Oil spill halts Gammams

A spill of somewhere between 4 000 and 6 000 litres of heavy fuel oil into Windhoek’s sewerage system has brought all water purification works at Gammams to a halt.
According to Roux-ché Locke, spokesperson of the Ohlthaver & List Group, the spill occurred yesterday morning at the Namibia Dairies factory in Avis after a technical problem was experienced with a pipeline.
“We took immediate action when we became aware of the spill. Along with stakeholders, including the City of Windhoek, we worked to halt any further damage and pollution.”
An investigation into the scope of the spill is currently under way.
“Namibia Diaries has taken on the full responsibility to ensure that all aspects of environmental pollution and damage are being treated in the most responsible manner,” she added.
The polluted water cannot be treated and purified by the Gammams plant as it would damage the systems.
Windhoek’s household waste water is treated at Gammams first, after which it is further purified at the more advanced Goreangab plant. Waste water is also treated at the Goreangab but this is mostly used as grey water. Ujams, north of the city, takes in industrial waste water which contains metals and is too toxic for Gammams.
Read the full report in tomorrow’s Namibian Sun.