Environmental Screening Form for Mali Peace Initiative Activities

Environmental Screening Form for Mali Peace Initiative Activities

A. Awardee Information

Activity Number:
Grantee: / MPI047
Tin Hama Rural Commune / CONTRACT :
AID-6688-C-16-000005
Grantee Representative:Mohamed Ag Sidi Mohamed
Title:Mayor
Activity Budget:$144,209.00 / Grantee Contact Information:
Tin Hama, ANSONGO
74 48 49 17
65 89 73 10
Activity COR : Inna L Bagayoko :
Parent IEE :MaliPeace and Democratic Governance Project
Details for file #Mali_PDG_IEE(DOC)(PDF): Permalink:
Approved: 03/16/2015
Activity Title:
Rehabilitation of Tin Hama Commune's Mayor Office
Activity Description:
Since the 2012 the Mayor's Office of Tin Hama Commune in Ansongo Cercle, has been completely looted and abandoned, leaving the population of this rural and largely nomadic commune bordering Niger without a functioning local government. The commune is located within the Ansongo-Menaka partial protected area, which was established in an area that encompasses the commune in 1950. However, given that land tenure within the protected area is recognized, restricted use of the protected area is not mandated. The Mayor's office and civil society groups have expressed the necessity to restore the functionality of the Mayor's Office and provide a space for civil society groups, local NGOs and the government of Mali to meet. ACCORD will therefore rehabilitate the Mayor Office compound, build a new conference room adjacent to the Mayor's Office, provide energy autonomy through a photovoltaic system, and procure equipment and furniture to make the facility functional. The rehabilitation and improvement works are needed to restore administrative and management functions of the commune as well as management of the Ansongo-Menaka protected area to which Tin Hama belongs.
This activity will rehabilitate existing buildings of the Mayor’s office, which includes : an office building (177 m2), a perimeter wall (50m x 50 m), a storage room (34 m2), as well as two blocks of four guest rooms (total of 129 m2) and latrine block (12 m2). Rehabilitation and improvement works will be contracted directly by AECOM, and the other portions of the activity will be implemented as an in-kind grant.
In addition, the activity will build a new conference room (140 m2), a new four-room office building (100 m2), two pit latrine blocks (24 m2), a perimeter wall around the guest room areas (40m x 50m), as well as covered parking areas. The total value of the constructionworks cover 742 m2and are estimated at $100,000.
This activity includes the installation of a 4,000 W photovoltaic system with batteries toprovide energy autonomy to the Mayor’s office, as there is no electricity grid in Tin Hama. The value of this system is estimated at $15,000. Theremainder of the activity budget (approx. $29,201) will be spent on furniture,supervision of works and an intercommunity meeting as part of the reopening of the Mayor’s office.
Potential impacts associated with the moderate‐risk activities identified in this document will be
addressed by mitigation measures forsmall‐scale construction (Table 1), installation of small‐scale photovoltaic systems for local government buildings (Table 2), and latrines (Table 3) that have been approved by USAID. These mitigation measures are included in the USAID-approved Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) for the ACCORD Project.
The construction supervision contract (A&E firm) will ensure the constrution activities are carried outfollowing the requirements and mitigation measures noted in the EMMP Tables 1-3 below for ACCORD. The A&E Firmwill coordinate closely and effectively with the local government authorities, the private constructioncontractor, AECOM short term technical assistance engineer and all members of the ACCORD team,including employees and consultants engaged by USAID and AECOM.
Location of Activity:
GAO, ANSONGO, TIN HAMA (15.5799999745, 0.890555606048) / Start Date: 9/3/2017
End Date: 12/31/2017

