Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure Rollout Environmental Impact Assessment - Ruacana -
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: RUACANA 1 INTRODUCTION Ruacana is a town in the Omusati Region, in northern Namibia. It is the district capital of the Ruacana electoral constituency. Ruacana is located near the border of Angola and is known for the picturesque Ruacana Falls nearby. Ruacana was developed around a major underground hydro-electric plant linked to the nearby dam across the border in Angola at Calueque. The dam and pumping station were bombed in a Cuban airstrike in 1988, during the Angolan Civil War. The facility was partially repaired and today NamPower operates three turbines producing 240 megawatts. Ruacana's settlement status was upgraded to that of a village in 2005 and to town in 2010. 1.1 RATIONALE FOR SITE Ruacana is experiencing poor telecommunication coverage due to its location. The coverage from other masts does not extend to the town. The proposed site for this NBC mast is a new site. Therefore, the site lacks the necessary infrastructure, such as an access road and power lines. However, there is a small road leading to the site. As it is a very flat area, the coverage will extend very wide. Figure 1: Coverage of Ruacana DVB T2 Transmitter Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 1 September 2013
The NBC transmitter will be in close proximity of the town providing coverage to the largest part of the surrounding area, possibly extending as far as Opuwo, as seen in Figure 1. 1.2 SITE DESCRIPTION The Ruacana site is approximately 8.5 km south from the town of Ruacana. It is situated on a flat plain, a few kilometers from the main road, into the bush. This region in the north is characterised by Mopane trees and soft sandy soil of a Kalahari-red colour. The area of Ruacana normally receives an annual average rainfall of 426 mm, although in the 2010/2011 rainy season 960 mm was measured. The position of the proposed site in relation to other landmarks is indicated in FiguFigure 2. F i g u Figure 2: Ruacana site in relation to the town of Ruacana A site assessment form was developed prior to the assessment and was completed during the site visit based on the visual observations and technical information available. Table 1 below contains the completed assessment form for Ruacana. Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 2 September 2013
Table 1: Assessment Form for the Ruacana ACTIVITY INFORMATION 1 Position of the site 2 Footprint of mast 3 Land ownership 4 Description of the site 5 Project outputs 6 Access to site Latitude Longitude Proposed height of mast Diameter of stay wires Describe how the stay wires will be anchored to the ground (e.g. concrete, rock foundation) To whom does the land on which the proposed site is located, belong? (e.g. Private land, state land, town lands, etc.) General locality, surrounding landscape, etc. Define any nuisances or negative impacts that could result from the project during the construction and operation (e.g. vibration, noise, radiation, dust) Existing Road (Yes/No) New Road (Yes/No) Distance of new road Grading of new road (paved, unpaved, tar or gravel, etc.) Slope where new road will be situated Best position for new road 17⁰ 30' 19.7'' 14⁰ 21' 25.6'' 210 m Proposed position 26mm 48mm With concrete blocks State (communal) land Flat, level area with an abundance of natural vegetation Noise from construction and vehicles entering area, vibration from vehicles. Radiation from the mast. Destruction of natural vegetation for construction of infrastructure. Yes No 7 Civil Aviation Distance to the nearest airport 8.5 km (Ruacana) 8 Waste generation Distance to nearest dump site 8.5 km (Ruacana Settlement) 9 Energy provision Distance to nearest power line Required structures (e.g. substations, steel structures) Length of the required power line 2 km Entire power line with structures to site will be needed 2 km Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 3 September 2013
ACTIVITY INFORMATION 1 Landscape 2 Soil and Geology 3 Habitat a Vegetation b Birds c Reptiles d Archaeology e Surface water Is the power line more than 2 km? If yes, then the assessment of the proposed location for the power line should be included in the assessment of the site for the mast Describe the surrounding landscape, e.g. Ridgeline, plateau, side slope of hill/mountain, closed valley, open valley, plain, undulating plain/low hills, dune, sea-front, etc. How accessible is the site by vehicle? Unstable rocky slopes/ steep slopes with loose soil/ rocky with limited soil Describe soil (e.g. clay, sand, etc.) Identify areas where erosion is likely Natural veld in good condition, natural veld with scattered aliens, natural veld with heavy alien infestation, build-up area, bare soil. Describe the natural vegetation on the site (e.g. dwarf-shrubland) Is the area likely to be sensitive for birds (i.t.o. Cliffs, Ridges, possible flight paths, trees, water sources)? Is the area likely to be sensitive for reptiles (e.g. rocky outcrops)? Graves, monuments or any other buildings of historical value near site Are there any surface water sources located close to the proposed site (e.g. Rivers, Pans, dams, farms dams, Oshanas, etc). Estimate the distance from the site. Are there any signs of a wetland located close to the proposed site No Open, flat plain Road to site Soil with very limited rocks Sandy soil Limited erosion potential Natural veld, in a good condition An abundance of Mopane trees, other large trees and grasses It is a very flat area with an abundance of trees and bushes, which make for good nesting opportunities for birds No, it is a flat, sandy area with limited rocks. However some areas have large slabs of rock sticking out of the sand, making these suitable habitat for reptiles and other smaller creatures No signs on site The Ruacana Waterfalls - approximately 25 km from the site No Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 4 September 2013
ACTIVITY INFORMATION (e.g. mottled soil, grass with plumes, reeds, two-tone vegetation, standing water, birdlife). Estimate the distance from the site. Consider the aesthetic value of the area (Is it located in a scenic area, what are the lines of sight, are there tourism activities in the area?) Identify possible sensitive receptors (e.g. neighbours, road users, tourism ventures etc.) If a new road will be constructed to the site, what will the visual impact be? (e.g. will it be highly visible or will it be out of sight for the largest group of sensitive receptors) No tourist activities nearby Communal farmers in the surrounding area No new road will need to be constructed 4 Visual Consider the following: The potential location of a development on landform features within the landscape will influence the visual absorption capacity. For example, structures will be difficult to hide on a ridgeline compared to a deeply incised valley Developments on lower slopes will be potentially easier to hide than those on upper slopes The visibility of a location of a structure is also influenced by the location height relative to the heights of surrounding topographic features. For example, if a location is lower than the majority of the immediately surrounding landscape it will be less visible and intrusive than a location which is generally higher than the immediate surrounds A potential tower location will be easier to hide in a very rugged/diverse landscape and more difficult to do so if the landscape is more homogenous, such as a plain The structures surrounding the mast (stay wire anchor blocks) will not be visible, from the main (tarred) road, as it is quite a distance into the bush. However, as the mast will be of significant height and the area is very flat, the top half or at least the tip of the mast will be visible The area is homogenous 5 Social context Describe the surrounding community and land uses (e.g. The area is mainly used for Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 5 September 2013
ACTIVITY INFORMATION urban, sub-urban, grazing livestock, grazing game, crops (type), tourism activities, mining, industrial etc.) How far is the nearest inhabited area from the centre point of the mast? (i.t.o. the radiation). Give a short description of the populated area. What type of settlement is it? grazing (cattle, sheep, donkeys) About 1 km away there is a settlement, which keeps livestock. There are a few homesteads/settlements in the surrounding area 1.3 PHOTOS Plate 1: Vegetation: Mopane Tree Plate 2: Shrub Plate 3: Tree Plate 4: Soil Cover Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 6 September 2013
Plate 5: Soil: sandy Plate 6: Existing Road to Plate 5: Existing Power Line near 1.4 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No public participation was done during or before the site visit. It will be conducted before commencement with the construction activities. Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 7 September 2013
1.5 ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS 1.5.1 IDENTIFICATION OF IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROPOSED POSITION It is necessary to determine whether this site requires a full environmental assessment with specialist input or whether the available information is sufficient to draw conclusions regarding the true sensitivity of the site. To do this a screening process is applied to the potential impacts of the project (Figure 3Error! Reference source not found.). Do we have sufficient information to address the issue? YES NO Can issue be addressed through the implementation of a generic? Specialist input required Full EIA YES NO Issues addressed in Generic An Additional Appendix is required to the Generic that contains site specific mitigations. Figure 3: Questions used to screen the potential impacts associated with the development The Ruacana site follows the indicated orange route which implies that certain issues will need to be addressed in a site-specific, while other issues can sufficiently be addressed through a generic. Table 2 shows how the screening process was applied to the identified impacts at the proposed Ruacana site. It highlights the impacts that can be sufficiently addressed through the implementation of a generic while indicating key impacts that do not necessarily require specialist inputs but require specific management measures in a site specific. Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 8 September 2013
