By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Canadian oil and gas company Reconnaissance Africa (ReconAfrica) discreetly announced it expected approvals shortly for a second seismic survey and the drilling of three to six additional test wells in northeastern Namibia’s Kavango Basin.
However, residents and environmental campaigners say the company is breaking the law.
ReconAfrica is prospecting for oil and gas in a license area spanning nearly 3.5 million hectares (8.5 million acres) across northeast Namibia and northwest Botswana. Its critics say there has been no public notice of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the latest work.
“There were no public announcements, they just quietly wrote to the Ministry of Environment, and asked for their environmental clearance certificate to be extended,” Christopher Brown, an environmental scientist and founder of the Namibian Chamber of the Environment (NCE), told Mongabay in an interview.
Namibia’s government cleared ReconAfrica to drill two test wells in 2021, followed by a 2D seismic survey. In its January statement, the company said it had submitted an “update to the seismic Environmental Impact Assessment” to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and expected approval by the end of February for more drilling and an additional 500 kilometers (310 miles) of seismic surveys.
Under Namibia’s Environmental Management Act, any change or extension of ReconAfrica’s environmental clearance would require public notice and consultation. In a letter to the chair of the Namibian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Natural Resources, several NGOs demanded clarification.
“We have objected very strongly to the environmental commissioner, saying that this is totally unacceptable and they can’t proceed without a proper EIA,” Jan Arkert, a South African geologist and researcher at the NGO Green Connection, told Mongabay. The environmental organization was one of the signatories of the letter.
“They seem to think that once they got one EIA it is like a carte blanche to do whatever they want,” Arkert said.
Quality journalism costs money. Today, we’re asking that you support us to do more. Support our work by sending in your donations.
The donation can be made directly into NatureNews Account below
