March 2015
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF BBS IN BURUNDI
March 2015
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The BBS Project consists of optic fiber installation on Burundi
territory especially along the national roads Map. The optic cable was
layed in a such way to create a backbone of more than 1250km long,
connecting all the main cities of the provinces. This Project is part of
Wide Band Communication Infrastructure whose management is
entrusted to the Executive Secretariat of Information and
Communication Technologies (SETIC).
The project target is both to provide the necessary communication
links in the country and also to ensure their connection to the global
optic-Fiber network and enable the provision of Internet broadband
to many by connecting them on flexibility basis.
The idea is to connect provincial capitals. The optic-fiber cable will be
installed in a trench along the national roads network (RN); except
where this is not possible and where we can use air installations.
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In fact, it is a network ring connecting the fifteen provinces of the
country to the city of Bujumbura, and the Regional Countries where
will be located the virtual landing stations of submarine cables. The
BBS NTWK is actually an access point from regional infrastructures
to our national system.
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Overall, consistency of work and operating service and maintenance
of the optical fiber network can be described as follows:
Installation of lines of fixed cables and switches: they are digging
trenches 40cms wide and deep 1,20ms both in urban centres and
along the national roads (RN) leading to it .
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The width of the trench being provided to 40cm, it can be estimated,
taking into account the space for the cuttings, a few meters for the
entire structure. The total length being 1250km, tightly area affected
by the project is 1250000m x 2 m = 2500000m². Barely 125ha.
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But in reality, we must admit that the project activities influence area
corresponds to virtually all municipalities through which the fibre as
shown in the description of the components of the physical /
biological and social environment led to the next point.
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As seen in the map, the route of the entire optical fiber
project crossed the whole country. However, Burundi has a
varied landscape, both in the relief by vegetation. The short
distances between very different regions accentuate this
impression of diversity.
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Moreover, it appears from this map that the project through
all ecological regions of the country, the areas affected by the
project have various environmental and social profiles.
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Given these reported above, we can say that the population was
affected mainly agricultural. The range of crops grown is quite wide
and should include all crops in all natural regions and crossed by the
infrastructure. It includes, in order of importance, the main crops
such as beans, cassava, sweet potato, banana, maize, potato and
sorghum.
But if these plants are far the most important in the current supply, a
range of secondary crops such as peanuts, peas, finger millet, etc.,
complement usefully.
Besides these food crops, growing coffee culture is by far the largest
pension in Burundi. It represents an important contribution for coffee
farmers and the common, which is why it is a particularly framed
Culture benefiting inputs and ongoing support of agricultural agents.
The negative environmental and social impacts of the project should
come mainly from the laying of the fibre (search and crossing human
settlements, fields, forests, etc.) that can lead to:
 soil erosion, soil pollution and the water, vegetation loss, disruption
of living conditions, traffic inconvenience, noise, dust, risk of injury;
the generation of solid and liquid waste, the occupation of private
land, the probable destruction of crops, deforestation sites, the risks
of potential conflicts over land acquisition, pollution and nuisance
due to work on local residents and workers, disruption of free
movement and socio-economic activities, non-use of the resident
workforce and the occupation of land, vandalism risks (theft, pillage
burglary and sabotage of sites.) etc.
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However, appropriate measures have been taken; the reality on the
ground has not favoured the birth and existence of negative
environmental and social impacts of the optic fiber project. To be
more precise, there were no sites based temporary and permanent
life websites borrowing lodges and career sites.
Indeed, only the trenches of the sites have been traced to the
establishment of this BBS infrastructure. Each time, the staff of BBS
and subcontractors have rented houses in towns surrounding
construction sites.
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Similarly, no erosion phenomenon is apprehended in places where
the cuts roads and sidewalks, since the exposed areas will be the
item of furniture (grading, granular material of fill and concrete).
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Considering that various mitigation measures will be implemented to
counter the erosion in work areas and that the facilities of
construction-related impacts are not significant, no erosion problem
is apprehended during other phases of the project.
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After identification of impacts, following the determination of
mitigation measures or corrective negative effects. However, some
negative impacts have not had the mitigation measures and
alternatives under these conditions had been planned.
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Generally, mitigation measures or alternatives entail costs that are
often not included in the project, that is why it is recommended that
the assessment of likely impacts on the environment during the
period identification of the project to provide the mitigation measures
in the project budget. To mitigate the significant adverse impacts, the
recommended measures were consistently applied in the
implementation of the Dorsal BBS.
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Residual impacts may remain even after the implementation of
mitigation measures. However, the planned mitigation measures
have been implemented satisfactorily and residual impacts from the
Optic Fiber Project can be considered negligible for immediately after
lying and burying the cable, an overhaul of the plot area followed.
Photo of repairs carried out: The flag pole is the only witness to
the presence of an Optic Fiber Cable at this location.
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In afforestation, trenching systematically avoided pulling and cutting
trees bypassing.
Work done for the cable to pass over a bridge on a
river on the road Gitega - KARUZI: Avoid breaking
the concrete pipes.
Passage of O.F cable on a bridge on the road
Gitega - KARUZI.A photo taken during the digging
Of trenches in April 2012.
Passage of O F cable on the same deck of a
bridge over the picture Gitega road - KARUZI in
October 2014: The passage of the cable to the
book is not visible.
In this picture, it is a site trenches on the Bujumbura-Ijenda
Nyakararo road, had been crossing the picket indicator of Optic Fiber
we would not know that the O.F goes here. These are two photos on
PK41 after Ijenda.
Only post marking indicates the presence of O.F on the edge of
the road, about 12 months after the work of trenching and cable
break.
At KARUZI, tree planting has not been negatively impacted by
the passage of this infrastructure. In fact, the plot has
systematically avoided any interruption and any pulling trees
bypassing each time
On the road Gitega - KARUZI, this wood crossed by the O.F cable
about 10m from its top edge, there is no indication of digging work there
about 24 months of that.
The cable runs along the fence of a plot at the entrance to the capital
of the municipality Gisozi in Mwaro Province. The traces of the trench
are completely erased after two years of burying the cable.
A mixed coffee plantation and trees through which the O.F cable. The
works date from February 2014.
On the road MURAMVYA - GITEGA, a coffee plantation was crossed by the Optic
Fiber cable. One of the mitigation measures applied at that time was to avoid
tearing coffee trees during trenching. A systematic solution and rigorously
adopted whenever the situation arose.
On bridge passages: the cable into a bridge fixation, with protection by steel pipe.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION