Environment ministry calls for responsible use of fire

Claudia Reiter
The environment ministry is calling on the public, farmers and property owners to take action to minimise the risk of wildfires.
The fire season in Namibia starts in April and ends in September, and has caused massive damage to the environment and property in recent years.
"The fire season is typically characterised by strong winds, high temperatures and dry vegetation, which causes the fire to burn uncontrollably," ministry spokesman Romeo Muyunda said.
In 2021, a total of 3 million hectares of burned area was recorded in the country. The following year, 2022, 2.4 million hectares burned down.
"In addition, during the 2022 fire season, five people were seriously injured, three people sadly lost their lives, and there were livestock and wildlife casualties."
According to Muyunda, field fires were recorded in 13 regions: Kavango East (110,334 ha); Kavango West (815 724 ha); Otjozondjupa (577 926 ha); Zambezi (327 326 ha); Kunene (64 131 ha); Erongo (47 545 ha) Hardap (96 679 ha); Khomas (49 032 ha); //Kharas (93 579 ha); Omaheke (93,579 ha); Oshana (24ha); Omusati (212 529 ha) and Oshikoto (11 954 ha).
So far this year, a total of 499 344 hectares have destroyed through uncontrolled fires since the fire season began in April.
“Ahead of the fire season, the ministry has engaged in the development and maintenance of firebreaks. To this end, 33 km of firebreaks have been cleared across the country and work is ongoing. We would also like to urge charcoal producers to comply with the charcoal production guidelines developed by the ministry in 2022.”