public disclosure authorized ukf e- 265 - the world bank€¦ · 6 feasibility study final report...

Ukf E- 265fuz VOL. 1

THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDAMINISTRY OF WORKS,HOUSING AND COMMUNICATIONS

ROAD SECTOR INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT TECHNICALASSISTANCE PROJECT (RSISTAP)

REVIEW AND UPDATE OF THE FEASIBIUTYSTUDYAND DETAILED ENGINEERING DESIGN

OFBUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Vol.. 6 FEASIBILITY STUDYFINAL REPORT

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BUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOILMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1

1.1 INTRODUCTION 11.2 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE EIA STUDY I1.3 PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THIS ASSESSMENT 11.4 METHODOLOGY 2

2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVEFRAMEWORK 3

2.1 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 32.2 CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

PRACTICES 42.3 RESPONSIBILITIES AND PRACTICAL PROBLEMS IN

ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT 42.4 SUMMARY OF RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND

GUIDELINES 52.5 WORLD BANK REQUIREMENTS 6

3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 8

3.1 THE PROJECT ROAD 83.2 DETAILS OF ROAD WORKS . 8

4.0 CURRENT STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE PROJECTAREA - 9

4.1 INTRODUCTION 94.2 TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY AND SOILS 94.3 CLIMATE AND DRAINAGE 94.4 LAND USE AND LAND COVER 94.5 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS 9

4.5.1 Settlement and housing 104.5.2 Energy 104.5.3 Transport and communication 114.5.4 Health 114.5.5 Education and literacy I 14.5.6 Local Economy 12

5.0 EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTSINCLUDING RESETTLEMENT ISSUES

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT kSSESSMENT

r USU3XB~AHO~ ROAD UGRADING PROJEC

PAGE

5.1 INTRODUCTION 135.2 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT 135.3 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT 155.4 SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 165.5 OTHER COMMUNITY EFFECTS 185.6 RESETTLEMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT 205.7 A SUMMARY OF POSITIVE IMPACTS ASSOCIATED

WITH UPGRADING BKH ROAD 20

6.0 PROPOSED MITIGATION MEASURES 23

6.1 INTRODUCTION 236.2 CONSTRUCTION PHASE 236.3 OPERATIONAL PHASE 236.4 MITIGATION PLAN FOR THE CONSTRUCTION

PHASE IMPACTS 246.5 MITIGATION PLAN FOR OPERATION PHASE IM-

PACTS 25

7.0 ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES 26

7.1 INTRODUCTION 267.2 ALTERNATIVES 26

7.2.1 The "no action" alternative 267.2.2 Route alternative 26

7.3 CHOICE OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNICS 267.4 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 27

8.0 IMPLEMENTATION OF MITIGATION MEASURES AND COSTS 28

8.1 INTRODUCTION 288.2 MONITORING TEAM COMPOSITION 288.3 SCOPE OF WORK 298.4 COST OF MITIGATION AND MONITORING 29

8.4.1 Major areas of expenditure 298.4.2 Land take and loss of crops and other property 298.4.3 Road safety education and awareness 298.4.4 Compensatory tree planting 308.4.5 Other costs 308.4.6 Monitoring Costs 308.4.7 Summary of Costs 31

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BUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Plans are underway to upgrade the existing Busunju - Kiboga - Hoima (BKH) roadfrom its current status to that of bitumen standard by the Ministry of Works Housingand Communication (MoWHC). According to the Engineering plans, the proposedimprovements to this road will closely follow the existing alignment with only a fewcases where the new road course may be some metres away from the old one tomaintain the required horizontal and vertical aligrunent. Integral to this proposedproject is environmental impact assessment (EIA) through which beneficial anddetrimental environmental consequences arising from the upgraded road areidentified. This identification is done with the main aim of recommendingappropriate actions for mitigation of any adverse impacts on the physical biologicaland human environment. The main oojective of this EIA, therefore, is to bring intofocus both the possible negative and positive impacts on the environment at an earlystage in the planning process of the proposed project.

