Botswana’s Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation, Tshekedi Khama, has called on Namibia and Angola to help to protect the Okavango Delta.
Khama said co-operation and hard work were all that was needed between the countries that shared the Okavango River basin to protect the success of the Okavango Delta. He was speaking at a recent presentation in Gaborone, by Dr John Mendelsohn, from Research and Information Services of Namibia (RAISON).
Dr Mendelsohn cautioned Namibia and Angola about going ahead with planned irrigation projects, which he suggested could threaten the Okavango System.
Dr Mendelsohn’s presentation highlighted planned irrigation projects in both Namibia and Angola that could threaten the Delta. The water in the Okavango System originates in Angola and forms part of the border between Angola and Namibia.
Khama said while Botswana was committed to finding ways of helping the two countries, natural resources needed to be protected.
The Minister also said Botswana would not tap water from the system.
