Absalom Shigwedha
17 September 2008
THE recently opened Onkoshi Camp of Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) was allegedly built without an environmental impact assessment (EIA) being done.
This claim has been denied by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and NWR itself.
It has also been claimed that the camp was initially planned to be built outside Etosha National Park so that it could benefit the Hai//-om community that was removed from the park in 1954.
"We have issued NWR a certificate of clearance after the study was done," Environment Permanent Secretary Kalumbi Shangula told The Namibian last week.
Shangula said there was opposition to NWR and these claims were coming from people who are against NWR because it is a Government entity.
He said some of those who are opposed to NWR were even using people in the Ministry to oppose NWR.
Shangula said it is not true that Onkoshi Camp was built without an EIA.
"There is an ongoing campaign against NWR.
It's politics," he said.
NWR Managing Director Tobie Aupindi told The Namibian yesterday that everything was done accordingly and they were also in possession of the certificate of clearance.
But a hydrological expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Ministry of Environment and Tourism did not demand an EIA since NWR had planned Onkoshi and not the Ministry.
"The Ministry only issued the environmental clearance certificate but there was no proper EIA done, never mind by an independent consultant," the expert said.
Aupindi also announced NWR is only allowed to build their tourism facilities in national protected areas and there is no way Onkoshi Camp was going to be built outside Etosha.
Aupindi said the issue of borehole water only used for bathing does not mean there was poor planning.
"The water issue will be sorted out soon," he said.
He added that drinking and cooking water was being brought in from Namutoni.
"It's not a crisis as long as our guests are happy," Aupindi added.
"Etosha has huge [drinking] water problems since there are approximately 4 000 people living at the three resorts in the park and 90 per cent of them are there illegally as so-called relatives of employees," the environmental expert said.
"All these people use large amounts of water and for free, while they also put pressure on the sewerage system, which was never constructed for such a huge amount of people."
Additional reporting by Brigitte Weidlich
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