A Preliminary Profile of the Kavango Region in Namibia.Pdf
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A Preliminary Profi le of the Kavango Region in Namibia by IRDNC Selma el Obeid and John Mendelsohn for the Every River has its People Project Rössing Foundation A Preliminary Profi le of the Kavango Region in Namibia Contents Introduction 1 The physical environment 5 People and social conditions 16 Livelihoods and environmental pressures 26 Acknowledgements, notes and sources 45 Selma el Obeid and John Mendelsohn © Research and Information Services of Namibia (RAISON) PO Box 80044 Windhoek, Namibia E-mail: [email protected] Published by the Namibia Nature Foundation January 2001 A view of the Okavango Basin and the Cuito River, as photo- For information on the “Every River has its People Project” contact: graphed from a space shuttle in August 1991. The many fi res Namibia Nature Foundation burning in and around the region provide a background of PO Box 245, Windhoek, Namibia smoke. Courtesy of NASA. Tel +264 61 248345 Fax +264 61 248344 www.nnf.org.na E-mail: [email protected] Chapter 1: Introduction A Preliminary Profi le of the Kavango Region in Namibia has been produced to provide background material for Equator the “Every River has its People” project1. The bulk of the report consists of maps and graphs derived largely from analyses of recent surveys, censuses and mapping projects. Brief comments are offered to help users " Luanda interpret the analyses and to highlight major issues and processes in the region, especially those relating to ANGOLA natural resources. References to notes and sources of information on page 45 are indicated by superscript numbers. " " Bié Lobito Huambo " Lucusse The report has been organized into four chapters, and " " the second provides information on the Okavango River " Caconda Cangamba in its entirety (Figure 1). Thereafter, almost all information concentrates on the Kavango Region within Namibia. "Lubango " Cuito Cuanavale Comparisons are sometimes made between conditions "Mocamedes " along the river in Kavango – hereafter called the “river” Caiundo Vila Nova da Armada – and those to the south and away from the river. This " is called inland Kavango, following the popular and local Katima Mulilo " " Okongo " Bagani use of “inland” to characterize the non-riverine areas of " Ondangwa Rundu " " Shakawe the region. É É É É É É É É É ÉÉÉ É Grootfontein Tsumkwe É É É " " É É Within Namibia, the Kavango Region is one of 13 regions É É É É É " designated for purposes of administration and political É É Maun representation. The borders of the region have changed Francistown twice in recent years (Figure 2), as has its name: " " Ghanzi “Kavango” was used for several decades by the previous Gobabis " government, in 1992 it was changed to “Okavango”, and " Windhoek " BOTSWANA then back to “Kavango” in 1998. Walvis Bay Okavango River Cuito River NAMIBIA Gaborone " Dry drainage Okavango Delta The Okavango River drainage, showing its origins in Angola, its passage through Namibia and its ending in Figure 1 the Okavango Swamps or Delta in Botswana. The river Scale 1 : 16,000,000 forms the border between Namibia and Angola along a 0 200 400 600 river frontage about 415 kilometers in length. Kilometres " Noordoewer 1 The present borders enclose an area of about 48 500 square Recent changes in the borders of the region. Before 1992, the Okavango kilometres, roughly 5.5% of the total area of Namibia. Its Figure 2 River formed the eastern border. From 1992 to 1998 the eastern border was taken as 21oEast longitude. The eastern border is now at 22o30’East. present population of about 179 thousand people makes up some 10% of Namibia’s population. Readers should be From 1998 cautioned that almost all other population estimates in other reports relate to the region’s boundaries as they existed 18˚00'E 19˚00'E 20˚00'E 21˚00'E 22˚00'E 22˚30'E between 1992 and 1998 (Figure 2). 