Categories
Namibia
Key facts
Hazards covered by anticipation
Drought
No. of people reached by anticipation (activation)
Still being defined
Anticipation partners in country
Namibia Red Cross Society | German Red Cross | Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre | IFRC | 510 initiative of the Netherlands Red Cross | FAO
Inform Risk Index (2022)
Hazard and exposure: 2.5
Vulnerability: 4.7
Lack of coping capacity: 5.0
Total: 3.9 (medium)
Rank: 83
Photo: Hugo Nijentap / IFRC
Country profile
As the most arid country in southern Africa, Namibia is no stranger to disasters. It ranks among the highest globally in terms of disaster mortality relative to population size, and in terms of the percentage of the population affected by natural disasters. The main hazards are flooding, flash floods, drought, veld fires, disease outbreaks and heat waves.
Hydrometeorological disasters affect the most people across the country, and drought and floods often alternate from year to year. With 22 per cent of the country classified as desert, and 37 per cent as semi-arid, Namibians experience high levels of water stress and scarcity, even in non-drought years. Droughts occur differently in the various agroecological zones affected, but common impacts include reduced water supply for humans and agricultural use, with subsequent food shortages and increases in communicable diseases.
Floods can kill or displace people and their livestock, and destroy houses, crops and infrastructure. These impacts are felt most heavily by poor, rural households.
Namibia’s disaster policies are outlined in the National Disaster Risk Policy. They seek to reduce the loss of life and property, and to protect the environment, through partnerships for risk reduction and raising public awareness.
Projects
Forecast-based financing: closing the gap between disaster preparedness and emergency relief in southern Africa
The Namibia Red Cross Society, the German Red Cross and the British Red Cross have been working to establish forecast-based financing in Namibia since 2020, with support from the Climate Centre, the German Federal Foreign Office and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The project is currently working on an Early Action Protocol on drought risk, for which new partnerships and a national technical working group are being created.
FAO is working on drought in Namibia.
