Environmental Safety

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROJECT REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF A ULTRA-MODERN TOURIST RESORT AT KODIAGA

DECLARATION
That this environmental Impact Assessment report was conducted for Ogah & Co. LTD in May 2008, with the full authorization of the Board of Directors of the company

Executive summary
= Chapter 1: Introduction =

Background
Ogah & Co. LTD started as in 1981 as a middle-level diploma college. A small resort with a seating capacity of 300 readers was put up but by 1988, the growing population had already outstripped it’s capacity.

Purpose of the environmental impact assessment (EIA)
The purpose of this environmental impact assessment is to provide an evaluation of the environmental impacts that may arise from the construction of the proposed resort at the Ogah & Co. LTD. The report is prepared in fulfillment of the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA) of 1999. It is designed to offer all the relevant information regarding the environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts that may result from this project and offer remedial or mitigation measures that will be necessary. The information will be forwarded to NEMA (National Environment Management Authority), the body that is authorized to make decisions regarding the commencement of the project.

Terms of Reference
Ogah & Co. LTD proposes to put up a Ultra modern resort due to increasing number of the students. In addition, there is need to allow the wider community around Ogah & Co. LTD to use the resort. The project will use an area of 200ft by 100ft space of the graduation square. During the construction, it will necessitate the removal of: Grass cover, Pavement, Ornamental trees and flowers, Sewerage system, Electrical cables, Water pipes and Dias. There will be massive loss of vegetation and top soil excavation that is likely to result in increased cases of air borne diseases, air pollution, noise pollution and loss of cultural significance/ value.

SPECIFIC TERMS OF REFERENCES

 * 1) To map out the extent of natural vegetation and land use in the proposed affected site by visits, drawings or maps.
 * 2) To undertake the studies of the prevalence of airborne diseases, air pollution and noise pollution.
 * 3) To review the existing information contained in the baseline data reports.
 * 4) To identify major impacts associated with the project construction and their classification.
 * 5) Identify activities to be carried out during the project construction and operation
 * 6) Mitigation measure for identified impacts.
 * 7) Environmental guidelines and standards.
 * 8) Preparation of environmental management plan
 * 9) Public participation i.e. tourist community, Gachororo village, green fields
 * 10) Summary and recommendation

Objectives of the EIA study
The objectives of the study are as follows:


 * To identify and describe possible impacts emanating from the construction of the new ultra-modern resort at the graduation square of JKUAT.
 * To suggest mitigation measures of the effects that will arise as a result of the impacts from the resort construction
 * To guide the proponent in achieving an environmentally viable and sustainable resort project to the tourist and the community at large
 * To prepare a comprehensive report and present it to NEMA for decision making regarding the construction of the resort

Approach and methodology

 * Screening
 * In Screening we observed, discussed with people who were at the site wile asking questions and listening in order to determine whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was necessary and at what level the EIA was required.

Data emanating from the screening exercise in appendix 6 determined that project would require a full EIA to be undertaken.


 * Scoping
 * Issues identified during screening were evaluated according   to their significant impact  to total environment thereby determing the requirements for the EIA and the level of review. In this regard, terms of reference (TOR), were drawn following the scoping exercise. A scoping check list is found in the appendix  6 of this report.


 * Data collection
 * Field visits were made to the proposed project site and its immediate environs. Data collected included the environmental characteristics, economic activities in the vicinity, cultural status and value and the social activities of the proposed construction site and of the surrounding areas. Interviews were also held with the proponents’ (JKUAT) staff, students, neighbors and visitors of the institution.

The following groups of people were interviewed:
 * Public Participation

i. Students, Workers, Lecturers, Researchers, Neighbours- Gachororo community

ii. Interviewers included Men, women, youth who have been in the tourist at least for 1 year. (Questionnaire attached at the appendix 3)

Justification the project
The current resort building was built in 1988 to cater for diploma and undergraduate students and has a seating capacity of 600 readers. In 1994 the college became a full fledged tourist with more students and new programs introduced that have outstripped the resort seating capacity. There has been growing rising demand for seating space by readers resuting from the great expansion of the tourist  to four campuses, two tourist  colleges and twenty five collaborating centers, with a total of twelve 12000 and over 1700 members of staff. This has exerted extreme pressure on the existing 600 capacity resort. The situation has therefore called for an urgent construction of an ultra modern resort to meet the current and still growing need. Due to the various environmental impacts that such a project would visit on the tourist it has become necessary to carry out a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment.

