Oshana regional commander commissioner Naftal Sakaria says from 1 March to date, 16 people have drowned in the Oshana region, with the youngest being 6 years old to the oldest being 65.
He says children play in the water and drown, whereas middle-aged people try to hunt for birds and fish, and drown.
He states that elderly people coming from shebeens and local cuca shops cross oshanas.
“And because the water is really high, the earth dams are submerged. So you will not see. Especially at night, we have got a number of incidents that happened by people coming from these places. So as a result, we are standing at 16,” Sakaria says.
He was speaking to Desert FM in response to the current floods in the Oshana region. Many rural areas, including schools in the region, are cut off from essential services following recent heavy rains, accompanied by flood water coming from Angola.
He added that they are trying to educate the public to stay away from the water, that it is really worrisome that so many people have lost their lives from these floods.
He stated that the water levels are uncommon, with most areas completely cut off.
“The villages are set in a way that the positioning of the houses and mangrove fields are a little bit higher ground and then they are surrounded by oshanas. These oshanas are the ones that are full of water now and it becomes difficult for especially elderly people to cross the water to seek assistance,” Sakaria said.
He stressed that they have emergency response teams in place under the leadership of Oshana governor Elia Irimari.
Sakaria added that they are closely monitoring the situation as the team on the ground coordinates the assistance that is needed to reach those affected.
He highlighted that the police with the inspector general Joseph Shikongo provided additional support and resources.
“He made a helicopter available for use which is being used for all the regions. It has been busy in the Ohangwena region, assisting those airlifting,” Sakaria said.
Similarly, he added that the defence force also made a helicopter available, which has been used in the Oshana region and is enroute to the Ohangwena region.
“These are the coordinated resources and additional support we are getting from the central government and I was also briefed, the executive director from the Office of the Prime Minister is around in the areas to observe what is happening,” Sakaria said.
The regional commander added that the inspector general sent additional support in terms of rubber ducks and boats.
He stated that they have four rubber ducks and five skippers to operate those rubber ducks.
According to Sakaria, they are also on standby in case of drowning.
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