THE Ministry of Environment and Tourism last Wednesday dispatched an team to Oiltech Namibia at Aris, near Windhoek, to investigate allegations of pollution by members of the public.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry’s spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said the team inspected the site and found no truth to the allegations.
Muyunda said this is not the first time the site has been inspected. It was also inspected by the environmental commissioner last year, where he found that the site was being operated in an enclosed system meant for smoke and odour containment.
Muyunda said the ministry was reacting to three SMSes that were sent to a daily newspaper complaining about the alleged pollution.
One SMS read: “We are at risk after inhaling the fumes from this company recycling oil at Aris. Why can’t they move further away from the community or learn from Wesco Oil Company or close down, because they are a health risk.”
A report by the department of environmental affairs issued by Muyunda said the site has pollution control measures in place and monitoring reports had been sent to their offices.
The report said the only smoke observed came from the exhaust pipes, which is normal for any combustion process.
The inspection team however instructed the project owner to extend the exhaust pipes in line with the dictates of the International Standards Organisation or recognised standard institutions in Namibia within a period of three weeks, to which the owner agreed. Meanwhile, Oiltech Namibia also released a statement last week saying an enclosed system that is monitored by five pollution stations is situated on-site and at points in the Krumhuk community, including the school.
It said samples are sent to an independent company in South Africa for analysis and they then issue a full report on the air samples.
The company further said this report forms part of Oiltech’s continuous environmental management plan that is submitted bi-annually to the environment ministry.
“We are in the business of cleaning up the environment. Why would we pollute the environment as it would be very detrimental to our operation and very energy inefficient. Oiltech Namibia keeps the environment clean of waste oil that would otherwise be dumped in our landfills and eventually find its way to our water reservoirs and aquifers,” the statement said.
The ministry urged members of the public with information on alleged pollution to share such information with the ministry.
– Nampa
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