12 Jul 2018

The Orapa Park and the entire Orapa area falls within the Makgadikgadi framework Management Plan area which is an Ecosystem Management Plan, says Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Mr Tshekedi Khama. He said the management plan has adequately captured environmental issues, including, natural resources management and utilization to improve the livelihoods of the surrounding communities saying copies of the Makgadikgadi Framework Management Plan were available for perusal.  Mr Khama said his ministry received a submission in the form of a project brief seeking guidance on environmental study that should be undertaken for the Debswana Park expansion project and said the project was allowed to proceed without a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and they were given the conditions among them confinement of land clearance to the project area and non-cutting of mature trees during the project execution. 

  MP for Boteti East, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe had asked the minister to state whether the EIA was carried out during the expansion of the Orapa Park under the ‘Orapa-today-Boteti tomorrow’ project and if so state the name of the company that was engaged, cost of the tender, when it was done, its findings and when the findings were submitted to Debswana for consideration

He also wanted the minister to state whether the findings were concluded during the official opening of the park by the former president and the people who were affected were fully compensated and no one is complaining to date and whether the minister saw it fit to undertake an EIA or EMP.