1.2 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE EIA STUDY

EIA has become generally accepted world-wide as an essential procedure ininitiating development projects and implementation of policies. In recognition ofthis, the National Environment Statute (NES), 1995 gives a list of alvprojects whichrequire EIA before they are implemented. Listed under transportation in the ThirdSchedule of this statute, all major roads and all roads in scenic, wooded ormountainous areas are subject to EIA. BKH is a major road passing through threedistricts and connecting Uganda to the Democratic Republic of Zaire. It alsotraverses a vast stretch of woodland, crosses a number of rivers and wetlands. It is,therefore, imperative that an EIA is conducted on BKH road in consideration of theproposed improvements by MoWHC.

1.3 PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THIS ASSESSMENT

This study is intended to present an assessment of the reasonably foreseeable effectson the environment of upgrading BKH road. Its function is to provide anopportunity at this stage, to integrate environmentally sound practices into initialproject design. This is because all projects to improve roads can have effects on theenvironment and respective communities. The National Environment ManagementAuthority (NEMA) which is the principle national agency for co-ordinatingmonitoring and supervising all activities in the field of environmnent only providesgeneral guidelines on EIA level because the EIA process is still a new concept inUganda. For this reason, the EIA study team will work closely with MoWlHCand/or other organisations delegated by the ministry to develop and agree on thcdetails of assessment for BKH road.


BUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECr

1.4 METHODOLOGY

Generally, a number of methods will be applied either singly or in combination inorder to adequately address all issues in the scope of this study. In summary, thesemethods include:

* review of a number of existing appropriate literature on BKH road projects,MoWHC policies and environmental management;

* expert consultations through which relevant persons in MoWHC, USAID,NEMA and others will be contacted to solicit their views and comments onBKH road project and the environment, and

* field visits to conduct on-the-spot assessment, discussions with localcommunities and district officials with the ultirnate aim of including all viewsand information in the whole EIA exercise.


KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY. LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVEFRAMEWORK

2.1 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Due to political upheavals that characterised the post independence period until1986, no new policy or legislative instruments were put in place to promotesustainable development in Uganda. Specifically, environmental managementissues had been relegated to the background on the pretext that Uganda is wellendowed with abundant natural resources. For example, it was not until 1987 that aministry in charge of environment protection was established. From then, a numberof developments have taken place in the bid by the Governrment of Uganda (GoU) touse and manage environmental resources on a sustainable basis.

One such development has been the National Environment Action Plan (NEAP)which was embarked upon in 1990 with assistance from United States Agency forInternational Development (USAID). NEAP was given the mandate to recommendpolicy and legislative actions, institutional strengthening guidelines and potentialinvestments with the main objective of putting in place a sustainable nationaldevelopment strategy. For instance, with NEAP's guidance the then Ministry ofNatural Resources (MNR) formulated a National Environment Management Policy.Strategies of this policy are intended to provide and assist decision makers andresource users in determiining priorities in the national context and also at thesectoral, private sector and individual levels. One of the strategies to assist inimplementing this policy was the establishment of NEMA. NEMA is now theprincipal national agency to supervise and co-ordinate the management of theenvironment in Uganda. This was achieved through NES of 1995.

The post-1986 era in Uganda has been associated with more development programsand an average economic growth rate of over 6% per year. This trend necessitateddirecting national development efforts to ensure that plans aimed at improving thestandard and quality of life take due consideration of environmental concerns. First.it was the Ministry of Environrnent Protection in 1987, then the Directorate otEnvironment Protection in 1993 and now, it is NEMA in charge. NEMA is underthe general supervision of the Minister of Lands, Water and Environment (until May1998 it was the Ministry of Natural Resources) who is also a member of thecommittee which provides and co-ordinates environmental policy guidelines.NEMA is headed by an Executive Director who is also an ex-officio member of theboard that oversees the implementation and successful operations of the policy andfunctions of the Authority.

