ILLEGAL MINING NIGHTMARE – OFFICIAL Esther Mmolai reporting for BOPA The Department of Environmental Affairs is concerned about illegal harvesting of natural resources in the North West District. An official of the department, Ms Belda Mosepele, said illegal mining of gravel and sand were some of the major issues that concerned the environment adding that it had become a nightmare not only for the district but for the whole nation. Ms Mosepele told residents of Nxaraga, near Maun, during the district environment day celebration to stop illegal harvesting of natural resources because illegal mining of gravel and sand affected the environment in all aspects, from drying up of the aquifers and destruction of the rivers to burrow pits becoming traps for the children, livestock, wild animals as well as being a haven for criminals. She said other issues of concern in the district included poaching, overgrazing, illegal harvesting of wood, illegal dumping of waste; and those affecting the livelihoods of the communities are poverty, foot and mouth disease, drought and unreliable rain patterns. She said the above-mentioned factors, combined with others, can contribute to pollution and climate change.“We are all aware of what pollution does to our daily livelihoods,” she said. “It can kill our fish, lead to increased cases of Malaria and even scare off tourists thus reducing our source of livelihoods.” Ms Mosepele said the recurrence drought was an evidence of climate change, which was caused by unsustainable use of natural resources and pollution. She also told the residents that Botswana was blessed to have an international treasure in the form of the Okavango Delta and its abundant resources. The North West District leads others with cases of illegal hunting as in 2013 alone, 56 cases of poaching were confirmed, 15 of them elephants. She urged the communities to take the responsibility to protect the environment and conserve the natural resources to ensure that they are used in a sustainable manner. Each community in Botswana should be the custodian of its own environment.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 05:40:23 +0000
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