Mariental fights for survival

A CRUCIAL meeting aimed at saving Mariental from becoming a ghost town is scheduled to take place in Windhoek today.

Mariental’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Nghiwilepo, told The Namibian that the meeting would be attended by the Mariental Town Council, insurance industry representatives and other key players in the continued existence of the town. The meeting was called after the Namibia Insurers’ Association (NIA) announced it had decided not to insure the town’s flood-affected areas from October 1.Nghiwilepo said the town council would only pronounce itself on the issue after today’s meeting.However, some business owners have already expressed fears that the NIA decision would result in a mass exodus from the town.”What it means is that we can just as well close down the whole town,” said one concerned resident.Mariental business owners approached by The Namibian throughout this week reserved their comments until after today’s meeting.”All I can say at this moment is that those people can salvage Mariental from total oblivion.What is the use of continuing business in Mariental or continuing to live here when your property cannot be covered?” fumed one shop owner.The NIA said it had decided not to cover any future losses resulting from flooding of properties situated downstream of the Hardap Dam and the lower Fish River.The decision follows massive flood-associated losses of more than N$100 million in the Mariental area following heavy rains at the end of February.The flooding at Mariental has been a contentious issue for years.This year alone, there have been four separate floods in the area, costing the insurance industry over three times more than previous claims.NIA said increased catastrophes worldwide (including Namibia) were pushing up reinsurance premiums and this in turn affected insurance premiums, making it more expensive for many clients not affected by a specific catastrophe.In addition, reinsurers were reluctant to provide cover for recurring events such as the Mariental floods.Debates have raged in the print media as to who was to blame for the flooding, but the issue remains unresolved.While one group felt that the Mariental Municipality was wrong in selling residential plots in the flood area, another argued that reeds and other plants in the riverbed blocked the flow of the water and thus led to flooding.The Government, Mariental Municipality and farmers had several meetings to discuss action plans to prevent flooding in future.However, the NIA said there was no quick solution to the problem and floods in Mariental and along the Fish River downstream of the Hardap Dam remained inevitable.The meeting was called after the Namibia Insurers’ Association (NIA) announced it had decided not to insure the town’s flood-affected areas from October 1.Nghiwilepo said the town council would only pronounce itself on the issue after today’s meeting.However, some business owners have already expressed fears that the NIA decision would result in a mass exodus from the town.”What it means is that we can just as well close down the whole town,” said one concerned resident.Mariental business owners approached by The Namibian throughout this week reserved their comments until after today’s meeting.”All I can say at this moment is that those people can salvage Mariental from total oblivion.What is the use of continuing business in Mariental or continuing to live here when your property cannot be covered?” fumed one shop owner.The NIA said it had decided not to cover any future losses resulting from flooding of properties situated downstream of the Hardap Dam and the lower Fish River.The decision follows massive flood-associated losses of more than N$100 million in the Mariental area following heavy rains at the end of February.The flooding at Mariental has been a contentious issue for years.This year alone, there have been four separate floods in the area, costing the insurance industry over three times more than previous claims. NIA said increased catastrophes worldwide (including Namibia) were pushing up reinsurance premiums and this in turn affected insurance premiums, making it more expensive for many clients not affected by a specific catastrophe.In addition, reinsurers were reluctant to provide cover for recurring events such as the Mariental floods.Debates have raged in the print media as to who was to blame for the flooding, but the issue remains unresolved.While one group felt that the Mariental Municipality was wrong in selling residential plots in the flood area, another argued that reeds and other plants in the riverbed blocked the flow of the water and thus led to flooding.The Government, Mariental Municipality and farmers had several meetings to discuss action plans to prevent flooding in future.However, the NIA said there was no quick solution to the problem and floods in Mariental and along the Fish River downstream of the Hardap Dam remained inevitable.