NEMA is made up of four divisions one of which is the Information and MonitonngDivision (IMD) whose primary purpose is to ensure adequate surveillance andcontrol of the environment and any related areas of interest to it. Part of IvMD'smandate is to see that environmental regulations such as EIA are complied v, ith.environmental standards are set; and an environmental monitoring system is put inplace.


13USUNJU-KlBOGA-HOlMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

2.2 CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

At the national level, NEMA works with lead agencies. According to NES, a leadagency is "any ministry, department, parastatal agency, local government system orpublic officer in which or whom any law vests function of control or management ofany segment of the environment." In each sectoral agency, there is supposed to bean environment desk known as an Environrnent Liaison Unit (ELU) to act as acontact point for NEMA. As with the districts, day-to-day activities of runningELUs are not the responsibility of NEMA but respective lead agencies.

In line with the national programme on decentralisation, NES provides for thetransfer of environmental management responsibilities to districts, municipalitiesand rural communities at the grass roots. Based on the guidelines that had beenprovided during the NEAP process, NES gives a framework in which to manage theenv!ronment at districts and lower levels so as to be in line with the overalldecentralisation process which is one of the current priority government policies.

In summary, this was done to create an environrmental management system thatintegrates and fortifies links among all levels in the districts, public sector andNGOs. Environment related activities in districts are facilitated by DistrictEnvironment Officers (DEOs) who are direct employees of respective districts.Among other duties, DEOs are supposed to liaise with NEMA on all mattersrelating to the environment in their areas of jurisdiction.

2.3 RESPONSIBILITIES AND PRACTICAL PROBLEMS INENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT

According to the Environment Statute, NEMA in consultation with lead agencies isresponsible for establishment of quality standards for air, water. effluent, noxioussmells, soil, noise and any other standards deemed necessary. However, due to theshort time NEMA has existed, most of these are still in draft form including soilstandards which have just been released.

The whole NEMA establishment is in place but still has a lot to accomplish becauseenvironmental management and planning in Uganda is relatively a nev,phenomenon. The Environment Policy, Statute and management authority (NEMA)are all new and so is the decentralisation process. NEMA is expected to impro'. eenvironment management practices in the country without taking over the duties otlead agencies.

Initially, some practical problems emerged in the institutional and legal frameworkFor instance, the Ministry of Local Government had to amend the LocalGovernment Statute of 1993 in order to accommodate DEOs who were originallynot direct employees of districts. They were, however, provided for by NI.salthough NEMA does not have the mandate and means to deploy permanent stalanywhere outside its Kampala headquarters. On the other hand, MNR which is Ehcparent ministry of NEMA does not have any structure to take on >,, h

responsibilities because all environmental issues are supposed to be handled

ENVIRONMENTAL IMIPACT ASSESSMENT

BUSUNJU-IBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

NEMA. Recent pronouncements by the Prime Minister which reflect thegovernment position on the same issue have eased the tasks.

Some districts up to today do not have DEOs and by the time of this study, Kibogaand Mubende Districts did not have a substantive DEOs either, although plans areunderway to recruit them. This means that all other structures established to manageuse of the environment at various local levels are also missing. Hoima district,however, has one but is not well facilitated to carry out all their expected duties.

ELUs in sectoral agencies are faced with operations-related constraints such asfinancial and logistics. For example there are no details at the sectoral level withregard to EIA procedures in most institutions with exception of the MoWHC whichhas began the process. However, the details are not yet out and MoWHC is of theview that these details will be available for use mid next year.

2.4 SUMMARY OF RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND GUIDELINES

In order to ensure that the post-1986 environmental organisation and policiessucceed in Uganda, a number of legislative instruments and guidelines are beingimplemented. An outline of relevant ones to this study and/or project is givenbelow.

