Federal Republic of Nigeria Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Staple Crop Processing Zones Support Project (scpz)

3.5 Comparison between Nigeria EIA Guidelines and World Bank EA Guidelines

According to these guidelines:

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  Category I projects require a full EIA. Such projects include large-scale activities like agriculture development on 500 hectares or more, land reclamation of 50 hectares or more, fisheries that establish land based aquaculture of 50 hectares or more, forestry projects that converts more than 50 hectares, etc.
  
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  Category II projects require only a partial EIA that focuses on mitigation and environmental planning measures, unless the project is located near an environmentally sensitive area, in which case a full EIA is required.
  
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  Category III projects are those considered to have “essentially beneficial impacts” on the environment and for which the Federal Ministry of the Environment will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, but which do not need an EIA.
  

With regard to EA, the World Bank categorized projects into:

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  Category A: These projects are those whose impacts are sensitive, diverse, and unprecedentedly, felt beyond the immediate project environment and are potentially irreversible over the long term. Such projects require full EA. The proposed project
  
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  Category B: These are projects that involve site specific and immediate project environment interactions. Specifically, they do not significantly affect human populations, alter natural systems and resources, consume much natural resources (e.g., ground water) or have adverse impacts that are not sensitive, diverse, unprecedented and are mostly reversible. Category B projects will require partial EA, and environmental and social action plans.
  
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  Category C: These are projects that are mostly benign in nature and are likely to have minimal or no adverse environmental impacts. Beyond screening, no further EA action is required, although some may require environmental and social action plans.
  
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  Category FI:  A proposed project is classified as Category FI, if it provides funds through a financial intermediary to subprojects that may result in adverse environmental impacts. Here the financial intermediate is responsible for setting up an Environmental and Social Management Framework that supervises the establishment of EIAs in line with the World Bank System.
  

The World Bank Categorization (A, B, & C) corresponds in principle with the Nigeria EIA requirements of Category I, II and III as both use the level of impacts associated with a given project as trigger for the required environmental assessment. However, in the event of divergence between the two with regard to investments within the SCPZ and ABIR, the more stringent safeguard policy shall take precedence.

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  Early consideration of environmental and social issues (starting at the screening stage);
  
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  Identification and early consultation with stakeholders;
  
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  Prevention of adverse impacts through the consideration of feasible alternatives; and
  
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  Incorporation of mitigation measures into planning and (engineering) design.
  

3.6 Adequacy of the existing Institutional Framework for Addressing Potential Environmental & Social Issues in the SCPZ and ABIR in Kogi State

CHAPTER FOUR DESCRIPTION OF BIOPHYSICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

The Kogi State SCPZ and ABIR is located in the old Kabba region in Kogi State of North Central Nigeria and covers parts of five Local Governmental Areas (LGA): Adavi,Ijumu, KabbaBunu, Lokoja and Okehi(Fig 4.1).

Figure 4.1: Kogi State showing the affected LGAs

4.2 Physical Environment

4.2.1 Climate

Average temperatures remain fairly consistent throughout the year (fig 4.2), and these range from around 26^oC in July to 32^oC in March, with a pronounced dry season extending from November through to March. During this time, the climate is dominated by the dry north-eastern wind (‘Harmattan’).

Figure 4.2: Temperature Characteristics

Figure 4.3: Characteristics of Relative Humidity within the Project Area

The predominant wind direction in the dry season is in north eastern directions, while in the wet season, the wind generally blows in a south-western direction. The wind speed is generally 2.4-4.5 knot.

The intensity of the sunshine lasts longer in the dry season ranging between 7-9 hrs/day, while it is between 5-7 hrs/day in the wet season. The mean annual sunshine hour in the area is about 1,740 hours, with mean monthly values between 46 and 182 hours in July and January respectively (Fig 4.4).

Figure 4.4: Monthly Daily Sunshine Pattern in the Study Area

4.2.2 Air Quality

Kogi state has two main rock types, namely, basement complex rocks of the Precambrian age in the western half of the state and extending slightly eastwards beyond the lower Niger valley and the older sedimentary rocks in the eastern half.

The various sedimentary rock groups extend along the banks of Rivers Niger and Benue and southeastwards through Enugu and Anambra states, to join the Udi Plateau.
4.2.4 Relief and Drainage

The physical features of the State are largely mountainous. It covers very large part of the State, most of which are rocky and of undulating high lands to average height of about 1,400m above sea level.The land rises from a about 300 metres along the NigerBenue conflute, to the heights of between 300 and 600 metres above sea level in the uplands. Agbaja Plateau, which ranges from 335 to 366 metres above sea level, and the much higher OkoroAgbo hills at Ogidi in ljumu LGA are some of the predominant to landforms of the state. The state is drained by the Niger and Benue rivers and their tributaries.

4.2.5 Soils Characteristics

4.2.6 Hydrology

Based upon regional information there are indication of two types of aquiferin in the ABIR: an unconfined aquifer in the weathered Precambrian basement complex rocks with a water table approximately 20 to 30 m below the surface and an overburden aquifer in the younger sedimentary rocks and alluvium along the riverbeds. The overburden aquifer would typically consist of 2 to 3 layer sequences made up of sands, gravel, silts and clays. The groundwater resources are relatively undeveloped for community water supply purposes as the local settlement rely on 1 or 2 boreholes in the lower unconfined basement aquifer. They were constructed in recent years by the Kogi State Community and Social Development Agency (KGCSDA) with financial support from the World Bank. Other communities source their water from shallow, hand-dug wells, the semi-perennial Oinye river system and/or rainwater harvesting.