Namibia: Heavy Rains Bring Misery

Whereas many Namibians possess eminent the latest lawful rains, Natalia Jonas (29) awakened with soaking wet blankets the day previous to this morning, after her shack changed into once flooded on Sunday.

She is realizing of as one of many residents from Otjomuise 8ste Laan in Windhoek who possess been left stranded after heavy rains broken their shacks.

Jonas has been living in the dwelling for five years.

“I essentially possess a three-year-frail child. If it starts raining in the evening, we are in a position to possess nowhere to head but to sleep in the water and presumably drown.

“My mattress, paperwork… all the pieces is destroyed by the rain, I essentially don’t possess anything else left.”

No subject drawing near the municipality about the subject, Jonas says residents in the dwelling possess got no attend.

“Now we possess community leaders who talked about the Metropolis of Windhoek is aware of about this but unexcited there isn’t any longer any longer any enchancment, year in year out we now possess got the same difficulty.”

“We slept in wet blankets because we’re conclude to the riverbed. We desire attend, presumably to be moved somewhere safer,” says Eli Ugwanga (38).

Whereas striking her wet blankets out to dry, Ugwanga explains that people serve themselves out in the starting up ensuing from an absence of bogs in the dwelling, and when it rains it is miles unhealthy.

“About a of our children did no longer slip to varsity at the present time because their uniforms possess been wet. Any other folks’s paperwork possess been destroyed.”

Resident Lukas Shivaku (28) changed into once greatly surprised to come dwelling and procure his shack fleshy of water.

“Or no longer it is miles no longer any longer trim water, it changed into once soiled water from the streets and the total drains nearby.

“Right here’s no longer wholesome for us.”

Shivaku changed into once making ready for tests and changed into once devastated at shedding his paperwork and textbooks.

“I came all over my books floating in the water. This also can very smartly be costly for me to hold the books again.”

For now, Shivaku desires to determine repair his shack and change his textbooks, whereas Johanes Heita (27) would no longer even know what to total next.

“We desire to be relocated somewhere better, where our issues is doubtlessly no longer destroyed.

“About a of our belongings went with the water when it changed into once flowing to the valley. We lost our pots, paperwork and various crucial issues,” Heita says.

Neighborhood leader Liu Mushongo says the subject will absolutely safe worse when it rains again, and there is itsy-bitsy they would possibly be able to discontinue about it.

“The municipality is aware of about this, we now possess got been reporting it for years but there isn’t any longer any enchancment.”

On the opposite hand, Mushongo adds that after residents are moved by the municipality, assorted other folks will put in the same region.

“Closing year, residents possess been moved but assorted other folks unexcited got here to put their homes. What can I discontinue now? We discontinue no longer possess the energy to transfer other folks, it be the municipality.”

The executive of emergency and catastrophe possibility administration at the Metropolis of Windhoek, Raymond Kapiya, says shacks in threat zones desire to be relocated.

“The emergency staff assisted residents the day previous to this but our purpose is to set lives, lives are more mportant than property.

“They’re all informal dwellers who’re settled here illegally,” Kapiya says.

The municipality has been engaged in assessments to resolve who also can furthermore be relocated since excellent year.

“Relocation would no longer happen in a day but that is prompt,” says Kapiya.