The Tanzanian government has finally granted permission to the National Development Corporation (NDC) to carry out environmental and social impact assessment studies around the new location of the pro…
The Tanzanian government has finally granted permission to the National Development Corporation (NDC) to carry out environmental and social impact assessment studies around the new location of the proposed soda ash plant at Lake Natron. According to a press statement released 30 June 2008 by NDC managing director Gideon Nasari in Dar es Salaam, permission has been granted by the minister of state in the Vice-President Office (Environment), Ms Matilda Buriani. Mr Nasari said the minister has also directed NDC to assess the ecology and hydrology of the lake to establish if extracting soda from the lake would comprise chemical composition of its water. He said the minister had stressed the importance of establishing the magnitude of the damage to the environment and propose mitigating measures. The managing director said the study will also take into account the issue of infrastructure development in the area such as roads and rail and look to a new source of fresh water for the factory and domestic use by surrounding residents. Mr Nasari said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism was in the process of preparing an integrated management plan for the Lake Natron Ramsar site. The lake hosts three quarters of the world“s lesser flamingos which use it for breeding. However, the proposed plant has been relocated some 32 kilometres away from the lake and the Ramsar site. “By relocating the factory away from the lake we are sure that we can co-exist with the flamingos. We are also working very hard to prove scientifically that in fact there is a self-renewing ability in that lake”, Mr Nasari explained. A coalition of 32 environmental groups in East Africa has raised concerns that construction of the proposed plant, which is to be developed jointly between NDC and Tata Chemicals Limited of India, would threaten the rare flamingos. Tanzania is a signatory of the Ramsar Site Convention which protects wetlands including Lake Natron. However, Mr. Nasari said the Ramsar site management plan was another element that would guide development of the project to avoid distorting or compromising nature. NDC and Tata Chemicals Limited of India plan to jointly develop the USD 300 million soda ash project, with an initial capacity to produce 500,000 metric tonnes per year and later double output to 1 million tonnes. The project will also create 500 permanent jobs and 2,000 indirect ones.