||Kharas rivers flow

Major intermittent rivers in the ||Kharas region have been flowing for the past week following recent heavy rains.

Due to the downpours, several roads have been temporarily impassable.

Namibia Meteorological Service control meteorological technician Odillo Kgobetsi has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall over the interior, with a likelihood of flash floods, except in the south, for the next seven days.

“Please take the necessary precautions,” he says.

Despite heavy rains in the ||Kharas region, water resources in southern Namibia remain under pressure, with limited rainfall contributing to low dam water storage and reduced groundwater recharge.

According to Gondwana Collection Namibia, water resources in southern Namibia remain under pressure, with local dams struggling to recover despite recent rains, as only a small fraction of rainfall contributes to dam storage and groundwater recharge.

“Namibia is one of the driest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and in the south, rainfall is extremely low and unpredictable,” Gondwana says on its website, adding that annual rainfall in some southern areas ranges between about 50mm and 200mm.

Gondwana also reports high evaporation rates, reaching up to 3 000mm per year.

This means that more than 80% of rainfall is lost before it can be stored, with only a limited portion replenishing dams and aquifers.

“A large portion of the rainwater never reaches dams or groundwater systems, as it evaporates or is absorbed before it can be stored,” Gondwana says.

It says while national dam levels have improved, this does not reflect conditions in the south, warning that “water remains a scarce and precious resource, particularly in southern Namibia”.

Hardap Dam saw an inflow of 4 million cubic metres of water in 24 hours between Tuesday and yesterday morning, while Neckartal Dam is at 101.4% of its capacity.

The six dams providing water in the south of the country have overall seen significant inflows of 32 million cubic metres of water since last week.

Nevertheless, the dams are currently storing 3% less water than at the same point in 2025.

The combined levels of the Hardap, Neckartal, Naute, Oanob, Dreihuk and Bondels dams stood at 88.7% of their storage capacity on Tuesday, compared to a combined level of 91.9%, says the weekly dam bulletin of the Namibia Water Corporation that was released on Tuesday.

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