The full Lake Oponona has given farmers in the Uuvudhiya constituency hope that their livestock will have enough water.
The assistant headman of Uuvudhiya Village A at Uuvudhiya in the Oshana region, Yapuleni Mpinge, says Lake Oponona is currently full and could provide water for at least the next three years.
Lake Oponona is a lifeline for the Uuvudhiya farming area, supplying water to thousands of livestock and helping farmers sustain their herds during periods of drought.
“Many farmers bring their livestock to Lake Oponona,” Mpinge says.
He says the lake does more than provide drinking water for animals.
Apart from water for livestock, it also provides fish and reeds for local communities.
Mpinge says the lake also has the potential to attract tourists.
He says it could be developed for recreational water sport and bird watching.
“There was an idea to establish a campsite near the lake, but there is no funding to set up such a facility,” he says.
Lake Oponona is the largest water body in the Cuvelai drainage system, which covers about 7 000 square kilometres across southern Angola and northern Namibia.
It is situated about 70km north of Etosha National Park and is the source of the Ekuma River, which flows intermittently into Etosha Pan.
Uuvudhiya Farmers Union chairperson Andreas Amakutsi says the available water should last for a long time.
He says about 300 farmers in the Uuvudhiya farming area rely on Lake Oponona.
Amakutsi says farmers, however, continue to face other challenges despite the adequate water supply.
Human-wildlife conflict and veld fires remain major concerns, he says.
“Wild animals damage some of the water points used by farmers, while predators such as lions and hyenas kill small livestock, including sheep and goats.”
