Mpulungu Port - Zambia - DRIVE

Mpulungu port at the southern shores of Lake Tanganyika is the only water-based port in Zambia that is operated by the Mpulungu Harbour Corporation Limited (MHCL). The MHCL is developing a project to modernize and expand the current port. With the proposed project, the port’s capacity to handle cargo is expected to increase from 200,000 metric tonnes to approximately 800,000 metric tonnes and its passenger capacity from 17,000 (reported in 2007-2008) to 236,000 persons annually by 2030. The NCEA has reviewed the ESIA for this project and observed that it contains all relevant components and is well structured. However, we conclude that additional work needs to be done to ensure that all relevant impacts are sufficiently covered and opportunities to improve the environmental and social performance of the project are explored and integrated into the project design and the ESMP.  

Significant details

Several areas identified that require further attention:

• There is need to explore alternative design options and mitigation measures that could proof to be more sustainable and climate resilient.
• The scope and assessment work needs to be completed by studying the potential impacts from dredging and increased mobility and traffic. There is also need to improve the quality of the study into the social impacts, cultural heritage and lake water pollution.  
• The integration of the ESIA work into the project design needs to be revisited.
• In the final ESIA report, the proponent should be able to explain how stakeholder concerns have been incorporated into the project design or the ESMP, and if not what the reasoning is for this.  
• It should be clear how the ESIA has engaged with the Zambian Environmental Authority (ZEMA) and how the local ESIA requirements have been followed.

Advisory reports and other documents

18 Dec 2020: Advisory review