No dam respite in sight

NAMWATER’S latest and last dam bulletin of this year brought no relief to those concerned about water resources and rain in the country.

There has been no inflow into the dams at all and evaporation has taken quite a toll in just a week, when compared to the bulletin of December 7.The total water lost between December 7 and December 14, according to the bulletin, is 1,907 million cubic metres for the Windhoek area, 0,103 million cubic metres for the Gobabis area, 2,816 million cubic metres for the South – in total 4,826 million cubic metres lost. Conditions for high rates of evaporation are perfect when one considers that the air is dry and consequently ‘sucks’ up more water, the late afternoon winds act as a dispersing agent for humidity concentration at the interface between the water and the air, causing more water to evaporate and of course, the exceptionally high temperatures.At 01h30 last Monday, Keetmanshoop measured 38 degrees Celsius. The average midday temperature between Grünau and Noordoewer last Sunday was between 54 and 57 degrees in the sun.All the dams are less full than last year this time.The Windhoek dams – Swakoppoort, Von Bach, Omatako, Friedenau and Goreangab – currently hold 63,4 per cent compared to 70,5 last year. On December 7, the total was measured at 64,5 per cent. Von Bach, which supplies Windhoek with water, currently holds 91,5 per cent compared to 100,5 per cent last year. The Gobabis area is no better off. The Otjivero Dam, ‘reservoir’ for the two Viljoen dams at Gobabis, stands at only 62,7 per cent compared to last year’s 90,1 per cent. Gobabis in total has 40,1 per cent compared to 53,4 per cent last season. Since December 7, the area lost 0,6 per cent of water stored.In the South, the capacity is marginally better than last year, with a total of 58,7 per cent as opposed to last year’s 58,3. The Naute Dam is at 81,5 per cent of full capacity, some 10 per cent higher than last year this time. Hardap has dropped from 53,5 to 52,9 per cent in one week due to evaporation and water used for irrigation. December 7’s reading showed a total of 59,3 per cent.There is still no relief in sight, with rain forecasts indicating patchy thundershowers and, for the so-called ‘big rainy season’, predictions hover far below average with the strong showing of El Nio.Rain in Namibia is equal to the economy, with up to 70 per cent of Namibians relying on agriculture, whether directly or indirectly.