• Home
  • ECONOMICS
  • Shifeta defends ReconAfrica’s drilling in KAZA
Shifeta defends ReconAfricau2019s drilling in KAZA
Shifeta defends ReconAfricau2019s drilling in KAZA

Shifeta defends ReconAfrica’s drilling in KAZA

Staff Reporter
The minister of environment and tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, yesterday defended a decision to allow oil and gas drilling in a biodiversity hotspot and near UN-listed cave paintings believed to be thousands of years old.
Canada-based firm ReconAfrica is set to begin drilling this month in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) - a unique ecological site spanning parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The petroleum exploration company secured rights in 2014 to drill oil and gas wells in more than 35 000 square kilometres of KAZA between northwest Botswana and northeast Namibia.
Drilling will take place along the banks of the Okavango river, which is home to several animal and plant species and empties into one of the world's largest inland deltas.
Shifeta yesterday said the company's activities would be limited to the designated area and closely monitored.
"If they [ReconAfrica] deviate from the plan then the drilling can be stopped," Shifeta told AFP.
He said anyone "aggrieved" by the activities could appeal the government's decision to allow drilling.
SCHLETTWEIN
The minister of agriculture, water and land reform, Calle Schlettwein, however, said the authorised exploration methods would need to be "carefully and thoroughly evaluated" to avoid impacting water supply.
Most of the food produced in the semi-arid southern African country is grown along the Okavango, which is also a major source of groundwater.
"Water is scarce in Namibia and therefore its sustainable usage is paramount," Schlettwein told AFP.
The government had previously stated that ReconAfrica would not be allowed to use hydraulic fracturing techniques - also known as fracking - which can poison groundwater.
Both ministers spoke on the eve of a planned demonstration today led by environmental activists in Windhoek.
Protest organisers Fridays for Future Windhoek have voiced concern about the impact on water quality, the tourist industry and communities living in the area.
Opponents have also noted that ReconAfrica would be drilling near the Tsodilo Hills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Botswana with over 4 500 ancient cave paintings, some of which are believed to be 24 000 years old.
ReconAfrica plans to begin a fully-funded three-well drilling programme this month, according to the company's website.
Its licence is valid for 25 years. – Nampa/AFP

Comments

Namibian Sun 2024-11-08

No comments have been left on this article

Please login to leave a comment

#N/A Currency: GBP to NAD 22.61 | EUR to NAD 18.84 | CNY to NAD 2.44 | USD to NAD 17.47 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.25 | EGP to NAD 0.35 | KES to NAD 0.13 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.63 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.06 | RUB to NAD 0.18 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 132.82 | USD to AOA 909.05 | USD to BWP 13.4 | USD to EGP 49.25 | USD to KES 129.2 | USD to NGN 1680.41 | USD to ZAR 17.47 | USD to ZMW 27.15 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1878.29 Up +1.09% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14487.67 Up +1.33% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31267.47 Up +0.72% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 688.72/OZ DOWN -0.0067 | Copper US$ 4.32/lb DOWN -0.0211 | Zinc US$ 3 005.50/T DOWN -1.86% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 75.07/BBP DOWN -0.0113 | Platinum US$ 981.10/OZ DOWN -0.0161 #N/A