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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) |
Untitled Page
Announcements
EIA in summary
The DWA, the Limpopo Provincial Government, various
other authorities, environmental and other technical
specialists,
and stakeholders will work together in the EIA
process.
The EIA process will include:
Technical consultation with local experts and specialists
based in the project area;
Consultation with provincial and local government on
integrated planning and provincial development
strategies;
Several specialist studies during the Impact Assessment
Phase to assess the potential negative and positive
impacts
arising from a range of issues identified as being
relevant;
Authority and stakeholder comment at each milestone
during the EIA process;
Authority decision-making.
Key Activities and Time frames
[PDF - 23KB]
Public Participation meetings, July 2007
[PDF - 103KB]
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 What is an EIA?
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a good planning and
decision-making tool. It identifies
the potential negative and positive
consequences of a proposed
project or development at an early
stage, and recommends ways to
enhance positive impacts and to
avoid or reduce or mitigate
negative impacts.
The findings of the EIA will also
inform the technical and financial
investigations. For example, the dam
wall, currently estimated at around 36
metres high, could be a few metres
lower or higher, depending on the
outcome of the social impact
assessment that will be conducted
during the EIA. The EIA is undertaken
in terms of section 24 (5) of the
National Environmental Management
Act (NEMA), Act No 107 of 1998.
Public participation is the cornerstone
of any EIA. Its key objective is to
assist stakeholders to table issues of
concern and suggestions for
enhanced benefits, and to comment
on the findings of the EIA. The EIA
regulations require that an
Environmental Management Plan
(EMP) will be developed in order to
explain how to operate and
implement environmental protection
recommendations from the EIA for
construction and operational phases.
The provisions of the EMP will
become legally binding on the DWAF
and on its contractors.
It should be noted that negotiations
with landowners for servitudes and
compensation do not form part of the
public participation process for the
EIA. The DWAF will negotiate servitudes or the acquisition of land
directly with landowners. The findings
of the EIA will assist landowners to determine the extent of local impacts
in support of their negotiations.
The public participation process is
designed to provide sufficient and
accessible information to I&APs in an
objective manner to assist them to:
- Raise issues of concern and
make suggestions for alternatives
and enhanced benefits;
- Contribute local knowledge;
- Verify that their issues have been
captured and considered by the
technical investigations;
- Comment on the findings of the
impact assessment.
Important considerations for the EIA
Apart from the specialist studies, particular attention will be paid
to the following during the EIA:
- The key principle underpinning South Africa’s Water Policy
and National Water Act, namely sustainability, by finding the
best balance between economic, social and ecological
considerations;
- The strategic priorities arising from the World Commission
on Dams;
- International considerations i.e. the potential impact on
Mozambique;
- Integrated planning, i.e. Integrated Development Plans,
Provincial Growth and Development Strategies and the
principles and practice of co-operative governance between
the various government departments as well as the private
sector;
- Downstream considerations, particularly as related to
biodiversity, tourism and the economics of the Kruger
National Park;
- South Africa’s legal requirements, specifically the National Environmental Management Act, 1998, the Environment
Conservation Act, 1989, the National Water Act, 1998, and
the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act,
2000, as well as important international treaties, accords and
agreements;
- The responsibilities linked to the Revised SADC Protocol on
Shared Watercourse Systems and the new SADC Water
Policy that will shortly be signed and ratified by SADC
countries;
- Heritage resources including archaeological sites, graves,
and cultural sites.
The EIA will also take due cognisance of the findings and of the
various other studies and initiatives outlined in the document.
These studies are not required in terms of the Regulations of
NEMA, but they inform the EIA on alternatives and help define
the assessment framework. This will ensure that the EIA
considers the full context of the GLeWaP.
Phases of the EIA
The EIA will be completed in phases, namely the Scoping (July - November 2007) and Impact Assessment (January - May 2008) phases. A Decision-making phase is scheduled for July - August 2008.
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