• LINEA DISHENABROKEN recreational equipment at the Zoo Park playground in the capital’s central business district has become a safety risk for children.
The playground, which was once a haven where children played happily and safely, is now in a dilapidated state as most of the equipment is abandoned and in disrepair.
Several swings at the playground are broken, with sharp ends exposed, posing a serious risk of injury to the many children who still use them. The merry-go-round is stuck, and next to the rocking horse lie exposed electricity cables on which children can easily trip and fall.
In an interview with Nampa recently, City of Windhoek public relations officer Lydia Amutenya said city officials are aware of the poor state of the Zoo Park playground, and have budgeted N$300 000 to revamp the entire park, including the playground equipment, irrigation system and connection of the semi-purified water system.
The rehabilitation of the park started at the beginning of September this year.
Zoo Park, which has been a focal place for social life in the city, has also lost much of its attractive botanical features as a result of the restrictions on water usage brought about to mitigate the impact of the devastating droughts of recent years.
Amutenya explained that the city could not maintain the lawn during last year’s drought, as there was a restriction on watering gardens.
“We issued a directive for the public not to water their gardens, so we could not break our own order and continue irrigating the Zoo Park lawn as a severe drought had hit the country,” she said.
Amutenya added that the parks division is currently working with the bulk water supply department to connect pipes for semi-purified water from the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant to the park.
“The semi-purified water will help to maintain the park, even during droughts,” she noted.
– Nampa
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