Poor quality drinking water hits Dundee employees

OTJIWARONGO–Dundee Precious Metals at Tsumeb on Wednesday promised to take immediate action in addressing the recent poor quality water which resulted in minor gastrointestinal illnesses among its employees.

Dundee stated in a media release issued on Wednesday that its routine water management team detected some poor water quality signs, similar to those signs detected in December 2022. “The authority accountable for domestic water in Tsumeb was informed, and we began providing dispenser water for drinking on site to our employees,” they added.

The copper smelter indicated that in August this year, some of its employees reported nausea and vomiting complaints - believed to be a result of drinking tap water at the town. Most of the affected employees had received treatment from the on-site clinic at the mine as well as at private and local State health facilities, where recoveries were observed after medical interventions.

Dundee explained that at a privately-owned hospital in August this year, a total of 25 patients with nausea and vomiting symptoms, of which five were Dundee employees, had received medical treatment. “At the State hospital, we also received a report of 23 Dundee employees who were treated for similar symptoms on 19 August 2023,” said the statement.

As a result, Dundee now continues to investigate this outbreak, and putting up monitoring and evaluation measures in order to prevent the situation from getting worse. Dundee is a Canadianowned company, which employs nearly 800 workers at its copper smelters in Tsumeb in the Oshikoto region.