Botswana - Apply for Environmental Assessment (EA) Authorization

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Procedure

Apply In-Person

1. The application for Environmental Assessment (EA) Authorizations shall be made to the Department of Environmental Affairs office which is under the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism.Ministry contact details
2. Applicants will be required to complete the Project Brief Form.Copies of these forms are available for free at any Department of Environmental Affairs headquarter office or regional offices, or directly download it using this link;https://www.gov.bw/sites/default/files/2020-03/Department_of_Environmental_Affairs-Project_Brief[1].pdf.
3. The applicant will be required to submit the certified supporting documentation as mentioned under the “Required Documents” section below; in addition to the duly completed Project Brief Form in all respect to the nearest Department of Environmental Affairs office within his/her jurisdiction. Any omission of these documents will render the registration process incomplete.
4. Upon receipt of the application file, the secretary will verify if all the necessary information and documentation has been provided and that the applications comply with the selection criteria before registering the application file for assessment and consideration by the Department of Environmental Affairs office, the unit responsible.
5. Applicants will be issued with an acknowledgment slip as proof of submission of the applicant.
6. The applicant will be notified of the result of the application through a letter/savingram.
7. The details contained in the form is used by DEA to assess and screen the planned activity and decisions will occur as follows:

   • Activity may be authorized to proceed without being subjected to a detailed Environmental Assessment study; or
   • An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) may be required before project implementation and the following will be required;

8. Applicant (developer) will be required to engage a certified Environmental Practitioner at a cost, the list of such Environmental Practitioner can be found at EAPB Website: Link or use this link to Link
9. The practitioner should develop the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) report draft as per the Environmental Assessment (EA) Act of 2010 and guidelines provided in the Environmental Assessment Regulations, 2012;
10. Submit the draft report to the Department of Environmental Affairs for review and the department will respond through a letter; the letter will specify whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) study is required.
11. If an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study is required prior to implementation of a plan, program, or policy the below need to be done:
12. The developer should engage a certified Environmental Practitioner by the EAPB, who will then proceed with the processing of the study at a cost.
13. The practitioner should publicize the intended activity, its effects, and benefits in the media using the official languages for not less than 21 days; after the expiration of the period of 21 days, the practitioner should hold meetings with the affected people or communities to explain the nature of the activity and its effects.
14. The practitioner should develop the first report called the Scoping Report and Terms of Reference (ToR), this report should be submitted to the Department of Environmental Affairs for review.
15. Following approval of the Scoping Report and Terms of Reference by the department, the practitioner should draft the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and submitted to the Department office for review and a response will be given through a letter.
16. Where the EIA report complies with the requirements prescribed, the Competent Authority will place a notification in the Government Gazette and in any other newspaper, which should circulate at least once weekly using the official languages, for four consecutive weeks at the developer’s expense.
17. During this period any persons most likely to be affected by the proposed activity or other interested people should visit/contact the Competent Authority office and express their concerns or objections to the proposed activity.
18. After consideration of all the objection (where applicable) and if the report meets all the requirements considered by the Competent Authority and provisions of the EA Act, the report is approved and the developer is notified by letter, and the certified report copies will be made available for issue to the developer.
19. The applicant will be required to produce a proof of identity document, the approval letter and pay the fee as mentioned under the “FEE” section of this page while collecting the certified report copies at the specific Department office where the application was lodged.
20. If a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is required before implementation of a plan, program, or policy the below need to be done:

    • SEA process follows similar steps as outlined above for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process above.
      

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Required Documents

• Proof of land ownership (title deed, the certificate for the plot, lease agreement, prospecting license, etc.)
• Certificate of incorporation for the company including Share certificate. If applying as an individual, a copy of the National Identity Document or Passport
• Location map/sketch map showing project physical location
• The production process clearly showing all inputs and outputs at each stage of the process
  

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation, and Tourism
Private Bag BO 199 Gaborone, Botswana
Plot 13064 Government Enclave
Tel:  +267 3647900 / +267 391 4955
Fax: +267 3951092
Email: [email protected]
Toll-free Number: 0800 600 734
Ministry contact details

Department of Environmental Affairs
Gaborone Region/District Office
(Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation, and Tourism)
Plot No. 1271 Stanbic Building
Private Bag 0068
Address: Travaglini House, 2nd Floor, Luthuli Road, Old Lobatse Road, Old Industrial Area
Gaborone, Botswana
Tel: (+267) 3902050
Fax: (+267) 3902051

Serowe Region/District: Department of Environmental Affairs Office
Physical Address: Old Department of Cooperatives Enclave near Serowe Police Traffic offices and Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Serowe Office
Private Bag 0028, Serowe, Botswana
Telephone (+267) 4630174 / 176
Fax (+267) 4635937

