Almost
three weeks after the mighty Zambezi River displaced over 15
000 in the Caprivi region, there are calls to urgently address
the water and sanitation situation to avert any disease outbreaks
in the camps.
A visit to Lisikili make-shift school which was established
after some of the schools were closed due to flooding showed
that pupils were receiving ration of less than ten liters of
water.
Pupils queue for a sip of water in small containers which is
sometimes passed from one student to another. But health specialists
say this can cause contamination of the water leading to water-borne
diseases. With such a situation children have not been able
to bath which is contrary to hygiene practices.
“This school has about 513 pupils and yet today they got
5 000 liters of water,” says one of the teachers. The
number even increases as there are some parents who also get
water from the same tanker.
There are plans to pipe water from a nearby borehole into a
ten thousand litre tank which will be installed at the school;
however the process has been very slow due to lack resources.
“This is a school where there was nothing. Our Red Cross
team of volunteers has been able to install toilets at the school
to improve on sanitation,” says Tamuka Chitemere, the
International Federation disaster technical manager.
In Lusese A and B camps, with a total current population of
over 1200, people also get water each day or, if they do not,
they need to walk about a kilometer to a nearby school where
they queue for long hours to get water for domestic use. “We
do not have adequate water in camp,” says Joyce Kamwe,
a mother of two and resident of Lusese A.
“If you miss water from the tanker, then you get water
from about half a kilometer away from the camp. During peak
hours there are long queues at the open well which is in one
of the nearby communities.”
Another ten thousand litre tank has been put in place but has
not yet been connected owing to lack of equipment.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent launched
an emergency appeal seeking USD 721,623 (€ 542,555) in
cash, kind, or services to assist 15,000 beneficiaries (3,000
families) for six months part of which is meant to provide safe
drinking water and sanitation at the four relocation sites of
Impalila, Schuckmannsburg, Kabbe and Lusese. And the water and
sanitation funding has dried up at a time when it is needed
most.
“The government of Namibia, the Red Cross and other players
have done well in trying to ensure that affected people have
somewhere to start from, but there is an urgent need to address
the water and sanitation situation in order to avert any disease
outbreaks in the camps,” says Tamuka Chitemere.
The Red Cross and the Namibian government have been able to
install piped water in Kabbe C camp, while there was already
water in Kabbe D camp.
The Namibia Red Cross with the support of the International
Federation have distributed tarpaulins and plastic sheeting
to compliment government efforts in providing temporary shelter.
These are standard materials which have been used for temporary
shelter in places like Sudan, Mozambique, Asia and many other
disaster affected places in the world.
Over 1200 household have also received relief materials which
include 31,500 water treatment sachets, 500 jerry cans, 250
mosquito nets, 500x250g soap and 2000 blankets.
Some families in Lusese A camp are only using water for cooking
and abandon bathing. Practicing proper hygiene becomes difficult
when there is inadequate water.
“We are bathing once a week because we do not have enough
for domestic use,” says Joyce Kamwe.
Due to heavy rains, the Zambezi River burst its banks and has
caused flooding in the Namibian Caprivi flood plains. The floods
have affected about 15, 000 people in four constituencies namely
Kabbe, Katima Rural, Linyanti and Kongola. The government has
evacuated people to higher ground whilst others have moved to
temporary safer areas in the same area.
As the flood situation deteriorated many villages, fields, cattle
and boreholes got submerged, and people were living in harsh
conditions without shelter, food and safe drinking water.
The roads in the flood plains are still not passable. Muzii,
Mpukano, Ikaba, Ivilivinzi, Malindi, Masikili, Nsundwa, Ioma,
Mahundu and Nankutwe were the worst affected areas, where houses
and fields are submerged in water.
“So far the Namibia Red Cross society with the support
from the government, the International Federation and other
partners has managed to ensure that the relief operations were
done effectively to save human lives from the flooding,”
says Mrs. Razia Essack-Kauaria, the Secretary General of Namibia
Red Cross. “We are therefore calling for urgent assistance
to ensure that we contain the situation,”she concludes.
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Pupils
queue for a sip of water in small containers which is
sometimes passed from one student to another. But health
specialists say this can cause contamination of the water
leading to water-borne diseases. (p15589)
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“This
school has about 513 pupils and yet today they got 5 000
liters of water,” says one of the teachers. The
number even increases as there are some parents who also
get water from the same tanker. (p15588)
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“This
is a school where there was nothing. Our Red Cross team
of volunteers has been able to install toilets at the
school to improve on sanitation,” says Tamuka Chitemere,
the International Federation disaster technical manager.
(p15591)
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Joyce
Kamwe- We do not have adequate water in camp,” says
Joyce Kamwe, a mother of two and resident of Lusese A.
(p15587)
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Some
families in Lusese A camp are only using water for cooking
and abandon bathing. Practicing proper hygiene becomes
difficult when there is inadequate water. (p15586)
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