Title of paper

5. Groundwater

In a desert area without any perennial streams, groundwater is a scarce resource. It can be affected by seepage from the tailings disposal and contaminated in such a way that it can no longer be utilised safely. To control this, long-term monitoring and testing of groundwater need to be undertaken. In an arid country like Namibia with low rainfall, it might take a long time for pollutants to be washed into the groundwater table.
We have to ask critical questions:

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  Will there be long-term monitoring of groundwater quality after mine closure?
  
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  What measurers will be taken if groundwater is polluted?
  
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  Will the public be informed about possible contamination?
  

6. Tourism

Tourism is one of Namibia’s main income generating industries and is expected to grow. Namibians should continue to benefit from the unique natural attractions by keeping the environment intact and not letting it being ruined by mining. Tourists come to Namibia to experience its natural beauty and not the effects of mining and prospecting. Eco-tourism can continue to provide sustainable jobs for many Namibians, while uranium mining provides short-term benefits to a few with long-term consequences for many. Tourism provides four times more jobs than mining (Renkhoff, 2013: 47).

7. Health risks

There is no such thing as a safe dose of radiation. When alpha, beta and gamma radiation interact with human bodies, they can kill tissue or damage the genetic material contained in our cells. When large doses of radiation are received, large amounts of body tissue may be killed, sometimes fatally. After long-term exposure to lower doses, as happens with uranium mining, genetic damage becomes more likely, causing mutations and possibly cancer. Since these cancers may take years or decades to develop, it is very difficult to determine whether the dose of radiation has caused a specific cancer. Thus, it is difficult to relate the delayed impact on a worker’s health to former work in a uranium mine or for the worker to obtain legal proof in order to receive compensation. However, through statistical research, the effects of radiation, also of low-level radiation on humans, have been studied and effects are proven.
For example, the Navajo Uranium Miners and Millers Compensation Committee in Arizona, USA, has succeeded in securing compensation from the US government for miners and millworkers. In Germany, uranium was mined from 1948 until 1990 by the Soviet-German company Wismut. Many workers died due to work-related health conditions; 5,237 workers suffering from lung cancer received financial compensation, all other cases of ill health were neglected. The mine was shut down after reunification of Eastern and Western Germany due to enormous negative social and environmental impacts. After almost 25 years, cleaning up is still underway and costs probably more than was ever earned by uranium mining (Lindemann, 2008).
In Namibia, a study was done by Greg Dropkin and David Clark in 1992 named ‘Past exposure: Revealing Health and Environmental Risks of Rössing Uranium’. The researchers concluded that “workers in the final product recovery area were exposed to very high levels of radiation in the period up to 1982, and even now their exposures are significant. Their lifetime risk of fatal cancer is probably at least 1 in 25 and possibly as high as 1 in 9. The workforce at Rössing has not been told the truth about the dangers they face”.

8. Socio-economic conditions

At an unemployment rate of 37% (2012), investments creating work opportunities are highly welcome. However, Namibia and its citizens need to consider the long-term price to be paid for short-term benefits from uranium mining. Socio-economic impacts of large project developments are often not properly considered. The uranium boom in the Erongo region, albeit presently delayed, will draw migrant labourers and their families from other parts of the country. This will put pressure on housing, schools, hospitals, other public institutions, traffic as well as water and electricity supplies. Dense settlements will add to the HIV/AIDS infection rate. Artificial towns like Arandis will probably turn into ghost towns after mining ends. And what will happen to the communities, heavily dependent on income from the uranium mines, once the mines are decommissioned? These are serious issues and should have been catered for from the very beginning of new developments such as uranium exploration and mining.³⁹
The First National Bank of Namibia announced in 2012 that the mining sector perpetuates inequality because workers only receive one tenth of the value they create, while the owners of the capital earn the rest. Value added per employed individual is believed to be N$1.5 million, while incomes average a mere N$160,000 a year (New Era, 23 May 2011).

9. References

Dropkin, G. / D. Clark. 1992. Past Exposure: Revealing Health and Environmental Risks of Rössing Uranium. London. Namibia Support Committee.
Jürgens, N. 2008. Commentary on the EIA for Trekkopje Uranium Project. Roan News – Special Edition on Uranium Mining and Mining in Parks, March 2008: 15-18.
Lindemann, I. 2008. Hazards of Uranium. Unpublished presentation held at a workshop on uranium organised by Earthlife Namibia and LaRRI in Windhoek, Namibia.
Renkhoff, N. 2014. Nachhaltige Entwicklung im Bergrecht Namibias. Baden-Baden. Nomos. Forthcoming soon.

Environmental Impact Assessments in the permitting Process to obtain a Mineral Licence

By Natalie A Renkhoff

1. Introduction

Searching for and extracting of uranium has severe impacts on the environment. This includes land degradation, pollution, changes in groundwater level together with impacts on the surrounding communities.
Therefore, there are various legislative measures regulating the potential impacts of uranium mining. The most important of these measures is the environmental impact assessment.
This paper introduces the legal framework relevant to uranium mining in Namibia and familiarizes the reader with the different types of mineral licences. The submission of an environmental impact assessment is a prerequisite to applying for a mineral licence. The nature of an environmental impact assessment is explained and it is shown how environmental impact assessments are compiled.