SANDMUND – An uncontrollable fire raging at farms in the Karasberge areas of //Kharas region since last Tuesday has left little hope for the future of farmers in the area.
Pieter Ross, owner of farm Sandmund, raised the fear that most of the elderly and retired farmers of whom some lost up to 95% of their grazing, will find it very difficult to ever recover the damages incurred from the fire.
“Farming was these people’s means of survival and most of them have no back up plans to fall back on,” he said. Ross continued that with prospects of insurance companies paying out claims very low, this could have disastrous consequences for some farmers. The farmer said he lost about 80% of grazing land.
“Luckily, no loss of lives or serious injuries of those fighting the fires were reported,” he told New Era at the weekend. Ross also said their biggest challenge in efforts to bring the inferno under control is that of the winds changing directions, spreading the fire in all areas.
“This, in itself resulted that the fires we want to make in front of the raging ones as a means of stopping it to spread further serve no purpose,” he added.
Another commercial farmer, Francois van der Walt said the field fires have destroyed more than 100 000 hectares of grazing on 21 commercial farms in the Karasberge area so far.
“I lost 1 500 hectares myself whilst another guy lost 9 000 hectares from his 10 000 hectares farm, with reports of another farmer who, apart from grazing also lost his whole livestock herd,” he told New Era.
He also said his neighbour, an 80-year-old farmer, was fortunate as he (Van der Walt) prevented the fire from spreading to the elderly man’s property. “What is disheartening is that our insurance companies might not compensate us for losses incurred as most farmers do not have firebreaks, separating farms from each other in place, which is a requirement before they will consider claims,” he said. In terms of the original cause of the fires, Van der Walt said, although there are so many versions, the one of hot ash being dumped on the dumpsite of one farm with the wind igniting it and spreading the inferno seemed to be the most realistic one.
skuklowski@nepc.com.na