August 10, 2026, Windhoek, Namibia – Knight Piésold partnered with the Canadian Dam Association (CDA) to deliver three days of dam safety workshops in Windhoek, Namibia, bringing CDA’s dam safety specialists together with over 60 industry professionals from across Africa.

Knight Piésold provided support to organize the full-day workshops. Veronique Daigle, Technical Consultant at Knight Piésold Namibia, coordinated local arrangements with support from Dr. Violeta Martin, Specialist Hydrotechnical Engineer at Knight Piésold Canada, and Mohammad (Mamun) Al-Mamun, Director and Principal Consultant at Tetra Tech Canada. Al-Mamun serves as chair and Dr. Martin as co-chair of the CDA Working Group on Tailings Dam Breach Analysis; both were principal authors of the related 2021 technical bulletin.

The workshops were held August 1–3 at the Droombos Estate, ahead of the Namibia Mining Expo & Conference. Professionals from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia attended to learn best practices and strengthen their approach to managing mining and water dams.

“After a year in the making with CDA, we are proud to have successfully delivered the workshops in Namibia,” said Daigle. “It was fantastic to bring together mining, water, and hydropower dam professionals—from owners and operators to engineers, consultants, and young professionals.”

Workshop Programming

The workshops applied CDA’s internationally recognized guidance publications through practical, hands-on training led by qualified CDA instructors with expertise in Canadian and international dam safety practices.

August 1: Dam Safety Reviews

Tony Bennett and Santiago Paz led participants through the dam safety review process based on CDA’s 2016 technical bulletin, covering preparation steps and follow-up actions for dam owners, activities for review engineers, and roles and expectations for both.

Bennett recently retired as Director of Dam and Public Safety from Ontario Power Generation, where he oversaw an extensive portfolio of hydropower stations and dams. He chairs the ICOLD Committee on Public Safety and Emergency Management and the CDA Working Groups on Public Safety and Emergency Management.

Paz is a Senior Dam Safety Advisor at the Alberta Energy Regulator with two decades of dam regulatory experience in Alberta. He has been an active CDA member, contributing to multiple CDA technical and regulatory committees and working groups.

August 2: Emergency Management for Dam Safety

Bennett and Paz continued on day two, outlining the emergency management process based on CDA’s 2019 technical bulletin. The workshop emphasized community engagement and the importance of collaboration among all stakeholders.

“The hands-on role play, tabletop exercises, and bowtie analysis demonstrated why all stakeholders need a seat at the table,” said Daigle. “Engineers, owners, operators, regulators, emergency responders, and communities all play a vital role. When every stakeholder works together, emergency preparedness becomes stronger, more coordinated, and ultimately more effective.”

A sundowner networking event was held that evening, creating valuable opportunities for participants to connect, share experiences, and strengthen industry relationships.

August 3: Tailings Dam Breach Analysis

Daniel Adria and Mark Walden, both active members of the CDA Working Group on Tailings Dam Breach Analysis, presented the third workshop, with a virtual welcome opening and workshop introduction by Dr. Martin. Based on CDA’s 2021 technical bulletin, the workshop outlined key steps for conducting a tailings dam breach analysis, involving hydrotechnical, geotechnical, and rheological considerations specific to tailings outflows. While the workshop focused on specific aspects relevant to tailings dams, most of the concepts applied to all dams, making it applicable to participants from the water and hydropower dam industries.

Adria, a Project Engineer at Knight Piésold Canada, has extensive experience in dam breach studies and numerical flood modelling for mining projects and hydroelectric facilities. He regularly contributes to industry knowledge through conference publications and research with the CanBreach Research Program, which he started contributing to as part of his graduate research on historical tailings dam failures.

Walden is a Project Manager at NewFields and specializes in tailings storage facility design, geotechnics, dam safety, and dam breach analysis. He has completed tailings dam breach analyses for mining operations across North America, South America, and Africa.

“Daniel and Mark were exceptional as first-time CDA instructors,” said Daigle. “Their energy and passion for the subject matter created an engaging learning experience that participants found incredibly valuable. We are excited to see them continue contributing to dam safety education in the future.”

Advancing Dam Safety

“We extend our thanks to all organizers, workshop sponsors, and participants who took a step up for dam safety,” said Daigle. “The workshops were engaging, interactive, and thought-provoking, with participants gaining practical tools and methodologies to implement in their own dam safety programs while building professional networks that will continue to support technical excellence across the continent.”

“At Knight Piésold, we are committed to continuous learning and advancing dam safety through knowledge sharing, collaboration, and engineering excellence,” Daigle continued. “Our partnership with CDA represents a shared commitment, and based on the positive feedback and requests we received, we look forward to collaborating on future knowledge transfer and capacity building opportunities, bringing world-class training to more professionals across Africa and globally.”