SWAKOPMUND – Teofillus Nghitila, the environment commissioner in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, is pleased with the coast’s uranium mining and tourism businesses for their complying and adhering to the Environmental Management Act.
“I am impressed, especially with the uranium industry, where environmental officers have been appointed to monitor compliance of mining activities with the law,” Nghitila said during his visit last week to the region to inspect various land-based mining activities, waste disposal, aquaculture and tourism activities, amongst others, in the region.
The Environment Management Act came into force in 2012 to regulate, inter alia, environmental aspects in the mining industry.
The process was fast-tracked after allegations of pollution at the Tsumeb smelter surfaced. The Act was previously criticized as it allegedly limits economic or income-generating tourism activities.
Nghitila and his team also met with the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management (Nacoma) project in Swakopmund to discuss issues related to land-based mining activities and its impact on the environment.
The purpose was also to see whether developers are complying in terms of the Environmental Act.
According to Nghitila their mission was to carefully assess the situation and reduce the impact of industrial development projects on the fragile environment.
“Most sites passed the test because they had environmental management plans in place, with qualified environmental officers on site. However monitoring of compliance since 2012 was sometimes hampered by a lack of inspectors at the coast,” he said.