Technical Advisory Mission to Namibia

Processed on Jun 4th 2009

Technical Advisory Mission to Namibia, 27 January to 2 February 2009

In January 2009 the Government of Namibia requested a technical advisory mission of UN-SPIDER to assess the existing use of space-based technology and information for disaster management and emergency response in Namibia. Specifically, the mission was requested to identify potential areas where space-based technology and information could play a greater role, and propose recommendations how to improve Namibia’s access to and use of space-based technology and information. Following a meeting during the UN-SPIDER workshop in October 2008 in Bonn, held with the governmental focal point for the mission, the Department of Water Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture Water and Forestry (MAWF), to discuss the mission objective/programme and the contents of an adjacent training measure, a team of three experts from UN-SPIDER and the German Aerospace Center's crisis information team (DLR/ZKI) was fielded to Windhoek, Namibia from 27 January to 2 February 2009 to provide technical advice and train local experts in remote sensing techniques for flood mapping. A two day kick-off workshop on 29 and 30 January 2009 brought together relevant disaster management stakeholders to evaluate past experiences and formulate lessons learnt. A field visit to the flood-prone region with hands-on training on GPS applications for disaster managers followed by a training for technical experts to improve end-user adapted geospatial emergency response products and services completed the mission. The workshop and training were funded by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

The support to Namibia started during the floods in March 2008 when the UN-SPIDER team was instrumental in ensuring access to the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” and other existing opportunities to support the Namibian government. A severe flood, which started at the end of January 2008, reached its peak around mid-March. The Namibian government declared a state of emergency on 5 March. A request to provide satellite imagery for northern and north-eastern regions of Namibia came to UNOOSA from the Department of Water Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture Water and Forestry (MAWF) and the country office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Namibia asking for international support regarding satellite images and the involvement of an emergency mechanism to receive these images on a priority bass, of higher resolution and not obscured by cloud cover. Subsequently, on March 14, 2008, UNOOSA triggered the International Charter to help Namibia in its combat against the crucial impacts of the floods and the outbreak of cholera. UN-SPIDER provided support and followed-up closely with both UNDP and the Department of Water Affairs of Namibia, helping the country to take full advantage of what the international community was providing.

Also in 2009 severe flooding affected northern Namibia in the aftermath of heavy local rains and inflow of water from northern regions during late February and March 2009. Due to the complex drainage pattern in the region satellite observation is an important tool to provide an overview of the large area flood situation, which is of very patchy and persistent character in the areas affected. Additionally, heavy rains in Angola and parts of Zambia's Western Province led to flooding in Namibia's north and north-eastern parts within the Caprivi region. On March 18, 2009 emergency was declared in the concerned areas, where floods have caused large-scale destruction to homes, schools, health facilities, mahangu and maize fields and infrastructure. On February 27, 2009, UNOOSA triggered the International Charter, and the accepted call was extended in time for specific regions in Northern Namibia. A second call followed for the affected area bordering the Okavango and the Zambesi rivers in North / Northeastern Namibia.

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