Walking on tyres to get home

Walking on tyres to get homeFlooding and blocked waterways in informal settlement Residents seek assistance from mayoral office and town council after rain has caused flooding in the area. Tunohole Mungoba







Oshakati

Every rainy season, residents of the Evululuko informal settlement in Oshakati East are left unable to access their homes due to flooding and blocked waterways.

One of the residents who refused to be named said the situation is common after rainfall is received in the area.

“Every year, we should come up with different ways to access our homes. The pathways are always blocked with rainwater and this is breeding area for mosquitoes. We also have to share parking areas in the community, because everywhere is flooded,” they said.

“Our children also get sick and it’s unhealthy for them to play outside, because this rainwater is contaminated and mixed with other dirt as we also do not have a proper sewage system. Our neighbours have moved out and we are currently living elsewhere because the water is everywhere. Old people and children have to balance and avoid falling by walking on tyres we have placed in the water so we can get to our houses,” the residents told Namibian Sun.

“People here build their own toilets because we do not have proper sanitation. So, you can only imagine how unsanitary and unhealthy this arrangement is.”

‘Residents at fault’

Oshakati mayor Leonard Hango said his office is aware of the situation and they have started working on unblocking the waterways.

“Our engineers are aware and they have been visiting the affected sites since last Monday. However, sometimes the residents themselves cause the blocking of the waterways to avoid the water from going into their yards and other residents are affected,” he said.

Regarding providing a sewage system for the residents, Hango said this cannot be implemented until order is established within the settlements.

“Right now, all of these houses are scattered. We first need to put them in order before we can provide these services. They need to be allocated to different streets before we can begin this process. Our office has started formalising these settlements and we have started with the Emwandi and Sky informal settlements in Oshakati.

“On 6 April, residents we have started with will be moved to Onawa until we have sorted out the whole situation. We also want to provide them with title deeds to prove ownership for future purposes,” Hango said.

tunohole@myzone.com.na