Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure Rollout

Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure Rollout

Environmental Impact Assessment

- Uis -

Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 1September 2013

Rollout - NBC

EIA: Uis

environmental impact assessment: UIS

1introduction

The Village of Uis is in the Erongo Region of Namibia. Located in the former Damaraland, it is known for its mineral wealth. The settlement has approximately
3 600 inhabitants and encompasses 10 square kilometres of land.

Uis is mainly knownfor its tin mine. Tin has been mined there since the early 1900s, and the town was established in 1958 as a residential community for mine workers. Today Uis is characterised by a large white mine dump of processed tinore. There is a small re-processing plant located near the old mine dumps. This ore is processed to an enriched state and then exported from Walvis Bay. Uis is in danger of becoming aghost townif mining cannot be continued. It was scheduled to be downgraded to "settlement" status in November 2010.

1.1Rationale for Site

Uis is experiencing poor telecommunication coverage due to its location. The coverage from other masts does not extend tothe settlement. The obstructions due to the topography of the area, also contribute to the lack of coverage.

The proposed site for the NBC mast is a new site. This site already has most of the necessary infrastructure, such as an access road and power lines. NBC intends to incorporate this infrastructure as part of their project. Therefore, the NBC transmitter will be in close proximity of the town and will provide coverage to the largest part of the surrounding area, as seen in Figure 1.

Figure1: Coverage of Uis DVB – T2 Transmitter

1.2Site Description

The proposed Uis site is situated within a mine dump, a few meters from the main road. The northern side of the Erongo Region is characterized by hot, dry climate, desert-like weather. Summer temperatures can reach up to 34 degrees Celsius. The average monthly rainfall for Uis is about 26mm during the summer months.

The position of the proposed site in relation to other landmarks is indicated in Figure 2.

Figure2: Position of the site investigated for the construction of the NBC mast at Uis

A site assessment form was developed prior to the assessment and was completed during the site visit based on the visual observations and technical information available. Table 1indicates the completed assessment form for Uis.

Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 1September 2013

Rollout - NBC

EIA: Uis

Table 1: Site Assessment Form of Uis Site

ACTIVITY INFORMATION
Proposed position
1 / Position of the site / Latitude / -21° 13' 15.9''
Longitude / 14° 53' 3.3''
2 / Footprint of mast / Proposed height of mast / 60m
Diameter of stay wires / 26mm – 48mm
Describe how the stay wires will be anchored to the ground (e.g. concrete, rock foundation) / Concrete blocks
3 / Land ownership / To who does the land on which the proposed site is located, belong? (e.g. Private land, state land, town lands, etc.) / State (communal) land
4 / Description of the site / General locality, surrounding landscape, etc. / An old quarry surrounds the site. Scattered trees. Plenty of grass. Some rocky areas where mining activities took place. Brick factory nearby
5 / Project outputs / Define any nuisances or negative impacts that could result from the project during the construction and operation (e.g. vibration, noise, radiation, dust) / Noise from construction and vehicles entering area, vibration from vehicles driving to and from site. Radiation from the mast. Destruction of natural vegetation due to infrastructure construction
6 / Access to site / Existing Road (Yes/No) / Yes
New Road (Yes/No) / No
Distance of new road
Grading of new road (paved, unpaved, tar or gravel, etc.)
Slope where new road will be situated
Best position for new road
7 / Civil Aviation / Distance to the nearest airport / 165 km (Swakopmund)
8 / Waste generation / Distance to nearest dump site / 2 km (Uis)
9 / Energy provision / Distance to nearest power line / There is a power line on site
Required structures (e.g. substations, steel structures)
Length of the required power line / No new power line will be needed
Is the power line more than 2 km? If yes, then the assessment of the proposed location for the power line should be included in the assessment of the site for the mast / No
1 / Landscape / Describe the surrounding landscaped, e.g. Ridgeline, plateau, side slope of hill/mountain, closed valley, open valley, plain, undulating plain/low hills, dune, sea-front, etc. / It is a hilly area with mostly man-made hills (borrow pits)
How accessible is the site by vehicle? / Road tosite
2 / Soil and Geology / Unstable rocky slopes/ steep slopes with loose soil/ rocky with limited soil / Loose, sandy soil with rocks
Describe soil (e.g. clay, sand, etc.) / Sandy soil
Identify areas where erosion is likely / Erosion potential at borrow bit/quarry sites due to steep slopes
3 / Habitat / Natural veld in good condition, natural veld with scattered aliens, natural veld with heavy alien infestation, build-up area, bare soil / Natural Veld, in a bad condition
a / Vegetation / Describe the natural vegetation on the site (e.g. dwarf-shrubland) / An abundance of grass, thorny trees and shrubs
b / Birds / Is the area likely to be sensitive for birds (i.t.o. Cliffs, Ridges, possible flight paths, trees, water sources)? / Limited bird life on site, but the surrounding area is mountainous, providing breeding areas for birds
c / Reptiles / Is the area likely to be sensitive for reptiles (e.g. rocky outcrops)? / Yes, the hills and mountains surround the area provide potential breeding ground for reptiles
d / Archaeology / Graves, monuments or any other buildings of historical value near site / There were no signs on site
e / Surface water / Are there any surface water sources located close to the proposed site (e.g. Rivers, Pans, dams, farms dams, Oshanas, etc). Estimate the distance from the site / No
Are there any signs of a wetland located close to the proposed site (e.g. mottled soil, grass with plumes, reeds, two-tone vegetation, standing water, birdlife). Estimate the distance from the site / No
4 / Visual / Consider the aesthetic value of the area (Is it located in a scenic area, what are the lines of sight, are there tourism activities in the area?) / The site is near an old quarry, therefore the environment is already severely disturbed
Identify possible sensitive receptors (e.g. neighbours, road users, tourism ventures etc.) / The town of Uis is about 2km away
If a new road will be constructed to the site, what will the visual impact be? (e.g. will it be highly visible or will it be out of sight for the largest group of sensitive receptors) / N/A
Consider the following:
The potential location of a development on landform features within the landscape will influence the visual absorption capacity. For example, structures will be difficult to “hide” on a ridgeline compared to a deeply incised valley / Structure will be clearly visible from the road
Developments on lower slopes will be potentially easier to hide than those on upper slopes
The visibility of a location of a structure is also influenced by the location height relative to the heights of surrounding topographic features. For example, if a location is lower than the majority of the immediately surrounding landscape it will be less visible and intrusive than a location which is generally higher than the immediate surrounds
A potential tower location will be easier to “hide” in a very rugged/diverse landscape and more difficult to do so if the landscape is more homogenous, such as a plain / Rugged, hilly, disturbed landscape
5 / Social context / Describe the surrounding community and land uses (e.g. urban, sub-urban, grazing livestock, grazing game, crops (type), tourism activities, mining, industrial etc.) / The settlement of Uis is about 2km away and there is a brick factory across the road. Therefore the area is mainly used for industrial purposes. The actual site was also previously used as a mining site
How far is the nearest inhabited area from the centre point of the mast? (I.t.o. the radiation). Give a short description of the populated area. What type of settlement is it? / 2km. The settlement of Uis lies just behind the mountain where the site is.

1.3photos

Plate: 1:Vegetation / Plate: 2: Trees
Plate: 3:Shrub / Plate: 4: Soil Cover: sandy with small Rocks
Plate: 5: Existing Power Line at Site / Plate: 6: Existing Road

1.4Public Participation

No public participation was done during or before the site visit. It will be conducted before commencement with the construction activities.

1.5Assessment of Impacts

1.5.1Identification of Impacts Associated with the Positions

Even though the original positionis the preferred site, it is still necessary to determine whether this site requires a full environmental assessment with specialist input or whether the available information is sufficient to draw conclusions regarding the true sensitivity of the site. To do this a screening process is applied to the potential impacts of the project (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Questions used to screen the potential impacts associated with the development

The Uis site follows the indicated “orange” route which implies that certain issues will need to be addressed in an additional, site-specific appendix, while other issues can sufficiently be addressed through a generic EMP

Table 2 indicates how the screening process was applied to the identified impacts at the proposed Uis site. It indicates the impacts that can be sufficiently addressed through the implementation of generic as well as a site specific EMP.

