Montagne Posée: Socio-environmental impact of new quarry a concern

Today in Seychelles
1h ·
Tuesday 13 October
Montagne Posée: Socio-environmental impact of new quarry a concern
With its supply of rocks from the Ile du Swet quarry almost exhausted, local construction supplier UCPS is looking to other sources of granite to continue to be able to meet local demand for building materials. Will this be to the detriment of residents of Montagne Posée?
by W. J. May
A proposed quarry to extract grey granite on an industrial scale from a new site in Montagne Posée threatens the peace of the surrounding community as well as the landscape’s biological diversity, a new assessment has determined.
A 157-page environmental impact assessment (EIA) report produced by consultant Ian Charlette was submitted to local authorities on 30 September 2020. It details some positive impacts of the proposed project, but many negative socio-environmental impacts as a result of the quarry’s construction and operations.
The proposed project, which has been under consideration since 1998, is still awaiting approval from government. It will be developed and run by United Concrete Products Seychelles, and will be situated a minimum of 200m from residences located to the south-east.
The project’s site is located on Parcel S8924 in the district of Au Cap, and was identified since the early 1990s almost simultaneously with the construction of new houses in the vicinity, at the Gaza Estate.
A start date for rock extraction is not yet fixed, but if final approval is given before December 2020, quarrying is expected to begin by June 2022.
Work is planned to begin with the construction of a feeder road, before vegetation is removed and the site is prepared for crushers, a stockpile area and a sales office. Twenty-one staff, including 10 heavy duty operators, four drillers and two blasters have been identified on a provisional list of workers, as well as 18 pieces of largescale machinery, including six 20-tonne trucks, three 30-tonne trucks and five excavators on a provisional list of equipment.
The report frankly admits that quarrying is one of the few projects that causes “irreversible landscape changes and alteration to the environment” compared to other developments like hotel construction.
“The effect of quarrying in the proposed area will undoubtedly have an environmental impact n the environment,” it states, “however, the major concern may be finding a compromise in impacts such as noise during the production of rock fragments for construction material.”
However, it points out that these concerns must be balanced with Seychelles’ reliance on quarry products to ensure national development through infrastructural projects. The project does hold some benefits, in terms of employment opportunities and easier access to quarry products for south and western areas of Mahé.
In terms of disturbances, the report recognises, for example, that the Montagne Poseé area is used to “long periods of tranquillity and naturalness even during the weekend”, suggesting that due to its peacefulness, the industrial noise from the quarry “may greatly be perceived as annoying and stressful” to residents.
“The level of anxiety may be harmful to the mental health of the residents, especially those who fear the project may have a negative impact on their residence,” the report says. Noise from the quarry will include drilling, heavy machinery and underground explosions from rock blasting.
Other potential issues have been identified such as dust emission, conflicts with road users due to presence of large trucks transporting rocks, among others.
As a result of “the common nuisances such as noise caused by machinery and dewatering pumps, dust, potential structural damage to property [and] disposal of pumped water…tensions and conflicts” may arise “between the population, the developer and the contractor,” the report points out.
In terms of the environment, the proposed quarry site is dominated by exotic plants and a very small number of native and endemic trees. Around 400 trees across seven species are expected to be removed as a result of the quarry’s development. A large number of exotic birds like mynahs have been found on site, as well as important endemic species like blue pigeons. Only skinks have been identified on site with regards to reptile species.
TODAY will bring its readers the thoughts of some of the residents of Au Cap in tomorrow’s edition of the newspaper.
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As they say in Creole Seychellois we have just had a mouth full, now this it is in my Patrimoine field of concern. Montagne Posee Dans Gaza, - the need to remind everybody those super smart ........ Minister that SIROP program had considered such requirement then 1986/87 and the concept of using the granite extracted from a Tunnel development for construction.

Issue of new proposed rock quarry for construction in Seychelles open for public comments
Victoria, Seychelles | October 13, 2020, Tuesday @ 15:48 in Business | By: Daniel Laurence Edited by: Betymie Bonnelame | Views: 360
http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/13698/Issue+of+new+proposed+rock+quarry+for+construction+in+Seychelles+open+for+public+comments