Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Rundu beach, a popular leisure area, might be turned into a no-go zone as crocodiles continue to attack residents who are forced to use water from the river due to the lack of the vital resource in town for the past month.
Residents have been flocking to the river to fill up water containers and wash. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Romeo Muyunda, has strongly discouraged people from swimming, bathing or washing their clothes in the river, as they are putting their lives in danger.
Muyunda said the ministry is not against the drawing of water from the river, but urged those doing so to be very alert. He said the recent incident at Rundu beach, when 29-year-old Nashiere Nkombo was attacked by a crocodile while fetching water, is not the first of its kind.
Muyunda said the ministry was made aware of other cases involving crocodile attacks, but these were not officially reported. “We were informed three weeks before the recent incident that someone was taken to hospital for treatment after being attacked by a crocodile,” he said.
An investigation will be launched to track down all victims of crocodile attacks in that area for the ministry to offer assistance. In a letter issued by NamWater, Chief Executive Officer Abraham Nehemia indicated that water will be rationed to the town from 22 to 27 October.
This will allow the Rundu Town Council to mobilise funds for purchasing sufficient water credit. Nehemia said rations will be provided from 05:00 to 09:00, and from 17:00 to 21:00.
“Additional times will be added for the supply to the hospital, as the situation predicts,” said Nehemia. Last month, Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, met with the leadership of Rundu to discuss the water crisis there. He also ordered the council to start with infrastructure auditing and deal with illegal water connections.
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