WWF wants no more piecemeal EIAs for ReconAfrica
Major economic and political difficulties will ensue if environmental threats are discovered too late in the oil-drilling process, the World Wildlife Fund says.
ELLANIE SMIT
WINDHOEK
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has urged the government not to approve any more piecemeal Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) or the commencement of any further operational activities for the exploration of oil and gas in the Kavango Region.
This is until a holistic Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been conducted and the full set of exploration implications has been assessed, WFF said in a statement placed in newspapers last week.
This follows a public meeting in Windhoek about ReconAfrica's oil and drill exploration plans in the Kavango Region, during which a former exploration operation geologist accused the company of are piecemealing the Environmental Impact Assessment.
It was pointed out that the company has very little data available to support their shift to conventional oil as all the data previously gained was in support of unconventional oil.
ReconAfrica has commenced drilling operations on the first well of an initial three-well programme in the Kavango Basin.
“This follows the presentation of an EIA that was extremely limited in scope and where, by the company's admission, the follow-up consultation process was flawed and failed to reach key stakeholders including local communities,” the WFF said.
Subsequently the company has commissioned another EIA for the 2D seismic testing in the basin which will lead to the identification of further drilling sites.
According to WFF, the company is taking the approach that decisions on further test drilling would only be taken on the basis of the seismic testing and decisions on the extent and method of extraction would only be taken on the basis of test drilling. “Based on this approach it will only assess environmental impacts in a stepwise fashion.”
Risky
The WWF however said that given the potential scale of operation, the size of the Kavango basin, its complex hydrology and the worst-case scenario for long-term impacts if hydraulic fracking is employed, this stepwise approach assessment of the impacts is not satisfactory and does not comply with best practice.
“Major economic and political difficulties will ensue if it is discovered late in the process, when considerable resources and political capital have already been committed, that there are potentially serious risks to biodiversity, water security quality and the welfare of local rural communities.”
The WWF therefore said that a SEA should be conducted according to international standards and be subject to independent review. It said that would provide more clarity on the worst-case environmental impact in the event of a full-scale extractive operation, exploration of the sensitivity of the area and implications for rural communities.
It will also provide clarity on the implications for water security in the region, potential constraints for the company, such as no-go zones and restrictions on certain drilling and extraction methods and the mitigation and management options for potential impacts of the proposed exploration.
“A comprehensive SEA, in place of piecemeal EIAs over time, will avoid the situation where the Namibian government gets progressively drawn into a situation that will be increasingly difficult to reverse should extreme adverse impacts emerge in time.”
It added that the SEA should be of transboundary nature, covering the entire basin between Namibia and Botswana and also outlining appropriate rehabilitation measures that would be required should drilling proceed.
WINDHOEK
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has urged the government not to approve any more piecemeal Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) or the commencement of any further operational activities for the exploration of oil and gas in the Kavango Region.
This is until a holistic Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been conducted and the full set of exploration implications has been assessed, WFF said in a statement placed in newspapers last week.
This follows a public meeting in Windhoek about ReconAfrica's oil and drill exploration plans in the Kavango Region, during which a former exploration operation geologist accused the company of are piecemealing the Environmental Impact Assessment.
It was pointed out that the company has very little data available to support their shift to conventional oil as all the data previously gained was in support of unconventional oil.
ReconAfrica has commenced drilling operations on the first well of an initial three-well programme in the Kavango Basin.
“This follows the presentation of an EIA that was extremely limited in scope and where, by the company's admission, the follow-up consultation process was flawed and failed to reach key stakeholders including local communities,” the WFF said.
Subsequently the company has commissioned another EIA for the 2D seismic testing in the basin which will lead to the identification of further drilling sites.
According to WFF, the company is taking the approach that decisions on further test drilling would only be taken on the basis of the seismic testing and decisions on the extent and method of extraction would only be taken on the basis of test drilling. “Based on this approach it will only assess environmental impacts in a stepwise fashion.”
Risky
The WWF however said that given the potential scale of operation, the size of the Kavango basin, its complex hydrology and the worst-case scenario for long-term impacts if hydraulic fracking is employed, this stepwise approach assessment of the impacts is not satisfactory and does not comply with best practice.
“Major economic and political difficulties will ensue if it is discovered late in the process, when considerable resources and political capital have already been committed, that there are potentially serious risks to biodiversity, water security quality and the welfare of local rural communities.”
The WWF therefore said that a SEA should be conducted according to international standards and be subject to independent review. It said that would provide more clarity on the worst-case environmental impact in the event of a full-scale extractive operation, exploration of the sensitivity of the area and implications for rural communities.
It will also provide clarity on the implications for water security in the region, potential constraints for the company, such as no-go zones and restrictions on certain drilling and extraction methods and the mitigation and management options for potential impacts of the proposed exploration.
“A comprehensive SEA, in place of piecemeal EIAs over time, will avoid the situation where the Namibian government gets progressively drawn into a situation that will be increasingly difficult to reverse should extreme adverse impacts emerge in time.”
It added that the SEA should be of transboundary nature, covering the entire basin between Namibia and Botswana and also outlining appropriate rehabilitation measures that would be required should drilling proceed.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article