NEMA/EIA/5/2/1278: COMMENTS ON AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ASSESSMENT STUDY REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED COAL FIRED POWER

PLANT IN LAMU COUNTY.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

VISION 2030 ON SOCIAL:

‘’A just and a cohesive society enjoying equitable and social development in a clean and secure

environment’’.

The coal project is not part of the vision 2030.The coal project will pull the Lamu county people

back by destroying their clean environment .their livelihood:

Honey: the Boni people and the Sanye who derive there livelihood from the forest bees will

perish if this project is implemented. Bees are sensitive to pollution and are very important in

pollination. The many farmers who plant cotton and watermelon next to the project will lose

their livelihood.

tourism .Rare plants and animals will die due to pollution if this project will be implemented.

Looking at how they die all revolves to pollution of their ecosystem. Tourism is a major income

earner to this country and a major employer of the locals. The sea beach will be no more a relish

to the tourism industry..the sea delicacy will dwindle and all this as a result of the pollutants

from the coal.

THE NEW KENYAN CONSTITITUTION ENTITLES EVERY KENYAN TO A CLEAN

ENVIRONMENT:

According to chapter IV,chapter V,chapter X,the Fourth Schedule and the Fifth Schedule .The

constitution imposes obligations in respect of the environment and outlaws processes and

activities likely to endanger the environment. Secondly, it seeks to protect and promote

substantive environmental rights. Thirdly, it provides an avenue for redress of environmental

rights breaches. Fourthly, it encourages greater public participation in the enforcement of

environmental rights. T he state shall ensure sustainable exploitation, utilisation,

management and conservation of the environment and natural resources’, Article 42 of the

Constitution, for example, recognizes the right to a clean and healthy environment. This,

according to the Constitution, is a two-fold right.

Looking closely and certifying that the environment will be degraded I wish to counter the

mitigation cited as plastic and a justification that can’t be justified:

Supercritical Unit Is Just A Marketing Gimmick Which has failed to minimize pollution in

china. China is a developed country. It has one of the best technologies that would help its

people against pollution. But what happened on 24th December 2015 would happen in Kenya

soon we have the coal mine. Our children will die , our elderly will suffer and the economically

strong population will dwindle .Chinese people will afford an air conditioner that can filter air

but can a Kenyan can’t afford leave alone to stay indoor when there is a smog?

WIND DIRECTION FORECASTING IS A HOODWINK: It is not right to mitigate the

effect of pollution by sighting wind direction which is affected by so many factors among them

temperature. Once the coal plant will be in place the normal wind direction will be affected.

Then this means that where we predicted that the bad air emitted will not go to then it will go and

this is where the human masses are dwelling.

‘’The wind in geostrophic balance blows parallel to the isobars, which means that these winds

are parallel to the other mass fields (density, temperature). This geostrophic approximation holds

for large-scale motion away from the equator. Moving downwards to the surface, frictional

forces increase and the surface winds are no longer parallel to the pressure field but angled

toward lower pressure’’

A COAL CONVEYER OF 15 KM…A SOURCE OF POLLUTION: This will enable

emissions of particulate matter and gases including methane (CH4), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and

nitrogen oxides (NOx), as well as carbon monoxide (CO).The dust will be dangerous to the birds

and marine life. Through water ways by washing where all water bodies find their way through

the water sea coal contain hazardous chemical that will be harmful to the our livelihood. The

threat of black lung among the workers working ithe coal plant will be prevalent

ASH YARD STORAGE OF 15 YEARS IS IMPOSSIBLE AND GROUND SEEPAGE IS

POSSIBLE

After 15 years where will we dumb this dangerous ash compost of ash? It contains ferromagnetic

minerals dangerous and toxic chemicals that cannot be exported to the moon. They will

definitely find their way to the marine life through seepage and other means. Fly ash produced

through high-temperature combustion of fossil. They contain heavy metals

THERMAL EFFLUENCE

Temperature change in the sea will adversely alter the way marine life procreates. This will

dwindle the catch of the local and international fishermen.

NO MATTER HOW TALL THE CHIMNEY WILL BE 210M THE BAD GAS WILL

COME BACK EVEN MAKING IT EASY FOR ACID RAIN FORMATION.

Co2 is a major cause of global warming, Developing nations cannot afford to cut down the green

gas if they are the one now increasing it.

SALINIZATION OF WATER TABLE…The thermal coal plant is a major user of water. The

source of water is definitely the sea. Desalinization processes of making the water usable will

trigger increase salinity of the brackish and fresh water. This is how it happens: once

desalinization processes has been done the most saline water will be allowed to flow back. This

super ‘’salanised’’ water will seep through the ground to the water table where the locals will

have dug their bore holes .… Quality of ground water will be in danger.

.Now our people will not enjoy the fresh water we enjoy.

975ACRE QUALITY ARABLE LAND TO THE PROJECT: This land could thwart hunger

of many Kenyans and deny them a living.if this land is reverted back to the local then the

economic activity derived from it would be more sustainable.

EMISSION

Pyrite whicjh is one of the emmitants reacts with air and water to form weak sulphuric acid and

dissolves iron. Most houses are made of iron sheets. This means that the coal plants shall make

the local invest heavily on iron sheets and those who cannot afford it will live without adequate

shelter. Shelter is a basic need and denying the local mwananchi his basic need is absurd

SO, NO, NO2 have not been mitigated. We cant account for the eminent rist health that our

people will be exposed to.

NO MITIGATION MEASURES HAVE BEEN PUT ON :Heavy metals like lead, mercury,

nickel, tin, cadmium, antimony, and arsenic, as well as radio isotopes of thorium and strontium

NOISE POLLUTION: The silent lamu ecotourism façade will be gone…this will scare away

wildlife.

THE COAL PLANT IS UNSUSTAINABLE: coal as a raw material is mined and extracted

from the source unsustainably. This means that the employment created will not be sustainable

as coal resources will dwindle. My advice to the country is to venture into sustainable energy

production that will not only provide long terms jobs but long term generation of the power to

the country.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

1. The sulphur will degrade old building

2. Bees keeping will e a thing of history

REFERENCES

1. The new Kenyan constitutionRevised Edition 2010 Published by the National Council

for Law Reporting with the Authority of the Attorney General

2. The vision 20130 popular version

3. The ESIA For 1,050MW Coal Fired Plant, Lamu County Kenya published by Current Technologies