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By David Kashweka, PANA Corresponden, Environment & Development Bulletin

The Namibian government recently stated its position unequivocally that under no cirmustances will it tolerate the dumping of toxic waste anywhere on its soil.

In separate statements, both the ministries of foreign and mines and energy drew very strong lines on the issue following media reports that the Walvis Bay Municipality was making favourable considerations to the waste dumping project.

Foreign minister Theo-Ben Gurirab labelled those harbouring the idea as "merchants of death," saying such proposals as entertained by EnviroServ and the Walvis Municipality ought to be exposed as they were unconstitutional. Section 95 of the Namibian Constitution is the first in the world to include the protection of the environment as well as sustainable utilisation of wildlife.

To emphasise the gravity of the message, mines and energy minister Josiah Nyamu also took the onslaught by saying the government would never entertain the notion to use imported solid waste to generate energy. "The ministry of mines and energy would like to state categorically that no permission will be granted to any entity to erect any waste-to-power project using imported waste of any nature and from whatever source," he said.

Bertchen Korhs of Earthlife Namibia thanked the government for setting such a good example.

Urging it to "continue this good work in the future," she said industrialised countries had adopted costly regulations for the disposal of solid and hazardous waste.

"To avoid these regulations, many waste generators...simply ship their waste to countries with less strict environmental laws," Korhs stated. She said that no cheaper disposal method has yet been invented with all waste disposal facilities releasing poisons into precious resources such as water, air and soil.

"No landfill or incinerator is absolutely safe. There is no such thing as harmless waste. Even household waste, which is considered as harmless, contains a variety of substances which can cause harm to health and the environment," she cautioned.

"Developing countries should not be regarded as a big carpet under which industrialised countries can sweep their waste management problems," she added. "Cash-strapped developing countries may accept this waste as a means to generate foreign exchange. This is, certainly, a short-sighted policy. The poisoning of the environment results in much higher costs. Attempts to reverse the damage done will burden future generations."

The Namibian government had announced in January that it was passing a law banning the importation of poisonous and nuclear waste into the country. Environment and tourism minister Phillemon Malima said the Environmental Management Act was being drafted and would give effect to the constitutional directive on the subject. The legislation has not yet been introduced in parliament.

Meanwhile, Mozambique has now come under spotlight as being the next target. It emerged a few weeks ago that the Danish government plans to burn imported obsolete pesticides in that country and that EnviroServ had been contracted to work on the "project."

However, international environmental protection organisations, such as the Environmental Justice Networking Forum and Greenpeace, are challenging the Danish proposal.

They argue that no country in the southern African region is able to monitor and control the import and export of harzadous waste.

The environmental groups' alliance has written to the Danish government requesting it to call a halt to the project, pending a thorough consideration of other options.

Environmental groups fear that if the Danish government went ahead to incinerate its old pesticides in Mozambique, this would encourage the illegal import of toxic waste into the country, thus poising a serious threat to the people and environment.

"It is of great concern to us that the Danish government has chosen destruction by incineration - a known source of super toxic dioxins - and dismissed other more environmentally and economically sound disposal options," the environmental groups said in a joint letter.

The Danish government Development Agency is understood to be collecting stockpiles of outdated toxic pestcide and plans to burn between 150-200 tons in a toxic waste incinerator.

This waste disposal method, according to the environmentalists, is known to create compounds which cause cancer.

The Danish government is yet to react. But with similar pressure being exerted on the Mozambican authorities to dismiss the idea, it is almost certain that the environmentalists are going to score the second round of victory soon.