Protected trees within the servitude will necessitate that appropriate permits are applied for before these trees are damaged or removed. General mitigation measures would include the avoidance of any physical damage to natural vegetation on the periphery of the proposed servitude and is of particular importance in all riparian areas and areas of steep slopes. No construction activity or disturbance to vegetation or habitat is to take place within 50m of a delineated wetland or riparian zone. No hunting permitted by Eskom employees or contractors. All construction areas should be demarcated prior to construction to ensure that the footprint of impacts are limited. All alien invasive species on site should be removed and follow up monitoring and removal programmes should be initiated once construction is completed. Adhere to the Eskom vegetation management guideline. The ECO should identify any sensitive species or habitats along the servitude, particularly in relation to large terrestrial species and notify the faunal specialist of these so that he can advise on how best to handle these. The construction of new access roads should be limited. All vehicle and pedestrian movement should be restricted to the actual construction site and servitude. Removal of plants should be restricted to only those trees that pose a risk to the power line. Sensitive alluvial vegetation should be avoided and construction restricted within 50m from the edge of an endangered habitat. Social Roads should be maintained or improved on. Have a trained first aid person on site. No squitter camps should be erected near construction camps. HIV/AIDS awareness training must form part of the induction of staff. Condoms must be freely available. Access to construction camps should be security controlled. Eskom, Contractor
Ensure that all construction activities remains within the minimum required working area; and Ensure access roads clearly marked and all vehicle movement is restricted to the demarcated access roads. Construction Phase Construction of power line and substation. The visibility of the construction of the power line may give rise to a visual disturbance on tourism route / operations and residential homes. Design and time construction activities in association with landowners to minimise the interference effects; and Landowners can arrange tourism activities to avoid construction area for duration of contract. Construction Phase Construction activities undertaken during the hunting season and in close proximity to hunting concession game farms. Disturbance to hunting activities on hunting concession game farms. Design and time construction activities in association with landowners to minimise the interference effects; and Landowners can arrange hunting activities to avoid construction area for duration of contract or can arrange with contractor to work elsewhere while hunters are on the property i.e. an operation plan to minimise impacts on the hunting season between May and October can be developed to suit landowner and contractor. Construction Phase Employment of local labour for the duration of Construction Phase. Creation of temporary jobs during construction. Contractor to employ as many local labourers as is feasibly possible. Construction Phase Clearing all vegetation within the construction footprint. Loss of rare and endangered species due to bush clearing and access activities. Prior to the commencement of the Construction Phase an ECO should carry out a survey of the final route alignment to determine / identify specific sites along the route alignment where vegetation species of conservation importance (Red List and protected) are found; Prior to commencement of the Construction Phase, permits to remove all protected species within the route alignment must be applied for and obtained from the relevant national and/or provincial authority; and