By Sostenus Wilherm
Deputy minister of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform, Ruthy Masake has hailed the strategic importance of the Neckartal Dam, located about 40 kilometres west of Keetmanshoop in the ||Kharas Region.
This follows a familiarisation visit aimed at gaining a better understanding of the facility’s operations and its role in advancing government agricultural initiatives.
The visit enabled the Masake to receive detailed briefings from NamWater officials on the country’s largest dam, which is expected to provide a reliable water supply for irrigation and agricultural development projects in the surrounding areas.
Masake described the Neckartal Dam as a symbol of Namibia’s commitment to securing water resources and strengthening agricultural development. She added that the country possesses the infrastructure needed to transform food production if its water resources are effectively harnessed.
Masake expressed excitement at seeing the facility for the first time, describing it as an impressive national investment.
“I am very excited to be here for the first time to see how Neckartal Dam is well organised. This building reminds me, and tells me, that Namibia is ready to serve its people,” Masake said.
She added that the construction of such a large water infrastructure demonstrates government’s long- term commitment to ensuring water security for future generations.
“Imagine building such strong infrastructure in order to supply enough water to the Republic of Namibia. It tells a lot about how caring Namibia is towards its people.”
Masake stressed that the country has sufficient water resources stored at Neckartal but stressed that unlocking the dam’s full potential will require proper planning, coordination and communication among all stakeholders.
Acting manager for maintenance (South) at NamWater, Jappie Mostert, explained that Neckartal Dam has a full storage capacity of approximately 900 million cubic metres, making it by far the largest dam in Namibia.
To illustrate its scale, Mostert said the dam is three times larger than Hardap Dam, Namibia’s second-largest dam, which has a storage capacity of about 294 million cubic metres.
He added that Neckartal is ten times larger than Naute Dam, which can hold approximately 90 million cubic metres of water. Mostert further explained that one of Neckartal’s greatest advantages is its depth, reaching about 70 metres at the dam wall.
The deep reservoir significantly reduces water losses through evaporation compared to shallower dams, making it more efficient for long-term water storage.
However, he noted that the surrounding landscape presents a challenge for irrigation development, as there is limited suitable agricultural land downstream of the dam.
This means water must be pumped uphill to a balancing dam before it can be distributed to irrigation schemes.
