Namibia celebrates first rain of the season

Flowing dry rivers and washed-out roads - that's what tour guides are reporting from north-west Namibia. Especially north-west of Opuwo it has rained heavily. According to a post by the Namibia from the Roadside Group on Facebook, a bridge on the C 43 gravel road to the Epupa Falls near Okongwati about 40 kilometres south of Epupa has been washed away.

Self-drivers were advised to check the water depth and soil conditions before crossing flowing rivers by wading through the river on foot along the planned route.

Video clips of fast-flowing rivers were also shared on WhatsApp groups of the travel industry. Apparently, the Hoarusib and Hoanib as well as other dry rivers down to the Ugab were carrying water.

The north of the country in particular has been experiencing heavy rainfall for several days. But thunderclouds have also been gathering in the capital Windhoek in the afternoons and evenings since the weekend.

The rain is particularly welcome there. Only the day before yesterday, according to a report in The Namibian newspaper, the city administration urgently warned people to use 10 per cent less water than usual. The water levels in the reservoirs that supply Windhoek with water have already fallen far below 30 per cent.

Sven-Eric Stender