Table 2:Assessment of Potential Impacts associated with theproposed position

environmental feature / PROJECT ACTIVITY / key impact associated with feature / degree of sensitivity / issue addressed in:
Temperature / High temperatures associated with summer could impact negatively on the health and safety of the workforce / Health and safety of workforce / Low sensitivity / Generic EMP
Wind direction / Dust generated during construction could impact negatively on Uisresidents or people driving near the site / Dust generation during construction / Low sensitivity / Generic EMP
Topography and soils / The hilly surrounds contribute to the aesthetic value of the area / Visual impact / Low sensitivity / Generic EMP
Habitat/ Vegetation / Encroachment of alien invasive species / Spread of alien invasive species. Large amount of endemic vegetation. / Mediumsensitivity / Site specific EMP
Reptile/ Small mammals / Occurrence of these species on the site / Disturbance to nests and habitats / Medium sensitivity / Site specific EMP
Loss of biodiversity / Medium sensitivity / Site specific EMP
Bird species / Occurrence of these species on the site / Disturbance to nests and habitats / Medium sensitivity / Site specific EMP
Loss of biodiversity / Medium sensitivity / Site specific EMP
Bird collisions to guy ropes of mast / Medium sensitivity / Site specific EMP
Drainage lines and associated riparian vegetation / Removal of or damage to vegetation in drainage lines, due to construction activities / No impact foreseen on aquatic environment / Low sensitivity / Generic EMP
Erosion on side slopes / Limited erosion potential due to the already disturbed topography / Medium sensitivity / Site specific EMP
Socio-Economic environment / Change in available visual resources / Visual impact / Low sensitivity / Generic EMP
Disturbance of archaeological landscape / Heritage impact / Medium sensitivity / Site Specific EMP
Civic aviation / More than 8km from an airport / Low sensitivity / Generic EMP
Impact on health of residents due to radiation / Radiation impact / Low sensitivity / Generic EMP
Waste management during the construction and operation phases / Littering
Impact on existing infrastructure / Low sensitivity / Generic EMP
Additional strain on resources in Uis due to the occurrence of construction workers / Impact on infrastructure, including water, electricity & sewer systems. / Low sensitivity / Generic EMP

1.5.2Overall Sensitivity of the Existing Positions

Based on the assessment in Table 1, the overall potential sensitivity of the existing positionand the associated implications can be established (Table 3). For the Uis site, the overall sensitivity is Medium with the associated implication that a generic EMP must be prepared.

Table 3: Sensitivity Ratings of the existing Site and the associated Implications

LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH
Description / The site is not sensitive at all. No additional specialist studies are required / The site is moderately sensitive and although specialist inputs are not required, it requires specific management measures / The site has sensitive elements that need to be further investigated by a specialist. Sites that have a "high" sensitivity rating should only be used as the preferred alternative once all other options have been eliminated
Implication / Generic EMP is sufficient / An additional Appendix is required to the document that contains site specific mitigation measures / Specialist investigations are required

1.6Conclusions and Recommendations

During the site assessment it was determined the proposed position is the most viable option for the construction of an NBC mast and no alternatives are needed for this particular site. Although the site is situated on a hill the mast does not pose a problem in terms of aesthetics, there will be no additional visual impact other than the already ongoing disturbances created from quarrying the terrain for mine production. However, in terms of the ecological sensitivity of the site the region provides habitat for reptiles, andred listed bird species. Flora in the area is represented by invasive species, as well as endemic varieties. Archaeological sensitivity charting is expressed on a scale of 1 to 25; Uis is listed at 13. A field assessment has been advised by the specialist.

The identified issues have been addressed in a site specific EMP to reduce the significance of these impacts.

Since the site already has most of the infrastructure needed for the construction of the mast, no major alterations to the current environment is foreseen. However, if any additional infrastructure is planned, the impacts in association with the construction and the mitigations thereof will be addressed in both an additional appendix and in the generic Environmental Management Plan (EMP).

Digital Terrestrial Television Infrastructure 1September 2013

Rollout - NBC

EIA: Uis