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APPLICATION FOR A MINING PERMIT AND RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL APPROVALS FOR BORROW PIT 3 ADJACENT TO THE R61 SECTION 6 KM 52.6, EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE. DRAFT SCOPING REPORT DMR REFERENCE: Pending. Prepared for: On behalf of: South African National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL) Prepared by: EOH Coastal & Environmental Services EAST LONDON 25 Tecoma Street, Berea East London 5214 043 726 7809 Also in Grahamstown, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Maputo (Mozambique) www.cesnet.co.za or www.eoh.co.za October 2017 Draft Scoping Report – October 2017 This Report should be cited as follows: EOH Coastal & Environmental Services, October 2017: Rehabilitation of National Route R61 Section 6: Borrow Pit 3, Draft Scoping Report, EOH CES, East London. REVISIONS TRACKING TABLE EOH Coastal and Environmental Services Report Title: Application for a mining permit and related environmental approvals for borrow pit 3 adjacent to the R61 section 6 km 52.6: Borrow Pit 3, Scoping Report Report Version: Draft Project Number: 204 Name Responsibility Date Thina Mgweba Report Writer October 2017 Caitlin Smith Project Manager/ Report Writer October 2017 Dr Alan Carter Reviewer October 2017 Copyright This document contains intellectual property and propriety information that are protected by copyright in favour of EOH Coastal & Environmental Services (EOH CES) and the specialist consultants. The document may therefore not be reproduced, used or distributed to any third party without the prior written consent of EOH CES. The document is prepared exclusively for submission to SANRAL in the Republic of South Africa, and is subject to all confidentiality, copyright and trade secrets, rules intellectual property law and practices of South Africa. EOH Coastal & Environmental Services iii SANRAL R61 Road Upgrade Borrow Pit Draft Scoping Report – October 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 Background to the Study ................................................................................................. 1 Environmental Authorisation in South Africa .................................................................... 1 Scoping Phase ................................................................................................................ 1 Nature and Structure of this Scoping Report .................................................................... 1 Assumptions and Limitations ........................................................................................... 1 Mining Right Application .................................................................................................. 1 Details and Expertise of the Environmental Assessment Practitioner .............................. 2 1.7.1 Details of the EAP........................................................................................................ 2 1.7.2 Expertise of the study team ......................................................................................... 2 LOCATION OF ACTIVITY ...................................................................................................... 4 Property Locality .............................................................................................................. 4 Property Locality .............................................................................................................. 4 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................... 6 Description of Proposed Activity ...................................................................................... 6 Listed activities triggered ................................................................................................. 8 RELEVANT LEGISLATION .................................................................................................... 9 Relevant Legislation and Guidelines used in the Compilation of this Scoping Report ...... 9 Relevant policy .............................................................................................................. 10 4.2.1 National Policy ........................................................................................................... 10 4.2.2 Provincial Policy ........................................................................................................ 10 4.2.3 Municipal planning documents ................................................................................... 11 The Engcobo IDP (2014/2015) .............................................................................................. 11 PROJECT NEED & DESIRABILITY ..................................................................................... 12 PROJECT ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................................. 13 Reasonable and Feasible Alternatives ........................................................................... 13 Fundamental Alternatives .............................................................................................. 13 Incremental Alternatives ................................................................................................ 13 No-Go development ...................................................................................................... 13 Analysis of alternatives .................................................................................................. 14 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION .................................................................................................... 18 Notification of Interested and Affected Parties ............................................................... 18 7.1.1 Public Participation .................................................................................................... 18 7.1.2 Newspaper advertisement ......................................................................................... 18 7.1.3 On-site Notice ............................................................................................................ 18 7.1.4 Stakeholders and I&APs ............................................................................................ 18 7.1.5 Background information document ............................................................................ 19 7.1.6 Proof of notification .................................................................................................... 19 7.1.7 Issues raised by stakeholders/ I&APs ........................................................................ 19 DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................. 20 The Bio-Physical Environment ....................................................................................... 20 8.1.1 Current land use ........................................................................................................ 20 8.1.2 Climate ...................................................................................................................... 21 8.1.3 Topography ............................................................................................................... 21 8.1.4 Geology and soils ...................................................................................................... 22 Rivers and wetlands ...................................................................................................... 23 Vegetation ..................................................................................................................... 24 8.3.1 Mucina and Rutherford .............................................................................................. 24 Conservation and spatial planning tools ........................................................................ 25 8.4.1 Eastern Cape Biodiversity Conservation Plan ............................................................ 25 8.4.2 Protected Areas (NEMPAA & NPAES) ...................................................................... 26 8.4.3 Photographs of the borrow pit site: ............................................................................ 27 Socio-Economic Profile.................................................................................................. 28 8.5.1 Population ................................................................................................................. 28 8.5.2 Employment ............................................................................................................... 28 EOH Coastal & Environmental Services iv SANRAL R61 Road Upgrade Borrow Pit Draft Scoping Report – October 2017 8.5.3 Education .................................................................................................................. 28 MANNER IN WHICH THE ENVIRONMENT MAY BE AFFECTED ....................................... 29 Possible Environmental Issues and Impacts .................................................................. 29 PLAN OF STUDY FOR EIA PHASE ..................................................................................... 32 Scope and Intent of the EIA Phase ................................................................................ 32 10.1.1 Specialist Studies .................................................................................................. 32 10.1.2 Environmental Impact Report. ...............................................................................