High level meeting on the impacts of Uranium mining in the Stampriet Transboundary Aquifer system
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) hosted a high level meeting on the impacts of Uranium mining in the Stampriet Transboundary Aquifer System. The meeting which was held in Mariental paved way on discussion to determine and assess the potential risks and impacts of mineral exploration drilling and mining in the Stampriet Artesian Transboundary Aquifer System.
The aquifer is known for its abundance and reliability of fresh water and is now designated as a water protection Area under the new Water Resources Management Act.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Agriculture Water and Land Reform, Carl H.G Schlettwein stated that human activities that pose a risk of groundwater contamination should be prohibited in areas of very high to high groundwater vulnerability. Exploration drilling and mining activities in these zones put groundwater resources at risk if not conducted appropriately. The minister added that as a dry country, it is essential to agree on methods of exploration and mining that do not endanger the quality or quantity of groundwater resources.
The Stampriet Aquifer, is an artesian aquifer stretching across Namibia`s borders into Botswana and South Africa. In Namibia, about eighty thousand people are depending on the fresh water sourced from the Stampriet aquifer. These includes; villages, farming communities of both communal and commercial agriculture, businesses and industrial entities.
According to Carl, the Ministry has the mandate to manage, protect, develop, use, and conserve water resources and ensure water supply security for Namibia`s social and economic activities. Striking a balance between competing water needs is very challenging, but the ministry priority is to ensure the supply of water for human consumption and food production.
“At the end of the day, we cannot survive without water and food but we can live without coal or Uranium. Our job is to make sure that the permission to extract a mineral resource out of a fresh water aquifer is not harming the Namibian society now and in the future, but rather is to our benefit” he stated.
Carl H.G Schlettwein Minister of Agriculture Water and Land Reform (MAWLR)
Carl cautioned that human activities that pose a risk of groundwater contamination should be prohibited in areas of very high to high groundwater vulnerabity.
