Farm Environmental and Social Impact Study (ESIA) findings

Farm Environmental and Social Impact Study (ESIA) findings

  • Identified as category C by Egypt’s Environmental Regulatory body, the Egyptian Environmental Affair Agency, Canal Sugar’s  project required a full fledged environmental and social impact study.
  • Canal Sugar hired a certified local environmental consultant, who through examining the environmental setting of the project area, the construction and operational phases and addressing stakeholders, drew the following conclusion on the farm:
  • Positive social impacts:
    • Increase in employment opportunities through hiring near 1,000 employees from neighboring villages, where agriculture constitutes the main income generating activity of the governorate.
    • Reduce desertification in favor of agricultural land.
    • Reduce the need of crop imports
  • Leopold matrix; scoped out the following impacts
    • The project will have no contact with surface waters (Nile river, irrigation canals, etc) or aquatic life.
    • The farm land is not intersected by flood streams, hence flash flood hazards is eliminated.
  • Potential negative impacts:
AspectDegree of impact/ pre mitigationMitigation measures to minimize impact
Air quality- affected by dust particles from soil leveling and emission from construction equipment and transport vehiclesModerate during activity however residual impact on air quality is low due to size of the landDust suppression through minimum water consuming technology
Greenhouse gas emission during operational phase from fertilizer and chemical useModerate and of long durationCrop rotation, best practice use of fertilizers/chemicals
Soil modification and contaminationContamination is negligible however modification is moderateSolid waste management system
Ground water, only source of water for irrigationHigh to moderate from long term project durationState of the art water application techniques
Habitat modificationModerate to highIrreversible due to change of land nature
Public health, traffic, local community utilitiesLow due to location of the land which is away from  residential areas.

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