The Karoo is famous for its beautiful vast open landscapes and clear night skies, untouched by developments or large corporations.
Three oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell, Falcon Oil & Gas, and Bundu Oil & Gas are eyeing the exploration of natural gas trapped in the underground shale formations in the Karoo. Shell recently applied for exploration licences for an area of 90,000 square kilometres – roughly three times the size of Lesotho.
Local communities in the Karoo are angry and concerned. Angry because they have no say about what happens to the minerals below their land. And seriously concerned because of the damaging environmental effects of shale gas exploitation.

Shale gas extraction poses a threat to ground and surface water. The fracking process brings a significant risk of contamination of these valuable water resources. This pollution can affect drinking water, as well as rivers and wetlands, threatening human health and the environment.

Secondly, fracking uses huge volumes of water. Given that many parts of South Africa already experienced water shortages, the prospect of further stressing water supplies could pose serious problems at a local and regional level. Can we really afford to waste vast amounts of water in a water scarce area such as the Karoo?

If you have 2 minutes to save the Karoo environment for certain harm click here

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