Environmental management and monitoring plan (EMMP) for a proposed tuna processing plant Marobe bay, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Abstract

The plant site is very close to, and its land lease abuts the Tagabe River which is a major resource for the area and particularly the people living in Blacksands who have no municipal utility supply. The plant is located 800m upstream from the river mouth and therefore downstream from most of the high use areas. There are, however, some parts of the Blacksands community that use the river for washing between the plant and sea, and undergrounds wells are common in the area. There is a potential for impacts through contamination of the river or ground waters through sewage or liquid wastes and through overuse of water if ground water from the plant site is to be heavily dependent on. However for hygienic and food safety reasons, the fish plant will only be using the public water supplied through UNELCO for its food processing items.