Table 2: Assessment of Potential Impacts associated with the selected position ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE PROJECT ACTIVITY KEY IMPACT ASSOCIATED WITH FEATURE DEGREE SENSITIVITY OF ISSUE ADDRESSED IN: Temperature High temperatures associated with summer could impact negatively on the health and safety of the workforce. Health safety workforce and of Low sensitivity Generic Wind direction Dust generated during construction could impact negatively on Ruacana residents or people driving near the site Dust generation during construction Low sensitivity Generic Topography soils and The area is flat, yet the site is a few kilometres into the bush Visual impact Low sensitivity Generic Habitat/ Vegetation Bush clearing, damage to vegetation, spread of alien invasive species Loss biodiversity of Medium sensitivity specific Reptile/ mammals Small Occurrence of these species on the site Disturbance to nests and habitats Loss of biodiversity Medium sensitivity High sensitivity Specific Specific Disturbance to nests and habitats Medium sensitivity Specific Bird species Occurrence of these species on the site Loss biodiversity of High sensitivity Specific Bird collisions to guy ropes of mast Medium sensitivity Specific Drainage lines and associated riparian vegetation Removal of or damage to vegetation in drainage lines Erosion on sides of drainage lines due to the removal of vegetation Removal of vegetation in Low sensitivity Generic drainage lines Erosion Low sensitivity Generic Socio-Economic environment Change in available visual resources Visual impact Low sensitivity Generic Civil aviation More than 8km Low sensitivity Generic Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 9 September 2013
Description ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE PROJECT ACTIVITY KEY IMPACT ASSOCIATED WITH FEATURE DEGREE SENSITIVITY OF ISSUE ADDRESSED IN: from an airport Disturbance archaeological landscape of Heritage impact Low sensitivity Generic Impact on health of residents due to radiation Radiation impact Medium sensitivity Specific Waste management during the construction and operation phases Littering Low sensitivity Generic Additional strain on resources in Ruacana due to the occurrence of construction workers Impact on infrastructure, including water, electricity & sewer systems Low sensitivity Generic 1.6 OVERALL SENSITIVITY OF THE PROPOSED POSITION Based on the assessment in Table 1, the overall potential sensitivity of the proposed position and the associated implications can be established (Table 3). For the Ruacana site, the overall sensitivity is medium with the associated implication that an additional appendix containing specific management measures must be prepared. Table 3: Sensitivity Ratings of the proposed site and the associated Implications LOW MEDIUM HIGH The site is not sensitive at all. No additional specialist studies are required The site is moderately sensitive and although specialist inputs are not required, it requires specific management measures X The site has sensitive elements that need to be further investigated by a specialist. s that have a "high" sensitivity rating should only be used as the preferred alternative once all other options have been eliminated Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 10 September 2013
Implication Generic is sufficient An additional Appendix is required to the document that contains site specific mitigation measure Specialist investigations are required s 1.7 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS During the site assessment it was determined that the proposed position is the most viable option for the construction of the NBC mast. It is a flat area, and easily accessible. However, the area is pristine and therefore adherence to the requirements of the general and site specific is essential. The Ruacana site does not lie directly along a popular tourist route, or a major road, as it is a few kilometers into the bush. Therefore the visual impact will be limited to the immediate area. As the area has limited infrastructure, the impacts in association with the construction and the mitigations thereof, are addressed in the site-specific and generic Environmental Management Plan (). Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 11 September 2013