At long last, after a seemingly endless drought, the rain has finally arrived. Having said that, this in no way implies that Namibia’s water problems have been solved. In reality, this year has shown a lower average rainfall than over the same period last year. However, we cannot let this get us down! We are Namibians and it shows through our reactions when we hear the rumbling of the thunder as it moves our way.
Namibia may be the only place where it is considered bad luck to use an umbrella in the rain…you might just chase the rain away! So as we are all rain lovers here, proven by the enthusiastic response to our Gondwana Rain Photo Competition, we decided to look at what the season has brought so far.
Starting in the south, the Canyon has had quite a bit of rain to enjoy. Starting the New Year off with the rains that brought down the Holoog River. In the same area 64mm was recorded! The Fish River also saw some action at Koelkrans (a camping spot in the Gondwana Canyon Park).
Since then things have only gotten better. Many of the rivers between Rehoboth and Keetmanshoop received some flow. In some places, like Tsumeb, we even saw flash floods!
The rainfall has also allowed for all kinds of little critters to come out of hiding. A good example is the Giant African Bullfrog. Apparently these little guys are quite a delicious delicacy.
And along with the green frogs that are coming out of hiding, we find more and more greenery popping from the soil. Even in the Kalahari Desert at Kalahari Anib Lodge, you will notice green grass stretching into the distance. Just as it is in and around Windhoek. The city finally looks alive again, with fresh leave and buds visible on all the trees.
Then of course, the most important consequence of the rain…the dams are finally receiving some inflow. A fantastic sign for the country, as we so desperately need the water. And again, we are not nearly close to having our problems solved. At least we have a solid start to the process.
Here are some of the images we received in the Rain Photo Competition… (the other stunning photos can be viewed on our Facebook page).
If you have any other rain related information or stories, we invite you to share them in our comment section below.
