By Lucille Davie
AFTER months of consultation with the public, Bohlweki Environmental, the company appointed to undertake the environmental assessment study of the proposed route for the Gautrain between Johannesburg and Pretoria, has given its approval for the project, subject to certain conditions.
Says Bohlweki: "Based on the findings of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed Gautrain project, including the thorough and extensive public participation process that was conducted over 15 months as part of the EIA, it is concluded that the project may proceed, subject to the required financial approvals, and the implementation of the mitigation measures proposed in the specialist reports in the draft EIA report and the updated draft Environmental Management Plan in the Addendum."
Some of the mitigation measures include taking into account the biophysical environment - flora, fauna, surface water and air quality - and the socio-economic considerations - noise, vibration, traffic, archaeology and heritage aspects.
The 80-kilometre Gautrain, with an offshoot from Sandton to the Johannesburg International Airport, will take 15 minutes to reach the Airport, whereas the trip between Johannesburg to Pretoria will take 35 minutes, travelling at 160km/h. The cost of the return trip will be between R15 and R25. There will be four underground stations and eight surface stations, and some 14 kilometres of underground track (in some places 80 metres down).
It is hoped that the Gautrain will relieve the congestion of some 300 000 passengers each week travelling between Gauteng's two biggest cities.
The outcome of the consultation is being released to the public in the form of an Addendum to the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), which was submitted to the provincial Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs (DACEL) on 17 April, for their appraisal and approval.
The Addendum provides a summary of the comments and concerns received by those affected by the Gautrain, and Bohlweki Environmental's replies to these comments. The updated version of the findings of the draft EIA report, which takes into account additional studies undertaken in view of comments received from those affected by the Gautrain, forms the main report of the Addendum.
The original route alignment has been "substantially amended and refined" over the preceding 15-month consultation period.
The Addendum also contains the results of two additional studies:
- The Environmental Resource Economics study of the area between Pretoria Station and Hatfield Station, looking particularly at affordability, welfare costs and environmental issues relating to the recommended route.
- Phase 2 of the Heritage Impact Assessment study, which examines the areas between Johannesburg, Pretoria and the Johannesburg International Airport.
Although Bohlweki has approved the process so far, it is far from over. Says Bohlweki: "The bidding consortia for the design, financing, construction and operation of the Gautrain will need to incorporate the proposed mitigation measures contained in the draft EIA report, and the updated draft Environmental Management Plan, into their proposals for the Gautrain system."
The findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) have been available for viewing since September 2002, and a number of open meetings have been held to receive feedback from the people most affected by the proposed route, which goes through a number of Johannesburg suburbs, mostly underground. Some 650 homes will have to be expropriated to make way for the train.
DACEL now has several months to consider the final report and Addendum, and should it approve the project, it will issue a Record of Decision, which will be available to the public for comment for a further 30 days.
Copies of the Addendum are available for viewing at public libraries in Johannesburg and Pretoria. The list of libraries is available on the Gautrain web site.
