There was a festival atmosphere in Swakopmund as the flood wave in the Swakop Rivier (dry river) approached the coastal town. Hundreds of people accompanied the tip of the water's tongue on its way to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean. On the last few metres, many knelt down and dug a channel with their hands.
Days ago, the floodgates were opened at the overflowing Swakoppoort Reservoir near Okahandja. On Tuesday, the masses of water finally reached the ocean some 280 kilometres away. According to Wikipedia, the last time this happened was in 2022 and before that in 2011.
A flowing rivier also caused a stir in Windhoek. The city council announced yesterday that it would open the sluices at the Avis Reservoir. It is situated on the high eastern edge of the city.
The water pours into the Klein Windhoek Rivier, which runs through the suburb of the same name and crosses roads several times. To prevent the dam wall from overflowing, the sluices open automatically when the water reaches a certain level. This of course poses a danger to motorists and pedestrians.
The city council had therefore announced a controlled opening of the sluices this morning. The affected roads, including the busy Nelson Mandela Avenue, were cordoned off at the Rivier rivers as a precautionary measure. The last time this happened was in the exceptionally good rainy month of February 2011.
Half of Windhoek was on its feet to witness the tidal wave in the Klein Windhoek Rivier. Hundreds of people stood at the sleuces, on bridges and at several points on the banks of the Rivier. Off-road bikers rode in front of the water tongue in some places. However, there were no canoeists to be seen this time.
The rainy season is a blessing for the water supply of Windhoek and other cities in the centre of the country. The Omatako (31 March: 80.8%), Von Bach (64.9%) and Swakoppoort (104.4%) reservoirs to the north, south-west and east of Okahandja were once again filled to capacity thanks to heavy rainfall in recent weeks.
The Oanob reservoir near Rehoboth was 68.9% full. It is not only a popular weekend destination for Windhoekers. Tourists also like to use the accommodation on its banks as a stopover on their tour through southern Namibia.
The Fish River in southern Namibia also flowed strongly. It fed large volumes of water into the dams Hardap near Mariental (74.7%) and Neckartal west of Keetmanshoop (91.3%).
Information, photos and videos on the recent rainfall in Namibia can be found on the Facebook groups 'Reën In Namibia' und 'Namibië Reën / Weer' .
Sven-Eric Stender