POPULAR Democratic Movement (PDM) president McHenry Venaani said flood victims housed in makeshift tents at Oshikango are living in squalid conditions.
Venaani was speaking at a press conference held at Oshakati on yesterday.
He said that about 40 elders are kept in one tent, while children sleep on the floor. The emergency centre at Oshikango, where flood victims are housed, is not fit to accommodate human beings, he asserted.
"Emergency response is not responding. I saw children sleeping on the floor. I saw elders all lumped in one tent. Are you telling me the army of this country does not have tents?
"How can we respond like that? The emergency response unit of the Office of the Prime Minister is archaic, non-existent and it does not help to mitigate the challenges that are there."
The PDM has donated 60 mattresses to the flood victims at Oshikango.
CATCHMENT DAMS
Venaani called on president Hage Geingob to build catchment dams to harvest the flood water, as well as earth dams in areas prone to flooding. "If we start building catchment dams and canals, flood water could be mitigated."
He referred to Egypt, which he said has done the same in the areas previously affected by floods from the Nile River. He believes the country should use flood waters for the betterment of the people. "The flood water is 10 times bigger than the water of the Neckartal Dam. We can use water for the socio-economic progress of our people."
Venaani said the government should not have closed schools affected by the flood water. Rather, schools should be allocated boats to take pupils to and from school. "We need rubber boats that can move in low, shallow water. I am sure the army has rubber boats. We need each school to have a rubber boat, plus petrol, so that the academic calendar of those children is not disrupted," Venaani said.
He called on mining companies and the business community to come on board to assist the government to get the rubber boats as soon as possible.
INTERVENTIONS
The Namibian Defence Force provided two lorries to assist with relocation of the affected communities, but unfortunately they cannot reach some of the areas as they can easily get stuck in the mud.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services have been conducting awareness campaigns to sensitise and educate flood victims on water-borne diseases, he said. "An average of 5 000 water purification sachets and 30 mosquito nets were distributed to the affected communities, while 54 people in the affected areas were provided with psycho-social health education sessions.
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SITUATION DEVELOPS OVERNIGHT
Executive director in the Office of the Prime Minister I-Ben Nashandi said the situation at Oshikango developed overnight. About 50 tents were discharged to Oshikango on Tuesday night, he said. "Our idea is to have a tent for every family," he said.
The Office of the Prime Minister collaborated with the Ohangwena Regional Council to establish temporary relocation sites to house those whose houses are severely affected by floods.
Four relocation sites at Ohangwena have to date accommodated 116 people, he said.
"However, due to an increasing rise in water, the number of persons per tent changes as more people move in when the situation changes," he said.
Thus, the Office of the Prime Minister and Ohangwena Regional Council have made more tents available.
"As regards to mattresses, when families move to relocation sites, their conditions are assessed. Those in need are provided with blankets and mattresses and shelter in tents," Nashandi said.
