LANGER HEINRICH Uranium (LHU) transport operations suffered after the Swakop River washed away the road section over the river near the C28 between the mine and Swakopmund.
Even though it is a public road, the mine has taken it upon itself to repair the section on a couple of occasions, as the Swakop River continued to pound and break down the construction work only hours after completion.’We make use of this road on a daily basis, especially when we transport personnel to and from Swakopmund. Because of this damage we have to first drive all the way to Walvis Bay and then take the coastal road to Swakopmund. It’s a whole hour extra. The guys have to be picked up an hour earlier,’ a LHU-source at the construction scene told the newspaper.He explained that there was a shorter road on the south-side of the river towards ‘Vierkantklip’ about three kilometres south of Swakopmund but that a ’40 metre high dune’ was blocking the way.’It will be impossible to move the dune,’ he said.He said the construction on the damaged section cost over one million dollars.The section over the river was closed earlier last month when the river broke through it, but the mine soon started repairing it as the flow subsided. This did not last long. The Swakop came down in full force and smashed the newly constructed section again on a second occasion. Once again, no vehicles could pass, and once again, the mine had to wait for the water to subside. Attempts to ‘mend’ the road while the river was flowing (even weakly) were tough, but eventually the road was repaired although no one could guarantee that it would stand another strong flood.The mine considers the road too important to wait for repairs, especially seeing that its transport operations are expected to increase as Langer Heinrich intends to expand its project over the next couple of years. The mine has already tarred several stretches on the C28 towards the mine turn-off.
