A FORTNIGHT ago, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) invited me to cover the public hearing on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Kabwe Development Project on lead and zinc.
Enviro Processing Limited is the company that is behind the project which is expected to start soon after the EIA is approved.
I was impressed with the attendance at the hearing in Kabwe but the lack of concern about environmental issues exhibited by some residents attracted my attention.
The only thing people wanted to hear, was when the mining project would start operating because they want jobs.
The residents did not seem to care to hear about how lead and zinc mining would impact on both environment and human beings if not managed sustainably.
Their interest was simply to see the mine start operating as soon as possible.
However, I do not blame the residents’ desperation for jobs because the poverty and unemployment levels are high.
But the issue here is the lack of information on the subject matter is what really attracted me.
By procedure or law, ZEMA conducts public hearings where developers as well as the agency present their cases for the community to appreciate the project.
But in my view, the one session or so is not enough for the local people to understand and subsequently contribute to the successful implementation of the project.
The topics are hard for the people to assimilate on a day despite being interpreted into a local language.
For example, it is difficult for local people to understand the five possible leaching processes the mining firms intend to apply which include Acid Brine Leach with Sulphide/Carbonate Precipitation, Acid Brine Leach – Pb by Cementation + Zn as Sulphide and Acid Brine Leach – Pb by Cementation + Zn by SX-EW.
I do not know how this can be translated into any of the local languages.
So these are some of the terminologies used which I believe could be difficult for some people to understand even if you engage a PhD interpreter at the hearing.
The best way to try and address this problem is to involve local leaders such as Councillors and Members of Parliament (MP) who I believe should have a fair understanding of issues.
The Civil Society Organisation dealing with environmental issues could also come in handy here.
ZEMA and the developers should engage these leaders by empowering them with the knowledge about the project so that they can engage the community as well.
But of course the challenge could be, for example, how many MPs have time to visit their constituencies and educate the masses on various important matters apart from election periods.
For some Councillors, their priority is land allocation, forgetting how costly the impact of major infrastructure development could be on the environment.
But whenever there is a crisis-the ‘Boma Iyanganepo’ syndrome quickly comes in.
The Agency should also engage the media especially community radio stations because radio has a wider coverage.
Moreover, community radio stations broadcast in various local languages unlike newspapers which have some restrictions such as accessibility and affordability.
ZEMA should deliberately compel the developers to conduct sensitisation campaigns on radio also instead of just using newspapers.
Doing so would help the communities understand and appreciate the projects.
Failure by the community to appreciate the project would mean that the final decision made, would be one-sided because the purpose of conducting an EIA has not been comprehensively done.
The purpose of the EIA is to help identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project prior to decision-making.
This is where I have seen some projects start in the name of development, yet the community continues to complain about how their lives are being negatively affected.
Against this background, I therefore want to explain the importance of conducting an EIA to enable policy makers and other stakeholders to ensure that the process serves its purpose.
The EIA is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impact of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.
The United Nations Environment Programme defines EIA as a tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project prior to decision-making.
It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and design and to find ways and means to reduce these adverse impacts.
The EIA shapes projects to suit the local environment and present the predictions and options to decision-makers.
By using EIA both environmental and economic benefits can be achieved, such as reduced cost and time of project implementation and design, avoided treatment/clean-up costs and impacts of laws and regulations.
Although legislation and practice vary around the world, the fundamental components of an EIA would necessarily involve the following stages:
a. Screening to determine which projects or developments require a
full or partial impact assessment study;
b. Scoping to identify which potential impacts are relevant to assess (based on legislative requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and public involvement), to identify alternative solutions that avoid, mitigate or compensate adverse impacts on biodiversity (including the option of not proceeding with the development, finding alternative designs or sites which avoid the impacts, incorporating safeguards in the design of the project, or providing compensation for adverse impacts), and finally to derive terms of reference for the impact assessment;
c. Assessment and evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives, to predict and identify the likely environmental impacts
of a proposed project or development, including the detailed elaboration of alternatives;
d. Reporting the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or EIA report, including an environmental management plan (EMP), and a non-technical summary for the general audience.
e. Review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), based on the terms of reference (scoping) and public (including authority) participation.
f. Decision-making on whether to approve the project or not, and under what conditions; and
g. Monitoring, compliance, enforcement and environmental auditing.
Monitor whether the predicted impacts and proposed mitigation measures occur as defined in the EMP.
Verify the compliance of proponent with the EMP, to ensure that unpredicted impacts or failed mitigation measures are identified and addressed in a timely fashion.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is defined as the formalised, systematic and comprehensive process of identifying and evaluating the environmental consequences of proposed policies, plans or programmes to ensure that they are fully included and appropriately addressed at the earliest possible stage of decision-making on a par with economic and social considerations.
Since this early definition the field of SEA has rapidly developed and expanded, and the number of definitions of SEA has multiplied accordingly.
SEA, by its nature, covers a wider range of activities or a wider area and often over a longer time span than the environmental impact assessment of projects.
SEA might be applied to an entire sector (such as a national policy on energy for example) or to a geographical area (for example, in the context of a regional development scheme).
SEA does not replace or reduce the need for project-level EIA (although in some cases it can), but it can help to streamline and focus the incorporation of environmental concerns (including biodiversity) into the decision-making process, often making project-level EIA a more effective process.
SEA is commonly described as being proactive and ‘sustainability driven’, whilst EIA is often described as being largely reactive.
So you do not expect the local people to understand these processes within a short period of time a day or so because of the technicalities involved.
There is need to create a deliberate policy to ensure that people understood and appreciated the projects to avoid reverse planning because it is costly both on the environment and human beings.
To some extent lives are lost or people suffer health complications as a result of environmental degradation.
It can, however, be argued that this is purely a ZEMA’s baby but it is every stakeholders job to ensure that the environment is sustainably managed.
Moreover, disasters or calamities do not chose who to afflict, that is why everyone should play a role to ensure that the environment is properly managed.
Have a blessed week!
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