RUNDU – Employees at the government’s Sikondo irrigation project on Saturday battled a mysterious fire that caused substantial damage to the facility. The damage is estimated at about N$600 000.
The fire was reported to have been noticed by workers when they saw smoke at 15h52.
The Sikondo green scheme project is 10km west of Rundu in the Kavango West region.
“Unknown suspects set fire to the irrigation green scheme and caused damages to some government properties,” said Kavango West police commander, Commissioner Josephat Abel, who said the police are investigating the source of the fire.
The inferno damaged micro sprinklers, a 5 000 litre water tank, a pivot and electrical cables and further burnt micro-irrigation pipes, among others.
Mutero Joseph Songora from Sikondo, assisted the police in recording the damage the fire caused to the project.
The blaze is said to have started at the section, which is not being used for cultivation and the wind caused it to move fast amidst the dry grass through the medium-scale farmers’ section.
Fortunately, with the help of the community and the Rundu Town Council fire department who were called in to assist in putting out the fire, it was eventually contained before it could spread further and cause more damage.
In August 2018, the project suffered the same fate when a mysterious fire caused damage estimated at N$350 000.