As a result of the flood waters which increasingly are posing a risk to hundreds of households in Oshana region, an office where daily updates will be communicated to the wider public was today opened by the region’s Governor Elia Irimari.
The office, which has been dubbed ‘Emergency Operational and Information Centre’, is situated at the building that houses the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in Oshakati.
Mr. Jonas Kapenda will be the head of disaster management of Oshana region until the flood situation is brought under control, while the head of the ICT Office of Oshana Ms. Hileni Mwandingi will be the chief information disseminator.
Chairperson of the Oshana Regional Council Mr Andreas Uutoni said at the commissioning of the centre that the community of Oshana “is looking on us to give them prompt responses” in connection with the flood situation which threatens to displace hundreds of households.
The seasonal flooding, known in the local vernacular as efundja, has, on account of good rains in the past weeks across northern Namibia and southern Angola, been flowing fast along the water ways.
Households in villages and urban centres which are in low lying areas are getting swamped and putting pressure on government authorities to relocate people and save lives.
Oshana Governor Elia Irimari stated that “Oshana region is one of the regions affected by the flood, and it was critical to establish a centre where daily information will be communicated to the public.
“No one else in this region will give information concerning the efundja except only someone speaking from here,” Irimari said.
Ms Helen Likando, the Oshana’s head of disaster risk management in the Office of the Prime Minister was also present at the commissioning of the centre.
In the photo: Oshana Governor Elia Irimari doing the official inauguration of the flood information centre.
