ERM Ref: 0239269 EMA Ref: 17/1/1/3A ZEMA Ref: ZEMA/DEPT/101/1/3
Dear Stakeholder
RE: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Proposed Batoka Gorge Hydro-Electric Scheme (Zambia and Zimbabwe) on the Zambezi River: Invitation to Webinar
Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd. (ERM) has been contracted by the Zambezi River Authority (the Authority) to undertake the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) study for the development of the Batoka Gorge Hydro-Electric Scheme (BGHES) on the Zambezi River, 47km downstream of Victoria Falls.
On 03 March 2020, ERM notified stakeholders of the availability of the draft ESIAs for public review and comment, and invited stakeholders to attend ESIA disclosure meetings in Zambia and Zimbabwe, which were proposed to take place during April 2020. In light of the COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) pandemic, the Authority and ERM made the decision to postpone all public disclosure meetings. This decision was in response to government-mandated travel restrictions and bans on gatherings of more than 100 people, which were imposed within certain southern African countries.
Given the ongoing level of global uncertainty associated with COVID-19, the Authority and ERM would like to disclose the ESIA findings using alternative methods currently available.
You are invited to attend a ZOOM webinar where the key findings of the ESIA process will be shared with you. The meeting will include a presentation, following which participants will have the opportunity to interact with the project team, ask questions and provide comment.
Meeting Time:
2 December 2020 at 09:30 AM
To register for the meeting, click on the link below, complete the registration and you will received a personal invitation to the webinar directly from ZOOM.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_42Y_qB-5QaWX8zpZOkVMKQ
Availability of the Project ESIAs for Review & Comment
As a reminder, the draft ESIAs for the BGHES are available for public comment. Refer to Project website https://www.erm.com/bghes-esia to access the ESIAs and non-technical summaries.
Three separate draft ESIAs have been prepared for the Project as follows:
§ ESIA for the dam wall and impoundment, including spillway; surface power houses; the Project townships (in both Zambia and Zimbabwe); and other ancillary infrastructure (such as quarries, spoil areas, batching areas);
§ ESIA for Project access roads in both Zambia and Zimbabwe; and
§ ESIA for Project Transmission Lines in both Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The comment period, which has remained open since 03 March 2020 will be closing 25 January 2021. Stakeholders are invited to submit all comments on the draft ESIAs to ERM as follows:
Email: batokagorgehes@erm.com | Post: Postnet Suite 90, Private Bag X12, Tokai, 7966
Tel: +27 21 681 5400 (South Africa)
+27 11 798 4300 (South Africa)
+263 77 287 6616 (Zimbabwe)
+260 97 4074384 (Zambia)
Your comments will be incorporated into the Project ESIA comments and responses report, which will be included in the final ESIAs submitted to Zimbabwean and the Zambian Environmental Management Agencies (EMA and ZEMA) for consideration. Please ensure that your comments reach ERM on or before 25 January 2021.
For any further queries regarding the content of this letter, please feel free to contact us with the details included above.
We look forward to your participation in this phase of the ESIA.
Yours sincerely
The ERM Team
Environmental Resources Management (ERM)
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