Temperature - European Investment Bank

WEST AFRICAN POWER POOL (WAPP) PÖYRY ENERGY LTD.
Mount Coffee HPP ESIA and RAP 2012-09-18
ESIA Report Page 117
17 PUBLIC HEALTH
Given the expected changes in the hydrological pattern and thus the local ecosystem due
to the introduction of the dam and its hydraulic organs, and the population influx at the
project site during the construction phase, one would expect the development of certain
waterborne diseases especially those related to cumulative risks. This might lead to the
proliferation or reduction of vectors associated with the modification of the
corresponding microenvironments conducive to systemic change in the biotic
interactions of its immediate catchment (water level increase).
Most of these factors are related to diseases development either because they are part of
the conditions influencing vectors’ dynamics or because they are linked to the
pathogens' life cycle. Therefore it is necessary to take into account the contribution of
these factors while describing vulnerabilities in order to better deal with them.
The health aspect of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) hereby
discussed was conducted solely for the purpose of making an inventory of the health
profile in a 20 km radius around the Saint Paul River, to: (i) monitor the impact of the
reconstruction/rehabilitation of the dam on the prevailing diseases (especially
waterborne diseases) and (ii) identify risks related to the construction and the
exploitation phases. We therefore oriented our investigations on the most relevant
conditions in order to measure the expected impacts and propose corrective / mitigation
measures.
Concretely, the analyses of public Health are based on both supply and demand sides of
the health system, the major causes of mortality and morbidity (epidemics and endemic
diseases): (i) the epidemiological profile through the description of major water-related
diseases in the catchment area, (ii) the analysis of socio-cultural factors and structural
determinants of morbidity and mortality, and (iii) the health supply apprehended
through the health infrastructures in order to highlight the disequilibrium between health
supply and demand. Furthermore, impacts analysis (positive and negative) on public
health was consistent with the anticipated changes foreseen.
17.1 Data Collection and Methods
The field work was a broad sequencing of data collection, beginning with the
documents review followed by qualitative interviews at institutional and community
levels. To ensure that the subject was adequately covered, all information were doublechecked
and a number of institutional consultations were undertaken prior to the report
writing to exfiltrate subjective information yielded from group discussions on the
ground. Quantitative data were obtained mainly from statistics as recorded by health
facilities on site.
The aim was to determine the potential effects for human health most likely to occur,
and to estimate their likelihood, be they positive or negative. After a prediction of
scenarios in relation with the dam reconstruction, a list of relevant impacts was made-up
by distinguishing 2 different phases: the construction phase and after operation, the
exploitation phase. Each impact was ranked according to its characteristics: the
significance (beneficial or detrimental), the magnitude (the scale of the impact) and the
likelihood (probability of occurrence) as stated by Ahmad and Sammy [1985]. Finally, a
couple of measures were proposed in order to mitigate and control the identified health
risks.