From 15 – 19 June, 2026, the WaReNam project partners of Emschergenossenschaft-Lippeverband (EGLV) and NamWater HRDC conducted a one-week training on fundamentals of wastewater treatment and water reuse in Okahandja, with practical training sessions in Windhoek.
The thirty participants from Namibian municipalities from Erongo, Khomas, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa regions as well as NamWater personnel had different experiences and skill backgrounds on water and wastewater treatment, to which the EGLV trainers Bastian Ballin and Sven Ole Gonschor catered well through adaptive and interactive theoretical and practical training programs.
The theoretical training formed the introduction into the training week. Within these sessions, the participants could deepen their knowledge on wastewater treatment through targeted sessions ranging from wastewater characteristics, preliminary and secondary treatment, activated sludge treatment, hygiene and safety standards, enriched with insights into German large-scale wastewater treatment plant operations of EGLV in western Germany. A tailored session on waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) gave the participants in-depth technical and operational knowledge on the most common wastewater treatment method in Namibia.
On Tuesday, 16 July 2026, the group visited the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant in Windhoek, which is operated by Wingoc. The team around Thomas Honer and Siegfried Müller gave the participants an introduction into the operations and use cases of direct potable reuse in Windhoek. The participants learned about the different treatment technologies, quality and safety standards and the technology involved. A guided tour around the plant made the daily operations with all the treatment steps, maintenance and control mechanisms tangible and rounded up a successful excursion to the world’s oldest direct potable reuse facility.
After the initial insights into water reuse operations at Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant, Stephan Sander (EGLV) and Sophia Keller (ISOE) conducted an interactive working session on future operator models for broad-scale water reuse in Namibia. The participants were introduced to three suggested scenarios for how responsibilities for operation and maintenance of advanced wastewater treatment and water reuse could be designed, and were asked to discuss the different options in working groups. The discussions were fruitful and provided valuable situated knowledge and first-hand insight. The findings are beneficial to the WaReNam research project and, ultimately, contribute to recommendations for the water reuse policy development in Namibia through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR).
Two days of practical training completed a successful training endeavour. Bastian Ballin and Ole Gonschor took the participants to Windhoek’s Gammams Wastewater Treatment Plant on Thursday, 18 June 2026.At Namibia’s largest municipal wastewater treatment plant, participants were able to learn about the typical treatment stages for wastewater and sludge treatment first-hand. Practical tests to determine sludge parameters and an interactive hands-on training session were conducted on site. On the final day of the training, participants gained hands-on experience in analysing key wastewater parameters.
The whole training week was perceived as huge success from both participants and WaReNam partners. It was agreed upon between EGLV and NamWater HRDC that further training activities will be conducted in the country both within the WaReNam project runtime (until June 2027) and beyond as part of their operator partnership.