Ruacana
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2011) |
| Ruacana | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
 Ruacana
|
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| Coordinates: 17°25′20″S 14°18′7″E / 17.42222°S 14.30194°ECoordinates: 17°25′20″S 14°18′7″E / 17.42222°S 14.30194°E | |
| Country |  Namibia |
| Region | Omusati Region |
| Constituency | Ruacana Constituency |
| Time zone | South African Standard Time (UTC+1) |
Ruacana is a town in Omusati Region, northern Namibia and the district capital of the Ruacana electoral constituency. It is located on the border with Angola on the river Kunene. The town is known for the picturesque Ruacana Falls nearby.
Ruacana was developed around a major underground hydroelectric plant linked to the nearby dam across the border in Angola at Calueque. The dam and pumping station were bombed in a Cuban airstrike in 1988, during the Angolan Civil War. The facility was partially repaired and today NamPower operates three turbines producing 240 megawatts.
In 1988, the settlement consisted of only 17 households of which 14 belonged to soldiers of the South African Defence Force while the remaining 3 were for SWAWEK (Suidwes-Afrikaanse Water en Krag, Afrikaans: South-West African Water and Power) families.[citation needed] Ruacana's settlement status was upgraded to that of a village in 2005, and to town in 2010.[1]
The place normally receives an annual average rainfall of 426 millimetres (16.8 in), although in the 2010/2011 rainy season 960 millimetres (38 in) were measured.[2]
The 600 hectares (1,500 acres) farm Etunda is situated near Ruacana. It is run as a government supported irrigation scheme and has been established in 1993. Half of the farm is commercial irrigation land, the other half is allocated to 82 small-scale farmers. Etunda cultivates maize, wheat, watermelons, bananas, and other produce.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Shaanika, Helvy (7 September 2011). "Ruacana unveils new road, hall". New Era. http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=40502.
- ^ Menges, Werner (26 May 2011). "Rainy season was one for the record books". The Namibian. http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/may/article/rainy-season-was-one-for-the-record-books/.
- ^ "Etunda Irrigation Scheme". Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Government of Namibia. http://www.mawf.gov.na/Programmes/etunda.html. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
[edit] External links
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