The coastal town of Lüderitz now has a new sewage effluent treatment plant. The plant is expected to be officially opened this weekend, according to the European Commission (EC) media officer, Emma Kakololo. In 2001 the European Commission (EC) Delegation to Namibia financed a sewer master plan study for the town, which included the construction of a waterborne sewage network for an area in Benguela in Lüderitz to house the many informal settlers in the well-known Sands Hotel area. The anticipated original financing scope was estimated at N$6 million only.

Kakololo said in a statement that, through negotiations and the recommendations of the sewage master plan, the EC agreed to finance not only sewage reticulation in the four new residential areas in Benguela, but also the construction of a new sewage effluent treatment plant.
The poor condition, limited capacity, poor quality of effluent discharged into the valley downstream of the existing treatment pond facility and the advantages in re-use of treated affluent were the main reasons for this decision.
The increased scope of the engagement resulted in a comprehensive project jointly financed by the European Commission, the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development and the Lüderitz Town Council.
The town contributed approximately N$13 million for temporary housing and services, the ministry N$26 million for roads electricity and services in the new residential areas, and the EC contributed N$38 million for the waterborne sewer pipe system as well as the effluent treatment plant design and construction.
“The plant has been designed with sufficient capacity to serve Lüderitz for many years to come and has been designed to treat two mega litres or 2000 cubic meters of raw sewage per average day. The plant has also been designed to render an effluent, which complies with the standards required by the new Water Act as administered by the Department of Water Affairs in Namibia. The semi-purified effluent can and will be used for agricultural and irrigation purposes,” Kalokolo said.