The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism says the country has already witnessed a staggering 499,344 hectares of land consumed by uncontrolled fires since the beginning of this year’s fire season in April.
This comes when in 2021, Namibia experienced a total of 3 million hectares burned, while in 2022, the number stood at 2.4 million hectares.
According to the Ministry’s Chief Public Relations Officer Romeo Muyunda the alarming statistics highlight the urgent need for increased awareness and preventive measures to mitigate the devastating effects of veld fires in Namibia.
“The Ministry is calling upon members of the public, farmers, and property owners to put measures in place to minimise the risk of veld fires. Namibia’s fire season starts in April and ends in September and has been observed to cause massive damage to the environment and properties over the past years. The fire season is usually characterised by strong winds, high temperature and dry vegetation resulting in fire burning uncontrollably,” he said.
Muyunda highlighted the human and ecological toll of the previous fire season noting that in 2022, five people sustained serious injuries, and tragically, three lives were lost due to the fires.
The fires also resulted in substantial losses of livestock and wildlife across 13 regions in Namibia.
“The affected regions during the 2022 fire season were as follows: Kavango East (110,334ha), Kavango West (815,724ha), Otjozondjupa (577,926ha), Zambezi (327,326ha), Kunene (64,131ha), Erongo (47,545ha), Hardap (96,679ha), Khomas (49,032ha), //Kharas (93,579ha), Omaheke (93,579ha), Oshana (24ha), Omusati (212,529ha), and Oshikoto (11,954ha),” said the Ministry.
Addressing the current situation, the Ministry stressed the importance of proactive fire management strategies.
The Ministry has activated fire management systems and will implement various measures, including fire prevention and suppression activities, community outreach programmes, education and awareness campaigns, and stakeholder engagement.
“To mitigate the risks before the fire season, the Ministry has been engaged in the development and maintenance of firebreaks. We have cleared 33km of firebreaks across the country, with ongoing efforts in progress,” said Muyunda.
The Ministry has also developed charcoal production guidelines and urges charcoal producers to adhere to them.
In addition, Muyunda said the Ministry is facilitating early burning in community forests and providing training to community members to increase their preparedness and response capabilities.
While recognising the potential benefits of fire, he cautioned that irresponsible use can be destructive and detrimental to the environment and public well-being.
To combat this, “stakeholders are urged to follow fire prevention and suppression tips, such as supervising children when using fire, ensuring fires are completely extinguished, and clearing grass around homesteads.
Properly disposing of cigarette-butts, avoiding fire use during strong winds, testing smoke alarms, maintaining electrical cords, servicing firefighting equipment, and using extension cords safely,” Muyunda added.
In the event of a fire, all stakeholders are encouraged to actively participate in firefighting and suppression activities. Any fire incidents be reported immediately to the nearest Ministry of Environment office, Namibian Police office, constituency office, regional council, town council, and traditional authority offices.
