09 Jun 2024

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in collaboration with key stakeholders will commemorate World Environment Day by undertaking a land restoration project. 

The project is meant to restore a piece of land adjacent to DEP offices in Maun, which is contaminated with oil spillage and other forms of waste.

The project is said to be a call for protection and revival of ecosystem all around the world, which is critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

The project is spearheaded by Champs Botswana, a hazardous and general waste management company that strives for a clean and healthy environment through the application of safe waste disposal and environmentally friendly techniques.

Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony of the project in Maun on Wednesday, executive director of Champs Botswana, Mr Geoffrey Khwarae acknowledged the theme of the day: Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience, saying it was relevant because there had been land degradation in some areas due to oils spillage. 

His company, he said, existed among others to manage hazardous waste, undertake land restoration activities by providing rehabilitation and treatment of polluted/contaminated soils as well as supply of spill kits for vehicles and workshops including bioremediation chemicals and absorbents.

He wished the department could have extended invitation to the perpetrators of land degradation so that when they demonstrate the project, they could also appreciate the action taken and the extent of the damage.

Mr Khwarae further revealed that they had a waste management facility at Matshwane ward in Maun and appealed to those who needed to dispose of used oil to utilise it, adding that it was disturbing to see oil spillage all over the land, especially in mechanical business industrial areas.

For her part, Botswana Wildlife Training Institute acting principal, Ms Omphile Samapodisa appreciated the project, saying it would contribute to the bigger global effort in restoring degraded land that would go a long way in publicising the importance of taking part in addressing global issues.

Environmental pollution, she said, was one of the biggest issues that the modern world faced and to meet the wants of society, people were putting too much pressure on the natural environment, thereby damaging nature. 

She complained that soil was losing its fertility, and in most places, pollution made it difficult to grow crops.

In Ngamiland these unbearable environmental conditions, she said, were first hand experiences, mentioning drought. This year, she said, there was no rain and it was extremely hot leading to crop failure and extreme weather related diseases.

She highlighted two major issues that were of great concern in Maun, being loss of wetlands and land pollution, adding that Thamalakane River attested to the firsthand experience of wetlands loss.

 The river stream, she indicated, was totally dry, owing to a plethora of factors, drought and climate change leading the pack. 

Ms Samapodisa noted that the drying of the river meant there was no food, no leisure, no water supply and disturbance to aquatic life.

“This is where we find ourselves having to explore and innovate, hence we adapt to the situation at hand; and adaptation requires funding and technologies. It is therefore important to address these issues holistically,” she added.

The theme, Ms Samapodisa said, came at the right time, calling for concerted efforts to contribute towards preventing, halting and reversing loss of nature, noting that it could be in the form of investing time and financial resources into the land restoration, conservation of natural resources to ensure sustainability for improved human and nature’s wellbeing.

She acknowledged that government had developed policies that were pro conservation, including designating slightly above 40 per cent of land as protected areas such as Okavango Delta, which were internationally recognised and listed as ecosystems of international importance.

The district environmental coordinator, Mr Jobe Manga thanked Champs Botswana for voluntarily offering to treat and restore the contaminated piece of land. 

He appreciated that the company had also donated chemicals to undertake the project, observing that investing in the environment was paramount to helping deliver a better and sustainable environment.

“We should all invest further in the environment to get something in return and have a better district. 

Together we should preserve our environment because if we use it in an unsustainable manner, it will not benefit future generations,” he added. ENDS