When floodwaters rose in Opuwo last year, destroying homes and displacing more than 400 residents, the challenge facing local authorities was not only the water - it was the information. In the urgency of a climate disaster, knowing who had lost their home and where help was needed most became critical.
For years across Namibia’s fast-growing secondary towns, this vital information existed mainly on paper. Handwritten records moved slowly between field staff and offices, were difficult to coordinate during emergencies and often delayed assistance to communities waiting for support.
In towns increasingly affected by climate pressures, those delays carried real consequences.
Environmental Health Officer, Pacevarl Liyali from Opuwo Town Council recalls the scale of the crisis:
“We had more than 400 people affected, and some families had to be moved after their homes were destroyed.”
Identifying affected households, documenting damage and organising relocation required repeated site visits and manual reporting - slowing response when communities were most vulnerable.
To strengthen preparedness and response, UN-Habitat, through the United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities (UNITAC) Initiative, introduced the Digital Job Card (DJC), a mobile and web-based system that allows municipal teams to capture information directly in the field and share it instantly with supervisors, even without internet connectivity.
Today, when flooding, sanitation risks or infrastructure failures are reported, teams can map affected households immediately, prioritise urgent cases and coordinate response faster. Instead of waiting days for paperwork to circulate, decisions are made in real time and assistance reaches families sooner.
The change is also visible in daily service delivery. Broken water points, drainage blockages and waste accumulation - previously reported multiple times before action - are now tracked and resolved more efficiently. Faster identification of affected areas helps prevent health risks and allows residents to return to safer living conditions sooner.
Beyond emergencies, the system strengthens planning. Local authorities can identify recurring problems, allocate resources more accurately and anticipate risks linked to rapid urban growth and climate impacts. For residents in informal settlements, whose needs are often overlooked in formal systems, their concerns are now recorded, visible and acted upon.
The Digital Job Card is currently being piloted in Rehoboth, Rundu, Helao Nafidi and Opuwo, helping municipal teams develop digital skills and deliver more responsive services to communities.
Small changes in how information is collected are translating into meaningful changes in people’s lives - quicker assistance, safer environments and stronger trust between communities and local authorities. In places facing growing climate uncertainty, the shift from paper to digital is no longer just an administrative improvement; it is helping ensure that when the next storm comes, no one is left behind.
For more information: Digital Job Card Testimonials
