NAMIBIA: Further flooding expected in Caprivi

JOHANNESBURG, 16 March 2004 (IRIN) - Further flooding was expected in northeastern Caprivi as the Zambezi river rose above the five metre mark over the weekend, according to senior Namibian officials. The water level has been rising since October last year and seven villages were already submerged, Dotson Kamwi, a spokesperson for the Caprivi governor's office told IRIN on Tuesday. The affected villages are Muzii, Nankutwe, Namiyunu, Nsundwa, Itomba, Malindi and Schuckmannsburg, all located in the low-lying areas along the Zambezi, which flows along the eastern border of Namibia's Caprivi Strip and then through Zimbabwe. "The river began flooding since January this year and the governor's office, along with the Regional Emergency Unit, have targeted 18,428 households in the affected area for provision of food and commodities such as tents," Kamwi said. Rains continue to drench the Caprivi region and water spreading from the swollen river has flooded crop fields in all seven villages. Vincent Simana of the department of Water Affairs in the regional capital, Katima Mulilo, said the Zambezi was expected to cross the six metre mark by the end of this week. "On 16 March last year, the river's water level stood at 3.62 metres, today it is already at 5.28 metres. The highest level last year was 6.64 metres, on 29 April," Simana said. "The water level is rising by 13 to 15 centimetres every day - the rains have not stopped. According to the weather forecast, rains are likely to continue for another month. At the current rate, flooding will be worse than last year," he added. Last year 12,000 people were displaced by flooding in villages around Katima Mulilo. Several thousand villagers have moved to higher lying areas. "Others refuse to move, in the hope that the water will recede," Simana said. Villagers are using boats to move cattle and other livestock to drier ground. Kamwi said the government was going to provide the affected households with food for another three months. Lake Liambezi in southern Caprivi has already begun flooding, Simana said.