A dense network of oil wells, pipelines and roads risks changing the Okavango basin forever — a precious ecosystem.
We are in northeastern Namibia, in a remote village where days are marked by the chirping of birds and the rustle of wind through the leaves. But in January 2021, the peace was suddenly shattered by the heavy drilling at one of three test oil wells operated by ReconAfrica. This Vancouver-based Canadian oil and gas company was awarded a 25-year concession to drill across an area of 34,000 square kilometres spanning Namibia and Botswana, in the Okavango river basin. If production does indeed reach 120 billion barrels of oil, as the company projects, it will be one of the largest deposits found in the world in recent years. The story is told in an article by the Yale school of environment.
These extraction operations are raising concern on several fronts. The eastern and western Kavango regions are home to around 200,000 people — including the indigenous San — who make their living through farming, fishing and tourism. These people were not consulted; on the contrary, they learned the news from radio and social media. They now fear being forced to leave their homes and are wondering whether, at the very least, they will be able to benefit from new job opportunities. Kavango is Namibia's poorest region, with an unemployment rate approaching 50 per cent.
The oil wells will also bring with them a network of infrastructure, such as roads and pipelines, that will fragment the habitat and thus make it more fragile. All of this in the heart of the Okavango river basin, a delicate semi-arid ecosystem (it forms part of the Kalahari Desert) that is home to numerous endangered species, including savanna elephants.
In 2019, ReconAfrica had commissioned an environmental impact assessment that was, however, heavily criticised for being considered too superficial regarding the consequences for flora and fauna. Concern is greatest for the waterways, given that one of the first test wells has already been drilled near a tributary of the Okavango. The use of the controversial hydraulic fracturing technique (fracking), which makes extensive use of toxic chemicals, has not been ruled out. The pollution could even jeopardise the balance of the Okavango delta in Botswana — a precious natural paradise recognised by Unesco as its 1,000th World Heritage Site.
