BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT DMR REFERENCE: Pending

Transcription

1 Hlanga Sand Mining (Pty) Ltd SAND MINING APPLICATION Tugela River (KwaZulu-Natal) BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT DMR REFERENCE: Pending BACKGROUND INFORMATION An applicatin has been submitted t the Department f Mineral Resurces (DMR) under a pending reference n. n behalf f Hlanga Sand Mining (Pty) Ltd, fr a permit t mine Silica Sand ver an apprximate 5ha sectin f the Tugela River, ver part f REM Sunbury N and part f Reserve n. 21 N situated within the Mandeni (Endndakusaka) Municipality, KwaZulu Natal. LOCATION The prpsed mining site is situated in and arund the Tugela River n the KwaZulu Natal nrth cast, apprximately 20km suth west f the twn f Mandeni. The area falls within the Ilembe (district) and Mandeni (Lcal) Municipalities respectively. Lcality plans are enclsed belw as Figures 1 and 2 respectively, while the detailed mining sketch plan is enclsed as Appendix 1. Figure 1 Hlanga Sands: Backgrund Infrmatin Dcument: Sand Mining Permit applicatin Page 1

2 Figure 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Prject invlves the winning f silica sand frm the sandbars and river bed f a ha sectin f the Tugela river, which area is bunded by varius farms wned and/r managed by the applicant, and the Ingnyama Trust in the nrth. The peratin will require the use f an excavatr, and a small flating dredge and pump system respectively. The sandbars will be skimmed t water level and deeper sediments dredged and/r pumped The Riparian zne will be avided t ensure that the river and riverbanks will nt be disturbed r diverted. Lading, stckpile & drainage pad areas shall be lcated n fallw lands n the edge f sugar cane fields, s as t ensure that the river bank and surrunding vegetatin and eclgy is nt disturbed in any way. Sand is stckpiled in a demarcated stckpile area fr cllectin ff site by tip trucks, and sand pumped frm the river bed is diverted t a drainage pad area thrugh sealed pipes fr settling and remval by tip trucks. The water drains ut frm the drainage pad and in the prcess is naturally filtered thrugh a sand berm utlet sectin, and is then gravitated back int the river thrugh a filter berm system. There are n cnstructin related activities required t establish the mine. A suitable access rad, stckpile area and access ramp are already in place as a result f the access and exit areas being lcated in and arund active agricultural lands. These activities are nt anticipated t have any adverse impacts n the surrunding envirnment, and all mining activities will be carefully managed and mnitred by an appinted Envirnmental Cntrl Office (ECO), in accrdance with a departmental apprved Basic Assessment Reprt (EMPr); Envirnmental Management Hlanga Sands: Backgrund Infrmatin Dcument: Sand Mining Permit applicatin Page 2

3 Plan (EMP); Specialist recmmendatins; the final envirnmental Recrd f Decisin (ROD); and the rehabilitatin and Clse Out Plan. Extractin f sand will be facilitated by tw methds: 1) Use f an excavatr t skim the sandbars, and stack the sand n the river bed. A frnt-end lader will mve the sand frm the river bed t the stckpile area, frm where it will be despatched. 2) Sand will als be remved frm the river itself with a small flating dredge and pump system. Access and haulage will invlve the entry f vehicles fr the cllectin f sand. Entry is frm the R102 alng an existing agricultural access rad t the edge f the stckpile pad where lading will take place. The nature and extent f the sand mining peratin is designed t create minimal disturbance t the surrunding natural envirnment, including the river banks, the river bed, surrunding vegetatin and eclgy, and the river s envirnmental status further dwnstream. The mine will perate fr a tw year permit perid and will be renewable fr a further tw cnsecutive ne year perids thereafter. MOTIVATION FOR THE PROJECT The sand in the Tugela River is a high grade silica sand (f granitic rigin) that will prvide gd quality sand t the lcal building industry fr cement and cncrete wrk. The brader sci-ecnmic benefits f the prject include emplyment, jb creatin, lcal ecnmic develpment thrugh the availability and affrdability f the sand, and increased business develpment fr the area generally. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Backgrund The Tugela river in and arund the prpsed permit site is mstly denuded and silted, and n lnger resembles its frmer state frm years gne by. In additin, the river banks are infested with alien vegetatin, with limited indigenus flra remaining. Several illegal mining peratins have existed and/r cntinue t exist further upstream f the prpsed permit area. The prpsed impacts (general and specific) f the prpsed sand mining peratin, in an area less than 5ha (which includes the stckpiling area), have s far been assessed as having virtually n ptential negative impact n either the surrunding vegetatin r the river itself. It is prpsed that sand mining peratins in denuded river systems such as that f the Tugela river can be cnstrued as having sme envirnmental benefit, particularly as nce apprpriately rehabilitated, they serve t: Hlanga Sands: Backgrund Infrmatin Dcument: Sand Mining Permit applicatin Page 3

