The Regional Disaster Risk Management Committee (RDRMC) in the Kavango East Region is calling on Government to declare a state of emergency on drought in the region.
This is one of the recommendations the RDRMC made in a report submitted by the chairperson, Damian Maghambayi, to the Office of the Prime Minister on Sunday following the death of 16 people due to reported food poisoning at Kayova village last Saturday.
A total of 24 family members at Kayova village in the Ndiyona Constituency ate porridge made from the flour of mahangu millet residue from traditional beer, known as mundevere.
“The region is currently facing serious drought due to lack of rain during the last rainy season, causing hunger among the majority of rural households who depend on agricultural crop farming,” Maghambayi told Nampa on Monday.
He informed this news agency that the Namibia Vulnerable Assessment of 2023 did not target the primary affected areas, adding that the Ndiyona Constituency where the incident happened was not part of the primary sampling unit, resulting in the Kavango East findings not being accurate.
The Namibia Vulnerable Assessment is an annual assessment coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister under the auspices of Namibia Vulnerable Assessment Committee (NAMVAC).
NAMVAC was established in 2012 to collect and analyse livelihood and food security data to inform policy decision making on an annual basis.
Maghambayi said the RDRMC in its report also recommended the urgent need for two ambulances at the Nyangana District Hospital.
He explained that the Nyangana District Hospital, where the food poisoning victims were taken, only has one ambulance which is old and always has mechanical problems.
The chairperson further stated that Sambyu Health Centre, which is 95 kilometres away from Nyangana District Hospital, as well as the Rundu State Hospital which is 107 kilometres to Nyangana, had to assist in transporting the victims.
The RDRMC also recommended the urgent need for a well-equipped intensive care unit, stating that if the district hospital was properly equipped it could perhaps have saved the lives of some food poisoning patients.
Meanwhile, Maghambayi said a memorial for the 16 people who died will be held on Friday and the burial on Saturday.
The government, through the Office of the Prime Minister, has indicated that it would cover the funeral costs of all the victims and provide the bereaved family with food.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency