Andreas Thomas 

Seismic data has greater benefits to Namibia than just measuring the occurrence of earthquakes, with stakeholders such as the mining sector, construction sector and local authorities relying on its use.

This is according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s executive director Penda Ithindi, who said Namibia benefits from a network of seismic stations designed to identify various earthquake-prone zones.

He  said this on Monday during the fourth General Assembly of the African Seismological Commission.

“In Namibia, our earthquake catalogue spans well over 100 years, and helps us identify different seismic zones. Namibia has benefited, and continues to benefit greatly from having publicly-available seismic data which are sought-after by the mining industry, construction sector and local authorities for risk assessment and geotechnical engineering studies,” he said.

He added that the Anker settlement in the Kunene Region of Namibia is located in one of the seismic zones, but that due to the wealth of seismic data, school infrastructure was designed and constructed based on the results of the microzonation studies carried out in 2020.

“In addition, one of our seismic stations is an integral part of the International Monitoring System with the core purpose of detecting nuclear explosions, and it has demonstrated its agility in that regard,” he said.

The General Assembly of the African Seismological Commission is being held in Namibia for the first time since the commission was established in 2014.

“This assembly offers a window of opportunity for collaborative partnerships that will enhance knowledge exchange to further advance the field, not only in seismology, but across all other related fields,” Ithindi said.

The three-day general assembly will address several themes such as earthquake monitoring, hazard assessments and modern seismology.

The assembly would be presented with the results of various research, emphasising the significant contributions seismology applications could make across many areas of human endeavour.
-Nampa