Three girls drown in sand pits
Three girls, aged 11, 13 and 15, drowned in pits left by sand miners in the Ohangwena Region this week.
Some of the pits date back to before independence and were never rehabilitated.
Despite the threat they pose to people and animals, the pits are also useful in that rainwater collects in them, which can then be used by local people.
The Ohangwena police spokesperson, Sergeant Andrew Nghiyolwa, says the pits are dangerous and should be filled in order to prevent further loss of lives.
“Those earthen dams are a problem because we have children who go and fetch water in those pits and they do not know how deep it is. Some of the children go and swim in those pits and they do not know where the deep side is and then they drown. This is a serious problem we are faced with,” Nghiyolwa says. He urged parents and guardians not to let children go near the pits unsupervised.
“Parents and guardians should always ensure that an elder accompanies the children to those pits when they go and fetch water. The same should apply for swimming because in most cases the children who drown are those new to the area and do not know the water levels of the pits,” Nghiyolwa told Namibian Sun.
When contacted for comment, environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said it was not the ministry's responsibility to rehabilitate the pits, but only to make sure contractors comply with the Environmental Management Act.
Muyunda said in cases where a pit was dug before independence and it is difficult to trace the perpetrators, the local community should approach their regional councillor for advice on how to rehabilitate the pit.
“Our responsibility is to regulate the protection of the environment ... but in cases where nobody is responsible for these pits, the community can take it upon themselves to fill up the pits,” Muyunda said.
“They can get assistance from the regional office or the councillor to fill up those pits.”
KENYA KAMBOWE
Some of the pits date back to before independence and were never rehabilitated.
Despite the threat they pose to people and animals, the pits are also useful in that rainwater collects in them, which can then be used by local people.
The Ohangwena police spokesperson, Sergeant Andrew Nghiyolwa, says the pits are dangerous and should be filled in order to prevent further loss of lives.
“Those earthen dams are a problem because we have children who go and fetch water in those pits and they do not know how deep it is. Some of the children go and swim in those pits and they do not know where the deep side is and then they drown. This is a serious problem we are faced with,” Nghiyolwa says. He urged parents and guardians not to let children go near the pits unsupervised.
“Parents and guardians should always ensure that an elder accompanies the children to those pits when they go and fetch water. The same should apply for swimming because in most cases the children who drown are those new to the area and do not know the water levels of the pits,” Nghiyolwa told Namibian Sun.
When contacted for comment, environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said it was not the ministry's responsibility to rehabilitate the pits, but only to make sure contractors comply with the Environmental Management Act.
Muyunda said in cases where a pit was dug before independence and it is difficult to trace the perpetrators, the local community should approach their regional councillor for advice on how to rehabilitate the pit.
“Our responsibility is to regulate the protection of the environment ... but in cases where nobody is responsible for these pits, the community can take it upon themselves to fill up the pits,” Muyunda said.
“They can get assistance from the regional office or the councillor to fill up those pits.”
KENYA KAMBOWE
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