B. Activities, screening results, and recommended determination

TABLE 1 / Screening result
(Step 3 of instructions) / Recommended Determinations
(Step 6 of instructions. Complete for all moderate and high-risk activities)
Proposed Activities / Very Low Risk / Moderate Risk / High Risk / No significant adverse impact / With specified mitigation, no significant adverse impact, / Significant Adverse impact
1. Rehabilitation of existing buildings and perimeter wall; Construction of new buildings : conference room, four-room office building, two blocks of pit latrines, covered parking space ; construction of perimeter wall around the guestroom compound. / X / X
2. Installation of 4,000 watt photovoltaic system to power the Mayor’s office / X / X

C. Summary of recommended determinations (check all that apply)

The TAP activity contains. . . / (equivalent regulation 216 terminology)
 / Very low risk activities / TAP activity categorical exclusion(s)
 / After environmental review, activities determined to have no significant adverse impacts / TAP activity negative determination(s)
X / After environmental review, activities determined to have no significant adverse impacts, given appropriate mitigation and monitoring / TAP activity negative determination(s) with conditions
 / After environmental review, activities determined to have significant adverse impacts / TAP activity positive determination(s)

D. Certification

I, the undersigned, certify that, the information on this form is correct and complete the following actions have been and will be taken to assure that the activity complies with environmental requirements established for the Mali Transition Initiative Program under the Code of Federal Regulations 22 CFR 216:

• Those responsible for implementing this activity have received training and/or documents describing essential design elements and best practices for activities of this nature.
• These design elements and best practices will be followed in implementing this activity, except with the approval of USAID.
• Any specific mitigation or monitoring measures described in the attached information will be implemented in their entirety.
• Compliance with these conditions will be regularly confirmed and documented by on-site inspections during the activity and at its completion.

Jill Morris, Chief of Party, September 26, 2017

MPI047: Rehabilitation of Tin Hama Commune's Mayor Office

C/AOTR
Clearance given
Clearance denied / (print name) / (signature) / (date)
USAID/Mali MEO
Clearance given
Clearance denied / (print name) / (signature) / (date)
Regional Env. Advisor (REA)
Clearance given
Clearance denied / (print name) / (signature) / (date)
Bureau Env. Officer (BEO)*
Clearance given
Clearance denied / (print name) / (signature) / (date)

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW REPORT (ERR)

A. Summary of Proposal

This activity will involve the rehabiliation of existing buildings and the construction of new buildings in the Tin Hama Commune Mayor’s office compound and adjacent guest rooms, as well as the installation of a photovoltaic power system to provide electricity to the Mayor’s office. These rehabilitation and construction works will allow the Mayor’s Office to reopen to the public and provide local administration services to Tin Hama commune, including civil registry (birth, marriage, death certificates, etc.).

Tin Hama village is located in Tin Hama Commune, Ansongo Cercle, Gao Region. The Mayor’s office was looted in 2012 and has remained empty and non-functional since. Local authorities require a work and meeting space in order to provide basic services to the population. As part of the Peace Process, local authorities will be called upon to play an even greater role in the provision and management of basic services to the population through this activity.

B. Description of Activities

A series of three different tasks will be subcontracted to Malian firms specializing in constructionand photovoltaic systems for this activity. Each task is described below.

Task 1 –Rehabilitation of existing buildings and construction of new buildings in the Mayor’s office compound

Task 1 will be conducted in Tin Hama village. Existing buildings will be rehabilitated per the following specifications:

• A main structure made from reinforced concrete containing four rooms with a total surface area of 177 square meters;
• A 200 m perimeter wall (50x50 m) surrounding the site and guardhouse at the main entrance;
• A storage room (34 m2);
• Two blocks of four guest rooms (total of 129 m2).

New buildings will be constructed per the following specifications:

• A new conference room (140 m2);
• A new four-room office building (100 m2);
• Two pit latrine blocks (24 m2);
• A perimeter wall around the guest room areas (40m x 50m);
• Two covered parking area (126 m2).

Task 2 – Installation of a 4,000W photovoltaic system to act as a back-up power source

Task 2 will consist of installing the proper equipment to provide the Mayor’s office with a reliable electricity source with sufficient power to ensure that the station can operate normally during power outages. Staff will be trained on the proper maintenance and use of the photovoltaic equipment.

