This detailed, photo-like image captured by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s EO-1 satellite on April 1, 2009, shows flooding around the Bukalo Channel in northern Namibia. The channel connects the Zambezi River to Lake Liambezi, but it had dried up in recent decades, reported the New Era, a Namibian newspaper. As this image shows, residents made use of the fertile, exposed land by planting fields of crops. When the Zambezi River flooded in March and April, the channel once again filled with water, flooding crops. The submerged fields are visible beneath the dark blue water in this image.
Up to 20 villages were flooded by the Bakalo, said the New Era. The water also brought wildlife, including crocodiles, hippos, and fish into close proximity with villagers in the region. In this image, a road leading from a small village shows how villagers cross the flooded channel to reach the main road, putting them within reach of crocodiles. At least one person had died from a crocodile attack in the flooded region as of April 2, said the New Era. The floods also provided villagers with welcome access to fish.
References & Resources
- Inambao, C. (2009, April 2). Namibia: Caprivi floods reach historic mark. ReliefWeb. Accessed April 7, 2009.
NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 Team. Caption by Holli Riebeek.
