Ba Isago seeks solutions to preserve climate
Kabelo Boranabi | Monday December 11, 2023 06:00
The workshop was held on Tuesday at the Ba Isago University Convention Centre in Gaborone under the theme, 'Cities and Climate Change'. The gathering was mandated to seek solutions on preserving the environment amid the development of urban areas and climate change.
The conference was held as world leaders conveyed in Dubai for the UN climate change conference, COP28, from November 30 and until December 12. Speaking at the gathering, the Botswana Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association (BEAPA)'s treasurer, Koziba John said there is a gap in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study during the planning and implementation of construction projects.
She said EIA only caters for the defects of the infrastructure that was contracted by the contractor while it leaves out the resilience; the impact of the project as far as climate change is concerned. "We have realised and we feel there is an urgent need to rethink urban policy in a holistic way by integrating the EIA process and resilience analysis. If the urban resilience aspect is added to the EIA process, we would not be having issues of funding climatic issues coming as impact or a result implication of a project.
"When a project is rolled out into implementation, it will form part of the package and climate change specialist can be incorporated and be included at the initiation stage. The resilience strategy then will provide insight into the developing strategies for buffering for known and unexpected changes," John said. She also cited that the urban areas have been flooded with projects such as the construction of buildings, road project and water pipe line projects and thus pose a threat to the environment. Phatsimo Lekorwe-Mmifinyana, a UNDP Green Energy Project beneficiary, said bio-gas is a solution in effort to preserve the environment. She argued that bio-gas technology is one of the easiest and simplest ways to be used to keep the environment clean while also preserving energy.
"We collect cow dung, rabbit and chicken poop and we mix it with water then we feed to the bio-gas plant. This ensures that we have continuous gas being created throughout. Sometimes we go two or three weeks without feeding the plant, depending on the amount of energy we use.
It is possible to create your energy source and this gas we produce fares well with the normal LP energy and at times we feel it is even better, while it is also odourless," said Lekorwe-Mmifinyana. For his part, Ba Isago University's Vice president, Academic Affairs and Research Prof Aloysius Mosha said the institution is a leader among the large-scale buildings in the city in effort to preserve the environment and climate. He advised on the utilisation of grey water while he also said the youth should monetise the preservation of the environment.