Navachab Gold Mine Environmental Management System Report: Mining License 312017 – 2019 Reporting Period
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NAVACHAB GOLD MINE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM REPORT: MINING LICENSE 312017 – 2019 REPORTING PERIOD Prepared by: M Bell Safety & Environmental Manager Navachab Gold Mine 18 December 2019 CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS _________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 COMPANY CHANGES _______________________________________________________________________________ 3 LEGAL COMPLIANCE _______________________________________________________________________________ 3 ISO14001 CERTIFICATION ________________________________________________________________________ 3 EMS OBJECTIVES & TARGETS _____________________________________________________________________ 3 EMS PROCEDURES & MONITORING ______________________________________________________________ 4 ENVIRONMENTAL INCIDENTS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS ___________________________________ 6 FUTURE ACTIVITES ________________________________________________________________________________ 6 CONTACT INFORMATION _______________________________________________________________________________ 7 ANNEXURE A: INITIAL EIA NAVACHAB GOLD MINE _________________________________________________ 8 ANNEXURE B: EAI FOR PIT EXPANSION AND WRD CONSTRUCTION – ADDENDUM TO EIA ____ 10 ANNEXURE C: INITIAL ECC ____________________________________________________________________________ 12 ANNEXURE D: CURRENT ECC __________________________________________________________________________ 14 ANNEXURE E: WATER PERMIT ________________________________________________________________________ 16 ANNEXURE F: BURNING EXEMPTION PERMIT ______________________________________________________ 18 NAVACHAB GOLD MINE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (EMP) ________________________ 20 ABBREVIATIONS DMS Dense Media Separation EAI Environmental Aspect Identification EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan EMS Environmental Management System EPL Exclusive Prospecting License ERA Environmental Risk Assessment I&AP Interested and Affected Parties MET Ministry of Environment and Tourism ML Mining License MOHSS Ministry of Health and Social Services PCP Pre-concentrator Plant PSA Pressure Swing Absorption TSF Tailing Storage Facility WPB Western Pushback WRD Waste Rock Dump COMPANY CHANGES Navachab Gold Mine changed ownership on 1 July 2014 from AngloGold Ashanti Pty (Ltd) to QKR Namibia. LEGAL COMPLIANCE Navachab Gold Mine has a very comprehensive Environmental Management System which was implemented in accordance with the Initial Environmental Review Report done by Envirolink in April 1997. The review report as well as the complete Environmental Management System (EMS) was submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism for approval (First page of Environmental Review Report Addendum A). No additional EIA was done as this project still falls under the Pit Expansion EAI which included additional Waste Rock Dumps. The EAI was done by A. Speiser Environmental Consultants CC and submitted to MET as an Addendum to the Revised Initial Environmental Review Report and EMS Manual in December 2003 on behalf of Navachab Gold Mine by same consultant (Addendum B). The first ECC for the East Waste Rock Dump (WRD) was issued on 16 September 2014 (Addendum C). The current ECC expires on 15 September 2019 (Addendum D). This report accompanies the application for renewal. ISO14001 CERTIFICATION The EMS was first ISO14001 certified on 20 April 2007. Navachab Gold Mine has maintained its certification system since and the last certification audit took place on 19 April 2019. EMS OBJECTIVES & TARGETS An Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) was carried out as part of the initial EIA and Objectives and Targets are set annually. These Objectives and Targets are implemented and monitored by the EMS procedures set out in Section 6. EMS PROCEDURES & MONITORING The following EMS procedures are in place to guide and monitor the various environmental aspects, objectives and targets for the activities under ML 31 Accessory Works. 