(i) The 1995 Constitution

Among other things addressed by the new Constitution, land related issueswere given high priority. Article 237 vests all the land in the country to thepeople, while Article 26 prohibits forceful seizure of individual propertyincluding land by any authority public or private without adequatecompensation. This has instilled a sense of security of tenure in mostUgandans especially those who have been squatting on public or other landsBecause what is stated in these Articles cannot be described as "land reformactions," a Land Bill was provided for by the same Constitution in '.hichissues pertaining to land tenure and land use would be dealt with in detail X

Land Act, 1998 is now in place and provides for all issues related to land inUganda

One of the national objectives and directive principles of state policy ,s promote sustainable development for the present and future generations 'ensure this, Article 245 empowers Parliament to provide for measulvtintended to protect and preserve the environment from abuse, pollution is

degradation among others.

(ii) The national environmental assessment guidelines

NEMA has finalised development of the National EIA Guidelines, cop'c'which are available and provide a brief summary of their requirements i; I -

guidelines are now in force because they have the required legal back;-.Parliarnent. Developers and any other interested and/or concemed pari


BUSUNJU-JKIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

required by law to undertake EIA studies after consulting respective leadagencies and NEMA. There are a number of stages one goes through beforeone is allowed to proceed with the proposed development.

(iii) The national environmental audit guidelines

Unlike with EIA, environmental audit guidelines are not ready yet becausethey were not given prioritv. Their preparation is going on but it might not bepossible for them to be available for use in a year's time from now.

(iv) Environmental quality standards

According to NES, NEMA in consultation with respective lead agencies isresponsible for establishment of quality standards for air, water, effluent,noxious smells, soil, noise and vibration and radiation. NEMA is alsosupposed to establish such criteria and procedures as they consider necessaryfor the determination of the standards for buildings and other structures;industrial products; materials used in industry, agriculture and for domesticuses; solid waste disposal; and such other matters and activities that mayaffect the environment.

However, due to the relatively short time NEMA has existed, none of thesestandards have been fully developed to be ready for use. Recently in June1998 an advert was placed in the mass media by NEMA informing the publicof the Authority's intention to start applying some of the standards beingdeveloped. In addition, comments were invited from all the interested partiesand more especially, the lead agencies before these standards are confirrned.By inference, therefore, it is probable that environmental quality standards forair, water, effluent, noise and soil in Uganda will be available before the endof this year.

(v) Others

Other policies, laws and guidelines which are highly relevant to this projoxtinclude but are not limited to:

* The Local Government Statute, 1993 and the 1997 Local Government .Xt.* The Water Statute, 1995;

The National Environment Management Policy, 1994;The Wetlands Policy, 1995;The National Envirornment Statute, 1995; and

* The Uganda Wildlife Authority Statute, 1996.

2.5 WORLD BANK REQUIREMENTS

Under the World Bank's Operational Directive 4.01 (World Bank), 1991, El.Aflexible procedure depending on the nature of the project and is to be cond.^during project preparation, closely linked to the feasibility study. EIA must


1USUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

project-specific and other environmental impacts in the area of influence of aproject. EIAs also include the country's own environmental study and action plans,and overall policy framework, national legislation and institutional capabilities.


BUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOTMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

3.1 TTHE PROJECT ROAD

For ease of description of the various items involved in this study, it may beconvenient to divide the project road in two major sections which are BusunjuKiboga (67 krn) and Kiboga - Hoima (79 kin). The project road is linked toKampala by tarmac which ends at Busunju. It traverses three districts ofMubende, Kiboga and Hoima and it also leads to eastem Congo through Butiabaon the westem shores of L. Albert.

From Busunju to Kiboga the road is gravel with ditch to ditch of 10 m and a 5 mwide track carriageway. The Kiboga to Hoima sections is also gravel with ditchto ditch distance of 8 m and 4 m wide track carriageway. This road generallynarrows at river crossings and has a total width ot about 6.5 m inclusive of theshoulders which are overgrown with vegetation. In Hoima town, there is a stretchof 1.6 km of tarmac road which is completely worn out on the sides and thecentre.

3.2 DETAILS OF ROAD WORKS

The upgraded road will more or less follow the existing alignment in order tominimize fresh disruptions to the environment with the exception of some minorrealignments at the appropriate sections especially as the road approaches Hoima.

