Tsumeb to construct water treatment plant

The Tsumeb municipality plans to construct a new water treatment plant that will include softening of water as a long term solution to improve the quality of the town’s water.

This follows a media release by Dundee Precious Metals (DPM) Tsumeb, published in December 2022, indicating that Tsumeb water was out of specification with high microbiological traces found in the water.

“The municipality will continue to carefully monitor the water quality on its production boreholes, as well as the distribution system. Even though recent results indicate a significant improvement on our water quality compared to the initial outcomes, the residents of the town remain advised to boil water before consumption,” Tsumeb municipality strategic liaison officer Stella Imalwa-Nangolo noted in a recent press statement.

As an immediate short-term mitigating solution, the process of shock chlorination of the water was followed and major upgrade on the Tupperware Dam was completed, noted Imalwa-Nangolo.

“The Tsumeb municipality remains committed to deliver quality water services to its residents and will continue with regular water testing of its boreholes and maintenance of a proper water distribution system. The municipality is working closely with the public health sector and other relevant stakeholders to learn especially how water pollution is affected by various seasons,” she said.

Last month, more than 20 DPM Tsumeb employees suffered from an outbreak of stomach illness believed to be caused by poor water quality at the smelting company. The outbreak is said to have resulted in a minor gastro-intestinal illnesses among the employees.

DPM Tsumeb spokesperson Alina Garises in a press statement said in mid-August, some employees reported nausea and vomiting believed to be due to drinking water.

“The affected employees received treatment from the on-site clinic at DPM Tsumeb, as well as the local health facilities and have completely recovered. The situation is under control and no new cases have been reported since August. In the handling of our onsite dispenser water we provide to our employees, our controls were inadequate leading to our onsite water quality being out of specification for microbiology,” she said.