WALVIS BAY – The Walvis Bay Council says it will not avail the former military communications bunker at Walvis Bay as a temporary storage facility for dangerous goods and hazardous materials.
An unspecified quantity of hazardous and toxic material usually finds its way in or out of the town.
The council’s decision comes after talks in May when Narraville residents opposed the proposed storage facility for highly toxic material being in close proximity to their neighbourhood.
The old bunker, which is situated about three kilometres from Narraville, was early this year identified by Native Storage Facility as a suitable site for their envisaged operations that include the storage of dangerous goods in transit.
The proposed facility was expected to be temporarily used for a period of five to ten years to store dangerous goods (Class 1-7) such as explosives, gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids or substances, toxic substances and radioactive material.
In the long-term, opportunities for expansion of the facility would have to provide safe storage for Class 8 to 9 materials, involving combinations of the listed goods.
Residents were upset that dangerous materials and toxic matter would be stored in too close proximity to their homes if the planned facility was approved by the Walvis Bay Council.
However the council last Friday said the bunker was not suitable and should therefore not be considered by its proponents.
“Following the application a few months ago by the company Native Storage Facility for a site where dangerous goods can be stored, the municipality subsequently convened a meeting attended by all the relevant stakeholders in this matter. The purpose of the meeting was to find common ground regarding the site of the proposed development, which has become a matter of concern for various interest groups,” council stated.
Council also said the decision was made in August that Native Storage Facility should submit a new application to lease 15 to 20 hectares of unserviced land on Farm 43, which is about 20 km south-east of Walvis Bay, for the development of the proposed storage facility for toxic goods.
The proposal was in principle accepted by council on September 30 2014 albeit with conditions.
“An EIA should be conducted and an Environmental Clearance Certificate obtained from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism,” it stated.
“Once the above conditions have been satisfied, a further comprehensive report with recommendations will be submitted to council for final consideration,” it further stated.