Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) Calle Schlettwein on Tuesday said that Cabinet has agreed to offer emergency services to the flood-affected communities in northern Namibia.

The most affected regions are Ohangwena, Omusati and Oshana.

Schlettwein in an interview with Nampa after the official opening of the seventh Parliament by President Hage Geingob said: “We have agreed in Cabinet to make emergency services available to those that are suffering especially school children and the vulnerable that were displaced from their homes.”

He said even though the water is subsiding, the country is in the middle of a rainy season so it is subject to change, noting that assistance to the affected communities will be done quickly.

“Even though the floodwater is a blessing overall as water is one of the country’s most valuable natural resources, it however comes with unintended negative implications,” he added.

On the Land Bill, Schlettwein said the Bill is among the 12 Bills projected to be tabled in the National Assembly during the year and is dependent on the Bills’ finalisation by the Ministry of Justice.

The Land Bill will make it possible to implement all the resolutions of the second land conference and correct what has been found as hampering a speedy land reform, he said, while noting that “land is a primary source to which we can bring back the dignity to people who were unjustly deprived of that asset and the livelihood on that asset”.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Arts and Culture Faustina Caley who also spoke to Nampa said the ministry appreciates all the stakeholders who assisted in keeping the senior secondary schools open for learners to be taught during the flooding in the north.

“In the north, we had to close schools but we appreciate all the stakeholders who assisted us in the provision of tents where learners can camp and be taught,” she said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency