ONGWEDIVA - Although flooding in the northern regions has not yet reached a critical stage, governors in the northern regions have asked residents in flood-prone areas to start moving to higher ground.

On Friday, Oimbadalunga village resident Titus Noah in the Ohangwena region said he is worried that his homestead may be flooded
soon. He is thus calling on the government to assist them while it is early.

“Our children are no longer safe when going to school. Access roads have also flooded,” he noted.

Ohangwena governor Walde Ndevashiya,who visited some affected villages in the region, told New Era on Saturday that although some villages are surrounded by water, the situation has not yet reached a stage where residents will need emergency evacuation. 

However, residents need to start moving to higher ground as the situation might worsen. 

“Onghala, Oimbadalunga, Eeshoke, Ohaingu and Engela were the first villages to be affected, with Oimbadalunga already cut off from accessing services from other areas,” said Ndevashiya.

He added that water is still “moving abnormally” and residents should not wait for the situation to get worse, where they will need to be airlifted. 

The flood waters, coming from Angola, reached Namibian villages such as Omafo, Onghala, Oimbadalunga, Eeshoke, Ohaingu and Engela on Friday. 

Shoombe Nghiyolwa from Engela was among the first to witness the flood waters arriving from Angola last Friday.

 “We woke up with flooded streams; our pans were full of water. Although we heard Efundja is coming, we did not believe it,” he said.

On Saturday, Omusati governor Erginus Endjala stated that they have not yet received any news about floods in the region.

“But whenever the floods hit the Ohangwena region, there is no way Omusati will be left out,” he observed. His region is ready for any disaster that may occur, but he is also appealing to residents in flood-prone areas to vacate their places while it is early to avoid losing lives and properties. Elia Irimari, governor of Oshana, said his region is always ready for disasters, and is in a position to mitigate them.

“Oshana has equipment ready, especially for relocation purposes,” he added.

Irimari said in Oshakati, floods mostly affect Oshoopala and its surroundings. But the area has a resettlement part, where they put affected people.

For the Oshakati area, the governor said they have been engaging the Oshakati Town Council to work out a solution where water no longer affects the community.

“So far, I have not received a report on how far they have gone,” he continued.

He is thus asking community members to forward information on water movements or any situation they may find themselves in.

Irimari said flood waters bring along other elements such as snakes and related creatures, and he is therefore cautioning residents to be careful. “I am advising the community not to drink flood water without it being purified as it carries bacteria. I am also urging people in flood-prone areas to prepare and vacate the places as soon as possible,” he urged.

Northern-based hydrologist Leonard
Hango, who is also Oshakati mayor, said the Efundja has already swept into the country.

He advised residents residing in flood-prone areas to move to higher and safer grounds as soon as possible, as more floods are expected.

“There is a possibility of heavy floods as heavy rains keep falling in Angola. It is raining very heavily. The river has risen,” Hango emphasised.

He said if it continues pouring down in the southern parts of Angola, Namibia should also expect heavy floods soon. 

Last week, Hango told New Era that “timely monitoring and reporting are now difficult in the absence of a functioning hydrological flow monitoring system in place. 

“Most of the floods monitoring devices that have been erected in the streams have been damaged by the local people, which now provides a challenge to monitor the flood,” he added.

He said a lot of their systems have been damaged, such as cables being cut, batteries being removed, or solar plates being damaged and stolen by local people.

Hango promised that the ministry would keep on observing the situation on the ground, and inform the public accordingly.

Namibia normally experiences Efundja in the Cuvelai Basin across the northern regions, once the southern parts of Angola receive good rains, causing the rivers to overflow.

- vkaapanda@nepc.com