Lukas S. Mbangula
Spatial analysis could be the solution for Namibia’s Cuvelai-Etosha Basin inhabitants who are frequently affected by the floodwater from Angola.
The current flood wave reported in the northern part of Namibia was observed more than a decade ago, when close to 65 000 inhabitants of the three northern regions were affected. The 2008 flood destroyed crop fields for subsistence farmers, infrastructure damage and loss of lives due to drowning.
People relocated to higher grounds and public institutions were closed and eroded by floodwater from the Cuvelai River in Angola. It is evident, most inhabitants in the northern regions and public infrastructure are settling and situated in the low-lying terrains of the renowned Cuvelai basin – a stretch of +- 450km wetland shared by Namibia and Angola.
It is on the above grounds that spatial analysis is crucial for human settlement and infrastructure development in the three northern regions of Namibia namely: Ohangwena, Oshana and Omusati. Spatial analysis guides urban and rural planners in suggesting habitable land for human settlement and infrastructure development.
Human settlement in this scenario refers to a cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live. For this purpose, people claim land and erect houses and other structures and proclaim this as their economic support base.
It is for this reason that most Cuvelai basin inhabitants suffer due to poor or no spatial analysis conducted before occupation. When flood water strikes, it destroys the economic bases of individuals who have settled in and within the floodplain.
This problem is mostly observed in urban areas such as Oshakati where inhabitants of locations such as Oshakati-Ehenye, Onawa and Kandjengedi are settling in the middle of the Cuvelai flood plains and suffering the flood effects.
There is a need to map out flood zone areas to avoid communities settling on and investing their resources on wetland. This can be achieved through stakeholders’ collaboration on long-term natural disaster risk management.
The Namibia Statistics Agency, being the custodian of geospatial information, in collaboration with other stakeholders, can roll out a flood risk mapping in low-lying areas of the Cuvelai basin, share the flood hazard zoning maps with affected traditional and local authorities who are the primary allocators of land.
The flood hazard maps and markings on the ground can aid in setting off triggers to land allocators against human settlement and as a result, land allocators take accountability which prompts them to establish reprimands and restrictive policies against illegal occupation on flood hazard zones as well as considering spatial planning before allocating land for habitation within the wetland.
Public awareness campaign and setting up warning apparatus is important for this exercise; hence mapping must be complimented with information sharing on land uses vs water courses to sensitise the public and institutions on the danger of settling in the low laying areas.
Spatial planning is essential for delivering economic, social and environmental benefits by creating more stable and predictable conditions for investment and development, henceforth securing community benefits from development as well as promoting prudent land use and natural resources for development.
Local and traditional authorities’ reluctance to emphasise the critical need for spatial planning before individuals settle on the land is putting the socio-spatial activities and rural livelihood into jeopardy when natural disasters occur.
In a nutshell, spatial analysis for Cuvelai-Etosha Basin is essential for land allocators and planners to steer development with water in mind, hence the critical need for geospatial experts on board.
* Lukas S. Mbangula is a holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Land Administration, he is currently a BCom Law student at Stadio University and he has a keen interest in land law and spatial planning. You can get hold of him on smithluks92.8@gmail.com