Ukwazi is a leading African-based specialist mining service provider, focused on leveraging technical and industry insight and expertise to drive commercial success and sector development. Ukwazi is a Zulu word that means “to know” which aptly describes the nature of our business and our focus on delivering independent advisory, technical systems integration and operational contract mining services.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (“EIA”) is an important planning and decision-making tool that is used to identify the environmental consequences of a proposed project, before the development takes place. An EIA aims to demonstrate to the applicant, Interested and Affected Parties (“I&APs”) and the competent authorities what the potential environmental consequences will be should the proposed development be approved and implemented. It identifies the positive and negative impacts (opportunities and constraints) of a proposed project in a systematic way. In the process the best practicable environmental option is identified, which is the option that promotes sustainable development through the effective management of environmental, social and economic impacts.
An EIA allows for the timeous identification of issues and concerns by means of public involvement. These issues and concerns are then evaluated, considered and incorporated into the final project description or layout if and where necessary. Once the EIA is complete, the final EIA reports are submitted to the competent authority for decision making. The competent authority will evaluate the information gathered during the EIA process and will ultimately approve or deny environmental authorisation to the proposed development based on the information provided.
Public participation is the cornerstone of the EIA process. Information sharing forms the basis of the public involvement process. It includes the ongoing provision of sufficient information (in a transparent manner) to I&APs throughout the EIA process. Input from the applicant, technical experts, government authorities and the general public will be assembled to result in a better understanding of the project for all involved, and more informed decision-making throughout the process.
To register on any of Ukwazi’s projects that are currently out for public review please click on the link below.