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THE APPLICATION FOR AMMENDMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE ISSUED TO SPRINGWATER INVESTMENTS
(PTY) LTD: - ESTABLISHMENT OF TOWNSHIP ON REMAINDER OF STAMPRIED FARM 132 IN HARDAP REGION.
THE CREATION OF STREETS ON SUBDIVISION OF PTN A/812 AND REM 812 OF STAMPRIED FARM 132 IN STAMPRIET, HARDAP
REGION.
FOR
SPRINGWATER INVESTMENTS (PTY) LTD
30 JULY 2019
PREPARED BY
Number 3485 Begonia Street, Windhoek, Namibia. Cell Number: +264 812 683 578 E.mail: [email protected]
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PROJECT DETAILS
TITLE UPDATED ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
AUTHORS OUTRUN CONSULTANTS CC
CLIENT SPRINGWATER INVESTMENTS (PTY) LTD
REPORT STATUS FINAL UPDATED ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
PLAN
DATE 30 JULY 2019
AUTHORISED SIGNATURE:
JOSIAH T. MUKUTIRI LEAD CONSULTANT / EIA PRACTITIONER
3
Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................... 4
List of Figures .................................................................................................................................... 4
1. PURPOSE OF THE DOCUMENT AND CONTENTS .......................................................................... 5
2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................... 5
2.1. Terms of Reference ............................................................................................................ 6
2.1.1. Project Location ......................................................................................................... 7
2.2. Assessment of Alternatives ................................................................................................ 7
2.2.1. No-Go Option ............................................................................................................. 7
3. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN .................................................................................... 8
4. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 16
5. ANNEXURES ............................................................................................................................. 17
5.1. Environmental Clearance Certificate ................................................................................ 17
4
List of Tables Table 1: Identified Environmental Issues, Proposed Mitigation measures and the Respective
Responsible Party. ................................................................................................................. 9
List of Figures Figure 1: The streets marked in pink will be considered since they were omitted in the initial
plan. ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 2: Project locality map. Source: Green Earth Environmental Consultants EIA report. . 7
5
1. PURPOSE OF THE DOCUMENT AND CONTENTS
The purpose of this document is to support the application for an Environmental Clearance
Certificate (ECC) for the creation of streets on subdivision PTN A/812 and REM 812 of
Stampried Farm 132 in Stampriet, Hardap Region. It is an updated Environmental
Management Plan (EMP) which should be read together with the EMP that was submitted to
support the application for the sub-division of a total of 92 plots that constitutes the ROOTS
VILLAGE approved in April 2018. The proponent (Springwater Investments (Propriety)
Limited) appointed Outrun Consultants to prepare an updated EMP to guide the operations
of the proposed addition of streets to the project. The EMP was prepared from information
gathered from the proponent (Springwater Investments (Propriety) Limited) and knowledge
of the site (based upon several site visits) as well as from experience with EIA’s and EMP’s
conducted for other similar operations. The addition of streets will not pose any long term or
irreversible threats to the receiving or surrounding environment for which almost all issues
covered in the first EMP all apply to the addition of streets.
2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The applicant, Springwater Investments (Pty) Ltd has embarked on a township development
comprised of an integrated housing, agriculture, education and other convenient business services.
The project area was converted from farmland to townland in July 2016 and the sub-division of a total
of 92 plots approved in April 2018. Bulk services were installed in May 2018 and further sub-division
of 62 plots approved in April 2019. An Environmental Impact Assessment was carried out prior to
project inception and an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) dated the 2nd of August 2017 was
issued by the Ministry of Environment & Tourism (MET), (ECC – Annexure 1). However, the creation
of streets for this township development was not part of the scope and has evoked this exercise to
rectify the omission and comply with Environmental Management Act, 2007, (EMA, 2007).
The additional streets in question are shaded pink in the figure below. The design caters for a collector
road of 20m and internal roads of 15m and 13m and covering a cumulative length and area of 15 km
and 23 Ha. Internal roads will be gravel roads while cross-fall values of the internal streets will be
designed in such a way as to intercept storm water runoff and assist in storm water
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accommodation. Due to the fact that the streams and rivers in the area are mostly ephemeral, low
water crossings are envisaged for most areas where streams are to be crossed by roads.
Figure 1: The streets marked in pink will be considered since they were omitted in the initial plan.
It is against this background that an independent environmental consultant, Outrun Consultants cc
was contracted by the Proponent to carry out an EIA study and apply for an environmental clearance
certificate.
