Final Adopted IDP - KZN Development Planning

Providing an overview of the environment within the municipal area, the key issues
that impact and current or proposed policies, plans or processes that impact. The
aim is to strengthen awareness of the environment, and to integrate environmental
sustainability with social and economic considerations
Providing a reflection of environmental opportunities and constraints
The intention is to integrate sustainability considerations into the formulation,
assessment and implementation of policies, plans and programmes.
The SEA is intended to be strategic, participatory in its preparation and give an
understanding of the overall cumulative effects of environmental degradation. It can be
used at various stages of the planning process: identifying the causes of environmental
problems during analysis; assessing alternatives and the cumulative effects of policies at
the level of SDF preparation and providing a context for further planning overall.
The Ulundi Municipality has not to date undertaken a Strategic Environmental
Assessment of its municipal area.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a study of the likely impacts on the
environment of proposed activities or development. EIAs help bodies like local
authorities to decide if they should accept proposals, e.g. to develop a piece of land for
housing, or to require changes to the proposal, or to reject it. An EIA is a project
specific procedure that is a requirement of the NEMA. An EIA is required for a
development that requires a change in land use, for projects that are associated with
particular activities or which are located in sensitive environments. A number of
activities have been defined in terms of Section 24(2)(a) and 24(2)(d) of the NEMA
which may not commence without the authorisation from the competent authority and in
respect of which the investigation, assessment and communication of potential impact of
activities must follow the procedure as described in Regulations 2226 of the
Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2006 promulgated in terms of Section
24(5) of the NEMA in the Government Gazette dated 21 April 2006 The EIA
procedures are dealt with in more detail in Annexure D attached to this IDP review
document.
A Social Impact Assessment (SIA) should predict how a particular activity would affect
the social functioning of communities. An SIA provides very specific information and
analysis of the social impacts of a project It includes a list and profile of primary and
secondary stakeholders, a history of the area and affected communities, the social
context within which the development will take place with particular emphasis on the
impact on vulnerable communities, future development plans for the area and issues and
concerns raised by stakeholders. An SIA may form part of an EIA.
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