Shire Valley Irrigation Project (SVIP)
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SFG3384 REV p Public Disclosure Authorized GOVERNMENT OF MALAWI MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, IRRIGATION AND WATER DEVELOPMENT SHIRE VALLEY TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM Public Disclosure Authorized Updated Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Shire Valley Irrigation Project (SVIP) Public Disclosure Authorized Impact Assessment Report Disclosed on May 24, 2017 (updated and redisclosed on August 8, 2017) Public Disclosure Authorized ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (ESIA) FOR THE SHIRE VALLEY IRRIGATION PROJECT (SVIP) IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 14 2. MITIGATION WORKSHOPS .......................................................................... 18 3. RELATION BETWEEN THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT AND OTHER SVIP STUDIES ................................................................................. 19 4. PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION ................................................. 25 4.1 Water Intake 26 4.1.1 Construction and characteristics 27 4.1.2 Operation 27 4.2 Canals 28 4.2.1 Construction and characteristics 29 4.2.2 Operation 29 4.3 Command areas 30 4.3.1 Construction and characteristics 31 4.3.2 Operation 31 4.4 Natural Resources Management (NRM) component 32 4.5 Assessment of alternatives considered 33 5. POLICY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................... 38 5.1 Malawi Policies Relevant to the Shire Valley Irrigation Project 38 5.1.1 The Constitution of the Republic of Malawi (1995) 38 5.1.2 The Malawi Vision 2020 39 5.1.3 Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II 39 5.1.4 National Environmental Action Plan (1994) 40 5.1.5 National Environmental Policy, 2004 40 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Shire Valley Irrigation Prpoject (SVIP): Impact Assessment Report 5.1.6 National Land Policy, 2002 41 5.1.7 The National Irrigation Development Policy and Strategy (2011) 42 5.1.8 The National Forest Policy of Malawi (1996) 43 5.1.9 National Disaster Risk Management (NDRM) Policy 2015 43 5.1.10 National Water Resources Policy 2005 43 5.1.11 National Wildlife Policy 2000 44 5.1.12 National Gender Policy 2012 – 2017 44 5.1.13 National HIV/AIDS Policy, 2012 45 5.1.14 National Land Resources Management Policy and Strategy, 2000 45 5.1.15 Shire River Basin Management Program (SRBMP) 46 5.2 Legal framework 46 5.2.1 Environment Management Act, 1996 46 5.2.2 Land Act (1965) 46 5.2.3 Lands Acquisition Act (1971) 47 5.2.4 New Legal Framework for Land Tenure (2017) 47 5.2.5 Cultural Heritage Regulation 48 5.2.6 Water Resources Act (2013) 49 5.2.7 Pesticides Act (2000) 50 5.2.8 Forestry Act (1997) 50 5.2.9 Irrigation Act, 2001 50 5.2.10 Occupational Safety, Health and Welfare Act (1997) 51 5.2.11 National Parks and Wildlife Act (2004) 51 5.2.12 Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (1997) 51 5.3 Funding Agency Policies 52 5.3.1 Environmental Assessment (Operational Policy 4.01) 52 5.3.2 Pest Management (OP 4.09) 52 5.3.3 Involuntary Resettlement (OP 4.12) 53 5.3.4 Cultural Heritage (OP 4.11) 53 5.3.5 Natural habitats (OP 4.04) 54 5.4 Institutional Responsibilities for ESIA monitoring and ESMP implementation 55 5.4.1 National Level 55 5.4.2 Project Level 57 6. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT .......................................................................... 59 6.1 Climate 59 6.2 Local topography 62 6.3 River geomorphology 65 6.4 River hydrology 69 6.5 Shire River Water Quality 81 6.6 Soil, Erosion, Sediment transport and Geology 83 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Shire Valley Irrigation Prpoject (SVIP): Impact Assessment Report 6.7 Aquifer and Groundwater 91 7. SOCIOECONOMIC BASELINE ..................................................................... 94 7.1 Introduction 94 7.2 Methodology 94 7.3 Early Process Consultation Results 97 7.4 Social indicators 97 7.4.1 Population and demographics 97 7.4.2 Household size 100 7.4.3 Gender aspect 100 7.4.4 Vulnerable people 100 7.4.5 Education Attainment and quality 101 7.4.6 Settlements and Community Organization 101 7.5 Infrastructure 102 7.5.1 Housing 102 7.5.2 Access roads 103 7.5.3 Telecommunication 103 7.5.4 Water supply 104 7.5.5 Sanitation and hygiene 105 7.5.6 Health facilities 105 7.5.7 Electricity supply 105 7.6 Land 106 7.6.1 Land tenure 106 7.6.2 Land size 106 7.6.3 Land use 106 7.6.4 Economics 110 7.7 Health issues 115 7.7.1 Introduction 115 7.7.2 Water-Related Diseases 115 7.7.3 HIV infection and AIDS 119 8. CULTURAL HERITAGE ............................................................................... 