Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for a Modular Power Plants Project in Menengai, Nakuru County, Kenya: Impact Identification, Evaluation and Risk Analysis (Published)
This paper is an extract from the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment report for the Menengai modular geothermal power plants projects for Geothermal Development Company Limited. Geothermal Development entails exploration drilling, steam collection, construction of power generation units and power transmission lines. Preliminary phase of land acquisition, vegetation clearing, construction and power generation is likely to cause environmental disturbance. Integrated resource utilization and environmental conservation needs an effective and efficient environmental and social management plan in order to facilitate sustainable implementation of the proposed project. Impact identification and risk analysis for any proposed project, are key for they provide useful information to decision- makers. This paper aims to provide a valuation’s perspective on how to best design and execute the impact identification and risk analysis to achieve results that align mitigation with identified potential impacts of the proposed project activities. The process involved identifying where the interactions were likely to occur between the proposed project activities and the receiving environments. A modified Leopold Matrix (LM) integrated with Lohani & Thanh methods were used to identify and estimate the magnitudes and importance of the potential impacts. Cumulative impacts were estimated using consequence and probability ranking model adapted from the South African Department of Environmental Affairs’ guideline document on EIA regulations of 1998. The model predicts the significance of impacts by considering magnitude, duration, spatial scale and factoring in probability of the impact to occur. Based on results of analysis, the cumulative impacts ranged from minor to moderate and can be mitigated.
Keywords: Cumulative Impact, Environment, Impact Assessment, Modular Geothermal Power Generation Technology, Risk Analysis, Society
EXPLORING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND RESPONSES IN THE CONDUIT TO SUSTAINABILITY ACCOUNTING IN AN AFRICAN COUNTRY (Published)
The purpose of this study is to explore environmental impacts and responses in Uganda, an African country where a sustainability accounting approach is of growing significance and relevance. This is still a relatively new field of practice as well as a new academic endeavor, and thus entails originality. Oil and petroleum and energy-sector activities are generally key ingredients in the fast-growing economy, and are in the categories of being high risk with immensely negative social and environmental impacts. Petroleum companies dominate the top taxpayers in the country, which justifies a focus on the oil industry sector. This study is conceived as an improvement on one of the objectives of a wider study by the first author that investigated the relations among legitimacy, marketing and environmental accounting practices, focusing on oil companies in Uganda. Data collection methods included analysis of the way in which environmental accounting is developed and assessment of the credibility of inputs at various levels. Other data collection methods included a review of companies’ environmental reports/statements and ethnographic interviews at oil companies, formal and informal garages and filling stations. A questionnaire was also administered to 155 respondents drawn from 57 oil supply chains. Our major findings are that the main negative impacts on the environment in all oil marketing chains were soil and water pollution. There is an emphasis on profit margins at the expense of environmental factors in an equatorial country that induces climate change. The study results add to the body of knowledge on sustainability accounting to mitigate the environmental problems in place and minimize further occurrences. We suggest that future accountants need to understand and have knowledge of sustainability issues and how they can be captured in reports for a sustainable future.
Keywords: Africa, Environment, Uganda, impacts and resources, oil companies, sustainability accounting
Environmental Impacts of Roadside Disposal of Municipal Solid Wastes in Karu, Nassarawa State, Nigeria (Published)
The paper looked at municipal solid waste generation, disposal and the consequent environmental impacts Primary data was generated by carrying out oral interviews and field observations for holistic and in–depth assessment of the environment and the secondary data was obtained from desk review method, information on effects of municipal solid wastes on environment were obtained from relevant literatures. The interviews were semi-structured and a purposive sampling method was adopted and analyzed descriptively. The results of the findings showed that population growth and unplanned urban expansion has exceeded the expected limit in recent time with resultant ugly system of solid wastes disposal. Municipal solid wastes which contain both biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes are disposed at the shoulders of major highways in temporary dumpsites and are later evacuated by a waste management agency on a weekly basis. There is no organized house to house or street to street collection of the solid wastes. The study revealed that roadside disposal of municipal solid wastes has serious impacts on the environment. Some of these impacts include physical nuisance of the solid wastes to the environment, the solid waste dumps also serve as hideouts for rodents and snakes which are dangerous. The solid wastes are blown around by wind making the environment filthy, most of the wastes are also been washed by overland flow during heavy downpour to block drainage channels and subsequently lead to flooding of the environment. Most of the non- biodegradable solid wastes contain toxic chemicals which have serious implications on the environmental sustainability and human health. The paper therefore recommends that Government should come up with proper orientation and environmental laws should be put in place for the general public and also to provide necessary facilities and arrange for better methods of collection of solid wastes.
Keywords: Biodegradable, Chemicals elements, Disposal, Environment, Impacts, Non–biodegradable, Toxic, Waste.