4 Imprve stream-flw regulatin Reduce runff, sedimentatin, and ersin Re-establish and imprve diversity Remve alien plants and restre the agricultural ptential f the area. Assessment The Applicant is in the prcess f preparing an Envirnmental Basic Assessment Reprt (BAR), cupled t an Envirnmental Management Plan (EMP), and Rehabilitatin and Cle Out Plan as prescribed by the applicable legislatin, which dcumentatin and infrmatin will be included in, and frm an integral part f the Mining Permit applicatin, and decisin making prcesses t be fllwed by the relevant authrities. Imprtantly, the BAR, EMP and Clse-ut Plan will be required t cntain all relevant infrmatin which can demnstrate that the mining peratins will be cnducted in a way which will: Minimise the ptential fr grund and surface water pllutin Maintain the hydrlgy f the landscape level Minimise sil ersin Limit the disturbance and destructin f vegetatin and habitat Prevent the creatin f hazards fr fauna and barriers t mvement Reduce atmspheric emissins Minimise dust generatin Cntrl nise Reduce the visual impact Mitigatin In additin, the BAR and EMP will be required t demnstrate the extent f the envirnmental impact mitigatin measures t be impsed by the applicant thrughut the duratin f the mining peratins, t be included in the Rehabilitatin and Clse-ut Plan and managed, mnitred and endrsed by an ECO. Apart frm the mitigatin recmmendatins cntained in the specialist Aquatic assessment which will be endrsed in the EMP and Clse-Out Plan, these will als include inter alia the fllwing: Mining vlume is based n measured annual replenishment Establish an abslute elevatin belw which n extractin may ccur Limit in-stream mining methds t bar skimming Extract sand and gravel frm the dwnstream 2/3rds prtin f the bar Cncentrate in-stream extractin activities t minimise area f disturbance Review cumulative effects f sand and gravel extractin Maintain river channel fld discharge capacity Establish a lng-term mnitring prgram Minimise activities that release fine sediment t the river Retain riparian buffer at edge f water and against river bank Limit in-stream peratin t the perid between April and Nvember and during dry seasn nly An annual basic assessment reprt will establish the status and effect f the mining peratin. A cpy f the EMP will be retained in the mine manager s pssessin at all times. Hlanga Sands: Backgrund Infrmatin Dcument: Sand Mining Permit applicatin Page 4

5 The manager will be respnsible fr ensuring that all mitigatin measures are duly enfrced. Mining peratrs shall be educated in the cntents f the EMP in relatin t all mitigatin measures required. The water curse will nt be diverted r altered. Regular envirnmental mnitring and management f the mine will take place in accrdance with the MPRDA. An Envirnmental Cntrl Officer (ECO) shall be appinted by the applicant t manage and mnitr all peratinal impacts, and assciated prcesses and prcedures. On-ging inspectin by the Mine Manager and mnthly Inspectins by the ECO shall take place. Public Participatin The sharing and disseminatin f all relevant infrmatin assciated with the mining permit applicatin prcess frms an imprtant cmpnent f the Public Participatin Prcess (PPP) required as part f the preparatin f a BAR and EMP. The PPP prvides Interested and Affected Parties (IAPs) with the pprtunity t participate in the applicatin prcess frm the utset. The infrmatin prvided by the IAPs is f crucial imprtance in the gathering f infrmatin, identificatin f issues and cncerns, and acquiring lcal knwledge that will cntribute twards the design and implementatin f the prject in a manner that will prmte minimisatin f negative impacts and ptimisatin f benefits. All identified IAPs will be ntified in writing and requested t cmment and/r attend a public meeting A public meeting will be advertised in a lcal newspaper and a public meeting held Site ntices will be erected in and arund the site Ntices will be placed at the lcal library, lcal municipality and district municipality ntice bards Cpies f all relevant dcuments will be placed n the IDM website s ntice bard Cmments frm all IAPs will be requested within 30 days f ntice having been prvided Rehabilitatin: The rehabilitatin prcess remains the respnsibility f the permit hlder and invlves the ripping f the stckpile/ lading area, replacement f tpsil, and planting and re-establishment f vegetatin. The Applicant will be respnsible fr cmpiling a rehabilitatin plan as part f the BAR and EMP prcess. The applicant is required t pay t the DMR a significant amunt f mney, relative t the perceived sensitivity f the applicable permit envirnment, in advance by way f cash r a bank guarantee t prvide the DMR with the necessary security t ensure that the applicant in fact attends t the rehabilitatin f the site upn the clsure f the mine, and as per the undertakings cntained in the rehabilitatin plan. Clsure: The permit hlder is required t cmpile and submit a Clsure Plan at the end f the mining permit perid, which Plan is required t incrprate a Perfrmance Assessment Reprt and Envirnmental Risk Reprt. The rehabilitatin Hlanga Sands: Backgrund Infrmatin Dcument: Sand Mining Permit applicatin Page 5

6 guarantee amunt will nly refunded t the permit hlder nce the DMR is satisfied that the permit hlder has cmplied with all terms and cnditins relating t: The BAR The EMP The Rehabilitatin Plan The Clsure Plan CONCLUSION IAPs are encuraged t register as such and/r receive additinal infrmatin regarding the prject. T assist the cnsultants, the frm enclsed belw shuld be cmpleted by all IAPs wh wish t participate in the prcess ging frward. Hlanga Sands: Backgrund Infrmatin Dcument: Sand Mining Permit applicatin Page 6

7 STAKEHOLDER REGISTRATION AND COMMENT FORM Title Name Surname Cmpany Designatin Address Pstal cde Tel N. Fax N. Cell N. I wuld like t receive my ntificatins by (mark with X): Pst Fax Please indicate why yu have interest in the abvementined prject? Please write yur cmments and questins here: Please feel free t attach a separate dcument Please add any persn yu think may be interested and affected parties: Full Name Address Cmpany Tel/ Cell N. PLEASE SEND YOUR REGISTRATION FORM AND COMMENTS TO: Cmpany IDM Cnsultants Cntact persn The Applicatin Officer Address PO Bx 918; Umhlanga Rcks; KwaZulu Natal; 4320 Tel N Fax Carlah@idmcnsultants.c.za Website Hlanga Sands: Backgrund Infrmatin Dcument: Sand Mining Permit applicatin Page 7

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