Francistown Region/District: Department of Environmental Affairs Office
Physical Address: Ntshe House, First Floor, Office No. 2.109, 2.110, & 2.111
Private Bag F020, Francistown, Botswana
Telephone (+267) 2417363
Fax (+267) 2417108

Tshabong Region/District: Department of Environmental Affairs Office
Physical Address: Office 7&8 within the Department of Tourism
Private Bag 007, Tsabong, Botswana
Telephone (+267) 6540129
Fax (+267) 6540129

Tshabong Region/District: Department of Environmental Affairs Office
Physical Address: Office 7&8 within the Department of Tourism
Private Bag 007, Tsabong
Telephone (+267) 6540129
Fax (+267) 6540129

Maun Region/District: Department of Environmental Affairs Office
Physical Address: Next to Motovac (Airport) along Mophane Street
P. O. Box 35, Maun
Telephone (+267)6801237
Fax (+267) 6862503

Kasane Region/District: Department of Environmental Affairs Office
Physical Address: Kazungula Bridge Office
Private Bag 24, Kasane
Telephone (+267) 6240198
Fax (+267) 625 2895


Selebi Phikwe Region/District: Department of Environmental Affairs Office
Physical Address: LOT 12384, SPEDU Offices, Selebi Phikwe Industrial
Private Bag 10, Selebi Phikwe
Telephone (+267) 2659995
Fax (+267) 261 1064

Ghanzi Region/District: Department of Environmental Affairs Office;
Physical Address: West of the airport, across the street from Shell Service Station
Private Bag 24, Ghanzi
Telephone (+267) 6596101
Fax (+267) 6596038

The Environmental Assessment Practitioners Board (EAPB)
P.O. Box 402934,Gaborone,
Botswana
Fax: (+267) 3133256
Tel: (+267) 71 305 507
Email: [email protected]
EAPB address map & contact details
EAPB Website

EAPB CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTITIONER LIST:
EAPB Certified Environmental Practitioner Contacts details
Opening hours: 07:30 – 12:45 & 13:45 – 16:30, Monday to Friday, except Public Holidays.

Eligibility

• All persons who wish to undertake or implement activities prescribed under Regulation 3 of the Environmental Assessment Act of 2010.
  

Environmental Assessment Act

Fees

Review of all environmental assessment reports will be related to project cost as follows:
PROJECT COST APPLICANTION FEE

• Less than P100 000 -  BWP100.00
• BWP100 000-P499 999 -  BWP100.00
• BWP500 000-P999 999  -BWP500.00
• BWP1 000 000-P9 999 999 -  BWP750.00
• BWP10 000 000-P49 999 999 - BW P1000.00
• BWP 50 000 000 or more - BWP1500.00

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

https://www.gov.bw/sites/default/files/2020-03/Department_of_Environmental_Affairs-Project_Brief[1].pdf

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Different stages of the Environmental Assessment process are subjected to different review timelines as follows:

• Project Briefs are reviewed within 10 working days from the time of submission
• Advertisement for Public, Interested and Affected Parties (IAP) Consultation runs for 21 days
• Scoping reports with Terms of Reference are reviewed within 28 working days
• Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Environmental Management Plans (EMP), and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) are all reviewed within 60 working days

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

Required Information

Applicant detail

• Name of project
• Estimated project cost
• Project proponent
• Contact person
• Postal/physical address
• Telephone no./ Fax no./email address
• Project location

Project details

• Provide a brief description of the project.
• What is the physical scale or the size of the development?
• What is the anticipated lifespan of the project within the foreseeable or predicted future?

Project processes:

• What are the materials that the activity shall use, including both construction materials and inputs?
• What are the possible products and by-products including waste generation of the activity?

Planning issues:

• Has the land been allocated for the proposed project?
• What is the current land use of the area or site for the proposed project?
• Will the proposed development require a change in land use?
• Are the following services available in the area where the development is to be located? (Water/ Power/ Telecommunications/ Sewerage system/ Waste management system)
• Will the development result in the displacement of people or property?

Need for the Document

The service predicts and evaluates the environmental consequences of projects, plans, programs, and policies to mitigate negative impacts thus also enhancing positive impacts.
Purpose of Environmental Assessment

• Is applied to prevent or minimize the adverse effects of major developments proposals
• It is used as a planning tool to promote sustainable development by integrating environmental considerations into a wide range of proposed actions
• It is a procedural mechanism that provides information that can be used to improve the quality of decision making
• It guides planners and developers on issues of location, design, size and helps provide alternative solutions
• It provides an opportunity for Interested and Affected Parties (IAPs) to participate in the planning phase of development activities

Information which might help

• ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS OF 2012
  
• ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ACT, 2011

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• Gov.BW
  

Others

More information which might help people.