OSHAKATI – Despite receiving good rainfall this year, most of the rainwater in northern Namibia has gone to waste, leaving livestock farmers concerned about future droughts.
Farmers in the northern regions, particularly those without sufficient earth dams, said while their livestock often suffer from thirst during dry spells, the recent heavy rains have not been adequately harvested.
Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare acknowledged that some water had been captured in earth dams in regions like Oshana and Oshikoto.
These dams have infrastructure specifically built for rainwater harvesting.
“Some regions, like Oshana and Oshikoto, have earth dams constructed purposely to harvest water, so the rainwater has not gone to waste,” he said.
However, livestock farmer Malakia Shigwedha from Ogongo in the Omusati region expressed disappointment.
He said the government should have planned better, especially after witnessing cattle dying of thirst in previous years.
“The government should have prepared in advance. We lost a lot of cattle before, and now they are letting water go to waste,” he stressed. Another farmer, Simson Shitaatala, said more earth dams should have been constructed to save the rainwater.
“We have suffered enough. In times of drought, we lose livestock. Now, they are wasting water. We need enough earth dams to avoid repeating past mistakes,” he said.
Omusati governor Erginus Endjala confirmed that a significant amount of water has been wasted due to a lack of adequate earth dams in the region.
“Most of the water has gone to waste. We don’t have enough earth dams. It’s a serious challenge we need to address,” he stated.
He noted that the region will prioritise earth dam construction in future budgets.
Ohangwena governor Sebastian Ndeitunga said plans to improve water harvesting include building dams at flood-prone areas near the Angolan border to capture water effectively.
“We need earth dams positioned at flood entrances and interconnected to manage water flow efficiently,” he said.
That way, houses and crop fields will no longer be flooded.
In addition, there will be no more closure of schools due to floods, as a lot of water will have been captured.
Oshana governor Elia Irimari noted that while the region has some earth dams, more efforts are needed to maximise water harvesting.
Oshana Regional Council chairperson Andreas Uutoni pointed out that the region has made some progress by constructing earth dams in almost every constituency, but continuous efforts are essential.
The ministry of agriculture has allocated N$17.5 million for earth dam projects in the 2023/2024 financial year to reduce water wastage and enhance drought preparedness.
Despite these efforts, farmers are calling for more proactive measures to ensure valuable rainwater is not lost, especially as the threat of future drought looms.