Torrential rains over central and southern Angola that drain southwards through Namibia have caused massive flooding along the Kavango and Zambezi rivers, putting additional pressure on the Namibian government, which is already struggling to cope with extensive flooding further west in north-central Namibia.
Last week the government declared an emergency in large parts of the north after the Zambezi River reached its highest level since 1969, inundating most of the eastern Caprivi and threatening parts of the regional capital, Katima Mulilo.
The government’s Emergency Management Unit (EMU) said more than 18 000 people have been displaced in the areas adjoining Zimbabwe and Zambia. Most of the schools in the area east and south of Katima Mulilo had to be evacuated and smaller, isolated communities have had to be rescued by helicopters and boats.
Chief government hydrologist Guido van Langenhoven said that the Mambova geological fault, east of the Caprivi Strip, has caused the Zambezi River to break its southern bank and flow over into the Chobe River.
Satellite pictures released by the department of water affairs show a vast shallow lake, measuring hundreds of square kilometres, now covering the eastern Caprivi between Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The Caprivi Strip’s tourism industry has been particularly hard hit, with only one lodge in Katima Mulilo still open.
With local people who live close to the Zambezi mostly planting their crops along the river, all crops have been lost. In addition the rapid rate at which the river rose is also believed to have trapped and drowned thousands of livestock, as owners had to flee low-lying areas.
It will be impossible to estimate the extent of the damage before the waters subside, which could take several weeks.
Further west along the Angolan border the Kavango River broke all previously known records, rising to a level of 8.67m. In some cases riverside lodges were completely washed away, with only the trees surrounding the lodges now sticking up above the raging floodwaters.
President Hifikepunye Pohamba, who visited the disaster areas earlier this week, told reporters that the flooding is the worst he has ever seen.
Disaster relief has been hampered by poor coordination among the responsible authorities in Namibia, Angola and Zambia, officials have said privately. It is no wonder: reports from Angola say more than 160 000 people in an area covering most of southern and south-eastern Angola have been displaced.