By Bisola Adeyemo
Pohamba Penomwenyo Shifeta, Namibian Minister of Environment and Tourism on Wednesday warned the general public to report any fires incidents to the ministry as soon as possible for a swift response.
The warning came due to vald fire that continue to ravage Namibian farmland
According to New Era, veld fires have become extremely prevalent across the country this year mainly due to the good rainfall that was received earlier in the year, which resulted in the accumulation of a high fuel load in many parts of the country.
Data provided by the environment and forestry ministry last month estimated that approximately 2.5 million hectares of grazing land, including land on 604 farms and in many protected areas, have been affected by forest and veld fires.
This has resulted in the destruction of infrastructure and properties, vast grazing areas and the loss of both human and animal life. It is estimated that approximately 635 animals have perished due to the forest and veld fires outside protected areas.
In the past two weeks alone, over 143 000 hectares of land have been destroyed, killing 210 animals in the process.
Farmers and members of parliament (MP) who blame charcoal producers as the primary cause of their loss said a lot of farmers have lost huge amounts of farm produce to the veld fire
“Veld fire is caused by negligence from the charcoal producers. These people are very negligent in terms of their production. They don’t take the necessary precautions to make sure that where they burn charcoal, there is a distance between their workstations and the grazing on the farm,” Mike Kavekotora one of the farmers said.
“Unfortunately, it is us the farmers who suffered most because the loss of grazing means that is either you have to reduce stock or rent somewhere else which is a costly exercise.”
Kavekotora advised charcoal producers to be extra careful when they do their production so that they can minimize the burning of grazing pasture.
He also called farm owners employing charcoal producers to take precautions to make sure the producers are in adherence to the provision of the forestry ministry.
Meanwhile, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta recently said in parliament the main causes of the forest and veld fires have been charcoal production operations, mechanical appliances such as graders, recreational activities such as picnics, smokers, and local natural resource management-related activities such as hunting, honey production and thatch-grass harvesting.
Members of the public are required to use fire responsibly and are advised to clear areas around their homesteads and places of residence. Parents must also ensure that children do not light fires without supervision,” the minister advised.
Before starting a fire, Shifeta said one must check the surrounding to assess the risk (flammable materials, wind speed etc.) of burning beyond the intended area.
“Where required, put in place preventative measures to stop the fire from spreading to unintended places,” he added.
Shifeta further asked charcoal makers to take fire preventative measures when involved in charcoal making activities.