ABOUT 66 families in the Kavango Region were evacuated to higher ground on Friday after their homesteads were flooded by the rising level of the Kavango River.
Kavango Governor John Thighuru told The Namibian late on Friday afternoon that some tourist lodges on the riverbanks, such as Hakusembe Lodge and Sarasungu Lodge, were also flooded.Thighuru said the Shipapo wa Mbambangandu fish farm near Rundu was also flooded. The Chief Hydrologist in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Guido van Langenhove, said the level of the Kavango River at Rundu stood at 8,3 metres on Saturday.Van Langenhove said the Zambezi River at Katima Mulilo stood at 6 metres and was heading for the seven-metre mark. In 2007, it reached 7,23 m. Thighuru said unlike last year when only some areas were flooded, this time around it is the whole region. He said close to 20 mahangu fields have been flooded in the region, with Sikondo village the most affected.People at Sikondo have been moved to higher ground at the same village, where 52 tents have been erected for them. The flood victims have been given 61 mosquito nets, 124 stoves and paraffin and a bag of maize meal per family. In addition, NamWater has provided them with two water tanks of 10 000 litres each, while the Directorate of Rural Water Supply has also given them water tanks.Thighuru said last year, a joint technical committee was set up to assess future floods in the region and Chief Alfons Kaundu was asked for a piece of land to relocate flood victims to.Meanwhile, the International Federation of the Red Cross has allocated US$124 473 from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to Namibia’s Red Cross Society to help flood victims.This is according to the Relief Web website administered by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.About 2 000 families have been hit by floods due to heavy rains, with the northern regions of Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto the most affected. The Namibian Red Cross assistance will complement Government relief efforts. The relief operation will focus on the provision of temporary shelter, sanitation, water and other basic necessities at relocation camps.Northern Namibia and southern Angola have been receiving heavy rains since February, which led to localised flooding. In Angola’s Cunene province, floods have affected more than 22 000 people who are now being relocated to safe areas, according to the UN Country Team on Floods and Cholera.It says the Angolan government is also trying to repair the main road to Namibia after it was destroyed by heavy rains.
