With the Kumu River and Moco-Moco Creek expected to experience significant pollution during the construction and rehabilitation respectively of two hydro-power plants, the EPA has recommended that an Environmental Management Plan be put in place to mitigate these adverse impacts during construction for both hydro plants.
The Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA), following its screening of the projects’ application, concluded that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not required, and also concluded that the impact scale during the life of the projects was already measured and that these impacts range from low to moderate. The EPA further contended that if the EMP is followed, environmental impacts will also be minimized. The EPA intends to monitor the EMP to assess whether the plan is achieving its objectives, and to constantly review the effectiveness of the measures being implemented. This will allow for the necessary assurances that the projects’ developers are making suitable provisions for counteracting negative impacts that occur throughout the projects’ implementation and operational cycles. “The EPA concludes that there are no significant impacts nor is the project deemed environmentally sensitive. Impacts arising from the construction and operational phases of the project are minor, localized, and acceptable,” the EPA said in its environmental impact screening report.
