Ministry cancels Leonardville uranium exploration
Ronelle Rademeyer
WINDHOEK
The agriculture ministry has cancelled Headspring Investments’ uranium exploration permit. The company is currently engaged in uranium exploration at Leonardville, but due to the cancellation, no further drilling may be done.
The subsidiary of the Russian nuclear power corporation Rosatom does not meet the conditions under which permits 11561 and 11562 were issued, the ministry said in a letter to the company's senior administrator, Aldo Hengari.
Concern has been rife for weeks among farmers and residents of towns in the Kalahari after it was revealed how Headspring went about extracting uranium from ore deposits in the Stampriet artesian basin with its intertwined aquifer system. This water source extends into Botswana and South Africa.
According to geologist Dr Roy Miller, the amount of uranium that ends up in this water will far exceed the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) safety limit.
This could have serious consequences for the health of the people and animals that depend on these aquifers for survival, he said earlier in submissions to stakeholders.
‘Extremely concerned’
According to the letter, the ministry visited sites where drilling is currently taking place in October.
Executive director Percy Misika wrote that the ministry "is extremely concerned" that Headspring does not meet set conditions.
The two permits were issued to Headspring on 30 March for uranium exploration and geohydrological purposes respectively.
It also appears that at least 70 boreholes were drilled without a valid permit for exploration purposes. Permit 11561 provided for only 19 boreholes.
Similarly, seven more than the allowed 18 boreholes were drilled for purposes of the geohydrological study.
Meanwhile, the holes drilled for the geohydrological survey are located in a specific formation of each other and this corresponds to the in-situ leaching technique proposed in the environmental impact study.
It is precisely this leaching technique that will cause uranium and various other heavy metals and radioactive waste to end up in the aquifers as part of the extraction process, Miller explained.
Pollution
The exploration holes were also not drilled according to the conditions of the permit, which require that a borehole first be sealed before drilling can take place elsewhere.
The ministry is concerned that some of the boreholes have been left open for long periods of time, which means seepage between boreholes will take place, which will further pollute the water source.
Misika pointed out in the letter that Headspring did not inform the drilling contractors about the permit conditions. Many of these contractors are drilling in the area for the first time and because they are not registered with the ministry, they do not know about special drilling specifications that apply to the Stampriet artesian aquifer system, he said.
WINDHOEK
The agriculture ministry has cancelled Headspring Investments’ uranium exploration permit. The company is currently engaged in uranium exploration at Leonardville, but due to the cancellation, no further drilling may be done.
The subsidiary of the Russian nuclear power corporation Rosatom does not meet the conditions under which permits 11561 and 11562 were issued, the ministry said in a letter to the company's senior administrator, Aldo Hengari.
Concern has been rife for weeks among farmers and residents of towns in the Kalahari after it was revealed how Headspring went about extracting uranium from ore deposits in the Stampriet artesian basin with its intertwined aquifer system. This water source extends into Botswana and South Africa.
According to geologist Dr Roy Miller, the amount of uranium that ends up in this water will far exceed the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) safety limit.
This could have serious consequences for the health of the people and animals that depend on these aquifers for survival, he said earlier in submissions to stakeholders.
‘Extremely concerned’
According to the letter, the ministry visited sites where drilling is currently taking place in October.
Executive director Percy Misika wrote that the ministry "is extremely concerned" that Headspring does not meet set conditions.
The two permits were issued to Headspring on 30 March for uranium exploration and geohydrological purposes respectively.
It also appears that at least 70 boreholes were drilled without a valid permit for exploration purposes. Permit 11561 provided for only 19 boreholes.
Similarly, seven more than the allowed 18 boreholes were drilled for purposes of the geohydrological study.
Meanwhile, the holes drilled for the geohydrological survey are located in a specific formation of each other and this corresponds to the in-situ leaching technique proposed in the environmental impact study.
It is precisely this leaching technique that will cause uranium and various other heavy metals and radioactive waste to end up in the aquifers as part of the extraction process, Miller explained.
Pollution
The exploration holes were also not drilled according to the conditions of the permit, which require that a borehole first be sealed before drilling can take place elsewhere.
The ministry is concerned that some of the boreholes have been left open for long periods of time, which means seepage between boreholes will take place, which will further pollute the water source.
Misika pointed out in the letter that Headspring did not inform the drilling contractors about the permit conditions. Many of these contractors are drilling in the area for the first time and because they are not registered with the ministry, they do not know about special drilling specifications that apply to the Stampriet artesian aquifer system, he said.
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