Residents mobilise against dangerous facility Walvis Bay residents have established a concerned group (WBCG) to oppose the proposed establishment of a dangerous goods storage facility by Native Holdings at the former Navy Communications bunker situated on the outskirts of the town. Walvis Bay Municipal Environmental Officer David Ushona dispelled rumours doing the rounds that Council had already given official approval for the project to go ahead. “There is no such thing. Council had a meeting with the proponent to clarify certain issues last week Wednesday. Members of the Army and the Navy also sat in. The Walvis Bay Municipal Town Planner Hilia Hithula has been tasked to draft a letter containing the views of the various council departments. The completed letter will be approved and signed by the CEO Mr Haingura for the attention of Native Holdings. Council previously expressed support for the idea but not for the proposed location,” he concluded. Hithula was not available for comment at the time of going to press. In the meantime the WBCG have drafted an urgent request for a meeting (possibly on Tuesday next week) with the Mayor and her councillors to discuss the issue and handed it over on Wednesday. According to WBCG spokesperson Mr Stan Bouman indications are that the town planner apparently ok’d the request from Native Holdings to be allocated the bunker for the envisaged dangerous goods facility to be established. “We cannot simply sit back and allow these plans to materialise. We must mobilise in order to prevent such a facility becoming a reality on our doorsteps and will avail more information about the proposed action we will embark on via the media, in due course” he said and called on the community to sign the petition (more than 200 signatures have already been obtained) doing the rounds. Those who sign the petition are concerned residents who urge Namibian leaders to act to challenge the hand-ling, transport and storage of various kinds and types of dangerous goods and hazardous materials as well as radioactive and nuclear material by the entity styled as Native Holdings. The WBCG further alleges in the petition that the owners of Native Hol-dings already violated the principles of trust in that they failed to fully disclose their real intentions and plans and thus intentionally or by default brought the Municipal Council under false impressions about the exact nature, scope and context of their intended business plans by only revealing their intensions at the eleventh hour. According to the group these events portrayed the Municipality in a seriously bad light and also questions the seriousness, transparency and possible hidden agendas of the proponents. The group also demands via the petition that all applicable laws, rules and regulations of Walvis Bay, the Republic of Namibia and all international laws, conventions, treaties and protocols be applied and enforced without fear of favour in respect of the production, processing, handling, use, holding storage, transport and disposal of dangerous goods and hazardous materials including explosives and all forms of nuclear material. They further expressed their uneasiness with plans by Native Holdings to handle, transport and store various kinds of dangerous goods, hazardous materials as well as radioactive and nuclear material on one premises and in one building within the existing boundaries of a residential area and said that this violates the Namibian Constitution and all the laws pertaining to the matter. “We demand that Namibia fulfil its international obligations and Constitutional requirements to ensure and assure its citizens that no toxic or nuclear waste would be imported or allowed to be imported and transferred though Namibian territory under the cover of recycling knowing that the real purpose of such imports or transfers are to use Namibia as a dumping ground for toxic and radioactive waste. The group was formed after a consultative meeting in Narraville between EnviroSolutions and community members about the establishment of the envisaged storage facility in May. Its members is in the process of organising a petition to be handed over to relevant authorities and a peaceful protest march to voice their objection about the proposed plan to establish a dangerous goods storage facility within the next two weeks. Namport Chief Executive Officer Bisey/Uirab addressed the media in Walvis Bay on Tuesday 27 May and dispelled radioactive waste fears concerning the handling and storage of dangerous goods by the company in response to several media reports and inquiries which alleged that Namport were engaged in the illegal handling and storage of dangerous goods such as radioactive material, spent nuclear cartridges, plutonium and explosives. According to him Namport was inundated with calls concerning the handling and storage of dangerous goods following a much publicised public meeting, held by EnviroSolutions on behalf of Native Venture Holdings after a managing member of the company, Mr Thomas Jonas, caused a furore when he said he had done his homework and discovered that dangerous goods are currently stored at various non compliant locations within the harbour area and surrounding warehouse facilities before being dispatched to their final destinations. It is common knowledge that huge quantities of ammonium nitrate are used by the mining industry. Namport has only landed one such cargo in the past and most consignments currently arrive by road. According to a source the quantity of ammonium nitrate needed is set to increase manifold due to the large scale of mining operations at Husab mine.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 10:05:15 +0000
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