Editing Namibia (section)

===Water supply and sanitation===
{{Main|Water supply and sanitation in Namibia}}
The only bulk water supplier in Namibia is [[NamWater]], which sells it to the respective municipalities which in turn deliver it through their reticulation networks.<ref name=":0" /> In rural areas, the directorate of Rural Water Supply in the [[Ministry of Agriculture (Namibia)|Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform]] is in charge of drinking water supply.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Ebbing Water, Surging Deficits: Urban Water Supply in Sub-Saharan Africa|last=Banerjee|first=Sudeshna|publisher=The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank|year=2009|location=Washington, DC|url=http://www.infrastructureafrica.org/aicd/system/files/BP12_Water_sect_maintxt_new.pdf|access-date=26 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304031237/http://www.infrastructureafrica.org/aicd/system/files/BP12_Water_sect_maintxt_new.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2012}}</ref>

The [[United Nations|UN]] evaluated in 2011 that Namibia has improved its water access network significantly since independence in 1990. A large part of the population can not, however, make use of these resources due to the prohibitively high consumption cost and the long distance between residences and water points in rural areas.<ref name=":0" /> As a result, many Namibians prefer the traditional wells over the available water points far away.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/july/article/red-alert-on-sanitation-and-safe-drinking-water/|title=Red alert on sanitation and safe drinking water|last=Smith|first=Jana–Mari|date=12 July 2011|work=[[The Namibian]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531123557/http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/july/article/red-alert-on-sanitation-and-safe-drinking-water/|archive-date=31 May 2012}}</ref>

Compared to the efforts made to improve access to safe water, Namibia is lagging behind in the provision of adequate sanitation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?Cr1=&NewsID=39000&Cr=sanitaition|title=Independent UN expert urges Namibia to expand access to sanitation services|date=11 July 2011|work=UN News Centre|publisher=[[United Nations]] News service|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=26 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826235836/https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?Cr1=&NewsID=39000&Cr=sanitaition|url-status=live}}</ref> This includes 298 schools that have no toilet facilities.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=11284&page_type=story_detail&category_id=1|title=More than 1 million Namibians defecate in open|last=Tjihenuna|first=Theresia|date=2 April 2014|work=[[The Namibian]]|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407103151/http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=11284&page_type=story_detail&category_id=1|archive-date=7 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Over 50% of child deaths are related to lack of water, sanitation, or hygiene; 23% are due to diarrhea alone. The UN has identified a "sanitation crisis" in the country.<ref name=":1" />

Apart from residences for upper and middle class households, sanitation is insufficient in most residential areas. Private flush toilets are too expensive for virtually all residents in [[township]]s due to their water consumption and installation cost. As a result, access to [[improved sanitation]] has not increased much since independence: in Namibia's rural areas 13% of the population had more than basic sanitation, up from 8% in 1990. Many of Namibia's inhabitants have to resort to "flying toilets", plastic bags to defecate into, which after use are flung into the bush.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=42630&no_cache=1|title=Namibia is lagging behind on sanitation|last=Cloete|first=Luqman|date=28 April 2008|work=[[The Namibian]]|access-date=14 September 2015|archive-date=1 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101084531/http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=42630&no_cache=1|url-status=live}}</ref> The use of open areas close to residential land for urination and defecation is very common<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.drfn.info/docs/water/cuve_7_deffner.pdf|title=Participatory empirical research on water and sanitation demand in central northern Namibia: A method for technology development with a user perspective|last1=Deffner|first1=Jutta|date=September 2010|journal=CuveWaters Papers|last2=Mazambani|first2=Clarence|location=Frankfurt (Main)|publisher=Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE)|volume=7|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322212906/http://www.drfn.info/docs/water/cuve_7_deffner.pdf|archive-date=22 March 2012|access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> and has been identified as a major [[Health in Namibia|health hazard]].<ref name=":2" />