Environmental & Social Review Summary
Project Number
8299
Company Name
Ivy League Developments T/A Ufulu Gardens
Date ESRS Disclosed
Feb 5, 2010
Country
Malawi
Region
Africa
Last Updated Date
Dec 31, 2016
Environmental Category
B - Limited
Status
Completed
Previous Events
Approved : Sep 15, 1997
Signed : Jan 27, 1998
Invested : Sep 21, 1998
Sector
City and Business Hotel
Industry
Tourism, Retail and Property
Department
Regional Industry - MAS Africa
Project Description
REVISED ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW SUMMARY
Project Name MALAWI: UFULU FREEDOM COURTS (Lilongwe Lodge/Western Construction)
Region Sub-Saharan Africa
Sector Hotels and resorts
Project No. 008299
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1. This project, which is to be financed through the Africa Enterprise Fund (AEF), involves the completion of a short to medium stay residential complex in the capital, Lilongwe. When completed the complex will consist of 17 one, two, and three bedroom bungalows, a two story main building with 20 guest suites, and a club house. The 20-acre site is located in Area 43, one of Lilongwe''s premier residential and diplomatic suburbs. The site slopes into a valley where a small embankment will be built to create a fishing lake. A three-hole golf range, swimming pool, two tennis courts and jogging trail will also be part of the facilities. The site is quite picturesque and is surrounded by other upmarket residential properties. A small private clinic operated by Medical Rescue Services of South Africa is nearby.
2. This is a Category B project according to IFC''s environmental review procedure because specific impacts may result which can be avoided or mitigated by adhering to generally recognized performance standards, guidelines, or design criteria. The key environmental health and safety issues that were analyzed are as follows:
• current land use and impact of construction on existing vegetation;
• disposal of liquid and solid wastes, including sewage;
• source of power and water supply;
• staff accommodation infrastructure;
• pesticide and fertilizer handling, application and run-off;
• waterborne diseases;
• impacts on riverine hydrology, fisheries and other downstream users;
• CFC-free cold storage and air conditioning;
• employee training and general safety; and
• emergency response preparedness and fire protection.
IFC has visited the project site and reviewed the environmental information supplied by the Lilongwe Lodge sponsor and architect, key elements of which are described below.
3. Current land use and impact of construction on existing vegetation: The project site was acquired by the sponsor in 1992 on a 99-year lease. Prior to that time it had owned by the Government of Malawi and designated for development purposes. At the time the sponsor acquired the land, no one was living on the site, although it was being used by people from other residential areas to grow small plots of maize and other crops for personal consumption. The site slopes slightly from the main road to a low-lying area that is frequently marshy, especially during the rainy season (November through March). The property is partially covered with trees, with the exception of a few areas where the trees have been cut by previous users of the land and only stumps remain. The sponsor has laid out the project facilities to minimize the number of trees that will need to be cleared, and the architect has been tasked to locate and configure the buildings, golf course, and small lake so as to minimize loss of mature trees. As the project moves into the final design phase, the sponsor has commissioned a topographical and vegetation survey to provide more precise information to the project architect and construction supervisor as to the location of all mature trees on the property. A few trees with weak root systems have been designated for removal because of the potential hazard they present, particularly during the rainy season. The site contains two traditional burial grounds over which grow clusters of large trees. City council regulations require that these sites and trees not be disturbed, and the project layout has been modified to ensure that this requirement is met. The natural slope is being retained and the buildings are being constructed in a terraced manner to conform to the existing grade. No large earthmoving equipment is being used on site during construction.
4. Disposal of liquid and solid wastes, including sewage: There is at present no sewerage system in much of suburban Lilongwe. Sewage from all facilities in the complex, including the staff accommodation units, will be disposed to a septic tank and soakaway system. All septic tanks/soakaways will be located upgrade and between 100 and 200 meters from the low-lying portion of the site. The sponsor will contract with a private waste removal company to pump the solid waste from the septic tanks every few months and transport it to the Lilongwe municipal sewage treatment works. Storm water will drain to a separate soakaway system. Solid wastes will be separated and glass items will be recycled. Biodegradable kitchen wastes will be composted and used to fertilize gardens. All other waste will be collected in refuse disposal bins and collected by the municipal authorities on a weekly basis for disposal at a municipal landfill.
5. Source of power and water supply: Power will be obtained from the national electricity grid, from high power transmission lines that run along the main road adjacent to the project site. The sponsor will install a transformer to convert the electricity to three phase for the main building and one phase for the rest of the complex. A standby diesel generator will also be installed to provide power in the event of an interruption in electricity, a regular occurrence throughout Malawi. Fuel will be obtained from a petrol station located approximately 1 km from the complex, so there will be no need to store additional fuel supplies on site. Nonetheless, the generator will be installed on a concrete slab with bunded sides of a size capable of holding the entire contents of the generator tank in the event of a spill or breach. The project will obtain all its water requirements from the municipal water system via the water mains that run along the main road next to the site. The sponsor intends to have the water sampled and tested prior to the opening of the lodge. If it is found not to conform to World Bank and standards, all water for the complex will be boiled and filtered, and guests will be provided with bottled water for drinking purposes.
6. Staff accommodation infrastructure: The complex will include a house for the resident manager as well as housing units for approximately 20 staff members, which is the estimated number of full-time staff who will be employed when the facility is fully operational. As noted above, sewage from staff housing will be discharged to the same septic tank/soakaway system as the rest of the facility. Electricity and water will be obtained from the same sources as the main complex. Staff will be provided with meals during their shifts, and there will be cooking facilities in the staff housing area as well.
