Temperature - European Investment Bank

WEST AFRICAN POWER POOL (WAPP) PÖYRY ENERGY LTD.
Mount Coffee HPP ESIA and RAP Date 2012-09-18
ESIA Report Page 138
� Land use: the submerged area due to the reservoir will be relatively small,
therefore the impact on forest (although not much valuable forest left) and on
pasture is considered as small.
The transmission line corridor will follow the access road and will be clearly visible in
the landscape.
Quarry, burrow areas and dumping sites also have an impact on the landscape and on
geomorphology. However, the Mount Coffee HPP is a rehabilitation, the main dam and
the main parts of the forebay dams are still existing and can partly be reused; the
amount of material will be smaller than for the construction of a new project. Presently
there is not enough information on needed material to evaluate this accurately.
All the other structures are comparatively small, or will be built on the former
foundation or replace already existing remnants of structures. They are not occupying
larger additional areas. For these reasons, their environmental impact is considered as
negligible to small. Currently there is not yet enough information on all these locations.
19.2.2 Impacts Caused by Construction Activities
The presence of the work force causes a number of impacts: on water quality (waste
water), potentially on animals (hunting, fishing) and on the local population; these latter
can be positive (by generating income in the area) or negative (by competing for jobs at
the construction site).
The construction activities as such (including transports etc.) are an important cause of
environmental impacts. Problems with air quality and noise are all related to these
activities, and so fare most impacts on water quality. The construction activities have a
considerable (positive) impact on the local economy. However, all these impacts are
limited, restricted to the construction site (and, given the difficult terrain, without much
risk of spreading) and to the construction period.
The construction period is also the period causing most impacts, some of which are
limited to this period; such impacts are, e.g.:
� temporary occupation of areas for construction site installations; risk of
increased erosion on surfaces where vegetation was cleared;
� risk of soil and water contamination due to storage and use of fuels, lubricants
and other potentially toxic substances, and by activities like maintenance of
vehicles and machines;
� risk of water contamination with concrete, which can increase pH to a level
which is toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms;
� noise and vibrations stemming from traffic and the operation of machines (e.g.
breakers); dust from the same sources;
� generation of solid waste of different types and waste water;
� social and health impacts due to the large work force coming from other areas of
the country or even abroad.
Given this number of effects specific to the construction period, the ESMP also has to
foresee a number of measures specifically for this period. These measures are listed and
described in the provisional ESMP (see Chapter 20 and 21). They will form the basis for