Other characteristics of this road include:

* clearing and grubbing;* paved shoulders 1.5 metres;* bituminous surfacing (chip and spray);* 6 metre carriage way all through;* surface drainage enhancement and bridge works.


r USUNWU-KBOGA-H0IMA ROAD IJPGRADING PROJECT

4.0 CURRENT STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT INTHEPROJECT AREA

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the baseline conditions in the study area and providessummarized informnation on the physical, biological and socio-economicenvironment. The purpose of this chapter is to facilitate the evaluation of impactsassessed in the next chapter and the description puts more emphasis on resourceslikely to be affected by the proposed project activities.

4.2 TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY AND SOILS

The area traversed by the project road between Busunju and Kiboga is typicallyhilly with the first 50 km up to Lwamata characterised by a series of ridgesoriented in west - east direction. Road elevations in this section vary from 1050m to 1200 m. From Lwamata to Kiboga, the highlands are restricted to the southand the road runs through a flat plain on the northern side at a general elevation of1150 m. From Kiboga to Hoima topography remains flat except for minordepressions on swamps and river crossings. Average elevation along this sectionvaries from 1000 m to 1150 m.

There are two major geological formations crossed by this road. BetweenBusunju and Kiboga, solid geology is the Buganda - Toro system comprising ofrocks such as schists, shales, phylites and basal quartzites. Folding is quiteprominent between Lwamata and Katera with many steep sided ridges occurringhere and there. From Kiboga to Hoima, the major part of the road alignment isunderlain by Basement Complex comprising of biotite gneisses, granite gneisses,amphibolites and quartzites.

The dominant soil type all through the road alignment from Busunju to Hoima isferralitic consisting of mainly sandy clay looms with dominant colour red. Thereare also pockets of sandy looms which also fall under the ferralitic type of soils.

4.3 CLIMATE AND DRAlNAGE

The project area receives ample rainfall (average 1000 mm per annum) withtemperature ranging between 22°C and 26°C. Busunju area receives an annualaverage rainfall of 1180 mm while Kiboga and Hoima receive 1357 mm and 768mm respectively. Most of the precipitation takes place in two wet seasons namelyMarch - May and September - November of each year. The area is poorly drainedwith numerous seasonal and permanent wetlands including major rivers such asKafu and Hoima. There are about 25 streams between Busunju and Hoima alongthis road.

4.4 LAND USE AND LAND COVER

The project area has got a variety of land uses and vegetation cover. The .ircj

between Busunju and Kiboga is intensively cultivated unlike between Kiboga .1nd


0 OsSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

Hoima. The latter has got rich vegetation cover dominated by woodland. Anumber of forest reserves are close to this road and at one point, it crosses one(Kikonda FR). The others are Bwezigo-Gunga, Luwunga, Taata, Kandanda-Ngobya and Mukihani. The total area under forests in Kiboga district is estimatedat 31.000 hectares while Hoima has 58,300 hectares of which 34,000 hectares isnatural forest. The types of forest species in Hoima district are mahogany andother hardwoods and the volume of current exploitation is 12,000m3 of wood peryear.

4.5 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

The total area of the three districts is 16,220km2 with a combined population ofone million according to the 1991 population census. The population density forMubende, Kiboga and Hoima at that time was 84, 37 and 56 /km2 respectivelywhen that of Uganda was OS /km2. The average household size is 5 persons.

Table 4.1 Population numbers and Density by District: 1969, 1980 and 1991

District Population in 'OOOs Area (kmZ) Population Density (km2)1969 1980 1991 Land 1969 1980 1991

Mubende 255 372 501 6308 43 62 84Kiboga 76 139 142 4004 20 36 37Hoima 113 142 198 5908 32 40 56Uganda 9,535 12,636 16,672 197,096 84 64 85

Source: The 1991 Population and Housing Census - National Summary

In all the districts, there are more men than women and the average sex ratio(males per 100 females) in 1991 was 103, 105 and 101 for Mubende, Kiboga andHoima respectively.

