Dam levels in Namibia showed a slight decline during the first week of July, NamWater reported. Due to the favourable weather so far this year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) has removed Namibia from the global hunger hotspot list.
Dam’s nearly full
Total surface water stood at 1,343 391 million cubic metres (Mm³), representing 86,3% of the country’s total dam capacity on 1 July. This indicated a week-on-week drop of 7,176 Mm³ from the 86,8% recorded on 23 June 2025.
According to NamWater, the decrease was largely due to reduced inflows into most major reservoirs at the start of the dry season, including Hardap, Neckartal, Swakoppoort, and Omatako dams.
However, Namibia’s largest dam, Neckartal Dam, remained near full at 98,5% capacity, Naute at 96,9% and Swakoppoort at 94,3%. Smaller dams like Von Bach, Tilda Viljoen, and Goreangab remained stable or recorded slight increases. Omatjenne Dam remained dry at 0%, while Otjivero Silt Dam was 6,2%.
NamWater called on the public, municipalities, and industry to continue using water efficiently, especially since the country enters the dry season.
“We urge all consumers to continue using water wisely as inflows taper off during the dry season,” the utility said.
Although current levels were generally healthy thanks to strong rainfall earlier in the year, NamWater said strategic water management remained key to long-term water security, particularly in drought-prone areas.
These dam levels are in stark contrast to dam levels a year ago, when the country was in the mid of the worst drought in 100 years, some reports stated.
This time last year …
On 22 May 2024, the then Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba declared a national state of emergency due to the worst drought the country has experienced in 100 years.
The decision was based on the El Niño-induced drought that caused severe food insecurity and water scarcity, exacerbated by low dam levels in the country.
As a result, one in five Namibians was food insecure, with over 331 000 households already registered for government-funded drought relief.
The Drought Relief Programme, aimed at assisting affected communities with food aid, livestock, seeds, and water supply, was expected to cost about EUR 40 million (N$1.1 billion).
SInce there was a significant funding gap of EUR 25 million (N$482 million), President Mbumba was prompted to call for financial assistance and food donations from neighbouring countries and international stakeholders.
Food insecurity crisis, emergency
Between October 2024 and March 2025, some 1,26 million people were projected to experience Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse food insecurity levels, including 100 000 in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).
According to the projections, this represented a 45% increase compared to last year when 695 000 people were expected to face food insecurity levels of crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse.
The increase in food insecurity was ascribed to the negative impact of El Niño, with accompanying limited availability of livestock pasture and water, limited agricultural labour opportunities, and an unfavourable health and nutrition environment.
At the time, the World Food Programme, stated that poor households relying in rain-fed agriculture that is not adapted to climate change, were less resilient to climate shocks.
Also, the country’s overreliance on food imports of up to 80% of its consumption, made it vulnerable to changes in global markets. “The affected population tends to use coping strategies with possibly detrimental consequences, such as transactional sex and the selling of assets,” the IPC report stated.
Namibia dropped from global hunger hotspot list
Due to the favourable weather patterns experienced so far this year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) has removed Namibia from the global hunger hotspot list.
Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe were dropped from the list. “Regional clusters in East Africa (Ethiopia and Kenya) and Southern Africa (Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe), as well as the Niger, are no longer classified as hotspots due to improvements in climatic conditions,” the report stated.
The agencies warned that the gains remain precarious. “Although these countries are no longer considered hotspots for the outlook period, future climatic shifts could lead to their reclassification,” the FAO and WFP noted. The agencies stressed the importance of sustained interventions and climate resilience to avoid a return to crisis levels.
Source references
May 2024: Namibian President Declares Drought State of Emergency NamTip
Namibia: Acute Food Insecurity Situation for July – September 2024 and Projections for October 2024 – March 2025 and April – June 2025
https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1157149/?iso3=NAM
National dam levels dip slightly as dry season sets in (2025) The Brief 1 July 2025
https://thebrief.com.na/2025/07/national-dam-levels-dip-slightly-as-dry-season-sets-in/
Namibia removed from global hunger hotspot list (2025) The Brief
https://thebrief.com.na/2025/07/namibia-removed-from-global-hunger-hotspot-list/
Namibia World Food Programme
