On April 15, ReconAfrica announced the first well had provided “clear evidence of a working conventional petroleum system in the Kavango Basin”, adding it now plans to start work at its second well. Analysts estimate the company could generate 120 billion barrels of petroleum on just 12% of this footprint, potentially outperforming the oil-rich Permian Basin in Texas if exploration continues. Widespread poverty plagues the upper basin, and the majority of people rely on livelihoods like agriculture, fishing, forestry and tourism that draw on the region’s natural resources. Most of the gauged sub-basins are labeled with arrows and the insert shows the location within Africa. This layer represents the political regional boundaries (level of Province, Region and District) in the 4 riparian countries that share geographical overlapping with the Okavango Basin: Angola, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. St Albans Would-be mayors don’t know, The first private astronaut mission is headed for ISS next year, First large-scale US offshore wind farm receives federal approval, Now hiring: US job openings soar to record high of 8.1 million, Gaza tower block collapses after Israeli strike, Melinda Gates met divorce lawyers when Epstein ties revealed: WSJ, Palestinians say 21 killed as Israeli air raids on Gaza continue, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. The plan for an equitable distribution of the future COVID-19 vaccine is not perfect, but it may be all we have. The Cubango-Okavango River Basin (CORB) Fund is a fully independent hybrid fund that aims to enhance livelihoods, improve ecosystem resilience and provide equitable benefits to the riparian states of Angola, Botswana and Namibia, in their shared river basin. The Namibian government has said oil and gas exploration will be conducted in an “environmentally sustainable manner”, Maggy Shino, petroleum commissioner at the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy, told Al Jazeera in a statement, adding that if oil were found, it could lead to the creation of “employment opportunities” as well as lessen the country’s “dependence on the import of oil and gas”. Africa is particularly exciting, with analysts labelling it the “last frontier” of onshore oil exploration. Muyemburuko is particularly worried about the impact of the industry on the area’s water supply. ReconAfrica believes the Kavango Basin in Namibia and Botswana could generate billions of … Environmentalists and community leaders want to see the area preserved. If early exploration is successful, Recon Africa plans to drill “hundreds of wells” across the Kavango Basin. The Cubango-Okavango River Basin covers 125,000 square miles in Angola, Namibia and Botswana and provides water for 1 million people. All rights reserved. Coronavirus vaccine: How will poorer countries get a fair shot? Each year, about 11 cubic kilometres (2.6 cu mi) of water spread over the 6,000–15,000 km (2,300–5,800 sq mi) area. ReconAfrica is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the exploration and development of oil and gas in Northeast Namibia and Northwest Botswana—the “Kavango Basin.”. The Okavango Basin, and specifically the delta, is an important place for us to work because it’s one of the most biodiverse habitats in Africa, and it provides water for more than 1 million people. Given that water from the region flows into the Okavango delta, “any pollution would be harmful” to the Okavango Basin ecosystem as well as Kavango communities, says Brown. “The Kalahari means to the San people what Mecca means to Muslims,” Q7 Beckett, an Indigenous youth leader, told Al Jazeera. Ralston Quick-test™ Compressed Gas Cylinder Valve... New compressed gas cylinder valve adapters. General characteristics of the basin. Source: Digital Chart of the World (DCW) with further editing corrections for a more accurate spatial definition. Like most rivers, the Okavango is faced with a number of potentially conflicting and unsustainable uses, and we have an unprecedented window of opportunity to help secure the basin. But some local communities feel they were not sufficiently included in the decision-making process. The Okavango Delta is one of just a handful of inland delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean. Hertfordshire - The energy sector’s great opportunity to become more sustainable As a result, the relatively pristine Okavango ecosystem continues to provide significant benefits to the region… The region holds sacred meaning for the San, an Indigenous group that is considered one of the original inhabitants of the Southern African region. The field is larger than Belgium, with energy news site Oilprice.com predicting it could be the “largest oil play of the decade” if exploration goes ahead in 2021. It is formed by the confluence of the Cubango and Cuito rivers, which originate on the Bié Plateau of central Angola and flow southeast. We call on the drilling to halt for the following reasons:1. Sandridge Park, Porters Wood - Scientists discover new hydrocarbon cycle in the ocean Al Jazeera compares COVID lockdowns and responses from around the world amid a new wave of global protests. “As we depend on farming, if we don’t have water, our livelihoods will be endangered. Some will use fracking techniques, a highly controversial practice that sees high-pressure fluid injected into underground shale to create fractures and release oil. The home page of the company’s website says its intention is to open “a new, deep sedimentary basin”—in other words, a new oil and gas field. In This Edition But for supporters of the #SavetheOkavangoDelta campaign, that is not enough. “Indigenous people usually sell arts and crafts to tourists or are invited by farms to come and dance and tell stories for the tourists,” Beckett said. We just don’t want the environment we live in to be harmed.”