A water first for the people of Spitzkoppe

THE community at Spitzkoppe now has access to fresh, clean water.
Areva Resources Namibia (ARN), which is responsible for the Trekkopje Uranium Mine Project, facilitated the move.
The official handover of the water supply system took place on Wednesday at the Spitzkoppe Community, which is situated about two kilometres from the base of the Spitzkoppe mountain.
Minister of Mines and Energy, Erkki Nghimtina, did the honours.
The supply system comes exactly a year after UraMin Namibia (now ARN) handed over a borehole to the community.
The borehole lay about five kilometres away, hence the need for the pipeline, water storage tank and tap now situated in the centre of the community.
According to Immanuel /Gâseb, Chief of the !Oe#Gan Traditional Authority, it is the first time the Spitzkoppe community has had fresh water since settling there about 50 years ago.
He urged the residents to take good care of the facilities, which now belong to the community.
Minister Nghimtina commended ARN, saying that the company was still in its development phase, and still far from production, and yet it showed a committed interest in its social responsibility.
‘The mine has assisted Government in its aspirations to bring clean water to the people of Namibia,’ he said.
Erongo Governor Samuel Nuujoma said the water supply system is believed to have cost about N$300 000, ‘but its value is far beyond that’.
‘This will definitely improve the quality of living for all who live here,’ he said.
Before the borehole and supply system, residents had to travel far to get water for household purposes, and also manage carefully the limited water that was sometimes trucked in.
ARN’s Mine Manager, Paul Day, said the Trekkopje Project would start production in 2010, and it will be one of the10 largest uranium mines in the world, with a preliminary lifecycle of 11 years.
‘This is the most exciting mining project in Africa, if not in the world,’ he said.
adam@namibian.com.na