Council plans relocation of stone crusher plant

THE Keetmanshoop Town Council has agreed to enter into negotiations on relocating the Super Sand stone-crushing plant following complaints of dust and noise pollution from residents living near the plant.

This was resolved at a Council meeting held last week. In the meantime, the Council recommended as a short-term solution the construction of a barrier to suppress noise and dust pollution.In addition, it recommended that operations be halted over weekends except in exceptional cases.It emerged at the Council meeting that operations at the plant began on a small scale but have grown to such an extent that they now pose a health risk to residents living near the crusher.”Just today, I saw a cloud of dust hanging over the houses and this really poses a health risk,” said the Council’s Management Chairman, Basil Brown.One of the residents, Annalie Resandt, earlier told The Namibian that the dust and noise from the crusher were making her life a misery.She said frequent visits to doctors had become part and parcel of her life, because her children frequently experienced sinusitis and chest problems.A recent expert survey on noise and dust pollution at the Super Sand stone-crushing plant found that its pollution levels exceeded acceptable limits.The survey – conducted by Swakopmund-based health, safety and environmental consultancy Enviro Solutions – recommended relocating either the affected homes or the crushing plant on the basis of unacceptable nuisance impacts alone.In terms of the Public Health Act of 1936, the owners of Super Sand may have to shoulder civil liability if it creates a noise or dust nuisance that unreasonably interferes with the use and enjoyment of a person’s land.In the meantime, the Council recommended as a short-term solution the construction of a barrier to suppress noise and dust pollution. In addition, it recommended that operations be halted over weekends except in exceptional cases.It emerged at the Council meeting that operations at the plant began on a small scale but have grown to such an extent that they now pose a health risk to residents living near the crusher.”Just today, I saw a cloud of dust hanging over the houses and this really poses a health risk,” said the Council’s Management Chairman, Basil Brown.One of the residents, Annalie Resandt, earlier told The Namibian that the dust and noise from the crusher were making her life a misery.She said frequent visits to doctors had become part and parcel of her life, because her children frequently experienced sinusitis and chest problems.A recent expert survey on noise and dust pollution at the Super Sand stone-crushing plant found that its pollution levels exceeded acceptable limits.The survey – conducted by Swakopmund-based health, safety and environmental consultancy Enviro Solutions – recommended relocating either the affected homes or the crushing plant on the basis of unacceptable nuisance impacts alone.In terms of the Public Health Act of 1936, the owners of Super Sand may have to shoulder civil liability if it creates a noise or dust nuisance that unreasonably interferes with the use and enjoyment of a person’s land.