4.5.1 Settlement and housing

The population in the study area is mainly rural with clustered settlements in .ilinear arrangement especially on hillsides. Most of these settlements lack cIeanwater and have very poor sanitary provisions. Up to 92% of the entire populatinin the study area live in grass thatched huts made from mud and wattle.

Settlements are not planned including some in major centres such as Lwarnma.Kiboga and Hoima. This has had a negative effect on the provision of sx .ii

services and improved environment management e.g. sanitation. Although ,-rcsettlements have access to safe water sources such as boreholes, majorits r,collect water for domestic use from the nearby shallow wells or swamps.

4.5.2 Energy

Majority of the households in the study area use woodfuel for cooking. Panrthis reason but also being predominantly in a rural setting, wood fuel is thesource of household energy, That is the reason why charcoal bumrir'.


0 USUNJUKIClBOGA-HOI~ ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

firewood sales are the main activities along this road. Acacia and Combretum treespecies are the most preferred for they produce food quality charcoal and if thisroad is upgraded, more charcoal may have to be produced for sale, thus affectingthe existing land cover.

4.5.3 Transport and communication

Road is by far the most important mode of transport in the study area where thegravel BKH road is the main trunk road fed by a number of feeder roads. Thesefeeder roads are usually in poor state and not always motorable particularly duringrainy seasons. There are other gravel trunk roads such as Hoima - Fort Portal andHoima - Masindi. Hoima district has an estimated total of 1000 km of roads whileKiboga has about 530 km.

4.5.4 Health

In respect with health services, there are two hospitals, 33 health units, 5 healthcentres, 6 maternity units, 33 dispensaries and aid posts in both Kiboga andHoima districts. There is a total of 303 beds in the two districts with 9 medicaldoctors, 110 nurses, 18 health assistants, 62 nursing aids, 16 medical assistantsand 11 paramedicals. The most common human diseases are malaria, anaemia,intestinal worms, diarrhea, respiratory infections skin diseases and eye and earinfections. The major constraints facing the health sector are shortage of qualifiedstaff inadequate funding and low level of community awareness.

4.5.5 Education and literacy

Literacy levels in the three districts are still low but is even lower in females andrural areas. In Kiboga for example, 55% of all the population aged 10 years andabove can read and write of which only 24% are females. Males who have nothad formal education in both Mubende and Hoima districts constitute 19%respectively which implies that in both districts about 81% of the illiterate peopleare females.

There are 218 government aided schools with a total of 55,807 students in bothKiboga and Hoima districts out of which there are 28,796 boys and the rest girls.There are 2,350 qualified teachers and only 36% are females. Before theUniversal Primary Education Programme, the student - teacher ratio was about 24while the number of students per classroom was about 40. The situation muthave changed by now.

The major problems in promoting education and increasing literacy levels includeinadequate qualified teachers, lack of facilities such as classrooms and fumiturc.poverty and early marriages. The rate of school drop-outs is higher for girls thanboys.


eusUNJU-KBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRDING PROIECT

4.5.6 Local Economy

Households are predominantly active in growing food and cash crops, andtherefore, obtain their main source of livelihood from subsistence farming. Mostof the agricultural activities are based on the produce of crops and livestockkeeping. The production of timber is also lucrative and recently oil explorationalong the shores of L. Albert has been instituted. Women also contributesignificantly in the production process even though they have limited or even nocontrol over the means of production.

A total of 22 different types of crops are grown in the project districts and includebeans, maize, coffee, tobacco, cotton, tea, sweet potatoes, matoke, ground nuts,unions, sorghum, finger millet, sugar cane etc. A number of fruits especiallypineapples, passion fruits and ginger are common in Kiboga while tea is mostly inHoima district. By 1995, there were a total of about 96,000 heads of cattle,27,000 sheep, and 39,000 goats. Within the same period, the total milkproduction in both districts was estimated at 370,000 litres per day of which300,000 litres was consumed locally per day.

