Hot debates are going on in Zambia on the construction of two hotels and a golf course in the Victoria Falls area of the country.

Legacy Holdings Zambia has threatened to take the proposed 260- million-U.S. dollar-project away if it could not develop on the designated area.

"Legacy can take this investment somewhere else. Zambia is not the only market," Chairman of the company Jacob Sikazwe warned at a heated public hearing for the environment impact assessment (EIA) held in Livingstone, location of the falls.

Legacy feels that in comparison with Zimbabwe, the Zambian side is far less developed with only about 1,000 beds available in Livingstone, one third of the accommodation capacity of Zimbabwean side.

The planned project with an estimated 1,900 rooms, could make Zambia compete with Zimbabwe, said legacy.

Legacy International Group chairman Bart Dorrestein said: "we need to balance the needs of nature and social challenges of unemployment that Africa faces. The key condition of the contract was that we had to have a successful EIA and we'd like to think we created something that respects the environment."

The Zambia Wildlife Authority awarded Legacy a tourism concession agreement of a 220 hectare long lease to construct a golf estate containing two hotels, an 18 hole golf course, marina and 450 chalets in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, part of which is the Victoria Falls.

However, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is concerned that Zambia and Zimbabwe have allegedly failed to follow recommendations on the management of the Victoria Falls as a world heritage site.

UNESCO commissioner Felistus Chiyanda said recently that the two countries failed to control the new tourism developments around the 30 km radius which was agreed in protocols relating to the management of the Victoria Falls.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting on the management of the world heritage site, Chiyanda warned the two countries to reverse the trend by ensuring that no more developments were put up in the restricted world heritage site radius or risk having the status given to the falls withdrawn by the UN agency.

This is the second UNESCO warning to the two countries over the falls this year.

In April, UNESCO warned that the falls may be downgraded and lose its world heritage status due to environmental pollution.

Citizens for a better Environment executive director Peter Sinkamba said that erecting the two hotels and golf course in the park would affect not only passage of elephants from Botswana and Zimbabwe, but also other animals in the game park.

"There is a danger that these animals would find another corridor, which may not be Zambia and this could ruin Zambian tourism," he said.

Tourism in Livingstone with entire infrastructure would be dead without animals and that this should be everyone's concern, he said.

Sinkamba urged the government to find another area to allow for the building of the hotels.

Elephants are mainly found in the falls area during the dry season when they cross over from Zimbabwe searching for food.

Other contend that if the project go through it would be hit by a barrage of legal suits and injunctions.

At the EIA meeting several issues were raised against the project, which the Environment Council of Zambia would study before deciding whether or not to approve the EIA.

Margaret Whitehead, a former councilor in Livingstone said Legacy was promising jobs but it's not all about jobs, "Do you know how many people will lose their jobs if the Victoria Falls are deregistered by UNESCO?" she asked.

But Senior chief Mukuni, in whose chiefdom the project lies, wants the project to go ahead, said that he did not want the animals in his village because they were killing people and destroying crops.

"We don't want the animals! We don't want the elephants. They are destroying our crops and killing our people. The people in Mukuni village have been suffering at the hands of these animals. In fact these animals are not even Zambian, they are from Zimbabwe, " he said.

The chief said tourists didn't come there for elephants. They came to see the falls. Those who wanted to see elephants should go to Chobe National Park in Botswana, not here.

Those supporting the project also argued that it will create jobs, peripheral opportunity and service delivery.

Zambian side of Victoria Falls and the adjacent bank of Zambezi is called the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park.

Victoria Falls is one of the seven wonders of the modern world and a world heritage site UNESCO declared in 1989 because of its scientific and tourism value.

Source: Xinhua