Over 40 reports of flooding received in two weeks

The City of Windhoek attended to 42 notifications of flooding from various areas of the capital between 30 December 2020 and 13 January 2021.

City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya in a media statement on Friday said requests from residents in these instances varied from pumping out water and unblocking drainage systems to clearing channels and sandbagging, as well as closing river crossings.

She said flash floods over this period damaged properties and infrastructure around the capital, but fortunately no flood-related injuries or fatalities were reported.

“The preliminary reports indicate that in Samora Machel constituency 71 households residing in informal dwellings in riverbanks were identified to be at high risk and were advised to move to higher ground. In Windhoek Rural constituency 91 informal structures were identified to be at risk of being flooded and were advised to move to higher ground,” she said.

The average rainfall from 30 December 2020 to 13 January 2021 in Windhoek was between 45mm and 60mm in short periods, which was higher than usual, causing a higher flow or overflow of water in City’s established watercourse, Amutenya added.

“It should be noted that we are still at the beginning of the rainy season and thus the exact impact and damage to residences and public infrastructure such as roads and bridges will only be known after the end of the rainy season.

The City is continually issuing flood alerts, engaging affected communities in the informal settlements to move from the riverbanks and advising residents on possible mitigation strategies they can employ to lessen the impact of the floods such as sandbagging,” Amutenya said.

– Nampa