Flood traps disabled pensioner in house
Kenya Kambowe
SIKONDO
An 83-year-old pensioner living with a disability in Kavango West Region’s Kapako constituency is unable to leave her house after her homestead flooded.
As her wheelchair can’t make it out, Valeria Hausiku, who lives with five other people, has been trapped in her home, helplessly watching on as her valuables are destroyed by storm water.
Namibian Sun visited Sikondo village, which is amongst five other villages which have been affected by recent flooding to the area, at the weekend.
The other villages are Mafugu, Ruurumwe, Nakazaza and Siyandeya, affecting about 700 households.
Help needed
Hausiku narrated her ordeal, saying she has experienced massive loss.
Water has entered all the rooms and destroyed items such as food and household materials, while the structure of the house has been damaged as well, she said.
She is unable to work her mahangu field which is under water, and this is worsened by the fact that she relies on her wheelchair to move around.
She added that the chickens that survived the storm have fled the area and that she has nothing left.
“The rain has destroyed our valuables and as it continues to rain, we experience more losses.
“I myself cannot move any more because my wheelchair won’t make it through the water. This is too much and we need urgent help,” she stressed.
Kavango West fumes
Meanwhile, the Kavango West Regional Council has expressed dismay towards the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), accusing it of negligence and a lack of urgency in addressing the matter.
In a statement issued by the region’s spokesperson, Salomo Tenga, he indicated that communication was made with the OPM in February, but apart from a team that visited the regions, no action has been taken.
Tenga said the regional leadership is frustrated and are calling on the OPM to respond with urgency to avoid casualties.
“A request to the responsible office is to treat emergency matters as urgent to avoid loss of lives in the process or consider the decentralisation of that function to regions for easier and faster response, since it is currently centralised,” he added.
[email protected]
SIKONDO
An 83-year-old pensioner living with a disability in Kavango West Region’s Kapako constituency is unable to leave her house after her homestead flooded.
As her wheelchair can’t make it out, Valeria Hausiku, who lives with five other people, has been trapped in her home, helplessly watching on as her valuables are destroyed by storm water.
Namibian Sun visited Sikondo village, which is amongst five other villages which have been affected by recent flooding to the area, at the weekend.
The other villages are Mafugu, Ruurumwe, Nakazaza and Siyandeya, affecting about 700 households.
Help needed
Hausiku narrated her ordeal, saying she has experienced massive loss.
Water has entered all the rooms and destroyed items such as food and household materials, while the structure of the house has been damaged as well, she said.
She is unable to work her mahangu field which is under water, and this is worsened by the fact that she relies on her wheelchair to move around.
She added that the chickens that survived the storm have fled the area and that she has nothing left.
“The rain has destroyed our valuables and as it continues to rain, we experience more losses.
“I myself cannot move any more because my wheelchair won’t make it through the water. This is too much and we need urgent help,” she stressed.
Kavango West fumes
Meanwhile, the Kavango West Regional Council has expressed dismay towards the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), accusing it of negligence and a lack of urgency in addressing the matter.
In a statement issued by the region’s spokesperson, Salomo Tenga, he indicated that communication was made with the OPM in February, but apart from a team that visited the regions, no action has been taken.
Tenga said the regional leadership is frustrated and are calling on the OPM to respond with urgency to avoid casualties.
“A request to the responsible office is to treat emergency matters as urgent to avoid loss of lives in the process or consider the decentralisation of that function to regions for easier and faster response, since it is currently centralised,” he added.
[email protected]
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