Africa-Press – Namibia. FOUR hectares of vegetation of Omega Farms at Noordoewer in the //Kharas region have been flooded due to the rising levels of the Orange River in the south of the country.
Omega Farms owner Abe Olivier says the flooded plantations are on a lower plane than the vineyards. “We are monitoring the situation very closely as we know already that the crops planted in that area are flooded. What is safe currently is the 10 ha of grapes, which we use to produce raisins,” he says.
Olivier says the flooding has already disrupted the production cycle as they will not be able to plant in January and February as usual, but only in March.
“Luckily this is not an area that is prone to frosting, so we still have a chance, but we will see the financial implications in a few months only,” he says.
Omega Farms produces butternuts, tomatoes, and green peppers, and employs about 250 workers. Silverlands Vineyards is located about 60 km north of Noordoewer on the banks of the Orange River.
Manager Willem Visser says the vineyards are currently unaffected. “High water is good for us as it cleanses the river and drains it from all toxicity, reeds and sludge. This improves the quality of the water,” he says.
The water being released into the Orange River from the Buchudam in South Africa is expected to raise the river’s water level to 6.2 m on Sunday due to rains.
The dam water is currently being released at a rate of 2 600 cubic metres per second. During the peak its release rate is expected to be raised to 3 600 cubic metres per second.
“For our vineyards to be at risk we need the river to rise to about 8 to 9 metres, which, at this point in time, is not expected unless there is stronger inflow into the dam,” Visser says.
The Orange River has, however, overflowed its banks at specific points on the gravel road between Aussenkehr and Rosh Pinah, leading to the road being closed to the public temporarily, which concerns Oranjemund residents.
Alexander Maasdorp, RoshKor’s manager at Rosh Pinah, says the river’s water level is expected to rise, which could further destabilise the Oranjemund-Rosh Pinah road.
“Last years’ flooding of the Orange River caused a crack in the road. Should further damage occur and this road is also closed, there will be no access into and out of Oranjemund for the public,” he says.
The only road left would be through Namdeb’s mining area on the Elizabeth Bay road to Lüderitz, for which a travel permit is required. The Alexander Bay road remains closed to the public since that border was closed to South Africa due to Covid-19.
Roads Authority spokesperson Hileni Fillemon says the company is currently conducting a geotechnical investigation for appropriate remedial work to be done on the Oranjemund-Rosh Pinah road. The company appointed VKE Namibia after the cracks were observed in February last year, but the study has not been completed yet.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
