MORE than 460 people in the Ohangwena and Oshana regions have been left homeless by ongoing floods, while a second death as a result of the flooding has also been confirmed.
Ohangwena Regional Council spokesperson Panduleni Nepembe yesterday said 332 people have been relocated after their houses have been submerged in floodwaters from Angola.
He said the 332 people are from 61 households.
The government has established seven relocation points, he said.
Nepembe said two flood-related deaths have thus far been recorded in the region.
The first was that of a man (27) who drowned in an earth dam on 29 January at Onekwaya A in the Endola constituency, while the second death was recorded on 3 February at Ouhongo village in the Engela constituency. The deceased is a 47-year-old man.
Nepembe said all flood victims have been given food from the Office of the Prime Minister.
He said 16 365 pupils from 36 schools in the region have been affected by the floods, while 18 schools had to close.
The Oshana Regional Council yesterday announced that 49 houses have been affected by the floods, comprising 321 people from 84 households.
Crop fields from 29 households are currently submerged in water, while the grazing area is also under water, the regional council announced.
Roads to Oshinyadhila No 1 and from Omeege to Namakakala in the Oshakati East constituency have been washed away by floodwater.
Two people, from the Ondangwa Rural and Oshakati East constituencies, respectively, died over the weekend.
At least 128 people have been relocated at Oshakati.
On Friday, the Oshana region's deputy director of education, Hilma Nuunyango-George, said three schools in the region had to close on Friday due to flooding.
This has brought the number of closed schools to four.
The schools are Oikango Combined School, Onakamwandi Combined School, Oshipumbu Combined School and Nevonga Junior Primary School.
Nuunyango-George said Omusimboti Combined School is partially closed, and classes from pre-primary to Grade 7 levels have been suspended.
"The Grade 8 to Grade 11 pupils are still attending classes. By this morning [Friday] the pupils who are a bit bigger were still able to cross the streams to attend classes," she said.
Nuunyango-George said 83 teachers and 1 948 pupils in the Oshana region are currently not attending school due to the floods.
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Last week, Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) president McHenry Venaani said the government should not close flood-affected schools in the north.
He said the schools should be allocated boats to take pupils to and from school.
He said this at a press conference at Oshakati.
"I am saying no. We cannot do that. 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 also called on mining companies and the business community to come on board and assist the government with rubber boats as soon as possible.
Ohangwena chief regional officer Fillipus Shilongo last week said 11 schools have been closed, involving 3 851 pupils.
