OIDCI
has entered the international consulting
market with the deployment of an
Environmental Team to Algeria. The job
involved the conduct of an Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) of a 400 km segment
(East Section) of the 1,200 km Algerian
East-West Motorway that seeks to link the
major Cities, economic growth centers and
ports in the North. The expressway stretches
from Algeria’s border with Morocco in the
West up to the country’s border with East
with Tunisia.
This
Special Road is also part of the gigantic
Megrev highway covering the whole continent
and the Middle East that had been planned
and agreed upon by countries along the
road’s alignment. The client is a
consortium of Japanese construction
companies called COJAAL and the Algerian
National Auto-route Authority (ANA). OIDCI
deployed a multi-disciplined Filipino team
that was supplemented by local specialists.
The environment team is part of a bigger
Study Team led by Pacific Consultants
International (PCI).
The
task for the OIDCI team had been challenging
as the study area covered three distinct
ecological zones namely: a) the littorial
plain where a national park and wet lands of
international significance are found,b) rugged highlands serving as a
transition zone; and c) the high plains
located along the Atlas Mountain range.The client noted the good performance
of the team and increased the scope of work
to include environmental engineering studies
and design works recommended by the team in
the EIA Environmental Management Plan (EMP).
These
additional works include: a) study and
design of slope stabilization measures for
cut and embankment slopes using vegetative
measures; b) study and design of anti-noise
walls intended protect identified populated
areas located beside the expressway;and c) technical guidance to
engineers tasked to design and construct
animal passages and anti-water pollution
devises.
The
team had been active in numerous public
consultation meetings covering a wide range
of issues foremost of which is environmental
protection of the El Kala National Park that
have wetlands recognized by the
International Ramsar Convention for
Wetlands. Members of the team had been
invited to present the results of the EIA
and respond to questions raised by various
concerned sectors that include the
government’s Environment Ministry, media,
environmental NGOs, and civil society.
The
Department of Public Works, Ministry of
Environment and Regional Planning and Civil
Society had supported the East-West Motorway
and had participated in these public
consultations.
Currently
the detailed engineering design phase is
almost completed. The construction of the
motorway is underway. The OIDCI team had
already been demobilized but had maintained
an open line to the client for any
clarifications of the designs prepared.
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