Task 3 – Installation of two latrine blocks

Two blocks of sealed pit latrines comprising two stalls, each one made from reinforced concrete with a corrugated tin roof, covering a surface area of 14.40 square meters and using a dry pit vented system.

General maintenance and usage training that the Mayor’s office staff and councilors will receive concerning the photovoltaic equipment. General latrine maintenance training will also be provided to staff and community members responsible for maintaining the premises and latrines to ensure environmental compliance.

ACCORD has identified the Mayor’s office has an adequate mangement staff to ensure the maintence and longterm viability of the new infrastructures. The mayor’s office has also pledged to support continued operations and fund maintence initiatives through a local budget allocation.

C. Site-specific Environmental Situation and Host Country Requirements

Tin Hama is an 6,200 sq. km isolated rural commune located east of the Niger River, between the towns of Ansongo and Menaka bordering Niger, and comprised of Tin Hama village and nine main nomadic settlements (named fractions, in French). While the population is estimaed at only 12,990, its pasture lands are rich and attracting herders from neighboring communes (Ansongo, Bourra, Ouattagouna, Djébock, Tarkint Talataye) as well as Niger.

There are no paved road in Tin Hama commune to the rest of Mali, meaning that the population is heavily isolated from both GoM and NGO interventions.

The main communities residing in Tin Hama are the Tuareg Iderfane, the Tuareg Kel-Essouk, the Tuareg Daoussak, as well as Peulh (or Fulani). Members of the Iderfane community represent the majority of the population. Since the start of the 2012 conflict in northern Mali, the Iderfane are perceived to have sided with the pro-Mali GATIA militia, while the Kel Essouk and Daoussak communities have been associated with the separatist CMA armed groups.

On May 20 and 21 2015, violent clashes opposed the CMA and the GATIA in Tin Hama commune. These clashes resulted in the execution of six civilians belonging to the Kel Essouk by elements of the GATIA, due to their alleged sympathies to the CMA. Two humanitarian workers were among the victims. Following this attack, all Kel Essouk families were forced out of the commune by elements of the GATIA. The UN condemned these gross violations of human rights in a detailed report published in December 2015.

Tin Hama successfully participated in the November 20, 2016 communal elections, and a new 11-person communal council was elected, including three women. Upon taking office after the November 20 local elections, the transfer of power consisted in the outgoing Mayor handing the official stamp to his successor. No archives and no accounts of any sort exist. The commune as a local government consists only of a stamp and the individuals constituting the communal council. Prior to the election, the former Mayor used to sit on a mat under a tree during market day and resolve problems as they were presented to him. That was the extent of the services provided to the population of Tin Hama. The Mayor's office compound in Tin Hama is similar to that found in neighboring Tessit prior to the intervention of the ACCORD program : a dilapidated building without furniture or equipment.

The Mayor's office is located at Lat : 15.577714, Long : 0.888771.

Figure 1: Tin Hama’s location relative to Gao and Ansongo Towns.

Figure 2: Existing site of Mayor’s office compound and guest rooms.

Figure 3: Close-up look at the existing Mayor’s office compound

The site is located on a flat plot of land. Existing trees in the Mayor’s Office Compound will not be affected by the rehabilitation and construction works. The plot is within Tin Hama villageand located 400 m from a small seasonal lake (visible on Figure 2).

Tin Hama is located in a partial fauna reserve, created in 1950 to protect giraffes. However, the giraffes have long since disappeared. The reserve is designated by IUCN as a Category IV, with the major focus being to limit largescale economic activity, while not requiring a legal management system. The IUCN web site notes that Category IV areas do not necessarily mean that human activity is restricted.

