Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Cabinet on Tuesday approved an amount of N$72 million to fund a flood-relief programme through the Office of the Prime Minister.
This was announced by government spokesperson Peya Mushelenga in a media statement on Cabinet decisions on Wednesday.
This comes after floods from southern Angola’s Cuvelai catchment areas have been negatively impacting Namibia’s northern regions since January.
Mushelenga said the funding is for the provision of relief in the form of water, tents, food, mosquito nets, hygiene items, life jackets, blankets, mattresses and psychological support to flood-affected communities.
“The Cabinet supported the Office of the Prime Minister in the directorate of disaster risk management to conduct an impact assessment of the floods and propose any further interventions,” the statement reads.
Mushelenga said the Cabinet has mandated the national disaster risk management committee to ensure optimal and effective coordination of emergency and relief response to the affected communities.
He said the Cabinet has directed the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture to propose workable interventions to deal with the resumption of teaching and learning in these areas.
The government has also approved the provision of food assistance to the affected communities for 16 months or until the next harvest, the statement said.
Mushelenga said that the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform was asked to urgently supply drinking water, boats and sanitation facilities to these communities.
The ministry was also directed to propose measures to ensure sustainable water management as a result of reccurring floods in the country.
The Cabinet has been tasked to develop all components of early warning flood systems to improve flood forecasting.
Mushelenga said the agriculture ministry will also scale up the construction and rehabilitation of earth dams in the flood-prone areas to harvest floodwater.
“The ministry is also directed to expedite the trans-boundary information exchange at all levels of the Namibian and Angolan governments and to educate communities, including traditional authorities, to halt the settlement of communities in flood-prone areas,” Mushelenga said.
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