Heavy rains cut off Ondangwa communities

Several homes at Oluno extension one and Omashaka Proper at Ondangwa are flooded after the heavy rainfall last week.

The residents of these areas are currently cut off by the flooding, making it hard for them to access schools, clinics and shopping centres.

Some families at Omashaka Proper informal settlement had to abandon their homes and seek shelter with relatives elsewhere.

Simoni Kashina, a resident of Oluno extension one, says many people are trapped inside their homes as the exit routes are flooded.

“Our children are crossing the high water every day to access schools. This is dangerous and they can get sick because the water is dirty. Year after year, our houses are always flooded.

We have tried reaching out to the town council but nothing happens. We are afraid that our children might fall and drown in the water if they are left unattended,” he says.

He adds that the area, which is one of the oldest formal settlements at the town, does not have street lights and the residents are at greater risk of armed robberies at night.

“This is one of the oldest formal settlements at Ondangwa but the town council has abandoned us.

We do not have proper roads and street lights. At night, it gets very dark here and we are at higher risk of being attacked by armed robbers.

The town council does not seem to care at all. All the new extensions at Ondangwa have tarred roads and street lights but we don’t have any,” he says.

Another affected resident, Martha Shilongo, echoes the same sentiments.

“We try to be indoors at all times because water is all over our houses. When it rains, the water has nowhere to run off to because there are no drainage channels on this side.

The town council is fully aware that we are under water every time it rains but they seem to be so ignorant.

They must come out of their fancy offices and attend to our issues,” says Shilongo.

Joel Angula, a resident of Omashaka Proper informal settlement, says he had to abandon his makeshift structure to seek shelter elsewhere as his structure is submerged in water.

Ondangwa mayor Paavo Amwele confirms that most areas at the town are flooded, hence the council is trying to pump water out from the flooded areas.

“I fully understand the residents’ concerns.

It’s truly an eyesore to see how the residents are flooded and children are crossing high levels of water just to access schools.

We have visited most of the areas and we are now busy pumping out water from the flooded areas.

This is a lesson learned and we will try to be better prepared next time,” he says.