For a large development program like the RSDP, an Environmental Assessment was considered necessary and consequently, Road Sector Environmental Assessment (EA) was developed in order to focus on the sector planning with policy, regulatory and institutional framework, & on environmental principles, standards & guidelines for the road projects and to guide all road sector activities in the country.
Following the development of various environmental policies and guidelines, the ERA has established an independent Environmental Unit to address environmental issues in Road infrastructure planning and implementation procedures. The overall environmental management of the road sector activities, carrying out or the EAs, ensuring the incorporation of EA findings into design and mitigation plans, and supervising their implementation, call for the establishment and adequate staffing of an independent unit fully responsible for the consideration of environmental issues in road sector development program. The unit has adequate opportunity to participate, evaluate & follow-up activities in all phases of the planning process, and ensure that EA has been incorporated into RSDP sub-Project plans. Since the establishment of the Unit in 1998, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has become a mandatory planning tool and the mainstreaming of environmental issues in road sector has been done successfully. Even currently significant attempts are being put in to further strengthen and make stronger environmental clauses of our contractual bidding documents.
Environmental Issues
Remarkable achievements have been obtained in the area of environmental consideration in road projects. Some of the environmental mitigation measures are: physical erosion control measures, bio-engineering works to minimize the effect of erosion, slope stabilization works, water and air pollution control activities, social and resettlement issues etc.
The major focus of the endeavor made so far are:
- Improving the existing road planning and implementation procedures in terms of addressing environmental issues;
- Addressing and incorporating all environmental issues in almost all projects with emphasis on their detrimental effects on the environment and the corresponding mitigation measures;
- Making all the necessary attempts to incorporate the recommendations of the EIA into the Tender Documents for effective implementation;
- Assisting the development of ERA Quality Assurance Systems for environmental and social safeguards;
- Awareness creation activities among all staff and also other actors of road planning.
- Formulating a monitoring mechanism to ensure that the recommended mitigation measures are implemented. The monitoring has been made through the supervision consultants of the respective projects; and
- Ensuring the participation of the people especially in the route corridor to guarantee the sustainability of the projects.
Social Issues and Right-of-Way
Social issues in road projects form an integral part of environmental consideration. It is on this basis that all environmental assessment undertakings also include social impact assessments for each project. Consideration of social issues is a crucial undertaking since development projects should not adversely affect the people in the respective project areas.
Social issues in road projects in the Ethiopian context include effect of projects on the:
- economic activities of the people;
- cultural heritages of the people;
- life of indigenous community,
- demographic and settlement pattern;
- life style of the people; and
- expropriation of properties
- Under ground archaeological and artifacts
- HIV/AIDS and other STD
Compensation
Concerning right-of-way consideration, the issuance of this Proclamation, Proc. No. 455/2005, Article 8, and Sub- Article has drastically augmented the amount of compensation for the PAPs and the following figure shows the yearly payment for right-of-way clearance and other land acquisitions from 1998/99 to 20008/09. The detail yearly expenditure is shown as:
Chart 3 Payment for RoW (1998/99-2006/07)