Botswana could compensate Namibians

Staff Writer | Monday May 19, 2014 15:20

 

Residents of Walvis Bay have complained that the building works by Botswana have left behind a trail of damage.

The Namibian media reported over the weekend that the coastal residents are up in arms over the fact that no environmental impact assessment (EIA) study was done before the construction of the port.

The disappointed residents living in close proximity to the future port attended a meeting for affected parties with representatives of the municipal authority, the Botswana railways as well as environmentalists from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism last week Wednesday at Walvis Bay, reported the New Era newspaper.

The meeting was held after numerous complaints about dust, noise pollution and several other health and safety concerns raised by residents, including cracks starting to appear in the walls of their homes due to the construction work on site.

The residents felt that proper procedures were not followed prior to the construction of the dry port and that their inputs were also not noted.

Addressing the meeting, environmental officer, Selma Uushini, said the developer of the project in terms of the EIA study did not follow proper procedures, the New Era said. Meanwhile, Namport engineer, Elzevir Gelderbloem, was quoted as saying that they would need about P10 million to erect a sound proof fence, but said the government of Botswana may have to foot the bill.