Illegal Sand Mining Remains a Major Concern in North-Central Namibia. Unregulated sand mining continues to present a significant environmental challenge in Namibia’s north-central region, with most extraction sites operating without the necessary permits, according to Laimi Erckie, chief warden of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
Speaking to The Namibian, Erckie emphasized that illegal sand pits far outnumber legal ones, as most lack the required environmental clearance certificates (ECCs). “It is still a major problem,” she said, adding that authorities such as traditional leaders, town councils, and regional councils are often reluctant to formally identify sites for legal sand mining operations.
Currently, there is only one legal sand-mining site each in the Uukwambi and Ondonga Traditional Authority areas, Erckie noted. In contrast, the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority area has a higher number of legal sand-mining sites, but illegal operations remain widespread across the entire north-central region.
Regulatory Challenges and Costs
Namibia’s Environmental Management Act requires an environmental impact assessment (EIA) before granting an ECC for sand-mining activities. However, Erckie pointed out that conducting an EIA is an expensive process that many authorities cannot afford. Environmental consultants overseeing these assessments must also be independent professionals registered with the Environmental Assessment Professionals of Namibia.
Erckie explained that past practices allowed business owners to run sand-mining operations, but current regulations specify that only traditional authorities, town councils, or regional councils may own and manage these sites.
For example, the Ondangwa Town Council manages a legal sand-mining site in its area. Similarly, in the Uukwambi Traditional Authority, the legal site is located at Onatshiku sha Laban village in the Okatana constituency, Oshana region.
A Model for Sustainable Sand Mining
The Onatshiku village operation exemplifies a successful legal sand-mining model. With an ECC issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, sand mining in this village is conducted in compliance with environmental laws. Each sand collector is registered and pays a fee, which is shared between the Uukwambi Traditional Authority and the village itself.The village’s portion of the revenue is managed through a dedicated bank account and used for local development projects.
Erckie revealed that large-scale illegal sand mining first came to the ministry’s attention in 2019. A 2020 report by the Institute for Public Policy Research highlighted the escalating problem, describing unregulated sand mining as a major environmental issue.The report raised concerns about the dangers posed by abandoned, unrehabilitated sand pits, which pose risks to humans, livestock, and wildlife.