2.1. Terms of Reference
The proponent, (Springwater Investments (Pty) Ltd) hired Outrun Consultants CC to carry out
an Environmental Impact Assessment Study for the creation of the omitted streets. Outrun
Consultants CC registered the application for an ECC for this project on Ministry of
Environment and Tourism EIA portal. The project is registered under application number: APP
– 00670. The application was verified by Met and recommended the compilation and
subsequent submission of an updated EMP for the project to be cleared by the issuing of an
ECC. Only issues or factors related to the addition of new streets that may have not been
covered in the initial study will be considered.
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2.1.1. Project Location
Figure 2: Project locality map. Source: Green Earth Environmental Consultants EIA report.
2.2. Assessment of Alternatives
2.2.1. No-Go Option
The “no-go” option means maintaining the status quo. This option cannot be considered
because the plots in the area will require access through the new streets that will be created.
8
3. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
The environmental management plan presents a summary of management initiatives
that will be required to ensure the identified negative and positive impacts are
mitigated and maximized respectively. However, this EMP will be focussing on the
project’s potential negative impacts emanating from the creation of new streets only.
Indicators are suggested for each identified impact, and this is followed by the
assigned responsible implementing agent and the monitoring frequency.
The EMP is also aimed at ensuring continued compliance even after the duration of
project. In some cases, the implementing agencies would need the assistance of the
consultant to adequately formulate local area and more specific implementation
strategies. The EMP summarized the impacts and configured them into objectives that
can be pursued sustainably. Total adherence to this EMP shall guide the proponent
toward the road to sustainable economic development.
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Table 1: Identified Environmental Issues, Proposed Mitigation measures and the Respective Responsible Party.
PROJECT PHASE ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT
RESPONSIBLE PERSON
ACTIVITY MITIGATION MEASURE (S)
PLANNING Addressing Aesthetic and Visual Issues
Proponent, Consultants, Contractor
Designing of the streets
• Streets should be earthy / gravel without tar to maintain the countryside texture.
Drainage and Runoff Proponent, Consultants, Contractor
Designing of the streets
• Rivers and drainage systems bordering the site must be maintained and channels must be kept open to conserve the environment and flow of water.
Solid Waste Proponent, Consultants, Contractor
Designing of the streets
• Avoid areas / routes where vegetation is bound to be cleared.
Occupational Health and Safety
Proponent, Consultants, Contractor
Designing of the streets
• Establish and implement an Occupational Health and Safety Policy
• Ensure all employees are adequately trained for their job.
• Ensure employees have adequate and appropriate PPE.
• Ensure work procedures are in place.
• An Environment, health and safety officer should be employed to manage, coordinate and monitor risk and hazard and report all related issues in the work place.
CONSTRUCTION Solid Waste Proponent Contractor
Construction of
the new streets.
• Embrace the waste management principle of 3Rs, reduce, recycle and
reuse.
• If cement is used during construction of civil and any form of concrete
structural elements, solid waste packaging materials should be disposed
of appropriately at a designated site for the Stampriet Village Council.
• A temporary waste storage site or cage structure may not be set up close
to a water course.
10
• Measures must be taken to prevent waste that attracts scavengers.
• No organic solvents and other chemicals or any other harmful substances
may be discarded into the environment. The substances must be
collected in containers and be removed from the site for proper disposal.
Occupational Health and Safety
Proponent Contractor
Construction of the new streets.
• Health and Safety factors related to construction of streets are presented
below.
• The important issues to observe are:
• Orient employees and provide them with adequate training for their job
specific safety requirements,
• Provide employees with adequate and appropriate personal protective equipment and ensure they utilize it appropriately.
Spillages of potential toxic materials
Proponent and Contractor
Construction of the new streets.
• Any spillages of potentially toxic materials, whether by accident or
through negligence, must be reported and the corrective action must be
undertaken to ‘clean’ and to remove the evidence of the spillage. This
potentially relates to cement or its civil products and the responsible
parties must take cognizance during construction of new streets.
Site preparation Proponent and Contractor
Construction of new streets
• The new street should be marked-out correctly and inspected and
approved by the Engineer before any construction is started.
• Metal droppers and hazard tape should be used to demarcate and keep
out people from the construction area.
11
• No pedestrians or vehicles should be allowed through streets under
construction.
Building materials Proponent and Contractor
Construction of new streets
• Sand/rock that will be used for the construction of streets should only be
collected from approved sites or be commercially procured from a
supplier.
• No materials, including rocks for building purposes may be collected
from the environmentally sensitive areas.
Workers facilities Proponent and Contractor
Construction of new streets
• A campsite will be established during the construction of the new streets.
