Environment Ministry to inaugurate park management station at Bwabwata National Park
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism will officially inaugurate the recently constructed N$32 million park management station in the Bwabwata National Park on Saturday, 31 August, according to a statement released this week.
The new Buffalo park station marks another milestone of NamParks, a joint development programme of the Environment Ministry and the German government through the KFW Development Bank. The station is located on the eastern bank of the Kavango river.
The programme aims to improve Namibia´s National Parks and is currently in its fourth and fifth phase with investments of more than N$450 million in the past 13 years in more than six National Parks across the country.
According to the statement, the new park station includes ten two-bedroom houses for senior park management staff; ten one-bedroom houses for junior park management staff; a national park entrance & control gate across the B8 national road; a tourist reception; an administration building; a service building; a recreational room/common staff room; ablutions block with six toilets; six camping sites; a borehole with submersible pump installed in underground concrete shaft for elephant protection; a predator and an elephant-proof electrified fence around the entire station.
Modern technology at the station includes a solar hot water systems and a containerized waste-water treatment plant. The park station will be connected to the national power grid and has a Diesel standby generator.
According to the ministry, building important park infrastructure will enable them to effectively and efficiently manage the Bwabwata National Park and its support zones, in cooperation with resident communities and protecting the park’s unique flora and fauna. The park station will further assist in securing national and trans-boundary migratory routes for wildlife and managing and increasing tourism development in Bwabwata National Park.
The park will be officiated by environment minister, Pohamba Shifeta, Dr Gerd Müller, the German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development.
Caption: The tourist reception at Buffalo Gate in the Bwabwata National Park.