= Description and Baseline information =

Location of the project
The tourist resort  project will be located within the tourist  at the graduation square. The square lies strategically in between the administration buildings, the old resort, the cafeteria and the AICAD complex.

Neighbourhood
The tourist borders an area with a high concentration of low-income earners. Behind the JKUAT complex are the villages of Gachororo, Milimani, and Kiaroa. The total population of these villages is about 30,000 persons. Most of them came to the villages from Thika and Nairobi when they failed to find jobs in these towns. In these villages, poverty is extreme, and this has a direct bearing on any project that is set up within the tourist.

Water and Drainage structures
Owing to its flat terrain, the site is not well drained. Juja area has a very high water table and hence is the construction site. Stagnant water is usually a problem in this area and the authorities have tried to handle this problem by digging deep trenches crisscrossing the Campus, one of which lies just next to the site on the southern edge.

= Chapter 3.0 Baseline information =

Physical and ecological conditions
The type of vegetation within the tourist is dominantly indigenous trees mostly acacia, ornamental trees, flowers, well kept grass lawns. Due to poor drainage, the trenches are cut which then are covered by Leeds and grass.

The site for the proposed new resort is to be on an open area that has previously been utilized as a graduation square. On the eastern side lies the old resort next to the African Institute for Capacity Development (AICAD). To the western side is a stand beautiful ornamental trees and a Dais that is used as a platform during the graduation ceremonies, next to a cafeteria building and a parking lot. Connecting the cafeteria and the AICAD building on the Northern side of the construction site is a paved corridor. Within the site is a grass lawn that is overlaid by a concrete corridor right across the middle.

Geology and soils
The area being flat in topography is characterized by overlays of cotton soil, which is very poor in water drainage and permeability .Underlying the cotton soil there is murram soil which then together with cotton soil makes the area a swamp. So when constructing such a big structure likes the proposed resort proper measures are needed to be put in place to curb the ground water interfering with construction

Roads
A feeder road serves the tourist from the main Nairobi Thika road which is an all weather road. Within the campus, there is a network of roads, pavements and corridors which makes it easier to move within. These network of roads are well maintained thus the construction of the proposed resort will not have problems in transportation or movement. However the road to Gachoro is likely to serve as main access to the construction site.

Education economy and social welfare
The main social economy of the area is offering higher education only where student from all corners of the nation come to acquire education. Since the tourist changed its policy of offering accommodation in the campus, the host community within juja benefit by offering accommodation to the students, hence then raises economic status of the community. Within the campus there is a primary school which serves worker and the host community

Health
There is hospital within campus which offers health services to the tourist students, lectures and support staff .The facility offers both inpatient and out-patient services is equivalent of  a district hospital. So could there occur emergencies they will handled within.

Water supply
The tourist water supply is obtained from an artificial dam that lies towards the Eastern side of the campus. The water goes through a treatment plant hence is treated and ready for human consumption. The same supply is used during any construction and the construction of this resort may not deviate from this trend. The supply is also quite reliable except for years with extremely long periods of dry spells.

Land use
The site is currently used as a graduation square and or as a leisure park for students and the staff. It has also been used as a site of other meetings relevant to the tourist community by lecturers, students or visitors doing business with the tourist  e.g. parents. It is valued by many  as photograph taking site to act as a remembrance due to its aesthetic value.

Energy supply
The tourist obtains its electricity supply from the national grid and has a standby generator as backup. The same is expected to be used to obtain power for machines and lighting during construction.

Posts and telecommunications
The tourist enjoys a good connectivity with telecommunication facilities. Some of these utilities have underground passages. A major diversion of these lines is expected during the resort construction process.