17˚30'S People in the region are represented by eight regional 18˚00'S councillors, one for each of eight constituencies (Figure 3). The following table provides estimates of the number of people in each constituency. The Rundu Urban constituency is smaller 18˚30'S than the town itself, and many people living in the town fall within the surrounding Rundu Rural constituency. In 2000 19˚00'S the population of Rundu consisted of about 45 000 people. The quarantine fence is an important border and feature, and 1992-1998 its position in the region is shown in Figure 3. Areas south of the fence within the region are controlled by the Government or 17˚30'S by its parastatal, the Nambia Development Corporation (NDC). The results presented below provide a perspective of normal 18˚00'S conditions in the region. Those conditions have been disrupted to some degree by the current confl ict, but hopefully the 18˚30'S changes are temporary, and life should return to normal once the confl ict stops. 19˚00'S Table 1: Estimated population in each constituency in 20002. Before 1992 Constituency People 17˚30'S Kahenge 28 400 Kapako 21 200 Mashari 9 700 18˚00'S Mpungu 19 700 Mukwe 20 400 18˚30'S Ndiyona 20 100 Rundu Rural 51 000 19˚00'S Rundu Urban 8 500 18˚00'E 19˚00'E 20˚00'E 21˚00'E 22˚00'E 22˚30'E TOTAL 179 000 2 Borders of the eight constituencies, and the position of the quarantine fence in the Figure 3 south-western area, and in Namibia as a whole. "Nkurenkuru " Mpungu Vlei "Tondoro Mupini Rundu Urban " " " Rundu Mashare Nyangana " Mpungu " Bagani Mukwe Rundu Rural Kahenge Kapako Ndiyona Mashari Mururani " Scale 1:2,500,000 0 50 100 Kilometres Kapako Constituency Mururani Major towns and known places Quarantine fence 3 The distribution of schools, health facilities, N N N Figure 4 E NÑ Mbambi airfi elds and electricity lines. ku li N Nam N u N N n N g N N u N N N nd N N Nkurenkuru N No N NNÑ Ñ N N N N N N N P Nankudu Mpungu N N Ñ N e N NN Tondoro N N N Yinsu NÑNN N N N NÑ N ÑN N N Nzinze Rupara Muveve N N NÑ N N Mupini Rundu Takawasa N Nepara N N N NÑNN N N N ÑNN N N N N N N NÑN N NN N N Ñ N N P Shambyu Ñ Mabushe N ÑN N N Ekuli N N NÑN N N N NÑN N ÑN N N NÑ Kangongo N N N Bunya Kapako NNNÑÑNNNN NÑN NÑ N N ÑNN N N N N N N Ndonga Sikarosompo N N N N e N ÑN N Mbambi N N Mayara N N N N N N NNÑ Nyangana N N NÑ Biro N u N MashareN N e NÑ NÑ Shadikongoro N N k N N N N NÑ N N N N Omega N N Ñ u N N N N N NP N NÑN NÑ Muparara N p N Mile10 NÑ N N N N NN ÑN N N ÑNN N N N M N NÑ Sharukwe N N N N N NÑ N Gcaruhwa a N N N N N NÑ N N PAndara N N N N N g N N N N N N n N N N N N N ÑN o Shinyungwe N N N N N Ñ e NÑ d Kapupahedi N NcuncuniN BaramashoniN ÑN N N N N N N N N N N NÑ N N N N N N N ÑN KandjaraN N Bagani N NÑ Ncamagoro N N N NÑ N N N N N N N NN Hamoye Omatak e N N N o N N ukang N N N N N N R N N N N Ncaute N N N N N NÑ N N N P Hospitals ÑN Gcwatjinga N Khaudum NÑ N Ñ Health centres N N Katjinakatji N N Ñ Clinics Mangetti N e Airfields NÑ NN Mururani N N Schools Power lines Scale 1:2,000,000 N Karukuwisa Trunk roads 0 50 100 Main roads o e ak at m N Sikereti Kilometres O Quarantine fence Figure 4 shows the distribution of various public Electricity is supplied to many schools, health Figure 4 are gravel along the river and the Ndonga services in the region. Of the 301 schools, 250 facilities and various other government and private omuramba to Ncaute. Elsewhere in the inland are primary schools, 9 are secondary schools, and users along the Okavango River and along the main areas they are sandy tracks, but are shown as 41 are combined schools offering some primary road between Mururani and Rundu. Only 1% of all main roads because they are important access and secondary grades. There is also one technical rural households used electricity for lighting in 1991. routes. There are, of course, a great number of college in Rundu. Additional information on the sizes other sandy tracks. of schools and the phases they offer is given in Tar roads link Mururani and Rundu and Caprivi. Part Figure 27 in Chapter 3. The region’s health facilities of the road from Rundu to Mpungu is tarred, and consist of four hospitals, six health centres and 44 eventually all of that road to Okongo in Ohangwena clinics. will be tarred. Roads shown as “main roads” in 4 Chapter 2: The physical environment The Okavango River and its tributaries, and Figure 5 Introduction average annual rainfall in the drainage area. 1 1 0 0 This chapter presents information on the region’s climate, Angola vegetation, and the Okavango River, the river being the only " Kuito surface water of note.