Residents of Mmopane have been warned that they are at risk of pregnant women losing unborn babies prematurely and losing hearing because more aircraft will be landing at the expanded Sir Seretse Khama International Airport.
The warning came from the Minister of Lands and Housing, Nonofo Molefhi, who had accompanied President Ian Khama to Mmopane to address a kgotla meeting on Friday. The minister ran short of telling the residents that they will need to relocate to a new site when he said that due to increased noise pollution, houses that stand in the path of landing airplanes are at risk of getting damaged.
After the meeting Molefhi explained that in other countries insurance costs for houses near the airports are extremely high.
Molefhi said only powerful structures built with high noise resistant material and fitted with certain expensive windows (sound proof) can withstand the looming danger for Mmopane residents. However, it is clear that most residents in the village cannot afford such luxuries. However, the minister said he would send a team of experts to the village to tell the residents more about the looming dangers as a result of the expansion of the SSKIA, which will see Botswana receiving for the first time, direct flights from Europe and the Far East as the country prepares to become a world diamond centre.
Minister Molefhi's warning comes amidst talk in the village that for sometime now government has been planning to relocate residents deemed to be in the path of aircraft, to a new site.
Source: http://www.mmegi.bw
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