120 8.1 Introduction 120 8.2 Methodology and Approach of the Study 120 8.2.1 Desktop Assessment 121 8.2.2 Fieldwork Assessment 121 8.3 Results 122 8.3.1 Desktop Assessment 122 8.3.2 Fieldwork Assessment 126 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Shire Valley Irrigation Prpoject (SVIP): Impact Assessment Report 8.3.3 Determination of Site Significance and Values 129 8.4 Conclusion and Limitations 130 9. NATURAL HERITAGE ................................................................................. 132 9.1 Majete Wildlife Reserve 132 9.1.1 Status of the Reserve 132 9.1.2 Main Landscape Features 132 9.1.3 Management Document 133 9.2 Lengwe National Park 134 9.2.1 Status of the Park 134 9.2.2 Main Landscape Features 134 9.2.3 Management Document 135 9.3 Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve 135 9.3.1 Status of the Reserve 135 9.3.2 Main Landscape Features 136 9.3.3 Management Document 136 9.4 Elephant Marsh 136 10. ECOLOGY .................................................................................................... 136 10.1 Land Cover 136 10.2 Anthropogenic modifications to habitats 139 10.3 Terrestrial habitats 140 10.3.1 Majete Wildlife Reserve 140 10.3.2 Lengwe National Park 142 10.4 Wetland habitats 146 10.4.1 Elephant Marsh 147 10.4.2 Wetland Biodiversity 147 10.4.3 Wetland Delineation 148 10.4.4 Current Threats and Value of the Elephant Marsh 150 10.4.5 Dambos 155 10.5 Wildlife 156 10.6 IUCN and Local Vulnerability 161 10.7 Aquatic Ecology 164 10.7.1 Introduction 164 10.7.2 Fisheries 165 10.7.3 Description of the Fish Species in the Lower Shire Valley 166 10.7.4 Herpetofauna 186 10.8 Ecology Study Limitations 1 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Shire Valley Irrigation Prpoject (SVIP): Impact Assessment Report 11. IMPACT ASSESSMENT METHOD .................................................................. 2 11.1 Method for the determination of impact significance 2 11.2 Description of impacting activities 4 11.2.1 Pre-construction 4 11.2.2 Construction 4 11.2.3 Operation 5 11.2.4 Impact assessment of the Natural Resources Management (NRM) component 5 11.3 Impact Assessment Limitation 5 12. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT .................................... 6 12.1 Introduction 6 12.2 Affected component value 9 12.3 Geomorphology of rivers 9 12.3.1 Description of impacting activities 9 12.3.2 Mitigation measures 10 12.4 Hydrology 11 12.4.1 Description of impacting activities 11 12.4.2 Mitigation measures 18 12.5 Water quality 20 12.5.1 Description of impacting activities 20 12.5.2 Mitigation measures 22 12.6 Soil & groundwater 22 12.6.1 Description of impacting activities 22 12.6.2 Mitigation measures 24 13. IMPACT ON SOCIOECONOMIC, CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE ..................................................................................................... 27 13.1 Introduction 27 13.2 Impact identification matrix on socioeconomic, cultural and natural heritage 28 13.3 Affected component value 33 13.4 Settlement, community organization and land tenure 33 13.4.1 Description of impacting activities 33 13.4.2 Mitigation measures 34 13.5 Infrastructures 37 13.5.1 Description of impacting activities 37 13.5.2 Mitigation measures 38 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Shire Valley Irrigation Prpoject (SVIP): Impact Assessment Report 13.6 Economics 40 13.6.1 Description of impacting activities 40 13.6.2 Mitigation measures 42 13.7 Health and safety 44 13.7.1 Description of impacting activities 44 13.7.2 Mitigation measures 45 13.8 Gender aspect and Vulnerable people 52 13.8.1 Description of impacting activities 52 13.8.2 Mitigation measures 53 13.9 Cultural heritage 58 13.9.1 Description of impacting activities 58 13.9.2 Mitigation measures 60 13.10 Natural heritage 61 13.10.1 Description of impacting activities 61 13.10.2 Mitigation measures 73 14. ECOLOGY IMPACT ASSESSMENT ............................................................. 88 14.1 Introduction 88 14.2 Impact identification matrix on ecology 89 14.3 Affected component value 91 14.4 Land cover 91 14.5 Terrestrial habitats and wildlife 101 14.5.2 Mitigation measures 108 14.6 Wetland habitats and wildlife 116 14.6.1 Description of impacting activities 116 14.6.2 Mitigation measures 120 14.7 Aquatic habitats and fish 123 14.7.1 Description of impacting activities 123 14.7.2 Mitigation measures 129 15. IMPACT ASSESSMENT CONCLUSION ..................................................... 141 15.1 Conclusion on infrastructures to build to mitigate impacts 143 15.2 Residual impacts 146 16. BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................... 151 ANNEXES ........................................................................................................... 155 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Shire Valley Irrigation Prpoject (SVIP): Impact Assessment