WATER AS A NATURAL RESOURCE
WATER AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA
Article 95 (1) of the constitution of the Republic of Namibia makes provision for the “utilisation of living natural resources on a sustainable basis of all Namibians, both present and in future”. Article 100 of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia says that land, water and natural resources belong to the state.
WATER RESOURCES
Namibia is the driest country south of the Sahara. The country’s annual rainfall figures ranges from 550mm to 600mm in the far North to between 250mm to 300mm in the South. The central part of Namibia, which includes the capital city Windhoek, has the annual rainfall figures of between 450mm to 500mm. The North part of Namibia referred to as Cuvelai extends to the border with Southern Angola and has an annual rainfall of between 250mm to 350mm. The eastern part of the country, which also hosts the Kalahari Desert, receives between 50mm to 250mm of rain. The coastal part of Namibia which is largely a desert stretches from Oranjemund in the South to Kunene in the North-West. It receives less than 50mm of rain.