15 Aug 2016

Principal information, education and communication officer for National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA) has reiterated the importance of the health sector in the environmental and social impact assessment.

Speaking during a training session for environmental practitioners, Ms Kaone Kgotlaetsile, said more often than not when a project associated with development was carried elsewhere, issues of health would always arise.

She said an increase in sexually transmitted infections including HIV was also influenced by developments.

Ms Kgotlaetsile said for that reason the community in which the project was being carried out should be cautious to make sure that they remain safe.

For her part Ms Rapelang Mojaphoko of Botswana Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association said the attendees were capacitated with skills of mainstreaming and infusing social factors into the environmental assessment process.

Ms Mojapholo stated that they had chosen to deal more with health issues especially relating to HIV/AIDS as a social factor.

She said HIV/AIDS was not only a health issue, but a development factor, saying that whenever development issues are made, they should include a deep analysis on the health issues. ENDS