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Close to 300, 000 population affected by floods in the Northern region of Namibia Namibia has been hit by yet another devastating flood that have left close to 300, 000 people affected in the north and north eastern regions. This is a second year these regions are experiencing flooding with the most recent being 2008 flood disaster. The current flood is one of the worst such disasters in recent memory. The Namibian government yesterday (17 March) has declared a state of emergency in the flood-stricken regions. President Hifikepunye Pohamba has directed the Office of the Prime Minister and other stakeholders to work closely with regional and local authorities to ensure timely delivery of all emergency suppliers. He also calls on international community for assistance to support the Namibian government to mitigate the impact of the natural disaster. Since the start of 2009, the Northern regions, particularly those traversed by the Cuvelai basins which are Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto have experienced incessant torrential rains and high water flows arising from Angola severe flooding. The floods have caused extensive destructions to homes, schools, health facilities, mahangu and maize fields, businesses as well as economic infrastructures. It has also affected economic activities negatively. The floods have also caused a set-back to Government efforts to strengthen food security by assisting subsistence farmers to produce more staple food. The severe flood in the affected areas have not only destroyed crops, they have damaged and washed away food reserves on which the rural populations rely. To make matter worse, wide-spread crop failures are expected in the current planting season. Many crop fields in the Caprivi, Kavango, Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshana regions are submerged. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the size of land under cultivation. Unlike the 2008 floods that had a rapid onset, the 2009 floods have been unfolding much slower comparatively yet widely believed to be more devastating due to the fact that human suffering is prolonged when a disaster occurs in such a manner. Furthermore, the current floods have extensively damaged roads and bridges which were being repaired from the 2008 flood impact. About 85 per cent of gravel roads in the affected areas have been damaged and many more are impassable. Several areas have not been able to be reached as a result of roads being washed away. Shopping centres has been virtually impossible. Access to schools has been significantly reduced because of the flooding and the high water flows in the Oshanas. So far about 218 schools have been closed, thus disrupting education for more than 100 thousand learners. The current flooding has significantly reduced access to health facilities and people have also died because they could not be reached when they were sick. As people struggle to cross the flooded Oshanas in order to meet their immediate family needs, drowning has been on an increase comparatively. The Namibian Newspaper have recently reported that at least 92 people have drowned in Northern Namibia since the start of the rainy season in December and these statistics are based on the number of drowning victims received by the Oshakati Police mortuary from December 11 to March 10. The bodies have been sent from the four northern regions. Local authorities have been using the few available defence and police helicopters to rescue those in dangerous situations. People have relocated to higher grounds and others are still surrounded by water making the situation more difficult. It is also not easy for the police in all four regions to cross the oshanas to collect the bodies of those who have drowned or died of other unnatural deaths. For communities who are surrounded by water at this stage, are only accessible by helicopters. The same helicopters are being used to provide mobile clinics and distribute ARV medication to HIV patients. The flood disaster made it difficult for most HIV-positive patients to reach health centres to reach their medication. It has also disrupted access to the provision of social grants to the elderly and service as immunisation. Hundred people have lost their possessions, homes, livestock and fields and will have to begin their lives from scratch when the flood water recedes. Flooding has caused some housing to be inaccessible while in other houses are completely inundated. Subsequently, displaced families have been forced to move to temporal relocation camps. Since the numbers of people registered at relocation camps are increasing on the daily basis, the local authorities have reported for additional emergency supplies such as tents, food and non food items, water purification tablets, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets and cooking facilities. However, although heavily affected, most rural families are reluctant to relocate for fear of their properties such as crop fields and livestock. Therefore most of those completely displaced would rather shift to home of their relatives less affected. It is for this reason that numbers in relocation camps particularly in Ohangwena and Omusati are relatively lower than Oshana which is highly urbanized. As far as livestock is concerned, at the start of the season, the livestock conditions were very good due to timely pastures. However, presently livestock farmers are worried of disease outbreak endemic during the first quarter of the year and the fact that most pastures are still inundated while wet conditions in the kraals force livestock to roam the tarmac where they risk being killed by motorists. As such, most farmers believe that the impact of 2008 floods plus the current water logging will further weaken their coping capacity and resilience to recover from the cumulative impacts of the floods. Some food stocks held in granaries were reported to have been inundated further weakening capacities to supply food to families by the majority. Flooding has had a very huge impact on the sewerage system of most towns in the affected regions. For example in Ondangwa, there are reports of the oxidation ponds overflowing into the rain waters causing a serious threat to the communities downstream where this water is being used for household purposes. Access to clean water is a challenge in most camps as people draw their drinking water from flooded ponds near the camps. Another serious concern is that toilets and bathroom facilities are inadequate to support the total population in the camps while the people are not observing as the surrounding areas are littered with dirt. When nature calls, people help themselves in the nearby bushes which are unhealthy situation because when it rains the dirt and faeces is washed back to the tents. With high levels of flood water in the oshanas and surrounding areas, health authorities are concerned that there may be an increase in malaria infections. Kunene region reported an outbreak of cholera in Okanguati and Opuwo areas. The Ministry of Health reported 143 cases out of which 9 were confirmed cholera. The current flood situation will be exacerbated by the additional flood waters from Southern Angola and this will require a more urgent multi-sectoral response.
Figure 1: Water levels at Oshakati
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Figure 2: Road Networks flooded:
