Families left homeless: CoW responds
Following a number of families losing their homes and most of their belongings after torrential rain on Friday, the City of Windhoek (CoW) said they only became aware of the flooded dwellings at around 11:00 on Saturday.However, according to residents of the Kapuka Nauyala informal settlement, they contacted the municipality on Friday, with staff members of the City only arriving after 17:00 when the damage was already done.
“The Emergency and Disaster Risk Management team responded to conduct an assessment and establish the number of houses that were flooded and then recommended possible interventions required by internal stakeholders of CoW,” City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya, said.
She added that 17 informal dwellings, housing 46 people of which eight are children, were affected. Eight of the 17 dwellings experienced worse damage, as they border the riverbed.
“The dwellings were flooded as a result of blocked water channels due to illegal dumping in the riverbeds. Most visible waste is general waste such as plastic bags, which are supposed to be disposed of in bags that are given to the community, with the City removing those bags once full,” she explained.
Resident Iileka Shetunyenga said that he has been calling the municipality since August, alleging he knew there would be a problem once the rainy season begins. “The municipality removed a skip here five months ago, leaving us with no place to place our garbage,” he said.
To this, Amutenya responded that skip containers are not meant for general household waste, but for building rubble and garden refuse. “At this stage, we cannot confirm that the skip was removed as we hardly remove skips from areas unless the immediate residents ask us in writing with the consent of everybody that will be affected by the removal,” she said.
Residents complained that the City did not offer or provide meals or temporary accommodation since the flooding took place. “The immediate assistance provided was to clear the area of debris and fix a pipe burst that was cut in the process of unblocking the riverbed. This is a temporary solution. A more permanent solution is required as guided by the Council Resolution to move residents from dangerous and unsuitable areas and this matter is receiving priority from the City.”