Zorena Jantze
The derailment of a TransNamib train carrying 13 tanks of sulphuric acid has brought about water contamination concerns in the town of Otavi.
The train, which was reportedly headed for the Dundee precious metals mine in Tsumeb, derailed last week Thursday around 21:00 in Otavi.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Otavi Town Council, Sakaria Wodibo Haulofu, spoke to the Informanté regarding the possible contamination caused by the spill and stated that although the spill was somewhat on the outskirts of the town, there have been concerns of possible groundwater contamination.
Haulofu stated that the town council has engaged relevant stakeholders to determine the cause of the acid spill and has also deployed an emergency team to ensure that the general population does not access the contaminated area.
Some of the risks associated with the sulphuric acid exposure is its corrosivity to biological tissue, of which the latter may cause severe skin burns and eye damage.
“This is not the first time there has been an acid spill near the town of Otavi. In July 2021, a TransNamib locomotive derailed near B2Gold between Otjiwarongo and Otavi and 18 tankers fell over and one tanker containing liquid sulphuric acid burst. We would like to abstract water from boreholes within the near future and these spillages has brought about water contamination concerns at this point,” Haulofu said.
The town council’s CEO however stated that the spill did not happen near a water source area and stated that after the cleanup, emergency services has assured that the acid spill will not affect the town’s underground water resources.
Romeo Muyunda from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism shared that in the recent derailment involving 13 tanks, approximately 700 tonnes of sulphuric acid leaked into the ground.
“The ministry is in touch with TransNamib and we understand that the containment of the spill is done and complimented. As per the law, the responsible company must clean up and mitigate any possible effects on the environment. We are sending staff members of the ministry to make an assessment and report back on the status and extent of the spill,” Muyunda said.
Reached for comment, TransNamib did not respond on the preliminary facts surrounding the incident at the time of publishing.
