2 Otjikoto Final EIA Report 5MB - Asecnam.com

SLR Namibia (Pty) Ltd
SLR Ref.733.01023.0002
Report No.1
Page vii
� Disturbed areas other than those comprising the open pit and mineralised waste facilities will be
returned to as close to their original state as practicable.
� Permanent visible features such as the mineralised waste facilities and related environmental
bunds as well as safety bunds around the open pit will be left in a form that blends with the
surrounds.
� Contamination beyond the mine site by wind, surface runoff or groundwater movement will be
prevented through appropriate erosion resistant covers, containment bunds and drainage to the
open pit.
� Linear infrastructure comprising roads, pipelines, power lines, conveyors and related components
will be removed and the disturbed land rehabilitated to blend with the surrounding natural
environment.
� Socio-economic impacts (including the loss of employment) will be minimised through careful
planning and preparation for closure beginning three to five years before closure takes place.
The above principles and concepts will be refined as part of ongoing detailed closure planning and
costing during the life of mine.
5. Environmental Impact Assessment Findings
Topography – The project area is approximately 2-3km east of the B1 National Road and it is not
impossible that third parties may access the site by mistake or out of curiosity. In the unmitigated
scenario, it is possible that the surface excavations and infrastructure present a risk to unaccompanied
third parties during all phases.
The proposed mitigation measures will focus on infrastructure safety and on limiting access to third
parties and animals which reduces the probability of the impact occurring.
Surface Water - In the unmitigated scenario, surface water may collect contaminants (hydrocarbons,
salts, chemicals, metals, etc.) from numerous sources. At elevated pollution concentrations these
contaminants can be harmful to humans if ingested directly or indirectly through contaminated vegetation,
vertebrates and invertebrates. Therefore the precautionary approach has been applied with the result that
contaminated surface water from the mine will be contained, re-used and/or treated.
Despite this precaution one can assume that due to the site specific climatic and hydrological conditions,
if a surface run-off occurs, a large fraction of the surface water seeps into the ground water alluvium.
Therefore mitigation measures are based on the principle of containing dirty water and diverting clean
water as far as possible, so the drainage scheme will ensure that clean surface water flow is directed
around structures such as the waste rock dumps and tailings disposal facility.
Otjikoto Gold Mine EIA Report July 2012