NEMA/EIA/5/2/1278:
COMMENTS
ON AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED COAL FIRED
POWER PLANT IN LAMU COUNTY.
VISION 2030 ON SOCIAL:
‘’A
just and a cohesive society enjoying equitable and social development in a
clean and secure environment’’.
The coal project is not part of the vision
2030.The coal project will pull the Lamu county people back by destroying their
clean environment .their livelihood:
Honey: the Boni people
and the Sanye who derive their livelihood from the forest bees will perish if
this project is implemented. Bees are sensitive to pollution and are very important
in pollination. The many farmers who plant cotton and watermelon next to the
project will lose their livelihood.
Tourism:
Rare
plants and animals will die due to pollution if this project will be implemented.
Looking at how they die all revolves to pollution of their ecosystem. Tourism
is a major income earner to this country and a major employer of the locals.
The sea beach will be no more a relish to the tourism industry..the sea
delicacy will dwindle and all this as a result of the pollutants from the coal.
THE
NEW KENYAN CONSTITITUTION ENTITLES EVERY KENYAN TO A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT:
According to chapter IV, chapter V, chapter
X,the Fourth Schedule and the Fifth Schedule, the constitution imposes
obligations in respect of the environment and outlaws processes and activities
likely to endanger the environment. Secondly, it seeks to protect and promote
substantive environmental rights. Thirdly, it provides an avenue for redress of
environmental rights breaches. Fourthly, it encourages greater public
participation in the enforcement of environmental rights. T he state shall ensure sustainable exploitation, utilization, management
and conservation of the environment and natural resources’, Article 42 of
the Constitution, for example, recognizes the right to a clean and healthy
environment. This, according to the Constitution, is a two-fold right.
Looking closely and certifying that the
environment will be degraded I wish to counter the mitigation cited as plastic
and a justification that can’t be justified:
Supercritical
Unit Is Just A Marketing Gimmick Which has failed to minimize pollution in china.
China
is a developed country. It has one of the best technologies that would help its
people against pollution. But what happened on 24th December 2015
would happen in Kenya soon we have the coal mine. Our children will die , our
elderly will suffer and the economically strong population will dwindle
.Chinese people will afford an air conditioner that can filter air but can a
Kenyan can’t afford leave alone to stay indoor when there is a smog?
WIND
DIRECTION FORECASTING IS A HOODWINK:
It is not right to mitigate the effect of
pollution by sighting wind direction which is affected by so many factors among
them temperature. Once the coal plant will be in place the normal wind
direction will be affected. Then this means that where we predicted that the
bad air emitted will not go to then it will go and this is where the human
masses are dwelling.
‘’The wind in geostrophic balance blows
parallel to the isobars, which means that these winds are parallel to the other
mass fields (density, temperature). This geostrophic approximation holds for
large-scale motion away from the equator. Moving downwards to the surface,
frictional forces increase and the surface winds are no longer parallel to the
pressure field but angled toward lower pressure’’
A
COAL CONVEYER OF 15 KM…A SOURCE OF POLLUTION:
This will enable emissions of particulate matter and gases including methane
(CH4), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx), as well as carbon
monoxide (CO).The dust will be dangerous to the birds and marine life. Through
water ways by washing where all water bodies find their way through the water
sea coal contain hazardous chemical that will be harmful to the our livelihood.
The threat of black lung among the workers working ithe coal plant will be
prevalent
ASH
YARD STORAGE OF 15 YEARS IS IMPOSSIBLE AND GROUND SEEPAGE IS POSSIBLE
After 15 years where will we dumb this
dangerous ash compost of ash? It contains ferromagnetic minerals dangerous and
toxic chemicals that cannot be exported to the moon. They will definitely find their
way to the marine life through seepage and other means. Fly ash produced
through high-temperature combustion of fossil. They contain heavy metals
THERMAL
EFFLUENCE
Temperature change in the sea will
adversely alter the way marine life procreates. This will dwindle the catch of
the local and international fishermen.
NO
MATTER HOW TALL THE CHIMNEY WILL BE
210M THE BAD GAS WILL COME BACK EVEN MAKING IT EASY FOR ACID RAIN
FORMATION.
Co2 is a major cause of global warming, Developing
nations cannot afford to cut down the green gas if they are the one now
increasing it.
SALINIZATION
OF WATER TABLE:
The thermal coal plant is a major user
of water. The source of water is definitely the sea. Desalinization processes
of making the water usable will trigger
increase salinity of the brackish and fresh water. This is how it
happens: once desalinization processes has been done the most saline water will
be allowed to flow back. This super ‘’salanised’’ water will seep through the
ground to the water table where the locals will have dug their bore holes .…
Quality of ground water will be in danger.
.Now our people will not enjoy the fresh
water we enjoy.
975ACRE
QUALITY ARABLE LAND TO THE PROJECT:
This land could thwart hunger of many
Kenyans and deny them a living.if this land is reverted back to the local then
the economic activity derived from it would be more sustainable.
EMISSION
Pyrite whicjh is
one of the emmitants reacts with air and water to form weak sulphuric acid and
dissolves iron. Most houses are made of iron sheets. This means that the coal
plants shall make the local invest heavily on iron sheets and those who cannot
afford it will live without adequate shelter. Shelter is a basic need and
denying the local mwananchi his basic need is absurd
SO,
NO, NO2
has not been mitigated. We can’t account for the eminent risk health that our
people will be exposed to.
NO
MITIGATION MEASURES HAVE BEEN PUT ON :
Heavy metals like lead, mercury, nickel, tin, cadmium,
antimony, and arsenic, as well as radio isotopes of thorium and strontium
NOISE
POLLUTION:
The silent Lamu ecotourism façade will
be gone…this will scare away wildlife.
THE
COAL PLANT IS UNSUSTAINABLE:
Coal as a raw material is mined and
extracted from the source unsustainably. This means that the employment created
will not be sustainable as coal resources will dwindle. Most financial
institution are aligning their lending policy to green sustainable clean
energy. As they align to the same this means the project may crample to it
knees due to financial incapabilities. My advice to the country is to venture
into sustainable energy production that will not only provide long terms jobs
but long term generation of the power to the country.
CULTURAL
HERITAGE
1.
The
sulphur will degrade old building that are our heritage: the Lamu museum
2.
Bees
keeping will e a thing of history: This is what The Boni tribe identify with
and there is a lot the future generation will miss.
REFERENCES
1.
The
new Kenyan constitution Revised Edition
2010 Published by the National Council for Law Reporting with the Authority of
the Attorney General
2.
The
vision 20130 popular version
3. The ESIA For
1,050MW Coal Fired Plant, Lamu County Kenya published by Current
Technologies
THIS COMENTARY IS THE ORIGINAL
WORK OF A CONCERNED BONIFIDE RESIDENT
CITIZEN MEMBER OF LAMU COUNTY
WALTER W.WAKHUNGU
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