Kavango East: Croc-attack hotspots identified
Dozens of villages along the Okavango River are vulnerable to crocodile attacks, participants at a Kavango East rural water supply workshop heard last week.
The region’s chief officer for rural water supply and sanitation, Livingi Joao Livingi, said at least 31 villages have been identified as crocodile-attack hotspots.
These villages have been the source of frequent reports of crocodile attacks on humans, with many attacks being fatal. In some cases, the remains of the victims are never found, he said, denying mourning families the opportunity for a proper burial.
The stakeholder workshop – themed ‘Reflecting on three decades of water supply management in Kavango East Region, with lessons learnt from Angola, Botswana, South Africa and Kenya’ - took place to discuss the state of rural water supply in the region.
Addressing water challenges
Livingi said although 96% of urban households have access to clean drinking water, it remains a dream for more than 30% of village residents in the region. The villagers are forced to survive on unsanitary water resources, including the Okavango River, which makes them vulnerable to animal attacks.
He provided a detailed list of villages that have been identified as prone to crocodile attacks, adding that the highest number of them are situated in the Mukwe constituency.
As a part of the efforts to address the water challenges in Kavango East rural areas, a total of 220 boreholes have been installed, with more to come during this financial year.
Some of the boreholes were funded by the state, while the rest were donor-funded, he said.
During the workshop, Kavango East governor Bonifatius Wakudumo urged attendees to support efforts to address the loss of lives from crocodile attacks.
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The region’s chief officer for rural water supply and sanitation, Livingi Joao Livingi, said at least 31 villages have been identified as crocodile-attack hotspots.
These villages have been the source of frequent reports of crocodile attacks on humans, with many attacks being fatal. In some cases, the remains of the victims are never found, he said, denying mourning families the opportunity for a proper burial.
The stakeholder workshop – themed ‘Reflecting on three decades of water supply management in Kavango East Region, with lessons learnt from Angola, Botswana, South Africa and Kenya’ - took place to discuss the state of rural water supply in the region.
Addressing water challenges
Livingi said although 96% of urban households have access to clean drinking water, it remains a dream for more than 30% of village residents in the region. The villagers are forced to survive on unsanitary water resources, including the Okavango River, which makes them vulnerable to animal attacks.
He provided a detailed list of villages that have been identified as prone to crocodile attacks, adding that the highest number of them are situated in the Mukwe constituency.
As a part of the efforts to address the water challenges in Kavango East rural areas, a total of 220 boreholes have been installed, with more to come during this financial year.
Some of the boreholes were funded by the state, while the rest were donor-funded, he said.
During the workshop, Kavango East governor Bonifatius Wakudumo urged attendees to support efforts to address the loss of lives from crocodile attacks.
[email protected]
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