The paper accentuates thc role of water as a life giving force in a desert environment. To provide the background for the specific water projects the physiography of the Namib coastal belt is described. Water development in the Namib required a special ingenuity which has been met by those engaged on this problem from the early makeshift days to today's science-aided investigations. Starting at the Orange River in the south, the paper describes the water projects of the Namib Desert as far as the Cunene River in the north. These projects vary from sea water distillation to natural oases occurrences as well as discovery of large underground water supplies deep below the desert sands capable of supporting modern towns and industries as well as considerable mineral development. The only feature absent is agricultural development but its place is taken by "farming" the desert in its natural state for the visitor and tourist. The Cunene River presents a classical hydro-power form with promise of future development to enrich the Namib in a manner most suited to its natural environment. Keywords: South West Africa, Kuiseb river, Luderitz, Walvis Bay.