the application for ammendment of environmental clearance certificate...

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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]

mailto:[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

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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

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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

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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.

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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


• 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


• Avoid areas / routes where vegetation is bound to be cleared.

Occupational Health and Safety

Proponent, Consultants, Contractor


• 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.

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• 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.

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• No pedestrians or vehicles should be allowed through streets under

construction.

Building materials Proponent and Contractor


• 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


• 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


• 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


• 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


• 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



• 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



• 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.

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• 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

the application for ammendment of environmental clearance certificate...

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