Fires destroy grazing at Uuvudhiya
Another disaster is looming for farmers in the Uuvudhiya grazing area of the Oshana Region after a large percentage of their grazing was destroyed by fires which also reached the Etosha National Park.
Farmers in affected areas have to move their livestock to better grazing, a situation that constituency councillor Amutenya Ndahafa says may result in overgrazing in those areas. According to Ndahafa, the area experienced five veld fires last month because of negligence by cattle herders and visitors. The Uuvudhiya area has good grazing and is home to a number of cattle posts for farmers from Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Omusati and Oshana. “Over the years we were faced with the challenge of water, but this year the area has enough water to supplement the good grazing that we always have in the area. Unfortunately this year we are faced with a challenge of wildfires that are destroying the grazing caused by people at the cattle posts or those travelling through the area,” Ndahafa said.
“We experienced these fires five times and they destroyed a large portion of the grazing area. Fires affect the economy of the country because livestock from areas that have been destroyed by fire have to be relocated to other areas, which may result in overgrazing in those areas.”
Ndahafa said farmers were unwilling to identify the cause of the fires or where they started.
Ndahafa thanked the Oshana Regional Council and the Namibia Defence Force's 263 Battalion at Oshakati for helping them in fighting the fire.
“The regional council and the NDF are always at our aid whenever we report incidents of fire to them. They come well equipped and they make the firefighting task easy.”
The environment ministry's spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, confirmed that a veld fire had gutted a portion of Etosha.
“The fire started outside the national park and came inside the park and it burnt about 100 hectares of an insignificant area. We have a fire management unit in place and they were monitoring the fire not to spread to the most significant areas,” Muyunda said.
“This fire was not a threat to the national park. Not all fires are bad, because they are also part of the ecosystem. Whenever we experience fires our fire management unit assesses them to determine whether it is a fire that we need or one that we have to fight as soon as possible.”
Both Muyunda and Ndahafa said that no wildlife, livestock or human casualties were reported.
Muyunda warned the public to be more careful whenever they light a fire.
Farmers in affected areas have to move their livestock to better grazing, a situation that constituency councillor Amutenya Ndahafa says may result in overgrazing in those areas. According to Ndahafa, the area experienced five veld fires last month because of negligence by cattle herders and visitors. The Uuvudhiya area has good grazing and is home to a number of cattle posts for farmers from Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Omusati and Oshana. “Over the years we were faced with the challenge of water, but this year the area has enough water to supplement the good grazing that we always have in the area. Unfortunately this year we are faced with a challenge of wildfires that are destroying the grazing caused by people at the cattle posts or those travelling through the area,” Ndahafa said.
“We experienced these fires five times and they destroyed a large portion of the grazing area. Fires affect the economy of the country because livestock from areas that have been destroyed by fire have to be relocated to other areas, which may result in overgrazing in those areas.”
Ndahafa said farmers were unwilling to identify the cause of the fires or where they started.
Ndahafa thanked the Oshana Regional Council and the Namibia Defence Force's 263 Battalion at Oshakati for helping them in fighting the fire.
“The regional council and the NDF are always at our aid whenever we report incidents of fire to them. They come well equipped and they make the firefighting task easy.”
The environment ministry's spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, confirmed that a veld fire had gutted a portion of Etosha.
“The fire started outside the national park and came inside the park and it burnt about 100 hectares of an insignificant area. We have a fire management unit in place and they were monitoring the fire not to spread to the most significant areas,” Muyunda said.
“This fire was not a threat to the national park. Not all fires are bad, because they are also part of the ecosystem. Whenever we experience fires our fire management unit assesses them to determine whether it is a fire that we need or one that we have to fight as soon as possible.”
Both Muyunda and Ndahafa said that no wildlife, livestock or human casualties were reported.
Muyunda warned the public to be more careful whenever they light a fire.
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