All 96 hikers stranded in the Fish River Canyon since Sunday have been rescued after overflowing dams caused dangerous water levels downstream.
||Kharas regional police commander commissioner Marius Katamila yesterday said the police have successfully completed the rescue mission, with the last 28 hikers airlifted by 17h00.
The hikers were part of Namibia Wildlife Resorts’ annual winter Fish River Canyon hike and became trapped after heavy rains filled the Naute Dam beyond capacity, forcing NamWater to open its sluice gates.
Katamila said 10 hikers walked out of the canyon by themselves on Sunday, while another 18 reached exit points by themselves yesterday.
He said a helicopter was dispatched from Windhoek on Sunday to reinforce the rescue mission.
“As we are speaking right now, pilots are refuelling to go back and rescue more hikers.
We have made considerable progress today and hope to be able to reach everyone that is remaining today still.
Those that we can not reach today will be reached tomorrow as the rescue mission will continue,” Katamila said yesterday before all the hikers were rescued.
He said rescue teams, fuel supplies and reserve forces were deployed to Hobas and Ai-Ais to support the evacuation.
The Fish River hiking trail is a renowned 85km to 86km, four- to five-day backpacking route through Africa’s largest canyon.
The hike can only be undertaken by physically fit people.
No facilities are available, and hikers are required to carry everything they need and find whatever water they can in semi-permanent pools.
Hiking starts from the Hobas Lodge to Ai-Ais and is open from May to September.
Katamila yesterday said those rescued have not shown any signs of injury but are slightly traumatised.
“Rescue teams have not reported any injuries, neither deaths, but medical support is on standby,” he said.
The canyon’s water levels began rising after the sluice gates of Naute Dam were opened on Sunday when the reservoir surpassed 100% capacity.
The Neckartal Dam also began spilling about 870 cubic metres on Sunday after its capacity reached 105%.
NamWater yesterday confirmed that rainfall experienced in the Hardap and ||Kharas regions over the weekend pushed the Naute Dam to 116.9% capacity.
Additionally, the nearby Neckartal Dam reached 105.7% capacity and began spilling huge volumes of water into the canyon.
The rainfall also brought renewed flow to other rivers, including the Tsondab and Holoog rivers.
NamWater issued a warning when the dam level reached 117.3% by 08h00 on Sunday morning and announced that controlled water releases would start from the Naute Dam with sluice gates opened to 0.9m.
The water utility announced that water would be released at a rate of 102 m³/s and would continue until the dam reaches 105%.
“The controlled releases are being carried out to maintain safe operating levels and manage the increased water volume.
We advise communities and stakeholders located downstream of the dam to exercise caution and take precautionary measures due to the expected increase in water flow,” NamWater said on Sunday.
Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) on Sunday announced the temporary closure of the Fish River Canyon hiking trail due to rising river levels.
NWR postponed the opening of the hiking season for safety reasons in May this year
