The Water Hole

Category: Flamingo, Lake Natron, Wetlands, Wildlife | Date: Jul 17 2008 | By: thewaterhole

I just received a press statement from the Ken Mwathe of the Lake Natron Consultative Group which has been protesting against the soda ash plant in this important Laser Flamingo breeding site. The press statement, which is date 10 July 2008, protests against the decision made by the National Development Corporation (NDC) of Tanzania that the project would proceed as it had been designed despite Tata Chemical’s announcement that they would await a Ramsar Management Plan being developed for Lake Natron. The LNCG also faults the statement made by NDC on the basis that the NDC is a partner in the project and it cannot make the decision to proceed with the project according to the Tanzanian law, which makes this decision illegal. The LNCG has also defended itself against the NDC’s accusations that LNCG was behind the problems the project is currently facing. They lay the blame on the NDC for failing to advice the government on proper procedure. There are other concerns and they are reproduced here below by request of Mr Mwathe.

Read on.

LAKE NATRON CONSULTATIVE GROUP

Press Statement

Nairobi, 10th July 2008

THE GROUP FAULTS NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION’S POSITION
OVER THE PROPOSED LAKE NATRON SODA ASH PROJECT

The Lake Natron Consultative Group (The Group) takes note of the statement by the
National Development Corporation (NDC), the co-investor with Tata Chemicals Ltd
(TLC), insisting that the Lake Natron Soda Ash Project will go ahead.

We also take note of the statement that The Group is responsible for the woes now
facing the soda ash project, especially what NDC termed “negative publicity”.

Further, the assertion that NDC is concerned about the environment and has
responded by shifting the project site (32 kms away) and commissioned a new
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Integrated Management
Planning process for the Ramsar site, is taken note of. NDC’s statement also stated that
the soda ash project will not harm the lesser flamingos, the local people and
biodiversity in general.

The Group’s Response

The Lake Natron Consultative Group would like to state as follows:

a. The statement by NDC goes counter to the recent announcement by Tata
Chemicals Ltd that it has withdrawn the project as originally conceptualized.
Quoted in The Hindustan Times of India, the TCL Managing Director Mr Homi
Khusrokhan said:

“The Company is not in a position to take a view with regard to
resumption ‘till it has a chance to examine the final approved Ramsar
Management Plan currently under preparation for Lake Natron.” The
Hindustan Times story titled Green Groups halt Tata Plant in
Tanzania also quoted Mr Khusrokhan saying, “…the original
Environment and Social Impact Assessment…..should be treated as
withdrawn)

It would appear that the NDC issued the statement on its own behalf and not on
behalf of TCL. So, is the NDC on its own?

b. The NDC is not in a position to determine the fate of the proposed project since it is
also a player in the process. According to Tanzanian laws, the Minister for
Environment in the Vice President’s Office has the final word. So far, Hon Dr
Batilda Buriani has demonstrated fairness and objectivity with regard to this issue
and we highly commend her for this.

c. The woes now facing the proposed soda ash project are largely attributable to
NDC. As a government agency working with Tata Chemicals Ltd, the NDC failed to
advice the government on the need to follow the due process as prescribed by
Tanzanian laws. AT the same time NDC failed to defend the soda ash project in all
the stakeholder meetings held to discuss the issue.

NDC did not insist that all the necessary information and data (such as feasibility
and cost-benefit analysis) be in place before coming out in public on the project.
The result was the disaster that was the Environmental and Social Impact
Assessment (ESIA) report, which was faulted by the Technical Advisory Committee
of the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) on 2nd November
2007 and was overwhelmingly rejected during the public hearing on 23rd January
2008. Stakeholders further rejected the project during the Ramsar Advisory
Mission (RAM) in February and the World Bank meeting on 30th April 2008 in Dar
es Salaam.

d. The NDC did not demand that an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for the
Ramsar site be developed before floating the soda ash proposal. This contravened
the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance of which
Tanzania is a signatory. Instead, the investor decided to put the cart before the
horse.

To be credited, however, is the new Minister for Environment (Hon Dr Batilda
Burhani) who issued an order on 1st May 2008 that no further project processes
touching on the soda ash project will be allowed until the Integrated
Management Plan for Lake Natron is developed and approved. It is therefore
belated for NDC to state that it would ensure that an IMP is done.

e. The statement by NDC on the impacts of the proposed project are contrary a
document developed by its own consultants. The ESIA Report explains in detail the
negative social and ecological impacts of the project, which include impacts on
flamingos, impacts on pastoral livelihoods, tourism and pressure on natural
resources (including firewood and water). It also mentions positive impacts among
them 150 permanent jobs and 2,000 casual ones and “millions of US dollars” to the
Tanzanian economy. The new “perspectives” on these issues by NDC are therefore
not tenable unless backed by new studies.

f. Strong opposition to the soda ash project has come from Tanzanians of all walks of
life, professionals and the donor community. In addition, local communities at
Pinyiny, Ngare Sero, Matali, Gelai, Kitumbeine and other villages around Lake
Natron have said “No”.