. The Namibian government has also reassured activists that locations for the drillings are far from both the Okavango Delta and the Kavango River. Windhoek, Namibia – The Okavango Delta is home to some of the world’s most threatened species, including endangered African wild dogs and cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, and lions. The Okavango does not have an outlet to the sea. ReconAfrica’s spokesperson, Claire Preece, told Al Jazeera “There is no fracking in our programme, no horizontal wells, and very limited water usage such that the water wells will be turned over to the community.”, And in March, petroleum minister Shino issued a statement confirming “No licence to conduct fracking activities was granted to Reconnaissance Energy by the ministry and no such licence is being contemplated.”. Wildlife revival: Conservation wins for tigers and gorillas, US conservationists, mining firms vie for Minnesota wilderness. The Cubango is joined just above its confluence with the Cuito by the Omatako River, which flows northeast from its origin in the Damaraland region of central Namibia. The Okavango Delta means income and development. It is expensive, low-return and we would never take it forward to any investors as it is wildly un-economic.”. A fight for the future of Minnesota’s economy is pitting mining advocates against the outdoor tourism industry. region, the Okavango provides opportunities for water abstractions for numerous uses. They have teamed up to raise awareness about the matter. It is fed by the Okavango River, along Namibia's northern border Copyright © 2021 Labmate Online. Instead, you should be looking for locations where independents are out in force looking for the next big thing,” says internationally renowned geochemist Dan Jarvie. The field is larger than Belgium, with energy news site Oilprice.com predicting it could be the “largest oil play of the decade” if exploration goes ahead in 2021. Namibia and Botswana share the Okavango river basin and share the Kalahari Desert, which has enormous renewable energy potential. But Preece said that any estimation that the company’s project in the Kavango Basin was related to unconventional methods such as fracking “would be completely false”. They want to see Namibia turn to renewable sources of energy instead of fossil fuels — and have continued to organise peaceful protests to try to make it happen. But ReconAfrica said on its website that there will be no damage to the ecosystem and that its sites are not located in the area of national parks, conservancies or World Heritage sites. It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a … Instead, it discharges into the Okavango D… ReconAfrica engaged in public consultations throughout January after community members and environmental activists expressed concerns about the project. Given that water from the region flows into the Okavango delta, “any pollution would be harmful” to the Okavango Basin ecosystem as well as Kavango communities, says Brown. The drilling of the boreholes for oil exploration can threaten the ecosystem through potential oil spillage, noise pollution and water contamination, said Jan Arkert, a South African-based engineering geologist with the firm Africa Exposed Consulting Engineering Geologists. The Okavango basin. “My worst fear is that it could turn into a new Niger Delta,” Shikongo added, referencing the ongoing fight to clean up areas polluted by oil companies there. National Development Plan (2018-2022) ... of Angolan component of the Okavango region The exploration licence area falls within the newly-proclaimed Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier area, while the biodiversity-rich Okavango river basin is … 1. The firm said it “will follow global best practices and local regulations in all drilling and reclamation activity”. The Okavango River, in the Kalahari Desert, is part of an endorheic basin region, the Okavango Basin, that also includes the Okavango Delta, Lake Ngami, the Nata River, and a number of salt pans such as Makgadikgadi Pan. Summary The Okavango Basin is situated in south central Africa and shared among the three countries of Angola, Namibia and Botswana. Table 41: Okavango basin: areas and rainfall by country Okavango River showing the modeled sub-basins. Etosha pan in Namibia's Etosha National Park. Young demonstrators took to the streets of Windhoek, Namibia for a Save the Okavango Delta protest in February [Lisa Ossenbrink/Al Jazeera]“Who gave the government the right to determine the destiny of Indigenous communities? While most supermajors have gravitated offshore, analysts say there’s still plenty of opportunity for independent and junior companies that are willing to look. “Unconventional production is the last gasp of older basins. Junior oil and gas company Recon Africa is spearheading development in the region, with the company currently licensed to explore more than 35,000 square kilometers of land in Namibia and Botswana. The delta – a World Heritage site recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – is also pivotal to the water supply for the Kalahari Desert, and its unique ecosystems draw large numbers of tourists eager to explore its biodiversity each year. “Conventional oil and gas production uses vertical wells, no fracking and very little water. The Kavango is a new sedimentary basin and like all other hydrocarbon basins, conventional production is all that exists for roughly the first 20 years,” Preece explained. Our entire livelihood could be affected.”