Namibia declares state of emergency after historic flooding
JOHANNESBURG, 1 April 2011 (IRIN) – Namibia has declared a state of emergency in response to widescale flooding in the north that has claimed 62 lives since January 2011. “The most severe flooding is occurring in the regions of Oshana, Ohangwena, Omusati and Oshikoto, which form the Cuvelai Basin,” said a situation report by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator on 30 March 2011. The Cuvelai Basin, in northern Namibia, is one of the country’s most densely populated regions, as well as one of its poorest. “However, surrounding areas are also being affected, specifically Caprivi and Kavango. An estimated 62 people have died. In Oshakati town, in Oshana region, an estimated 5,000 people are already being housed in relocation sites, and this number is increasing,” the report noted. “Following weeks of heavy rain, water levels in northern Namibia are already 30cm to 40cm higher than they were in 2009, when a flood emergency was also declared.” The Namibia Meteorological Service has forecast more rain for the central and northern parts of the country next week, and the situation is expected to be compounded by “a new flood wave” approaching the Cuvelai Basin, beginning on 1 April. …
