RELIEF: Namibians did not hesitate to celebrate the recent rains, like this group enjoying a dip about 15 kilometres from Otjiwarongo.Photo: Karen Marais
RELIEF: Namibians did not hesitate to celebrate the recent rains, like this group enjoying a dip about 15 kilometres from Otjiwarongo.Photo: Karen Marais

Namibians holding breath for more rain

Iréne-Mari van der Walt
Rain showers and thunderstorms are expected to occur in Namibia by November.

This according to Odillo Kgobetsi, the chief forecaster for the Namibia Meteorological Service, who said according to the outlook for the 2024/2025 rainy season, a mild La Niña is expected to bring average to above-average rain during the coming rainy season.

This after rain at the end of September - earlier than expected - brought relief to farmers in the east. Rian van Wyk from Farm Doornkom said his farm received 15mm and 25mm of rain. Two dams in the Omaheke Region, Daan Viljoen and Tilda Viljoen, received inflows.

"The forecast was adopted by experts at regional level and is revised monthly until the end of March," Kgobetsi said.



Temperatures rising

Although the report states that rain will occur from October to December over the northern and central areas of the country, the weather office warned that the fact that temperatures are rising unusually high worldwide, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso) and the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) may make it somewhat unpredictable.

However, the Namibia Meteorological Service remained confident in its forecast of average to above-average rain across the country from January to March.

Meanwhile, it urged Namibians to be proactive in water management and recommended that measures and monitoring be put in place in most parts of the country to limit the risks associated with floods. In the south, the weather office recommended that water be used sparingly and that additional water sources may be needed to ensure a reliable supply.

Farmers have been advised to prepare themselves for an abundant season, but must remain vigilant for crop pests and livestock diseases.

The Zambezi, Kavango East, Kavango West, Oshana, Ohangwena, Omusati and Oshikoto regions should prepare for possible floods by issuing flood warnings to communities, ensuring that drainage systems are working and getting evacuation plans in place, the Namibia Meteorological Service said.



Risks

The risks the coming rainy season may bring to public health are mainly centered in the north, where insufficient sanitation and stagnant water may cause outbreaks of cholera and typhoid fever, among other things, Kgobetsi noted.

Urban areas with inadequate drainage systems such as Windhoek's informal settlements may also experience health issues.

He further urged the ministry of works and transport to be on guard for the possibility of damage to roads and highways such as the Trans-Caprivi highway. It is also expected that power systems and communication networks in Zambezi, Kavango West and Kavango East may be affected by the weather forecast, he said.

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-07

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Premier League: Fulham 2 vs 1 Brentford Katima Mulilo: 22° | 36° Rundu: 20° | 31° Eenhana: 21° | 31° Oshakati: 21° | 31° Ruacana: 20° | 31° Tsumeb: 19° | 26° Otjiwarongo: 18° | 23° Omaruru: 20° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 19° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:28, High tide: 06:39, Low Tide: 00:56, High tide: 18:52 Swakopmund: 15° | 18° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 12:26, High tide: 06:37, Low Tide: 00:54, High tide: 18:50 Walvis Bay: 15° | 24° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 12:26, High tide: 06:36, Low Tide: 00:54, High tide: 18:49 Rehoboth: 20° | 30° Mariental: 22° | 35° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 36° Aranos: 20° | 34° Lüderitz: 14° | 24° Ariamsvlei: 22° | 36° Oranjemund: 15° | 24° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 19° | 27° Lubumbashi: 17° | 33° Mbabane: 13° | 24° Maseru: 12° | 25° Antananarivo: 14° | 30° Lilongwe: 22° | 29° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 22° Durban: 16° | 23° Johannesburg: 15° | 26° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 31° Lusaka: 20° | 31° Harare: 17° | 30° Currency: GBP to NAD 22.48 | EUR to NAD 18.74 | CNY to NAD 2.43 | USD to NAD 17.4 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.25 | EGP to NAD 0.34 | KES to NAD 0.13 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.64 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.05 | RUB to NAD 0.18 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 132.95 | USD to AOA 909.05 | USD to BWP 13.4 | USD to EGP 49.22 | USD to KES 129.2 | USD to NGN 1668.91 | USD to ZAR 17.41 | USD to ZMW 26.9 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1858.03 Down -1.09% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14296.93 Down -0.02% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31045.26 Up +0.82% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9878.53 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 673.43/OZ UP +0.35% | Copper US$ 4.35/lb UP +2.95% | Zinc US$ 3 082.50/T UP 3.44% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 74.91/BBP DOWN -0.0079 | Platinum US$ 979.52/OZ DOWN -0.0048 Sport results: Premier League: Fulham 2 vs 1 Brentford Weather: Katima Mulilo: 22° | 36° Rundu: 20° | 31° Eenhana: 21° | 31° Oshakati: 21° | 31° Ruacana: 20° | 31° Tsumeb: 19° | 26° Otjiwarongo: 18° | 23° Omaruru: 20° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 19° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:28, High tide: 06:39, Low Tide: 00:56, High tide: 18:52 Swakopmund: 15° | 18° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 12:26, High tide: 06:37, Low Tide: 00:54, High tide: 18:50 Walvis Bay: 15° | 24° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 12:26, High tide: 06:36, Low Tide: 00:54, High tide: 18:49 Rehoboth: 20° | 30° Mariental: 22° | 35° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 36° Aranos: 20° | 34° Lüderitz: 14° | 24° Ariamsvlei: 22° | 36° Oranjemund: 15° | 24° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 19° | 27° Lubumbashi: 17° | 33° Mbabane: 13° | 24° Maseru: 12° | 25° Antananarivo: 14° | 30° Lilongwe: 22° | 29° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 22° Durban: 16° | 23° Johannesburg: 15° | 26° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 31° Lusaka: 20° | 31° Harare: 17° | 30° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 22.48 | EUR to NAD 18.74 | CNY to NAD 2.43 | USD to NAD 17.4 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.25 | EGP to NAD 0.34 | KES to NAD 0.13 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.64 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.05 | RUB to NAD 0.18 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 132.95 | USD to AOA 909.05 | USD to BWP 13.4 | USD to EGP 49.22 | USD to KES 129.2 | USD to NGN 1668.91 | USD to ZAR 17.41 | USD to ZMW 26.9 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1858.03 Down -1.09% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14296.93 Down -0.02% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31045.26 Up +0.82% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9878.53 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 673.43/OZ UP +0.35% | Copper US$ 4.35/lb UP +2.95% | Zinc US$ 3 082.50/T UP 3.44% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 74.91/BBP DOWN -0.0079 | Platinum US$ 979.52/OZ DOWN -0.0048