Effluent and waste management

The hazardous waste site is designed, constructed and operated according to best international practice and is approved & permitted by the relevant Namibian authorities. The design provides for effective lining of the site, a leakage detection system, a lined pond to capture any contaminated run-off from the site, a wash bay to clean vehicles and equipment leaving the site and an irrigation system for dust suppression.

Waste is transported to the site, either in double-lined bulk bags or in bulk as a mixture of waste and water. These two methods ensure that no dust is released during the transportation and depositing on site. The waste is compacted to ensure efficient utilization of the available space. The operational area is watered every day to ensure that no dust is released.

Daily inspections are performed to evaluate compliance with company requirements. A monitoring station evaluates the air quality and surveys are carried out regularly to monitor the deposition rate at the site. Government officials regularly inspect the site, and expert consultants evaluated the site in 2014 and 2015.

Environmental best practices

We use state of the art EPA approved air quality equipment, to monitor for sulphur dioxide (SO₂), arsenic (measured as PM10) as well as general PM10 dust. These data are verified and validated by third party laboratories.

For ground water monitoring we employ a multi-level groundwater monitoring methodology, which allows for the collection of discrete samples from various depths. This allows us to understand the distribution of analytes, and better equip us to manage and protect this precious resource.

Land quality

We are at the inception stage of constructing a nursery onsite, which will serve two main purposes. Firstly locally occurring plants (called metallophytes - known to efficiently accumulate metals naturally) will be used to remove metals from the soil. The second purpose will be to use some of the plants as cover to prevent the erosion of sand by wind and rain action.

Annual biodiversity outreach program

In order to mark World Habitat Day 2014 we inaugurated a Biodiversity Outreach Program. High Schools in Tsumeb, as well as the Tsumeb Scouts were invited to take part in a challenge to identify indigenous trees in the surrounding area, with the aim of raising awareness about the woody vegetation in their environment, with an emphasis on protected species, as well as to familiarize them and make them at ease with the use of dichotomous keys in the identification of biota.

Coleen Mannheimer, a Namibian botanist was invited to facilitate the event and develop a course to engage participants, develop useful skills and promote knowledge of, and interest in our plant heritage. Previously a researcher at the National Botanical Research Institute and Curator of the National Herbarium, she is currently a consultant in environmental assessments and baseline vegetation studies. She is editor, author and co-author of a number of well-known books on Namibian flora.

This event is planned to be an annual event, which will be hosted as part of our environmental management program and outreach activities to promote and raise awareness of biodiversity protection.