NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-07-22Drought relief delays worry governors
SHINOVENE IMMANUEL and NDANKI KAHIURIKA
VARIOUS regional governors have described the drought relief programme as lagging “behind schedule” as some fear that food is not getting to the intended beneficiaries who are in dire need while the supply of water has also been delayed.
Comments from the regional leaders come a few days after Unicef appealed to intentional donors for about N$217 million to support people affected by the ongoing drought in Namibia and Angola.
Kavango governor Samuel Mbambo yesterday told The Namibian that they have two drought relief programmes, namely that of those “severely affected” and the annual drought programme.
According to him, the relief programme of those “severely affected” has not been rolled out on time as they faced logistical problems during the registration process.
“We also encountered transport problems as there were not enough vehicles. We could not reach the people as quickly as we wanted to,” Mbambo said.
He said there is also a delay in the school feeding programme, which had resulted into some pupils skipping school.
He said the companies assigned that tender only started distributing food to schools this month whereas they were supposed to start doing so in April.
“There was absenteeism in some schools because of the lack of food” the governor.
Kavango Region has an estimated population of about 220 000.
Mbambo said the delays were also caused by companies that took on many drought relief programmes and thus slowing down the provision of water.
Due to that, the ministry is now working on a way to limit companies to only working in a maximum of two regions in order to speed up the process.
The government last month announced a N$218 million plan which included paying farmers incentives to sell their livestock, lease grazing land and drill more than 200 boreholes.
The governor of Ohangwena Region Usko Nghaamwa says people are getting the food, however it is not enough. He also said there the progress of drilling boreholes in Namibia’s second populous region was slow.
Nghaamwa said there were fears of diseases as people had resorted to drinking water that is not fit for human consumption. Nghaamwa said they have thus provided chemicals to schools for them to treat the water before drinking.
Like his counterpart in Kavango, Nghaamwa whose region has an estimated population of 245 000, said they have also encountered transport problems.
Governor of Karas Bernadus Swartbooi said the food has been distributed as planned, adding that they are now waiting for the ministry of environment and tourism to approve hunting trips in order to supplement the 40 000 maize meal per constituency given to them by central government.
Swartbooi said the only concern reported so far is from sheep farmers.
He joined the national farmers union in urging government to open the borders to South Africa for more on-the-hoof exports as the small stock scheme is disadvantaging communal farmers.
“They [sheep farmers] now have to sell to the country’s abbatoirs who pay them pittance in comparison with what they used to get from exports,” Swartbooi.
He added that people feel exploited by the abbatoirs who allegedly pay them less than they ought to because they cannot export the animals.
The Governor of Oshana Clemens Kashuupulwa said the most prevalent problem in the region is the lack of water. He said government has made available N$1,6 million to channel water from Ruacana Falls.
Kashuupulwa said farmers have also briefed him over dissatisfaction over their livestock which is sold at low rates.
“They also have to walk long distance for water as the dfams are dry. Grazing is also a problem,” he said.
Among the concerns singled about by the farmers’ union in the Northern Communal Areas is that they have not “received any penny so far” of the subsidies the government promised them.
“We hope to avoid malnutrition,” Kashuupulwa said.
Governor of Otjozondjupa Samuel Nuuyoma says he has not received complaints from farmers with regards to the drought relief and maintains that restoration of boreholes is still underway.
Unicef says although the emergency is in its early stages, it is expected to deteriorate and urgent assistance is needed to support affected populations particularly women and children, to avert a nutritional and health crisis in Namibia and Angola.
According to Unicef, there are more than 778 000 people affected including 109 000 children under five at risk of malnutrition in Namibia.
VARIOUS regional governors have described the drought relief programme as lagging “behind schedule” as some fear that food is not getting to the intended beneficiaries who are in dire need while the supply of water has also been delayed.
Comments from the regional leaders come a few days after Unicef appealed to intentional donors for about N$217 million to support people affected by the ongoing drought in Namibia and Angola.
Kavango governor Samuel Mbambo yesterday told The Namibian that they have two drought relief programmes, namely that of those “severely affected” and the annual drought programme.
According to him, the relief programme of those “severely affected” has not been rolled out on time as they faced logistical problems during the registration process.
“We also encountered transport problems as there were not enough vehicles. We could not reach the people as quickly as we wanted to,” Mbambo said.
He said there is also a delay in the school feeding programme, which had resulted into some pupils skipping school.
He said the companies assigned that tender only started distributing food to schools this month whereas they were supposed to start doing so in April.
“There was absenteeism in some schools because of the lack of food” the governor.
Kavango Region has an estimated population of about 220 000.
Mbambo said the delays were also caused by companies that took on many drought relief programmes and thus slowing down the provision of water.
Due to that, the ministry is now working on a way to limit companies to only working in a maximum of two regions in order to speed up the process.
The government last month announced a N$218 million plan which included paying farmers incentives to sell their livestock, lease grazing land and drill more than 200 boreholes.
The governor of Ohangwena Region Usko Nghaamwa says people are getting the food, however it is not enough. He also said there the progress of drilling boreholes in Namibia’s second populous region was slow.
Nghaamwa said there were fears of diseases as people had resorted to drinking water that is not fit for human consumption. Nghaamwa said they have thus provided chemicals to schools for them to treat the water before drinking.
Like his counterpart in Kavango, Nghaamwa whose region has an estimated population of 245 000, said they have also encountered transport problems.
Governor of Karas Bernadus Swartbooi said the food has been distributed as planned, adding that they are now waiting for the ministry of environment and tourism to approve hunting trips in order to supplement the 40 000 maize meal per constituency given to them by central government.
Swartbooi said the only concern reported so far is from sheep farmers.
He joined the national farmers union in urging government to open the borders to South Africa for more on-the-hoof exports as the small stock scheme is disadvantaging communal farmers.
“They [sheep farmers] now have to sell to the country’s abbatoirs who pay them pittance in comparison with what they used to get from exports,” Swartbooi.
He added that people feel exploited by the abbatoirs who allegedly pay them less than they ought to because they cannot export the animals.
The Governor of Oshana Clemens Kashuupulwa said the most prevalent problem in the region is the lack of water. He said government has made available N$1,6 million to channel water from Ruacana Falls.
Kashuupulwa said farmers have also briefed him over dissatisfaction over their livestock which is sold at low rates.
“They also have to walk long distance for water as the dfams are dry. Grazing is also a problem,” he said.
Among the concerns singled about by the farmers’ union in the Northern Communal Areas is that they have not “received any penny so far” of the subsidies the government promised them.
“We hope to avoid malnutrition,” Kashuupulwa said.
Governor of Otjozondjupa Samuel Nuuyoma says he has not received complaints from farmers with regards to the drought relief and maintains that restoration of boreholes is still underway.
Unicef says although the emergency is in its early stages, it is expected to deteriorate and urgent assistance is needed to support affected populations particularly women and children, to avert a nutritional and health crisis in Namibia and Angola.
According to Unicef, there are more than 778 000 people affected including 109 000 children under five at risk of malnutrition in Namibia.
