Sossusvlei Desert Lodge February 2019
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Amended Environmental Management Plan for the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge February 2019 AMENDMENTS TO THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE &BEYOND SOSSUSVLEI DESERT LODGE, GIBEON CONSTITUENCY, HARDAP REGION, NAMIBIA February 2019 Independent Environmental Consultants Windhoek Client: Afro Ventures Namibia (Pty) Ltd T/A &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge P O Box 11480 Klein Windhoek Namibia AMENDMENTS TO THE EXISTING EMP INTRODUCTION The Environmental Clearance Certificate for the & Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, issued on 24 January 2017 states: “The Environmental Management Plan submitted is sufficient as it made an adequate provision of the environmental management for the above mentioned project. From this perspective, regular monitoring and evaluation of environmental performance should be conducted. Targets for improvements should be established and monitored from time to time.” The existing EMP is attached as Appendix B. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE TO DATE An assessment of the borehole capacity and water quality was carried out by Namib Hydrosearch in February 2018 under contract to Sossusvlei Desert Lodge (Appendix C). It shows compliance with the above-mentioned requirement. The assessment concluded that the borehole can be pumped at the rate needed to meet the increased water demand. Recommendations to be added to the existing EMP are tabled below. ADDITIONS TO THE EXISTING EMP Page 24 ASPECT IMPACT MITIGATION / COMPENSATION Resource use Water Resource use / Monitor groundwater levels, abstraction, rainfall and management depletion of natural periods of stream flow in local ephemeral streams, on resources a yearly basis. This will inform any future estimates of sustainable abstraction. Ensure all backwashing water derived from the swimming pools is re-used to optimum effect (e.g. for watering plants in the lodge grounds). This will form part of the water recycling initiative described below. Ensure that any additional water usage by the lodge is offset by the water recycling systems at each room. Provide water consumption figures to lodge guests, so that they are encouraged to be actively involved in the water conservation objectives. For example, a live chart of the daily water consumption in the lobby could give an indication of the effectiveness of the water conservation measures being implemented. __________________________________________________________________________________ Appendix B Environmental Management Plan for the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge October 2016 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE &BEYOND SOSSUSVLEI DESERT LODGE, GIBEON CONSTITUENCY, HARDAP REGION, NAMIBIA 10 October 2016 Prepared by: Prepared for: CONTACT DETAILS Mr Paolo Lillo Lodge Manager Afro Ventures Namibia (Pty) Ltd T/A &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge P.O. Box 11480 Windhoek Namibia Tel: +264 63 693308 Fax: +264 63 693239 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.andBeyond.com Dr Lima Maartens LM Environmental Consulting P.O. Box 1284 Windhoek Namibia Tel: +264 61 255750 Cell: +264 81 2458790 Fax: 088 61 9004 E-mail: [email protected] Declaration: LM Environmental Consulting is an independent consulting firm with no interest in the project which is the subject matter hereof other than to fulfil the contract between the client and the consultant for delivery of specialised services as stipulated in the terms of reference. Limitation of liability: LM Environmental Consulting accept no responsibility or liability in respect of losses, damages or costs suffered or incurred, directly or indirectly, under or in connection with this report to the extent that such losses, damages, and costs are due to information provided to LM Environmental Consulting for purposes of this report that is subsequently found to be inaccurate, misleading or incomplete, or due to the acts or omissions of any person other than ourselves. LM Environmental Consulting shall not be liable for any direct, incidental, special or consequential damages for loss of profit, revenue, data or use incurred by the Client or any third party, whether in contract or delict, regardless whether the Client or the other party has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Copyright Warning: Unless otherwise noted, the copyright in all text and other matter (including the manner of presentation) is the exclusive property of LM Environmental Consulting and/or Dr Maartens. It is an offence to reproduce and/or use, without written consent, any substance, matter, technical procedure and/or technique or part thereof contained in this document. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................ 8 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Activities Requiring Environmental Clearance .............................................................................. 8 1.3 Terms of Reference ...................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Environmental Assessment Practitioner ....................................................................................... 8 2 Description of the Project..................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Location......................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Infrastructure/Facilities ................................................................................................................ 10 2.3 Engineering Services .................................................................................................................. 13 2.3.1 Water Supply................................................................................................................... 13 2.3.2 Power Supply .................................................................................................................. 13 2.3.3 Sewage ........................................................................................................................... 13 2.3.4 Waste Management ........................................................................................................ 14 2.4 Activities Offered ......................................................................................................................... 14 2.5 Employment ................................................................................................................................ 15 2.6 Social Responsibility ................................................................................................................... 15 3 Regulatory Framework ....................................................................................................................... 16 4 Environmental Management Plan...................................................................................................... 18 4.1 Goal, Aim and Structure of the Environmental Management Plan ............................................. 18 4.2 Permits and Approvals ................................................................................................................ 18 4.3 Roles and Responsibilities .......................................................................................................... 19 4.4 Environmental Management Plan............................................................................................... 19 4.5 Monitoring and Reporting............................................................................................................ 28 5 Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................................................................ 29 6 References ........................................................................................................................................... 30 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Regulatory framework for the &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Farm Vreemdelingspoort No. 141, Hardap Region, Namibia. ................................................................................................................................ 16 Table 2: Environmental Management Plan for the &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Farm Vreemdelingspoort No. 141, Hardap Region, Namibia. .................................................................................. 20 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Map showing the location of the &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge on Farm Vreemdelingspoort No. 141, Gibeon Constituency, Hardap Region, Namibia (Source: Linear Design & Mapping, September 2016).................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Figure 2: Pictures taken at the &Beyond airfield showing: a) fire extinguishers (yello rectangle); &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge (green rectangle) is located in the far background; b) demarcated landing strip; c) run-up pad at the parking area; and d) the wind sock (Source: L. Maartens, 03 September 2016). .............. 10 Figure 3: Pictures showing: a) the main building; b) the lounge-area with the safari shop in the background; c) the lounge-area; d) the bar; e) the veranda; f) the swimming pool; g) the observatory; and h) some of the quest suites at the &Beyond