Revised act casts wider conservation net

The revised Environmental Management Act now includes legal measures to protect ecosystems such as natural springs and habitats that were previously unprotected.

Senior environmental conservation scientist in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Damian Nchindo says current safeguards apply to areas such as national parks, reserves and conservancies because they are habitats of wild animals.

However, he says, the amended act will also set standards with regards to noise and smell pollution, water and air quality.

The draft of the revised act is already in place, but the ministry has invited regional input, including opinions on the proposed sand and gravel mining.

The ministry has noted with concern the unprecedented scale of illegal sand mining in the country.

Nchindo was speaking at a one-day public engagement on proposed sand and gravel mining under the bill for the Oshana and Omusati regions at Ongwediva last month.

At a similar engagement for the Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions at Eenhana, environmental commissioner Timoteus Mufeti has said Namibia is nearing banning the production and importation of certain plastic products.

He says the ministry has closed numerous illegal sand mining sites and rehabilitated about 30 sand-mined sites, some of which date back to the pre-independence period.

Mufeti says illegal sand mining, particularly in communal areas, is caused by the lack of management by traditional authorities, corruption, and the lack of understanding of communal land rights.

“We want to have a spot fine.

We have noted that some people are not qualified to do environmental impact assessment.

We want to ensure that people who are doing environmental impact assessment are qualified and this will make the ministry’s work easy,” Mufeti says.

He adds that the current act has insufficient focus on compliance, enforcement and monitoring for environmental management plans.

A October 2020 report by the Institute for Public Policy Research titled ‘Depleting Natural Capital: How Namibia has been Losing Wildlife, Forests and Sand Through Misgovernance and Maladministration Since 2005’ notes that illegal and unregulated sand mining is increasing in Namibia, becoming a major environmental concern.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.