Overview
This project is a undertaken on behalf on behalf of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, under the Botswana National Development Plan (NDP 10) as a deliberate effort to promote economic diversification and environmental protection in partnership with private sector, especially citizens.
The main objective of this project is to identify suitable source rocks that can be used in the production of manufactured sand mainly for infrastructure development projects in Botswana, which has increased dramatically over the past decade. These development projects require high tonnages of river sand, most of which have been mined out legally and illegally from the rivers all over the country.
River sand mining, whether legally or otherwise, has some negative environmental impact on the river eco-systems. The rate of extraction far exceeds the recharge rate especially that over the past few years, there has been little rain in Botswana which resulted in no river flows and no river sand recharge.
The identification of source rocks for manufactured sand was been completed in greater Gaborone in 2015, whereas the identification of source rocks in the Serowe- Palapye, Mahalapye and Francistown was completed in 2016. Four (4) quarries have been identified in the Serowe, Palapye and Mahalapye areas. Their development will reduce dependence natural river sand leading to environmental protection and river eco-system will have an opportunity to recover.
This project has been completed and the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security is tendering for quarries identified in the specified areas.
Identification and assessment of Industrial Minerals - Quarry sites Serowe Palapye Mhalapye Areas
Identification oand assesment of Industrial Mineral - Quarry sites of Greater Gaborone Area
