EIA for Etosha road upgrades underway

Ekwao Consulting has been appointed to carry out an environmental impact study for the low-volume sealing of 214 kilometres of roads in Etosha National Park.This method of road construction uses bitumen-based seals to economically pave roads with a low volume of vehicular traffic.The route stretches from Okaukuejo to the King Nehale Gate and includes Halali detours and Namutoni.The engineers are Tulipamwe.Regulations An environmental scoping, impact assessment and public consultation process are currently underway in accordance with the Environmental Act and related Environmental Impact Assessment regulations.Interested parties can register and comment, with all proposals to be submitted by 22 September.Upon the completion of this process, a formal application will be submitted to the Office of the Environmental Commissioner for consideration to grant an environmental clearance certificate.The park has recently been in the news due to numerous vehicles being allegedly damaged as a result of the park&#039;s deteriorated road conditions.Happy touristsTourism minister Pohamba Shifeta recently announced that plans to upgrade major roads in Etosha National Park to bitumen standards are in response to the increasing volume of tourists, which has placed pressure on the roads and their maintenance.Shifeta stated that the ministry is actively working to ensure that roads are well-maintained for the enjoyment of visitors. "We are already embarking on a very big project, especially to elevate the road between Okaukuejo in Etosha and the King Nehale Gate to a bitumen standard. "That means that we have to have it tarred, and from there we will see that other major roads in Etosha are all elevated because the volume of visitors has been increasing, and that is why some construction work can only last for some months and then it goes back to square one."The executive director at the tourism ministry, Theofilus Nghitila, agreed that the roads in Etosha are again in need of rehabilitation and said that the statistics on tourist arrivals will assist the ministry in making sure that the roads are kept in good condition in the national park.Numbers Namibia reported a record 98.1% increase in tourist arrivals, from 232 756 in 2021 to 461 027 in 2022. This figure indicates a 28.9% recovery level from the annual tourist arrival of 2019.It is not a matter of just complaining all the time; we also need to recognise that tourists are returning after many years of being locked down. The volume of visitors coming to Etosha is overwhelming, said Nghitila. "Now they are travelling, and Etosha is one of the destinations that is so overwhelmed with regard to the volume of tourists visiting the national park."

EIA for Etosha road upgrades underway

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-29

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EIA for Etosha road upgrades underway

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-29

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