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Weather warning for heavy storms until Saturday

Dams continue to receive more water
The Neckartal Dam, Namibia's largest dam, continues to receive good inflow, with its current level at 81.2%.
Francoise Steynberg
The Namibia Meteorological Service has issued a weather warning for moderate to heavy thunderstorms and possible flash floods that may occur in the Khomas, Otjozondjupa, Omaheke and Hardap regions until Saturday, 1 March.

Following heavy rains, the Omatako Dam has seen a significant increase in inflow, now standing at 24.8%. The dam’s volume has risen by 2.524 million cubic metres since the latest dam bulletin from NamWater. Last year, during the corresponding period, the dam was only 1% full and until recently was almost empty.

“This increase is a welcome boost for the central region of Namibia, which heavily relies on the integrated water supply system,” said NamWater spokesperson Lot Ndamanomhata in a statement this week.



Fuller and fuller

The Swakoppoort Dam is now 33.5% full, with water intermittently pumped into the Von Bach Dam, which is now at 27.3% capacity.

There have also been further increases in the water levels of the Friedenau, Neckartal, Naute dams and the Otjivero main and silt dams in the east.

In the east, the Otjivero main dam received an inflow of 0.116 million cubic metres of water, and the Otjivero silt dam received 0.153 million cubic metres, which has boosted water availability in the Gobabis district. The combined level of Gobabis' dams now stands at just 3.6%, slightly higher than last year’s corresponding 3.1%. The Tilda Viljoen Dam remains empty, while the Daan Viljoen Dam stands at 10.2%.



Rainfall across Namibia

In the south, the Neckartal Dam, Namibia's largest dam, continues to receive good inflow, with an increase of 0.728 million cubic metres, bringing its current level to 81.2%.

The Naute Dam, another critical water source in the southern region, also saw an increase of 1.484 million cubic metres, reaching 33.7% of its full capacity. Last year, its level stood at 41.7%.

The Hardap Dam now stands at 23.2%, after a loss of 2.130 million cubic metres following the reopening of irrigation valves. Last year, the dam was 14.3% full.

The Oanob Dam at Rehoboth is also lower than last year’s level of 44%, now standing at 33.2%.

In total, Namibia’s dams are currently at 56.5%, just slightly fuller than last year’s corresponding level of 56.2%.

On Monday and Tuesday, widespread showers occurred in the central, northern, north-eastern, eastern and north-western parts of the country, around Outjo, Omaruru, Kalkfeld, Karibib and Usakos.

The Khan River at Usakos flowed, as well as the Omaruru River.

On the Tsuwandis farm, between Outjo and Khorixas, 100 mm of rain was recorded on Monday.

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-26

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