% less water than a year ago.
Vice president Lucia Witbooi praised ||Kharas region for transforming into an economic hub with significant progress in agriculture, agri-processing, mining, fisheries and tourism. She acknowledged ongoing challenges in industrial activity, water, sanitation and housing while noting government efforts through development projects at Noordoewer and Auas.
Namibia's key dams have surged dramatically over the past year, with the Tilda Viljoen Dam rising from empty to over 50% capacity and other major dams more than doubling their storage levels, according to the Hydrological Services of Namibia.
The Young Consulting Engineers of Namibia (YCEN) acts as a bridge between academia and the consulting engineering industry, offering students and young professionals webinars, technical site visits, networking sessions, and a Job Shadow Day initiative that placed 26 participants at member firms in March 2025. The organisation is also active in community outreach, supporting charities like Needy Hearts Soup Kitchen and Desert Kidz Care Foundation.
Namibia recorded widespread rainfall over recent days, with moderate falls across north-central and north-eastern regions and lighter showers in the south, boosting river flows and maintaining national dam storage at 80.1% as of 5 January. However, authorities note a storage deficit of 28.7% compared to the same period last year, with dam levels ranging from highs of 97.7% at Neckartal Dam to lows below 5% at Bondels and Tjivero Silt dams.