Dâures fires burn on as IPC attacks state response

Wildfires in the Dâures Constituency were still active this week, with the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) accusing the state of an insufficient emergency response and the constituency councillor's office defending its handling of the disaster.

IPC chief whip and shadow minister of environment, forestry and tourism Likando Liwela said in a statement on Monday that footage from the affected area indicated the fire remained active, destroying grazing land and threatening local livelihoods, wildlife and the environment.

Liwela said communities had largely been left to confront the disaster with limited resources while awaiting assistance from authorities. He contrasted the situation with the response to a wildfire at Linyanti, where he said coordinated efforts brought the blaze under control, and said similar urgency and resource mobilisation were required in Dâures.

He called on the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and the Office of the Prime Minister, through the directorate of disaster risk management, to deploy additional firefighting personnel and equipment, establish a multi-agency emergency response and conduct a rapid assessment of damage to grazing land, wildlife, tourism assets and infrastructure.

Liwela said recurring wildfires across Namibia had exposed shortcomings in preparedness and response, particularly in rural areas.

Mobilising resourses

The Dâures constituency councillor's office responded a day later. In a statement issued on Tuesday, councillor Inecia Brandt said her office was coordinating emergency response efforts and that the Erongo Regional Council had deployed available resources and had "successfully secured the intervention of the Namibian Air Force, whose assistance has been instrumental in supporting containment efforts and protecting affected communities".

Brandt's office said it would work with the regional emergency and disaster risk management Committee to reinforce community fire squads across all villages in the constituency, accelerating the provision of training, fire-suppression equipment and personal protective equipment.

The council first appealed for responsible fire management on 13 July, when chief regional officer Mupenzeni Ntelamo said wildfires threatened lives, livestock, wildlife, grazing land, infrastructure and the natural environment.

"The spate of incidents that are occurring serves as a reminder of the devastating impact that uncontrolled fires can have on communities and economic activities within the region," that statement said.

Neither council statement gave the location of the fires, when they started, the area burnt, the cause, or whether livestock, grazing or infrastructure had been lost. Questions on these points were put to the council after its 13 July statement. No response followed. The questions were resubmitted after Tuesday's release and remained unanswered at the time of publication.

Residents have been asked to report smoke sightings on 081 421 1687.