Swakopmund: The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has embarked on a nationwide consultation initiative concerning proposed amendments to the Environmental Management Act (EMA) and draft regulations on sand and gravel mining. These efforts are aimed at bolstering environmental protection and ensuring compliance across the country.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the public consultation was inaugurated in Swakopmund by Deputy Environmental Commissioner, Dr. Caroline !Garus-Oas. She emphasized the necessity of revising the EMA to keep the legislation aligned with evolving environmental, social, and economic contexts. Dr. !Garus-Oas highlighted the constitutional mandate to protect the nation’s biophysical environment and the need for enforceable legal instruments to uphold this obligation.
“The Environmental Management Act provides the foundation for promoting sustainable environmental management and informed decision-making, but development dynamics continue to evolve. As such, the law must also evolve to account for new environmental challenges,” Dr. !Garus-Oas stated. She further noted the fragmented nature of Namibia’s environmental legislation across sectors like water, health, marine resources, and agriculture, pointing to the need for stronger coordination via EMA amendments.
The proposed amendments introduce several new components, including strategic environmental assessments, measures for climate change mitigation and adaptation, protection of coastal areas, and the development of national environmental standards. Additionally, the ministry is working on drafting regulations for sand, gravel, and rubble mining, which have become contentious, especially in sensitive riparian and coastal zones.
Technical Assessment Panel advisor Hiskia Mbura explained that the amendments are informed by nearly two decades of experience implementing the EMA, during which various gaps and inconsistencies were identified. He pointed out issues such as weak compliance monitoring, inadequate enforcement mechanisms, and limited regulation of environmental assessment practitioners.
Mbura mentioned that the amendment bill aims to categorize activities based on their potential environmental impact, enhance compliance and monitoring, extend the validity of environmental clearance certificates, and introduce financial guarantees for rehabilitation and restoration.
Environmental consultant Joseph Hamushila expressed support for the proposed extension of environmental clearance certificates to five years, noting that it would reduce administrative burdens. However, he urged the ministry to ensure that rehabilitation planning aligns with environmental clearance applications to avoid unnecessary delays.
These consultations are part of the final stakeholder engagement process before the bill is submitted for legal drafting and Cabinet consideration.