Before 2012, Government of Mali agents from the Water and Forest service patrolled the area to protect local fauna. However, since the start of the political and security crisis, all state agents have left, and the responsibility for wildlife protection falls in the hands of local authorities and the population, including the Tin Hama Communal council. The rehabilitation of the Mayor’s office is undertaken at the request of the newly elected council, which is seeking to improve the quality of services to the population, including management of the reserve. This project will improve the capacity of local authorities and have no negative impact on wildlife.

While the site is in the town adjacent to residences and local administration buildings, it is located on a side street and does not experience heavy foot and vehicle traffic. The general condition of the site is not expected to change following construction.

Climate. The climate of theGao Region is of the Sahelian type with contrasting seasons: 1) a rainy season from June to September with a rainfall deficit of 200 to 250 mm / year, and a long dry season from October to May; and 2) a short cold season from November to February.

Vegetation and soils. Specifically for the site, there are two trees on the property, which is surrounded by other residential and buildings and private properties with little to no vegetation. The trees will not protected and not affected by the construction or rehabilitation works. The soil ismostly sandy clay.Regionally, vegetation consists mainly of herbaceous and woody plants throughout the area, with vegetation coverstrongly influenced by climate. The site is at low altitude.

Agriculture and herding. The commune of Tin Hama is a herding area par excellence. The pastures are immense and rich and are often the object of covetousness of the populations of the other communes as well as those of the neighboring country (Niger). This is why conflicts related to the exploitation of these resources are frequent in this municipality.The abundance of pastures, the multiplicity of water points explain this high concentration of livestock in the commune. Agriculture is of secondary importance to herding in the commune.

Drinking water supply. There is a deep water well and a water tower adjacent to the Mayor’s office compound on the north-west corner. This water well is located 50 m away from where the pit latrines will be built.

Fauna and the Ansongo Partial Fauna Reserve. The Tin-Hama Commune is located with the Ansongo Partial Fauna Reserve. The Reservespans 17.5 square km and is bordered on its western edge by the Niger River. The Reserve was established in 1956 to ease hunting pressure on wildlife by temporarily restricting hunting activities within the boundaries of the reserve. Governmental Décret No. 33/PG recognized the existence of numerous communities within the reserve, including the village of Tin Hama. While granting the right for these communities to exist, the Décret imposed a 5-year ban on hunting within the reserve between 1956-1961, and again from 1961-1966. Other restrictions to protect wildlife habitat include burning large tracts of land and deforestation. No other restrictions were imposed on community activities within the Reserve.

Management of the Reserve is weak. Prior to 1990, the Regional Water and Forest Service of Gao played a role in monitoring and protecting the fauna reserve. Following a weakening of their structure, the Service has not been able to manage the reserve for over 27 years. The consequence of this lack of management resulted in the abusive poaching of wildlife, and as a result the last giraffes left the reserve in 2001 and migrated to Niger.

ACCORD has found no documentation other than the Décret No. 33/PG of 1956 that specifies either current restrictions on activities within the reserve, or a declassification of reserve status. Today, the Tin-Hama commune is recognized as the administrative authority for local management of the Partial Fauna Reserve, within the regulations of the Ministry of Environment.

There is no Government of Mali presence in Tin-Hama commune since the start of the crisis in 2012. The only authorities present are the municipal council, whose office ACCORD would like to rehabilitate. Both the Tin-Hama administrative authority of the Reserve and the Ministry of Environment acknowledge that improvements to the Mayor’s Office made by the proposed Mali ACCORD rehabilitation effort will help enable Tin Hama to carry out its administrative duties to manage and protect the Reserve.

Government of Mali environmental laws and regulations. ACCORD has conducted site investigations, and consulted with the Ministry of Environment as well as the Regional Water and Forest Service of Gao concerning planned activities and potential environmental impacts. The proposed rehabilitation of the Mayor’s Office is fully compliant with the Government of Mali’s Politique Nationale de Protection de l’Environnement (PNPE), as documented by the following study and supporting permissions: