Namibia is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa, with seasonal rainfall averaging between 90 and 600 mm each year. The North-Central communal lands make up the four regions Ohangwena, Oshana, Omusati, and Oshikoto. These regions hold more than half of the country's population, while comprising only about 1/10 of its area. Mainly supported by a subsistence agriculture system, the economics and way of life are very sensitive to changes in the environment. Fears of desertification have been raised due to changes in land cover and rainfall over the past two decades. This study is meant as a first step towards the identification of changes in the overall water balance for north-central Namibia and possible causes for these changes. For this first step, various approaches towards studying the general water balance were examined using Ondangwa, Oshakati, and Oshikuku as case studies. These areas were chosen as characteristic samples of their regions in which water security is critical and relevant for the time scale under consideration.