7. Pesticide and fertilizer handling, application and run-off: Most of the pesticides and fertilizers used on the property will be for the 3-hole golf course. Nonetheless, the sponsor has stated his intent to utilize such chemicals as sparingly as possible. The golf course will be laid out by the project architect with the assistance of a landscape architect. Wherever possible, indigenous species will be used in landscaping both the gold course as well as the gardens. Both the sponsor and architect have reviewed the World Bank guidelines on pesticides handling and application, and have agreed to comply with them. The guidelines will also be provided to the landscape architect selected for the project. No banned substances will be used in the context of the project. Creosote, which appears on the list of substances whose use is to be avoided if suitable alternatives are available, is being used to treat timbers used to frame roofs. The sponsor has confirmed that it is being used in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations regarding handling and application. Used creosote containers are returned to the supplier for reuse, as will pesticide and fertilizer containers, wherever possible. Where returning to the supplier is not possible, all containers will be triple rinsed and their contents used in application. Containers will be properly disposed in a municipal landfill. No containers will be given or sold to employees or others for personal use.
8. Waterborne disease: The lake is to be created by excavating an area in the marshy low-lying stream bed that runs along the northern boundary of the property. The excavated material will be used to construct a low earth and stone embankment at one end of the marshland. The lake will be fed by ground water, which is relatively close to ground level in this area, supplemented by the water that runs along the stream bed for 4-5 months during the rainy season as well as rain water that collects behind the embankment. When completely full, the lake will cover approximately 6 acres, and will be stocked for recreational fishing. Other similar lakes in the immediate vicinity of the project site do not contain bilharzia (schistosomiasis). Nonetheless, as bilharzia is present in Malawi several measures will be taken to prevent it becoming a problem in the lake. These will include prohibiting swimming in the lake and assigning staff to regularly scout for the species of snail that harbors schistosomiasis. If need be a pump will be used to aerate the lake, as bilharzia only survives in standing water.
9. Impacts on riverine hydrology, fisheries, and other downstream users: As noted, the watercourse along which the lake is to be developed is seasonal, flowing for only about 4 to 5 months a years during and after the rainy season. Because there are no water bodies along the watercourse there are consequently no downstream fisheries or other significant users who will be affected by creation of the lake. While no detailed study of the hydrological impacts of the proposed lake has been undertaken, it is unlikely that any such impacts will be significant. The lake may have a positive impact on local ground water recharge by creating a catchment area for water that would otherwise be lost.
10. CFC-free cold storage and air conditioning: The sponsor has confirmed that all air conditioning and cold storage equipment will utilize non-chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants currently deemed acceptable under the terms of the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
11. Employee training and general safety: Staff for the complex will be drawn from nearby areas, with the exception of highly trained positions such as the resident manager and chef, for which expatriate candidates will be sought. The resident manager will establish the employee training program, in conjunction with the project sponsor. Employees will be given training in the skills required for their particular jobs. In addition, all employees will receive training in fire prevention and response. Employees applying fertilizers or pesticides will be instructed in the correct handling, application and disposal of these substances.
12. Emergency response preparedness and fire protection: The final design for the two-story main building has not been completed. However, the sponsor and project architect have reviewed the World Bank guidelines pertaining to fire protection and life safety in hotels and resorts and confirmed their intent to comply with them. All guest rooms will be equipped with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Guest literature will describe the location and correct operation of fire extinguishers. All public areas in the main building will be equipped with sprinklers. The kitchen will be equipped with CO2 and water extinguishers . Because interruptions in water supply are not uncommon, especially during drought years, a 2000 liter water tank will be installed in the main building both to provide sufficient water in the event of a supply interruption and to ensure adequate pressure for sprinklers and fire reels in the event of a fire. The sponsor is discussing a medical emergency plan with a nearby clinic operated by Medical Rescue Services of South Africa that would cover any guest requiring emergency medical care during their stay
13. Other: During the construction phase, which is expected to last approximately 18 months, the project will provide employment to some 30 people, of whom most are unskilled labor who had previously been unemployed. The project is thus providing them with income for the duration of the construction phase, as well as the acquisition of basic construction skills. The project is utilizing cement blocks, rather than bricks, as the basic building material. This is being done in accordance with a Government of Malawi and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) initiative currently being developed to discourage the use of bricks, which are less expensive than cement blocks but require large amounts of firewood or charcoal to produce. The government is concerned about increasing deforestation throughout the country, and believe the substitution of cement blocks for bricks can contribute to reversing this trend. The Lilongwe Lodge project is one of the first uses of cement blocks in a large-scale private investment project. The sponsor is employing unskilled labor to produce the blocks on site, using a mixture of quarry dust and cement.
14. Based on its review of the environmental information provided by Lilongwe Lodge, IFC concludes that the proposed project is being designed and will be operated to meet pertinent Government of Malawi requirements and all relevant World Bank policies and environmental, health and safety guidelines. IFC will monitor ongoing compliance with World Bank policies and guidelines during the life of the project by evaluating monitoring reports submitted annually to IFC by the sponsor and by conducting periodic site reviews during project supervision.
ERS first sent to PIC on: 5/23/97
Revised: 7/25/97
Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures
Broad Community Support
Related SII