Comrnon animal diseases in the said districts are tick - bome diseases,trypanosomiasis, helminthiasis and heart water. The diseases are not properlycontrolled or treated due to the scarcity of drugs and vaccines which pushes up theprice making it unaffordable to most rural farmers.


LuSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

5.0 EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTSINCLUDING RESETTLEMENT ISSUES

5.1 INTRODUCTION

This section of the report identifies and evaluates the possible impacts of BKHroad improvements. The impacts are categorized according to their effects oneither the physical, biological or socio-economic environment. Some of theimpacts likely to be caused by improving this road are not significant while otherswhich could be, will be less severe if measures suggested in Chapter 6 are taken..

5.2 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

* land take

Some land will permanently be lost to road widening and other relatedimprovements. Such land will mainly involve open grassland, cultivated orfallow land. As pointed out earlier, the improved road will follow the existingcourse wherever possible with a few exceptions for keeping both thehorizontal and vertical alignment. For the Kiboga - Hoima section this roadwill not pass through many homes because the area is sparsely populatedunlike the Busunju - Kiboga section where a number of villages/centres arenear the road.

Temporary land take will occur when land is used for borrow pits, quarries,contractor's camps and other working areas and accesses to them. Land willalso be required for road diversions during the constructipn process.

* effects of gravel extraction and hard-core requirements for grading andbridge construction respectively

Gravel, rock and embankment fill material will be required during roadconstruction. Borrow pits and quarries will have a variety of impacts. Theseinclude land take, access road requirements, dust and noise while operational.effects of blasting, haul road traffic, generation of sediment with possibleresultant downstream damage, safety of quarry faces, health hazards due toponding water, and visual impact.

* effects of spoil generated during road widening and gravel extraction

Enormous amount of spoil is expected during construction especially in theswamps and other areas with a lot of soft materials. This is likely to bie otsignificant environmental importance as far as the dumping of this spoil i,concemed because its disposal may render some land (where it is disposcd ineffective in the long term.


eUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT

increased rates of soil erosion during construction and operationalphases

During construction, any forn of excavation presents a risk of soil erosion.This is likely to occur in or/and around borrow pits, steep slopes, alongdrainage channels and water runoff. This, however, may not be significantbecause the area traversed by the road still have ample vegetation cover. Forthe most part of the road, however, slope destabilisation, erosion andsedimentation are considered significant potential impacts.

pollution of land, surface or ground water from accidental spillagesduring construction and operation

During the construction phase, there is a possibility of contaminating land,surface or underground water. Predominant among these are the inevitableloose soil and gravel that will lie on and adjacent to the road, and the lime thatwill be used for the stabilisation of the base over some lengths of road. There isalso the possibility of fuel and oil spillage from construction vehicles, ofbitumen spillage, and of debris from the construction or repair of drainagestructure. After construction, when the improved roads are in operation, there isalways a danger of watercourse pollution from general fuel or oil spillagescaused by road accidents. An accident of a similar nature recently occurred onBushenyi - Kasese road where furnace oil was spilled in a wetland near asettlement.

effects of construction camps for the contractor and workers

Though covering relatively a small area, a contractor's camp, can if notcontrolled, cause significant environmental damage for a considerable longtime. The major causes are pollution due to all forms of waste, increasedfuelwood consumption, erosion and drainage, spillage of all sorts of oils andfuel, land take, dust, noise, construction of traffic routes to collect matenrals.poaching if sited in game protected areas, local inflationary pressure due toincreased commodity demand, social rifts and rivalry caused by cash-rich campmen, insecurity, prostitution encouragement and increased incidence of sexu.al Iktransmitted diseases.

It is not clear at this stage how many camps will be set up by the contractor. rmof what size or if there would be need for any at all. However, considering theprobable location of camps in relation to forest reserves and the importamcwhich is attached to land and its resources, possible impacts of camp(s) artconsidered quite significant.

construction traffic and road detours

Since most sections of the road are currently in reasonable condition, the x x

traffic that will be generated by the construction process will not be sign!t'i .i;except very locally close to borrow areas. Some parts of the road are, hov-.


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