Namibia PDNA 2009 - GFDRR

Annex 7
Housing
Pre-disaster Situation
About 210,000 households live in the six affected areas
(60 percent of Namibia population). The vast majority of
these households (85 percent) live in rural areas. In rural
areas residents build their own houses. They are able to
get the timber from the bush and produce their own sand/
cement blocks. In urban areas construction is mainly done
by contractors or construction enterprises. Three main types
of housing are observed in the region: (i) traditional houses
(wooden structure, thatch roofing and sand or mud brick
walls); (ii) modern (solid) housing (bricks, cement blocks and
steel reinforced structure); and, (iii) informal (transitional)
housing (made of corrugated iron sheets or any other cheap
material).
Rural settlement and traditional
housing
A rural settlement can be defined as a group of small,
independent constructions (single rooms) that inter-relate
through a complicated scheme of fences and corridors. Each
room corresponds to a single occupant or family function.
The settlement is defined by a private fence that includes the
planting area, separating it from the rest of the community land.
The housing compounds are usually located on lower levels
of the property as the higher areas are saved for omahango
(planted crop). This situation is likely based on historical need
to protect the crop from flooding.
In rural areas, the traditional housing is typically a round,
windowless single storey building with a conical roof.
Construction of the buildings varies according to craftsmanship,
skills and materials available locally; the three main materials
are wood, wood combined with mud, or sand bricks. Roofs are
generally made out of thatch and have the same typical shape
throughout the six Regions. More recently it is common to
find within the settlements a building or two made from solid
materials such as cement blocks or roofs of corrugated iron
sheeting which is thought to correspond with the exposure
by younger residents to urban settlements. In Caprivi, mopani
poles are mainly used for the construction of traditional
housing and the permission to cut the poles is regulated by
local authorities. Due to scarcity of this material, in parts of
eastern Caprivi some residents have to obtain these building
materials across the Zambezi River in neighbouring Zambia.
Urban Areas, modern and informal
housing
Modern housing, generally built recently and with solid materials
(cement blocks, burnt bricks, or metal sheets), is mainly found in
urban areas; the typical shape is square with a flat roof. Modern
houses are permanent constructions, resistant to water and
wind and need little or no maintenance. Modern (solid) housing,
although built with water-proof materials, can still be highly
vulnerable to inundation from heavy rains if built on ground level
or low-lying area. This is common as there is a general lack of
flood awareness.
Informal settlements are housing groups that are established
beyond the defined limits of the city and lack any social services or
public infrastructure (i.e. schools, hospitals, or drainage systems).
Usually this type of settlement grows without any planning or
supervision, in low areas like those in a river basin or other
undesirable ecological situations. The informal settlement occupies
these locations because the land is free and for the proximity to
town and paid employment. Tenancy of housing varies according
to the site where they are built. Those without any legal tenure
are typically built in informal settlements of urban areas.
Informal (transitional) housing is mainly found in the informal
settlements, in low-lying areas or along the roads, mostly used
as shops or bars, commonly referred to as “cuca shops” or
“shebeens.” The main building materials are metal sheets covering
a light framework, usually made of wood, with a door and no
windows. Most of these structures have no constructed floor or
proper insulation. While its transitional character is self-evident,
these building are often used by its inhabitants as permanent
housing.
Vulnerability in the Housing Sector
Traditional housing is highly vulnerable to floods as it lies generally
at the ground level. The building materials are not flood resistant,
particularly when in standing water as occurred in the flooding of
2009. Informal (transitional) housing is highly vulnerable to floods
and water inundations because of their location and their fragile
construction.
Urban areas typically occupy higher ground level and are built
with solid materials in various styles and methods. Usually they
are protected by drainage systems that evacuate rain water from
its surface. Urban areas become vulnerable to flooding from
heavy rains when the drainage system does not work adequately
(e.g. growth of residential areas without simultaneously enlarging
the drainage system or lack of maintenance for the drainage
systems). In the urban areas, it is commonly observed that newly
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