Dam levels up after good rains
First inflow from some dams
Vehicles in Outjo and the north of the country ran into trouble this past weekend due to rising river levels.
Parts of the country received rain over the past weekend, with the far South and North recording the highest rainfall.Some dams even had their first inflows.
"In Outjo 30 mm was measured, but in the catchment area north of Outjo it rained more than 80 mm," said Jaco Labuschagne from the Outjo municipality's health and technical department.
"The driver of a Polo sedan drove into the river and the vehicle was swept away. The municipality's emergency services drove into the river with a fire engine to provide assistance. They rescued a child from the vehicle and brought him to safety."
According to Helmuth Howoseb from the mechanical department of the municipality, he used the fire engine to help the occupants.
"The father helped the child, aged about 12, through the window on the roof of the vehicle so that he was higher. I drove the vehicle as close as possible to the Polo, climbed through my window and started crawling on the hood closer to the child. I took the child and we climbed back through the window to safety," Howoseb said.
"The water started to flow stronger and we used a backhoe to bring the father to dry land. It all happened between 19:00 and 20:00. We were able to take the vehicle out around 22:00 after the water level dropped."
"A Mercedes sedan also ran into trouble, but it was at another part of the river that is more accessible. The river flows over two main roads in the town. The Mercedes got into trouble near the hospital and was helped out by residents," said Labuschagne.
Howoseb warned everyone not to underestimate a flowing river.
"It may not look so strong on the surface, but then it washes under the surface. The water can also make holes that you can't see. Instead, wait until it's safe before you get into trouble," he said.
More rain forecast
On Epupa Falls Lodge & Campsite's Facebook page, a photo was shared of a tourist vehicle that overturned in a river. The incident also took place on Saturday in Ohandungu just before Okanguati.
"If you can't walk through the river, don't try to drive through it. But be sure and walk through first," they posted on the page.
On the farm Bosrand in the Okahandja district, according to Sonja Bachran, it rained a total of 109 mm from 1 to 3 February. She posted the information on the Facebook page Reën in Namibia.
The Tsauchab River in the South flowed through the Sesriem Canyon. A video of the Kuiseb River in the Khomas Hochland starting to flow was also shared.
According to Anne-Marie Marais, it rained 57 mm on Saturday at Eunda Onesi in the North. Closer to Epalela, 108 mm was measured, she wrote.
Dam levels
Namibian Sun's Ellanie Smit reports that several of Namibia's dams received their first inflow for the year last week.
A total of 1.72 million cubic meters of water was recorded in five dams in the past week.
According to NamWater's latest dam bulletin issued on Monday, central Namibia has received an inflow of 0.968 million cubic meters into its dams and now stand at 25%.
This compared to the previous season when these dams were 45.1% capacity. The Swakoppoort Dam is at 43.1%, the Von Bach Dam at 12.3% and the Omatakodam at 1.2%, after receiving an inflow of 0.529 million cubic meters of water.
The three dam system supplies Windhoek with water and the total average level of these dams stands at 21.8%, compared to last season's 42.4%.
The Friedenau Dam is currently 57.1% full, and had an inflow of 0.072 million cubic meters of water. The Goreangabdam is 98.5% full, with an inflow of 0.367 million cubic meters of water.
In the South, the average level of the dams stands at 64.7%, compared to last season when it was 78.8% full.
The Neckartal Dam, Namibia's largest dam, is at 85.4% of its capacity, compared to last season's 92.7%. The level of the Hardap Dam near Mariental has dropped to a mere 16.3% and when the dam reaches approximately 6% of its capacity, all raw water to the Hardap Scheme will stop.
The Naute Dam is 44% full and has received an inflow of 0.745 million cubic meters of water, while the Oanob Dam is 45.2% full. Both the Dreihukdam and the Bondelsdam are empty.
In the east of the country, the total average dam levels are only at 3.6% compared to last season's 13.4%. The Otjivero main dam is 5.2% full and it had an inflow of 0.007 million cubic metres. The Tilda Viljoen Dam is 13.2% full and the Daan Viljoen Dam is at 7.8%.
In other parts of the country, the Olushandja Dam in the Oshana region is 43.4% full, compared to last season's 15%. Both the Omaruru Delta Dam in the Erongo Region and the Omatjenne Dam in the Otjozondjupa Region are empty, the same as last season. – [email protected]