• The site should meet the following in order to make it habitable for the
workers as well as avoid environmental damage:
• Provide portable water amounting at least 50 liters per person per day,
• Provide dixy toilets that can be emptied as and when required,
• Provide a domestic solid waste handling pit which can be covered by soil
to compost the waste food,
• Tin, glass and plastic waste should be collected for disposal with waste
collection and recycling entrepreneurs such as Rent A Drum,
• Fire should be used at a designated spot to avoid uncontrollable veld
fires,
• No collection of wood and hunting should be allowed.
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Vegetation Proponent and Contractor
Construction of new streets
• Unfortunately, the streets will have to pass through predetermined
routes in order to serve the houses and will not be very flexible in terms
of shifting them. However, the following will minimize potential
environmental impacts:
• No trees or shrubs must be damaged for the purpose of obtaining
firewood,
• Before new site construction begins, the upper level of the soil must be
stripped and stockpiled separately so that this layer can be utilized in the
rehabilitation process.
Dust Proponent and Contractor
Construction of new streets
• The impact of dust on air quality must be limited:
• The general speed limit on the construction site must be kept below
40km/h to limit dust generated by construction traffic,
• Dust generation must be monitored daily and water used for
suppression.
Poaching Proponent and Contractor
Construction of new streets
• No hunting and killing any kind of wildlife is permitted.
Noise • If a generator is used, it must be positioned away from neighbours and
must have boarding to suppress noise.
• There must be limited impacts on adjacent settlements and on the
workforce.
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• There must be a weekly noise check of the generator and other
equipment namely of trucks and construction machinery.
Historical, Archaeological and Cultural Heritage
Proponent and Contractor
Construction of new streets
• No archaeological or cultural heritage sites had been identified or
observed during the environmental assessment study.
• If any archaeological or cultural heritage sites are found on the site, the
manager must immediately advise the National Monuments Council to
ensure that steps are taken for the preservation of the site or artefacts.
Vehicles and Construction Equipment
Proponent and Contractor
Construction of new streets
• Any haphazard driving of any vehicles where there are no existing routes
must be avoided.
• Vehicles, trucks and earthmoving equipment with headlights must switch
their headlights on at all times.
• No vehicles or trucks that move in the area may exceed 40km/h with
warning, and speed signs must be positioned at relevant locations.
• All the personnel responsible for the driving of transport vehicles must
be in possession of a valid driver’s license.
• No littering is allowed along the road, dumping of waste and scrap, etc.
and all drivers must be made aware of this.
• Daily or weekly visual checks are required and all drivers must be
supervised.
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• The safety of surrounding residents and land users, other motorists and
animals should not be compromised by the vehicle associated with the
constructional operation.
• Traffic control measures should be taken during construction in
accordance with the traffic control regulations.
• At all times, clearance of vegetation for firewood must be avoided.
• Alternative fuel and/or power sources must be made available namely
paraffin stoves and diesel-driven generators if workers are
accommodated on the site.
• No trees or shrubs must be damaged for the purpose of obtaining
firewood.
• Daily inspections must be carried out and weekly checks whether the
stock of alternative sources is sufficient.
• The developers or constructors must ensure the maximum use of local
plant material for rehabilitation processes.
• Before new site construction begins, the upper level of the soil must be
stripped and stockpiled separately so that this layer can be utilized in the
rehabilitation process.
• There must also be a visual check on the wind erosion on a monthly basis.
15
• Disturbance of flora and fauna should be minimized during construction
and vegetation replaced to the satisfaction of the responsible authority
at the conclusion of work.
• There must be an overall preservation of vegetation communities to
ensure minimal disruption of important vegetation communities and
valuable plant specimens.
Decommissioning Closure of streets Proponent Removal of Streets
• No decommissioning of streets is anticipated, since these streets will be
used to access permanent housing units and infrastructure. However,
this only does not completely rule out the closure of a streets or a portion
of a street in the future. In the event of a need to close off a street, a
rezoning accompanied by a consent and environmental clearance will
have to be put in place with the relevant institutions before
implementation.
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4. CONCLUSION
This EMP has taken into consideration the creation and addition of streets omitted in the
rezoning of the proposed development of the ROOTS VILLAGE. It has provided all the possible
and practical mitigation measures necessary to contain the potential negative impacts
identified through the 3 project stages: planning & designing, construction and
decommissioning. We are of the opinion that no major impacts are foreseen if this EMP is
successfully implemented and can confidently recommend that an ECC be issued for this
project.
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5. ANNEXURES
5.1. Environmental Clearance Certificate