Kamanjab councillor warns children against swimming in ponds

KAMANJAB constituency councillor Nico Somaeb has appealed to parents to discourage their children from swimming in ponds on the Ourab riverbed.

Last October, an 11-year-old boy drowned in a sewage pond after he went swimming with other children. Last year’s drowning incident was not the first, as a teenage girl drowned in a pond in the late 1990s.

Somaeb told The Namibian on Monday that the pipes carrying sewage to the sewage dams were fixed, however, children swim in the ponds at Ourab River at the village.

“Although the situation with the sewage dam was fixed, children still swim in ponds in the Ourab River,” said Somaeb, urging parents to speak to the children about the dangers of using in such places.

The councillor also raised concern about some residents who dig holes in the Ourab riverbed for water.

“Please do not dig holes as the holes endanger the lives of others.”

The villagers dig the holes in search of water for the livestock although they have water taps inside their yards as well as communal prepaid taps.

Boreholes near Ourab River were sealed off, as they were open and had become a risk to the children and livestock, The Namibian was informed.