Niël Terblanché
The Namibia Hydrological Service has issued a stern warning to communities living in flood prone areas of the Kavango West and Kavango East Regions to take the necessary precautions as the Okavango River broke its banks.
The Okavango River level at Rundu continues to rise and is currently standing at 7.30 metres.
According to the hydrological service the water level in the river remains above normal and higher than what it was in the last four years.
Despite the flood warning the water level at Nkurenkuru dropped from 4.76 metres on Thursday to 4.65 metres on Friday morning.
According to the hydrological service the contingency planning for flood mitigation and recovery must also be activated in the Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena Regions after increased inflow was observed on the northern border channels.
On Friday morning hydrological gauging stations recorded high water levels at Okatana (1.73m), Endola (0.80m) and Shakambebe where the water was flowing 33 centimetres deep.
The Zambezi River level at Katima Mulilo is also still rising and the water level is currently standing at 2.44 metres.
While the flow in the two other big perennial rivers are rising the flow in the Kunene River at Ruacana has subsided further and is currently only flowing at 753.4 cubic metres per second.
