Environme
Slurry Pipelin
ntal Assessment
Volume C-5.1
e
Socioeconomics
Ambatovy Project
177
January 2006
5.1.2.5 Closure
In the case of the pipeline, initial closure activities will occur during the
immediate post-construction phase, when reclamation of disturbed surfaces is
taking place. This may in fact offer the most potential for regular, if often
part-time, employment of local populations over varying time frames depending
on the needed reclamation activities in various locations. At closure of the
project, the pipeline will no longer be used, but there will be no surface
infrastructure to remove, and little reduction in what minimal employment
pipeline operations has involved.
Closure of the pipeline will also mean the proponent’s maintenance of the access
roads will cease and the roads reclaimed, unless the local and regional authorities
wish to retain the roads, in which case the authorities will then need to address
road maintenance.
With the exception of early reclamation activates, which are of benefit, closure is
a negative impact of negligible consequence.
5.1.3
Summary
The socioeconomic impacts of the pipeline are summarized in the socioeconomic
impact matrix in Table 5.1-2. The table includes an assessment of potential
impacts before and after proposed mitigation, and presents alternative scenarios
for certain impacts that could eventually be deemed either positive or negative.
The pipeline is expected to bring some economic benefits to settlements along
the route, and no economic benefits to the broader geographic communes. The
exception to this is related to the construction of access roads, which have the
potential to bring significant improvement to people over wide areas who
presently travel for many hours to reach roads. Negative effects are generally
minimal and short-term.
