MET and stakeholders fail to manage Namibian coastline: Kandjeke

WINDHOEK, 07 JUL – The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) and key stakeholders have failed to satisfy key requirements in the management of Namibia’s coastline, Auditor General (AG) Junias Kandjeke has found.
Coastal management is a process of balancing social, economic and environmental activities without compromising on the quality of life of human community which depends on coastal resources, while maintaining the biological biodiversity and productivity of coastal ecosystems.
Kandjeke made the findings in the performance audit report on coastal management within MET and other stakeholders for the financial years 2013/14 to 2015/16, tabled in the National Assembly by the Finance Minister on Wednesday.
The AG explained that current laws and regulations have shortcomings that will prevent the MET from implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said all coastal local authorities could not provide evidence that they have implemented climate change adaptation measures for existing and future infrastructural development close to the sea.
“(These infrastructure) might be at risk to beach erosion and washed away by strong tides and sea level rises,” he cautioned.
Kandjeke added that the Directorate of Resources Management in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources could not assure him that the impacts of climate change on the marine ecosystem were identified.
The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) under MET did not conduct complete inspections to ensure compliance to the Environmental Management Plans of Proponents and Organs of State Operating at the coast, a main requirement in coastal management.
It also did not ensure that those operating at the coast and their listed activities have an environmental clearance certificate, the AG stressed.
The Directorate of Maritime Affairs (DMA) under the Ministry of Works and Transport failed to verify inspections conducted on fishing and mining registered ships by private ship surveyors.
Out of 3 007 foreign ships that visited the Namibian ports during the period in question, the DMA only conducted a paltry 116 inspections, he said in the report.
Furthermore, the Directorate of Mines under the Mines and Energy Ministry did not conduct inspections on mining vessels as was planned.
More so, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) failed to avail to the auditor assurance that it effectively ensured compliance to the Sea Water Abstraction Permit conditions.
“DWAF procedure of determining the quality of effluent disposed into the sea is inconsistently applied in comparison to the water quality assessment stipulated by the Waste Water Effluent Disposal Exemption Permit (WWEDEP),” the AG noted.
Kandjeke recommended that the MET and its partners put measures in place to allow for an integrated sectoral approach to coastal management to ensure effective implementation of SDGs.
(NAMPA)