22 Feb 2017

Botswana is committed to engage with Namibia and Angola on issues of wildlife, Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism minister, Mr Tshekedi Khama has said.

Airing his comments at a presentation by Dr John Mendeisohn from Research and Information Services of Namibia (RAISON) on the uses of the Okavango River basin, the minister said Botswana would find ways to assist the two countries overcome challenges posed by wildlife.

Mr Khama said although the three countries had gone through different stages of development, there could not be a reasonable excuse for not looking after the natural resources.

He said there was need to work hard and protect the success of the Okavango Delta, adding that, such could be achieved through cooperation from all the three countries.

“Because of the listing of the Okavango Delta, we will not tap water from it in the same way as Namibia and Angola if we are going to protect this beautiful wonderful delta system that we have,” he said.

For his part, Dr Mendeisohn said for the last two decades there had been discussions about the Okavango Delta and its water supplies, which resulted in discussions on agriculture and food security in Namibia and Angola.

He said if the two countries were to embark on their planned irrigation project, there was possibility of the river behaving in a different way from what is considered normal, hence posing risks of lowering the value of the Okavango System.

“Botswana has more to lose as new developments in Namibia and Angola created further precedent and threats to the Okavango Delta,” he said. Dr Mendeisohn stated that the possible solution was to build a dam in Namibia where water could be stored and released in a controlled manner as per the recommendation of a study by the World Bank.

He further indicated that Botswana not tapping water from the delta demonstrated commitment and interest by Botswana to leave the Okavango alone, adding that Botswana needed to share the experience and expertise on tourism to help manage and develop Angola and Namibia.

“Botswana could help to create and spread the vision and passion that focuses not just on the delta, but also on the entire system,” he said. The presentation indicated that there were irrigation projects in both Namibia and Angola, which may use considerable volumes of water with a potential to pose water shortage to the delta. BOPA