These local people are not environmentalists but poor people who are worried
about the negative impacts of the project on their sources of livelihoods (e.g
ecotourism, pastoralism). They are also worried about being displaced from their
land and a trampling of their rights. The claim that so many million US $ will be
pumped to the national economy has little relevance to the local people.

g. The Group has stated before that shifting the factory site 32 kms away does not
necessarily mitigate the negative impacts of the proposed project. If anything, it is
likely to spread the impacts over a wider area thus leaving a huge ecological
footprint on the landscape. Critically important, the raw material will still be
removed from Lake Natron using a complex grid of pipes and pumps. The
negative impacts on the Lesser Flamingos and other forms of biodiversity that
depend on the lake are therefore not likely to change.

h. Finally, The Group would not to like to see the Kenyan soda ash mining experience
replayed in Tanzania. In spite of being in operation for over 100 years, soda ash
mining at Lake Magadi in Kenya has not benefited the local community.
Government reports (CBS 2003) show that Magadi Division is one of the poorest in
Kajiado District and in the country, in spite of the massive investment by Magadi
Soda Company (which has now been acquired by Tata Chemicals Ltd).

To the contrary, the Magadi Soda ash project has caused displacement of local
communities from their land, environmental degradation, poor health and now an
acute shortage of fresh water after the construction of the second plant. Until
recently, the company paid 10 Kenyan cents for 1 tonne of the soda ash raw
material (1 US $ = 60 Ksh and 1 Ksh = 100 cents). This was reviewed to Ksh 26 per
tonne in a new land lease that was opposed by the local community but extended
by the government in controversial circumstances

i. As The Group, we shall continue to engage in a debate founded on facts
regarding this issue. We owe it to the local community, the global community and
future generations to ensure that the resources at Lake Natron are not jeopardised
by development that is not sustainable. Tata Chemicals Ltd seems to be in
agreement with this. We now ask the National Development Corporation to do
the same.

In conclusion, The Group would like to urge the Minister of natural Resources and
Tourism and the Minister of Environment in Tanzania, to ensure that no further
processes related to the proposed soda ash project are undertaken before the
Integrated Management Plan for the Lake Natron Ramsar site is completed.

The plan should be preceded by detailed studies, including the ecology and
breeding behaviour of the lesser flamingos and cost benefit analysis.

ENDS

For more details contact:

Ken Mwathe
Coordinator, Lake Natron Consultative Group

BirdLife International,
Africa Partnership Secretariat,
ICIPE Campus, Kasarani Road,
P.O Box 3502 – 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 20 8562246/8562490
Fax +254 20 8562259
Office cell +254 734 600905 or +254 722 200238
Personal Cell +254 733 926191

LAKE NATRON CONSULTATIVE GROUP INSTITUTIONS

1. East African Wildlife Society (EAWLS) www.eawildlife.org
2. Nature Kenya www.naturekenya.org
3. BirdLife Africa Partnership Secretariat www.birdlife.org
4. African Conservation Centre (ACC) www.conservationafrica.org
5. Youth For Conservation www.youthforconservation.org
6. South Rift Association of Landowners (SORALO)
7. Kenya Wetlands Forum (KWF) www.eawildlife.org
8. Centre for Minority Rights Development (CEMIRIDE)
www.cemiride.info
9. Kenya Community Based Tourism Network (KECOBAT)
10. Environmental Liaison Centre International (ELCI) www.elci.org
11. Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Law (CREEL)
12. Wildlife Clubs of Kenya (WCK) www.wildlifeclubskenya.wildlifedirect.org
13. Ethiopia Wildlife and Natural History Society (EWNHS)
14. Born Free Foundation www.bornfree.org
15. Uganda Wildlife Society
16. Nature Uganda www.natureuganda.org
17. Lawyers Environmental Action Team (LEAT), Tanzania www.leat.or.tz
18. Forum for Environment (Ethiopia) www.ffe-ethiopia.org
19. Horn of Africa - Regional Environment Centre/Network, Addis
Ababa University, Ethiopia www.hoarec.org
20. Djibouti Nature www.hobotraveler.com/na_djibouti-nature.php
21. The Heritage Society www.heritagesociety.org
22. Game Rangers Association of Africa www.gameranger.org
23. Maa Civil Society Forum
24. Lake Naivasha Riparian Association www.lakenaivasha.org
25. American Council For Wildlife Preservation
26. PIBI Biological Research Foundation
27. Kenya Alliance of Residents Association www.kara.or.ke
28. Kenya Water and Sanitation Network (KEWASNET)
29. Ecotourism Kenya www.ecotourismkenya.org
30. Ilkisongo Pastoralist Initiatives (IPI), Monduli & Longido Tanzania
31. Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET)
32. Miliru-Bushi Organization Kenya (MIBOK)
33. Wildlife for Sustainable Development, Ethiopia

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