6.1 PR/ENV/064 – AIR & CLIMATE Dust monitoring is done continuously with fall out buckets. In addition, a PM10 monitor is used in situations where dust levels are exceedingly high. 6.2 PR/ENV/065 – SOIL, VEGETATION, LAND CAPABILITIES AND AESTHETICS Ongoing rehabilitation of WRD’s as they are handed over by Mining Department. No tree planting activities took place due to the continued drought conditions over the last few years. 6.3 PR/ENV/066 – MINE EXTENSIONS & CHANGES No extension of the East WRD is currently planned. 6.4 PR/ENV/067 – WATER SAMPLING Groundwater monitoring is done on a monthly and quarterly basis according to the conditions in the Waste Water and Effluent Disposal Exemption Permit 604 (Addendum E). Although no specific reference is made to monitoring of the East WRD, 5 boreholes are dedicated to the monitoring of any effluent from this area. These are East WRD Boreholes 1 – 5. Samples are analysed for pH, CN, TDS, alkalinity, hardness and a range of cations and anions. 6.5 PR/ENV/101 – WILDLIFE & RESERVE MANAGEMENT Navachab Farm (outside of the active mining area) is maintained as a safe haven for game. Game animals can roam freely as there is no game fencing around the farm and no hunting is permitted. 6.6 PR/ENV/102 – MINE CLOSURE Mine closure calculations are kept up to date with new developments and relevant closure costs. 6.7 PR/ENV/103 – WILDLIFE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS This procedure mainly deals with wildlife emergencies including snared animals and animals infected with rabies that have to be put down. 6.8 PR/ENV/104 – BIODIVERSITY AND INVASIVE SPECIES Biodiversity hotspots are identified and monitored and invasive species like Prosopis and Wonderboom are eradicated on ad hoc basis. 6.9 PR/ENV/201A – SALVAGE DISPOSAL All waste material is placed in marked telecons and managed according to the Navachab Waste Management guidelines. Salvage items are taken to the salvage yard for storage and reuse. No salvageable items are landfilled. These include selling of: o Bulk steel, vehicle batteries, motors to scrap metal dealers o Tyres to scrap tyre dealers o Bulk plastic drilling bags to plastic recyclers o Small scrap items including redundant equipment and furniture, wooden crates / planks / pallets, empty drums, building materials, conveyor belting etc are sold on tender to employees and Karibib residents 6.10 PR/ENV/201B – WASTE DISPOSAL Hazardous Waste streams: o Medical waste is taken to Walvis Bay Hazardous Waste site for incineration o Hydrocarbon solid waste removed ad hoc by WESCO and disposed at the Walvis Bay Municipal Waste site o Used Oil to WESCO and EXIGRADE o Cyanide Waste is burnt in Cyanide burning area at the Ore Processing Plant under Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) Exemption Permit (Addendum F). Non-hazardous Waste streams: o Remaining paper, plastic, boxes and food waste dumped and burnt at the landfill. Due to the baboon plaque on site all domestic waste items have to be burnt to prevent the baboons from strewing the waste all over site. 6.11 PR/ENV/301 – DUST SUPPRESSION Dust suppression is done with water bowsers on a fixed daily programme 6.12 PR/ENV/501 – CLEAN-UP OF HYDROCARBON SPILLAGES Any hydrocarbon spillages are cleaned up according to procedure and soils rehabilitated. ENVIRONMENTAL INCIDENTS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS Environmental incidents reported related to high dust levels due to very dry conditions and lack of water for water suppression. FUTURE ACTIVITES All biodiversity exclusion zones and protected tree species will be indicated for avoidance in future mining plans. Monitoring and measurement of environmental parameters will continue as per EMS. CONTACT INFORMATION Marietjie Bell Safety & Environmental Manager Navachab Gold Mine Cell: 081 334 9223 E-mail: [email protected] ANNEXURE A: INITIAL EIA NAVACHAB GOLD MINE ANNEXURE B: EAI FOR PIT EXPANSION AND WRD CONSTRUCTION – ADDENDUM TO EIA ANNEXURE C: INITIAL ECC ANNEXURE D: CURRENT ECC ANNEXURE E: WATER PERMIT ANNEXURE F: BURNING EXEMPTION PERMIT NAVACHAB GOLD MINE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (EMP) .