By Tafanana Kwedu
The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), Chief Executive Officer, Munyaradzi Munodawafa, on Friday said the draft Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) shows that no families will be displaced to pave way for the construction of the 2400MW Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme (BHES) and related projects in Matabeleland North province.
ZRA, a bilateral organization equally owned by Zimbabwe and Zambia, is undertaking the development of the $4bn BHES trans-boundary project, located within the Batoka Gorge, 47km downstream of Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River.
According to the ZRA the BHES project involves the construction of a dam on the Zambezi River, powerhouses, roads, transmission infrastructure and townships in both Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Munodawafa told the Harare Post that the draft Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report which includes the Livelihood Restoration Plans (LRPs) for the BGHES has been completed.
“The study covered the land identified for the accommodation of project staff and land required for the development of the dam, powerhouses and related infrastructure including construction camps.
“The Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) for these Project components are not required, as construction of these Project components will not affect any primary residential structures or social facilities and therefore will not result in physical displacement of people,” Munodawafa said.
The ESIA studies included livelihood studies of communities to be affected, a household census, socio-economic surveys and asset inventories. The goal of the LRPs is to help restore, and potentially improve, the livelihoods and living standards of displaced Project Affected Households (PAHs).
Munodawafa said as part of the mandatory disclosure process, the draft ESIA report including the LRP was placed in the public domain on 2nd March 2020 for scrutiny by stakeholders and interested parties.
“The hard copy reports were given to traditional leaders of the host communities and some placed in public places,” he said adding that, “the Authority will undertake disclosure meetings with all the stakeholders in line with Covid 19 health guidelines to discuss the ESIA reports in the coming few months.”
He said the ZRA was committed to addressing any adverse impacts on the host communities resulting from the implementation of the project by employing international and local best practices in a fair and transparent manner.
“The costs of these mitigatory measures as determined by the consultants will become part of the project costs with implementation of the measures being mandatory. The goal is to ensure that the livelihoods of the PAHs are better than they were before resettlement or loss of other social facilities,” Munodawafa said.
Upon completion, the BGHES which has been prioritised by the New Dispensation, power challenges facing Zambia and Zimbabwe will come to an end.
