This is good news. It appears we are back to the drawing board!
Dear Sir / Madam
REGISTERED INTERESTED AND AFFECTED PARTY NOTIFICATION: STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION PROCESS
DMR REFERENCE: KZN 30/5/1/2/2/10060MR
KZNDEDT REFERENCE: DC 28/0035/2013: KZN/EIA/0001371/2013
Ibutho Coal (Pty) Ltd applied for a Mining Right in terms of section 22(1) of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002 (MPRDA) which was accepted by the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR). In addition, the application for Environmental Authorisation in terms of the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA) was submitted to the (then) Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs (DAEA) and acknowledged by the Department.
As directed by the DMR in their acceptance letter dated 16 January 2015, the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) was submitted to the DMR on 22 May 2015, and was made available for comment to relevant authorities and registered Interested and Affected Parties on 1 June 2015 for a period of 60 calendar days ending on 3 August 2015.
We have received a number of comments on the draft reports, and would like to thank you for your participation and time in the compilation of the comments.
After due consideration of the comments, Ibutho Coal together with its EIA specialist team are in the process of identifying options to address the noted concerns, which could include but is not limited to:
· Further consultation with the affected communities.
· Additional studies are considered, where appropriate.
· Revisiting of the mine planning to reduce the zone of influence associated with the mine.
You will be notified of Ibutho Coal’s decision in this regard once the plan of action has been formulated.
As a result of the additional work planned for the project, no immediate engagement sessions will be scheduled, apart from the ongoing community consultation. You will be notified timeously of any future engagement sessions.
Please contact us in case there are any questions or clarification needed.
On behalf of
Marietjie Eksteen - Jacana Environmentals cc
Environmental Assessment Practitioner
Lizinda Dickson - Public Participation Office
Tel: (012) 543 9093
Fax: 086 776 3478
Email: fuleniproject@gmail.com
There is not enough water for downstream communities in normal years, and the current drought will need two to three good rainfall years just to replenish the water table. I strongly feel this project must be stopped, and in fact, the whole mine should be shut down.
I have worked on collieries in Mpumalanga, and have yet to see any of the rehabilitated areas return to pre-mining status.
Pingback: Reply to Ibutho Coal’s announcement on 18 November 2015 | Save Our iMfolozi Wilderness