Khorixas constituency councillor, Sebastian !Gobs has said there is a need for humanitarian relief for 2 347 households in the constituency due to persistent drought in the Kunene Region.
!Gobs in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday said the region’s 10-year lack of rainfall has exacerbated the constituency’s food crisis as the soil is too dry for farming, and nearly 90 per cent of pastoralist farmers have lost their livestock, their only source of income and means of livelihood.
‘This means that 2 347 households in the constituency now rely on the government’s drought assistance programme. There is currently no additional support from donors or anyone else, just the government’s provision of food aid during the drought,’ he said.
!Gobs therefore pleaded with Namibians and local businesses to lend a helping hand, stressing that government cannot do it alone.
The councillor also raised a concern that the drought relief food is meant to be delivered on a monthly basis, but because of supplier delays, this
is not happening and beneficiaries are receiving the food much later than expected.
He continued: ‘Many Khorixas farmers have reported that they suffer severely from the drought and other weather conditions, losing livestock and markets in the process. Moreover, a number of households have reported that access to and consumption of staple foods is restricted by the rising food prices.’
Aside from the ongoing drought, human-wildlife conflict equally affect farmers who lose their harvests as a result of damage caused by elephants, rendering cultivation a time waster.
‘Most farmers do not concentrate on crop production as this is also another headache because of elephants damaging the infrastructure at water points and also the gardens. All these go to waste with the presence of elephants,’ he stressed.
According to !Gobs, the prevailing challenge extends over the entire constituency, affecting places like Fransfontein, Anigab, Bergsig, and Twyfelfontein.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency