Minister rides into Mariental on a wave of reassurances

MINISTER of Agriculture, Dr Nickey Iyambo, yesterday visited the southern town of Mariental to address members of the business and farming community on their fears of another devastating flood.

The last flood at the town occurred in February 2006, and insurance companies subsequently indicated that they would no longer insure any property in the flood-prone western part of the town. About 80 per cent of Mariental’s businesses are in the western part, which found itself under water two years ago.The insurance industry received claims for damages in excess of N$30 million.Six years before that, in the year 2000, a flood caused losses of about N$20 million.Iyambo yesterday said Government and the insurance companies had not yet been able to reach common ground on the insurance question.Participants at yesterday’s meeting heard that, should Government decide to get involved in insurance at Mariental, it would have to do the same in other flood zones, such as the northern regions.”This will take a lot more time as it would call for a national disaster fund to be established,” one of the participants, representing the insurance industry, commented in support of the Minister’s statement.Iyambo said a deliberate decision had been made to keep the Hardap Dam at less than 70 per cent of its capacity to minimise the risk of flooding Mariental, and to prevent damage to the dam.NamWater has opened and closed the sluices of the dam, situated just outside the town, sporadically this week.Yesterday, the sluices were opened at around 06h00, and were expected to be closed again late in the afternoon.The dam level was said to be 70,4 per cent yesterday morning.On Tuesday, the sluices were closed after being opened on Saturday evening, when rains in the dam’s catchment area raised its level to 71.8 per cent.Iyambo said the community would be informed each time the sluices were to be opened in order to allow enough time for evacuation, in case of flooding.He said monitoring the situation was much better this time around, as more monitoring stations had been established since the 2006 flood.Iyambo told participants at yesterday’s meeting that it had already been noted at the establishment of the town in the 1920s that the western part of Mariental was a flood-prone area.”But because many years passed without flooding, people thought that times had changed.I’m not saying you must be blamed for putting your businesses there,” he said, adding that, even if the dam had been empty in 2006, the damage then could not have been prevented.About 80 per cent of Mariental’s businesses are in the western part, which found itself under water two years ago. The insurance industry received claims for damages in excess of N$30 million.Six years before that, in the year 2000, a flood caused losses of about N$20 million.Iyambo yesterday said Government and the insurance companies had not yet been able to reach common ground on the insurance question.Participants at yesterday’s meeting heard that, should Government decide to get involved in insurance at Mariental, it would have to do the same in other flood zones, such as the northern regions.”This will take a lot more time as it would call for a national disaster fund to be established,” one of the participants, representing the insurance industry, commented in support of the Minister’s statement.Iyambo said a deliberate decision had been made to keep the Hardap Dam at less than 70 per cent of its capacity to minimise the risk of flooding Mariental, and to prevent damage to the dam.NamWater has opened and closed the sluices of the dam, situated just outside the town, sporadically this week.Yesterday, the sluices were opened at around 06h00, and were expected to be closed again late in the afternoon.The dam level was said to be 70,4 per cent yesterday morning.On Tuesday, the sluices were closed after being opened on Saturday evening, when rains in the dam’s catchment area raised its level to 71.8 per cent.Iyambo said the community would be informed each time the sluices were to be opened in order to allow enough time for evacuation, in case of flooding.He said monitoring the situation was much better this time around, as more monitoring stations had been established since the 2006 flood.Iyambo told participants at yesterday’s meeting that it had already been noted at the establishment of the town in the 1920s that the western part of Mariental was a flood-prone area.”But because many years passed without flooding, people thought that times had changed.I’m not saying you must be blamed for putting your businesses there,” he said, adding that, even if the dam had been empty in 2006, the damage then could not have been prevented.