. While the Kavango Basin could unlock huge profits for Recon Africa, exploration in the area has garnered fierce criticism from environmentalists who say drilling with threaten the pristine, As climate change and habitat destruction continues to garner attention, the energy industry is under increasing pressure to adopt greener practices. As climate change and habitat destruction continues to garner attention, the energy industry is under increasing pressure to adopt greener practices. The Okavango River water and its ecosystem resources are critically important sources of livelihoods for people in … ReconAfrica believes the Kavango Basin in Namibia and Botswana could generate billions of barrels of oil, but environmentalists and Indigenous leaders want the area to remain untouched. This raster layer (90m resolution) represents the flow direction in the CORB-Contributing area. The Kavango Basin, as the area is known to … Fuel For Thought But those assurances haven’t quelled environmentalists’ and Indigenous groups’ fears. It is an endorheic basin, shared between Angola, Namibia and Botswana (Map 9 and Table 41). While giants like the Permian Basin and Ghawar Field have dominated the oil landscape for years, in 2021 experts are predicting a new player could challenge their reign. “Potential conventional and unconventional opportunities” were mentioned in a July 2020 research report from ReconAfrica that was the subject of press reports but has since been removed from the company’s website. As well as endangering wildlife, campaigners say exploration could contaminate the water resourced of local communities. While the Kavango Basin could unlock huge profits for Recon Africa, exploration in the area has garnered fierce criticism from environmentalists who say drilling with threaten the pristine Okavango wilderness region. This is just another case of environmental racism,” Ina-Maria Shikongo, the founder of Fridays for Future Windhoek, told Al Jazeera. Find out more about the latest advances being made within the maritime industry in ‘Clean Burning Marine Fuels Making A Difference To Air Quality. “It’s more than our home and more than a pilgrimage – it’s our identity. Oak Court Business Centre The world's fastest, most sensitive drone-based gas... ‘Clean Burning Marine Fuels Making A Difference To Air Quality. ReconAfrica holds a 90% interest in a petroleum exploration licence in northeast Namibia. The Kalahari Basin, also known as the Kalahari Depression, Barotse Basin, or the Kalahari-Okavango Basin, is an endorheic basinand large lowland area covering over 2.5 million km2covering most of Botswanaand Namibia, as well as parts of Angola, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 685 Figure 1 Okavango River showing the modeled sub-basins. Some flood … “No question was properly answered.”, But a ReconAfrica spokesperson told Al Jazeera: “Detailed consultation with local communities and a range of other stakeholders, including the traditional authorities regarding land use, was carried out. United Kingdom, T +44 (0)1727 858 840 “It was a one-man show,” he said. The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland) (formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari. Located in the Okavango wilderness region of Namibia and Botswana, the massive Kavango Basin is thought to hold more than 30 billion barrels of crude oil. A campaign called #SavetheOkavangoDelta was started by Fridays for Future Windhoek and Frack Free Namibia and Botswana, two local environmentalist groups. But they fear that land could be under threat after a Canadian petroleum exploration company was granted a licence by the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy to explore the Kavango Basin, a region that spreads across the northeast part of Namibia as well as the northwest part of Botswana. It is protected under the protocol of the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission. The Okavango River (formerly spelled Okovango or Okovanggo) is a river in southwest Africa. E info@labmate-online.com. On January 22, Muyemburuko attended one of the consultations in Rundu in Kavango East with governors, headmen, representatives of non-profit organisations and politicians. But, he said, the meeting was not translated into the local language. The Okavango Delta is home to some of the world’s most threatened species, including endangered African wild dogs and cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, and lions. The values in the cells of the grid indicate the direction of flow from that cell. Discover a new range of high performance rheometers, Afriso opens new logistics and service centre. Petrochemicals dominate upcoming project starts acro... What is Green Fuel and Will it Replace Petrol? F +44 (0)1727 840 310 Okavango River Basin and Improving the Integrity of the Okavango Delta World Heritage Property Maun, 3-4 June 2019 Botswana Overview of the Cubango-Okavango River Basin in Angola: Challenges and Perspectives. But environmentalists and community leaders fear the oil industry could permanently change the Kavango Basin. Most of the gauged 686 sub-basins are labeled with arrows and the insert shows the location 687 within Africa. It is the fourth-longest river system in southern Africa, running southeastward for 1,600 km (990 mi). We’re worried about water and air pollution, too. Mapping coronavirus anti-lockdown protests around the world, How much is a house in Brooklyn worth? This layer was created from the SRTM DTM (digital terrain model). - Collaboration to enhance res... World LNG Series: Asia Pacific Summit - Postponed to 2022, International Labmate Limited Recon Africa’s exploration areas in both Botswana and Namibia fall largely within the Okavango River Basin which flows into the richly-biodiverse Okavango Delta — …