Orasecom report flashes red lights
Stampriet groundwater connected to two other aquifers
The Orange River-Senqu Commission (Orasecom), an authority with Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho as members, points out in various documents that the in-situ leaching process cannot have positive consequences for the local population and nature.
The debate surrounding the controversial planned on-site uranium mining near Stampriet and Leonardville using a leaching process, has been reignited by a recent report from the Namibian Environmental Chamber. Farmers and residents in the Kalahari region fear that the in-situ leaching (ISL) process, which involves extracting uranium from groundwater through boreholes using a solution of water and acid, potentially seeping down through rock layers, could permanently contaminate the entire Stampriet aquifer.The aquifer stretches from Namibia through Botswana into South Africa. Less well known is that Stampriet water is directly connected to two other groundwater sources, which could also be at risk.
The Orange River-Senqu Commission (ORASECOM), an agency comprising Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho, has highlighted this in several documents.
The Stampriet Transboundary Aquifer System (STAS) is hydrologically integrated into the larger Orange-Senqu River Basin, providing a direct connection between these systems. The STAS spans all three countries, all within the boundaries of the Orange-Senqu Basin. “Groundwater generally flows from northwest to southeast, so the STAS aquifer is connected to other water resources throughout the [Orange] Basin. It is a weakly recharged, stratified aquifer system with both deep and shallow components,” ORASECOM notes.
The region’s communities and environment rely heavily on groundwater for water security and public health. “Uranium mining using in-situ leaching in the STAS poses a serious contamination risk: the mining process dissolves uranium, radioactive minerals, toxic heavy metals, and sulfates into groundwater,” ORASECOM states on its website.
“Because the STAS is connected to both the Orange-Senqu Basin and the Kalahari/Karoo Sandstone Boundary Aquifer (KSTA), any contamination could spread both vertically and laterally through these interconnected aquifer systems. This endangers not only the STAS and its immediate users, but also the entire Orange-Senqu Basin and all communities that depend on these shared transboundary water resources.”