President Nangolo Mbumba has announced the establishment of 27 new boreholes across the Kavango West region's six constituencies in a bid to tackle water scarcity and human-wildlife conflict. Additionally, two traditional wells in Mpungu constituency have been upgraded to relieve communities grappling with these persistent challenges. Speaking at a Swapo rally in Mupini over the weekend, Mbumba highlighted the party's efforts to improve living conditions in the region, one of the country’s youngest regions. Deadly consequences In the Zambezi Region’s Judea Lyaboloma constituency, over 20 people reportedly died this year while fetching water from high-risk wildlife areas. Mashi conservancy manager Richard Mukube confirmed that residents are being forced to fetch water at crocodile- and hippo-inhabited rivers due to the lack of boreholes and pipelines. "Without safe water sources, people risk their lives daily," constituency councillor Humphrey Divai said, citing encounters with elephants and hippos as common threats. "If we had boreholes and proper pipelines, people wouldn’t have to risk their lives by going to the river," he said.