The Namibian

27 August 2019



The Namibian Government has declared a drought emergency in Hardap, seeing that the situation is getting even more dire than before. Water supplies are expected to be less than 75% of normal, according to forecasts.

The lack of water supplies for both farmers and in conservancies have forced animals out of the conservancies and towards farms, where villagers have been hoarding water supplies for their own use. Farmers have been expanding their land and going further and further to dig boreholes in an attempt to store as much water as possible before the drought worsens. The hoarding of water supplies have forced the animals to venture further out of conservancies and into settlements in order to source water.

The Chief Regional Officer has finally spoken out about the issue of the odd behaviour of animals in a press release, “People of Hardap, please be patient. We are in the midst of investigating the recent increase of animal attacks, and we have mobilised staff to assist you. All we ask is for your cooperation, so please assist them when they request for your help.”

This has caused humans and animals to come into conflict more often than before, with animals moving into the human settlements to get the water from the sources hoarded by the humans.

Animals have been approaching the tourists in the areas on safari tours, who have given the animals their water in an attempt to help the animals. Tourists have spoken out to reservation managers and regional offices, voicing their dissatisfaction at the state of the animals and the treatment of the animals in the area, complaining that the lack of water for the animals would result in the death of the animals. Tourists have claimed that they will boycott the tours if the animals are not treated better, a threat to Hardap’s tourism.