May 25, 2021
By: Audrey John
The Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) has organized a three day public disclosure of the Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) report for the Reconstruction of the Kailahun – Koidu, Koidu – Guinea Border and Koidu – Liberia Border Road Projects.
The events were held on the 11th May, 2021 in Freetown, in Kailahun on May 17 and in Koidu Town on May 18th 2021, respectively. It brought together key stakeholders and interested parties, including the Environment Protection Agency, Sierra Leone (EPA-SL), local authorities, Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC), Guma Valley Water Company, the Office of National Security, Sierra Leone Police, Traders Union, Motor Drivers’ Union, Bike Riders Union, civil society, women’s group, youth groups and the media.
The ESHIA report assessed the impacts of the operations and provided mitigation measures, including environmental and social management plans and monitoring measures for the entire project cycle.
The report identified air, water pollution, land, soil degradation, noise, vibration, involuntary displacement, risk of disease transmission and waste generation as some of the negative environment and social impacts anticipated as a result of the road construction. The positive impacts include employment opportunities, improvement in local and regional economy and improvement in network connectivity and traveling within the district.
It recommended, among other things, that the acquisition of land should be done in agreement with the local authorities, regular sprinkling of water on dry and dusty road surfaces, contractors to ensure that all vehicles and construction machinery are kept in good condition all the time to avoid excessive noise generation, affected communities should be informed earlier on displacement, affected businesses will be compensated appropriately according to existing best practices and minimize clearance and disruption of vegetation on river banks.
Before the presentation of the ESHIA report in the Kailahun District Council Hall, the Deputy Director General of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority, Ing. Abdulai Ansumana told the stakeholders that were present that the Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) was a fulfillment of the EPA-SL regulation for construction works to commence, and a key requirement for the donors to approve the funds for the project.
Ing. Ansumana reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of Sierra Leone to reconstruct the Kailahun – Koidu, Koidu – Guinea Border and Koidu – Liberia Border Road and to restore the socio-economic relevance of Koidu and Kailahun District in general. He told the stakeholders that government was at an advance stage to secure the funds for the project, and encouraged them to be patient and take ownership of development projects.
The Executive Chairman for the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Bundi Gavao described the document to be “entirely good”. He implored the SLRA to be collaborating with EPA-SL in supervising the contractors to ensure that they comply with the implementation of the environment management plan and other safeguards requirements. Also, he used the opportunity to educate the audience on sensitive environmental management issues such avoiding the deforestation of their environment to avoid natural disasters.
Several stakeholders commended the project because of its socio-economic benefits to them, and lauded the leadership of President Maada Bio for making efforts to actualize the project. The Deputy Chairperson for Kailahun District Council, Mrs. Doris Baby Momoh expressed appreciation to the management of SLRA for organizing the public disclosure. “We are extremely happy and hopeful that our people will benefit from the expected development impacts of the project”, she said.
Mrs. Momoh advocated for the involvement of the Council Works Engineer, and the Environmental and Social Officers in the implementation and monitoring of the project.
Concerns raised by stakeholders on the payment of compensation to project affected persons, employment opportunities for indigenes and safety issues were all addressed by the project management team.
The total distance of the road to be reconstructed is 62.85km. The project areas approximately comprise 23 towns and villages across three chiefdoms. The Islamic Development Bank will fund the rehabilitation of 39.8km of roads in Kailahun, including ancillary works. The African Development Bank will fund the reconstruction works from Dobuo – Koidu – Guinea – Liberia Border Roads and the construction of the 250m Peace Bridge at Yenga.
Koindu used to host a major international market where traders from the Mano River Union countries – Guinea, Liberia Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone – met to transact goods and services.
The reconstruction of the said road project is expected to, among other benefits, improve the region’s road network, reduce travel time along and across the roads, enhance the operational efficiency of the road, promote economic growth within the region, improve safety and reliability for all road users, attract diverted traffic that will foster regional growth and provide employment opportunities to local inhabitants.