Patience Makwele
The City of Windhoek has pledged to accelerate informal settlement upgrading across the capital as part of its efforts to protect vulnerable communities from flooding, house fires and other disaster risks.
Councillor Matheus Shoongo and chairperson of the council’s public health, safety and security advisory committee, reaffirmed the commitment during the commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in Otjomuise on Tuesday.
“As Council, we reaffirm our administrative pledge to operationalize every commitment outlined in the City of Windhoek Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2030 and to accelerate resilient informal settlement upgrading across Windhoek,” Shoongo said.
The pledge comes after flooding in January 2025 affected hundreds of households in Otjomuise, highlighting the vulnerability of residents living in areas exposed to flash floods and other hazards.
Mayor Sakarias Uunona said approximately one-third of Windhoek’s population lives in informal housing, often in environmentally fragile areas exposed to flash floods, severe weather and house fires.
According to Uunona, the 2023 Population and Housing Census recorded Windhoek’s population at 486 186, growing at an annual rate of 3.3%.
“By now, we should be over half a million,” he said.
Uunona recalled that flash floods in January 2025 affected about 300 households near the area where Tuesday’s commemoration was held.
The flooding prompted emergency assistance and relocation efforts. However, a Windhoek Observer report in 2025 documented concerns from some families relocated to Farm 508 near Goreangab over poor road access, inadequate lighting and limited access to essential services.
The CoW Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2030 was approved by council in May this year.
It sets out measures to improve risk mapping, integrate disaster risks into urban planning, strengthen coordination between municipal departments and improve early warning systems.
Uunona said relying on emergency responses after disasters occurred was neither sufficient nor sustainable.
“Disasters undermine municipal investments and delay our developmental aspirations,” he said.
The strategy also commits the city to operationalising a dedicated, ring-fenced Disaster Risk Reduction Fund and exploring partnerships with the business community on risk-transfer and insurance products.
Other priorities include establishing an integrated disaster information management system, conducting school awareness campaigns and strengthening preparedness for multiple hazards.
The strategy aims to make Windhoek a sustainable, caring and disaster-resilient hub by 2030.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Hopalang Phororo said Namibia’s 2025/26 rainfall season brought contrasting challenges, with flooding in some regions and dry spells in others affecting agriculture, infrastructure, water availability and livelihoods.
She cited the Namibia Meteorological Service’s outlook for a hotter-than-normal and drier-than-normal 2026/27 rainfall season as El Niño conditions intensify.
The outlook points to the possibility of below-normal rainfall across much of the country, alongside above-average temperatures, with potential consequences for agriculture, water resources, food security and public health.
“Early warning must lead to early action,” Phororo said, stressing the need for governments, businesses, development partners and communities to strengthen disaster preparedness.
She added that the UN’s system in Namibia had mobilised more than US$28 million for climate and environmental priorities over the past year and provided drought-response assistance to more than 167 000 people.
Uunona said disaster risk reduction was a shared responsibility and called on residents to take ownership of safety in their homes.
“When we secure our homes, we secure our neighborhoods and when we secure our neighborhoods, we build a resilient Windhoek,” he said.
