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Otavi Acid spill clean-up delayed by lack of equipment – TransNamib

Otavi Acid spill clean-up delayed by lack of equipment – TransNamib

Zorena Jantze

NEARLY a month after the spillage of acid from 13 tankers which burst after the train carrying them derailed in Otavi, the site still remains contaminated due to a delay in delivery of equipment needed to clean up the spill.

The acid roll happened last month, 21 July 2022, at night which caused a biohazard, and 28 days later, the spilled sulphuric acid can however still be observed spread like black tar atop the white sand.

Abigail Raubenheimer, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the national rail entity stated that the recovery process of the site has been significantly delayed due to technicalities.

“At the moment, the arrival of the equipment and machinery needed for the recovery process has been delayed. We are constantly engaging the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the recovery process is completed as soon as possible,” Raubenheimer said.

Pictures of the uncleaned spill caused rage from the Namibian public this week on social media and a source who took the pictures of the site this week complained that the dust from the sand burned his ankles.

Raubenheimer took note of this concern and urged that, in the interim, the public refrain from entering the site, as the site is still under recovery and as such unauthorized persons should not risk entering it.

Queried how much money TransNamib would have to fork out to decontaminate the area, the PRO however noted that in terms of products, every process is different, adding that some products recovery is easy while other products require more technical expertise.

Raubenheimer shared that TransNamib will be working in conjunction with other partners with regard to the recovery process, but however could not share how much it would cost, as specific numbers would only be shared once the clean-up is completed.

This is not the first Sulphuric Acid spilled 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.

The two incidents have since raised concerns from the town council, which have voiced fears of groundwater contamination of the Namibian karst aquifers of the Grootfontein-Tsumeb-Otavi Subterranean Water Control Area (GTO-WCA).

The (GTO-WCA) approximately covers 25, 500 km2, including the Otavi Mountain land with its Kalahari foreland.

Approached for commentary on the matter, and whether TransNamib has been charged with any form of misconduct in terms of the Environment Management Act 7 of 2007, Romeo Munyunda, spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MEFT) stated that they have indeed confirmed that TransNamib has not cleaned up the area yet.

He however added that a team from Tsumeb Dundee Precious metals have ensured that the acid does not spread any further. Munyunda said that the environment ministry will engage the management of TransNamib and will possibly slap them with an Environmental Compliance Order, giving TransNamib a specified amount of time to clear the acid leak or face legal action.

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