Water is the physical basis of all life on this planet. At the same time to quite a number of beings it often is more detrimental than fire and volcanism. Its contradictory nature, always being a necessity, often a blessing and frequently a deadly menace, extends so far that the comparatively simple physical laws to which as a worldly matter it is subjected are by no means easy to comprehend for the average man. Keywords: Namibia, Namib Desert, Kuiseb drainage system, Kuiseb River, hydrological processes, hydrography, water supply, natural resource management, rainfall variability, ephemeral river ACCESSION NUMBER: 628.1'688 STE.