Environmental and Social Impact Assessment - Gibe III

Gibe III – Environmental and Social Impact Assessment 300 ENV R CS 002 C - A9003099
• Air quality and noise,
• Waste management
• Water quality in the reservoir and downstream of the Power House,
• Aquatic Ecology and Fish stock
• Breeding area survey and prevalence of vectors in the reservoir,
• Periodic inspection of the reservoir area for water weed proliferation,
• Wildlife resources and their habitat
• Public Health and safety
• Resettlement compensation and livelihood improvement,
• Implementation of watershed management program and buffer area development,
• Cultural and historical assets, and
• Construction site restoration.
0.7.3 Monitoring Framework
Effective monitoring of all stages of the project could be managed through an Environmental Management
Team. The principal aim of the environmental management team would be advising the project authorities
and local administration about the best practicable means for protecting the environment during all stages of
the project’s life span. It would provide the project developers and station operation manager with concrete
proposals for monitoring the environment, and indicate operational procedures for protecting the
environment.
The primary responsibility of this monitoring plan is of EEPCO who is the project Developer. The Gibe III
Environmental monitoring plan will be administered by the Environmental Monitoring Unit (EMU) to be
established within EEPCO’s project coordination office. EMU will begin the implementation of the
programme by forming a team of specialists to assist in monitoring the environmental effects during
construction period. Furthermore, independent external environmental monitoring may also be considered by
EPA for the activities that are not under the responsibility of the owner’s engineer.
In addition, there are other agencies that have the responsibility and authority to monitor some of the
measures. It is also recommended that EEPCO involves other Agencies (including EPA) and subcontractors
as required to form the environmental management team.
During the construction phase, the EPC contractor will designate an Environmental Inspector who will be
responsible for environmental monitoring issues regarding the Gibe III project.
It is recommended to carryout a regular audit of environmental and social performance by an independent
body.
0.8 Public Consultations and Disclosure Plan
As a continuous activity, the Gibe III hydropower project has initiated public consultations and disclosure
from the outset and the project is committed to continue the process throughout the project life. A Public
Consultation was initiated in 2006, 07 and 08 during the initial phase of the Gibe III- Hydroelectric project.
As part of this continuous process, a series of public consultations were carried out with Federal, Regional,
Zonal, Wereda and local officials and institutions, PAPs, community elders and NGOs, level. Consultations
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