19 Mar 2014

Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Mr Tshekedi Khama (MEWT) has submitted a proposed budget totaling P822.6million for recurrent and development budgets for 2014/2015 financial year.

Of this amount, P240 million would be for development budget while P582 681 150 would be for recurrent budget. Presenting the proposed budget in Parliament on Tuesday, March 18, Minister Khama said the recurrent amount showed an increase of 11 per cent from last year’s budget.

Mr Khama said the ministry’s headquarters requested an amount of P116 298 270. which was 20 per cent of the recurrent budget and an increase of two per cent above the previous year’s budget.

The minister said the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) requested P250 430 320, while P14 650 470 would go to the department of tourism.

Furthermore, he said the Department of Meteorological Services requested P56 017 980, which formed 10 per cent of their recurrent budget, while the Department of Waste Management and Pollution Control requested P22 287 870 or four per cent of the recurrent budget and a decrease of per cent of the 2013/14 request.

He also requested P90 084 110 for the Department of Forestry and Range Resources (DFRR), which formed 15 per cent of the recurrent budget request and seven per cent lower than the past year’s.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) requests P15 045 150, which is three per cent of the recurrent budget and two per cent above that of 2013/14 while the Department of National Museum and Monuments requests P17 866 980 or three per cent of their recurrent budget and a decrease of seven per cent, said the minister.

Under the development budget, Minister Khama requested for P240 million with P48 301 283 going to the ministry’s headquarters for implementation of the ongoing computerization projects which will use P2million, while P4 million will go to the Department of

Wildlife and National Parks Law Enforcement vehicles and aircraft.

The other project, the Technical Assistance from the German Development Service for the Departments of Forestry and Range Resources and Meteorological Services will also get P4million.

They money will also be used for carrying out inventories on persistent organic pollutants and the Tourism Land Bank project, said Mr Khama.

Minister Khama said DWNP will need P27 865 000 for Human Wildlife Co-existence project, construction of staff houses at Sedudu, management plans for protected areas and DWNP law enforcement project.

Furthermore, he said Meteorological Services needs P6 750 000 for construction of office and staff houses at Ncojane and a Capacity building project between Sweden and Botswana.

A total of P157 083 717 will go towards the Department of Waste Management and Pollution Control for implementation of National Rural Sanitation Programme for the Kasane-Kazungula Sewerage Scheme project at a cost of P122 million and urban sewerage.

The urban sewerage, he said requires P29 million for the Gaborone Sewerage Infrastructure project and final payments for upgrading of Gaborone Sewage Treatment Plant.

He said the department will also develop an Integrated Pollution Prevention Control Policy and upgrading of Air Quality Monitoring stations at a cost of P6million. ENDS