Read carefully the scenario presented below and answer the questions that follow.

A waste$-$management company has purchased land to the north$-$east of Sekondi $-$Takoradi, a coastal city in Ghana, with the intention of building a major waste treatment and recycling facility. The land is currently covered by a heathland ecosystem with a small area of wetland. Most locals have little to do with the area and some complain that it is 'just a mosquito$-$infested swamp'. Minimal environmental investigation has been conducted at the site. However, preliminary research has identified the heathland as a possible habitat for the threatened Heath Mouse.

This new waste treatment and recycling plant will replace the current landfill system, where for the last $20$ years' waste has been dumped and buried in an old quarry to the west of the city. Some types of waste are also incinerated at this location. The landfill site has enough space to last for another three years. Twenty workers will lose their jobs when this site is closed down.

The construction of the proposed facility will cost approximately GHC$16$ million and the facility will require $50-60$ employees on$-$site when it becomes fully operational. The sale of recycled materials, such as glass, steel, paper, aluminium, other metals and organic garden compost, is predicted to result in an overall profit of $]$ GHC $1\mathrm{.}3$ million per year.

The facility will require an upgrade of roads, water services, the sewerage system and electricity in the area. Approximately $67\%$ of the heathland will be cleared on$-$site and the wetland will be drained.

The proposal includes the planting of a screening belt of non$-$indigenous trees, designed to hide the facility from the view of residents in the newly built housing estate. People in the housing estate have concerns about the noxious odours, dust and noise that may be produced by the new facility, and worry that vermin $($such as rats$)$ may be attracted by the waste to the area. It is planned that trucks will transport material to and from the site, $16$ hours a day.

$($a$)$ Summarise the major arguments for and against the proposal, identifying key social and economic factors.

$[6$ mks$]$

$($b$)$ Before the proposal can proceed, the State will require an Environmental Impact Assessment to be conducted. Explain why an Environmental Impact Assessment is required. $[4$ mks$]$

$($c$)$ A key part of the Environmental Impact Assessment report will be a focus on the environmental advantages and disadvantages of the proposal. Discuss the major environmental considerations relevant to the proposal and, based on these points only, evaluate whether the proposal should be given permission to proceed or not. $[6mks]$

$($d$)$ Outline the key steps what would be involved in producing the EIA report $[4$ mks$]$