Jiangxi Pingxiang Integrated Rural-Urban Infrastructure Development Project

Environmental Monitoring Report

Project Number: 47030-002 January–June 2018 July 2018

People’s Republic of China: Jiangxi Pingxiang Integrated Rural-Urban Infrastructure Development Project

Prepared by Pingxiang Municipal Project Management Office for the Asian Development Bank.

The views expressed herein are those of the consultant and do not necessarily represent those of ADB’s members, Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature.

This environmental monitoring report is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB’s Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. Your attention is directed to the terms of use section of this website.

In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.

Environmental Monitoring Report

Project Number: 47030-002 July 2018

PRC: Jiangxi Pingxiang Integrated Rural-Urban

Infrastructure Development Project

Prepared by Pingxiang Municipal Project Management Office for the Asian Development Bank.

The views expressed herein are those of the consultant and do not necessarily represent those of ADB's members, Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature.

TABLE OF CONTENTS I. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 1 A.Report Purpose 1 B. Project Background 1 C. Brief Description of the Project 3 D. Project Implementation Progress 4 II. INSITITUTIONAL SETUP AND RESPONSIBILITIES 6 A. Environmental Supervision Agencies 6 B. Institutional Responsibilities 6 III. COMPLIANCE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL RELATED PROJECT COVENANTS 9 IV. IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT MITIGATION MEASURES 18 V. IMPLEMENTATION OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION PLAN 28 VI. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT MONITORING 29 A.Project Readiness Monitoring 29 B. Environmental Impact Monitoring 29 VII. CONSULTATION AND GRM 32 VIII. INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING 33 IX. ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 35 X. CONCLUSION 36 XI. APPENDICES 37 APENDIX1: ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MONITORING REPORT 38 APENDIX2: PICTURES OF THE TRAINING 61 APENDIX3: TRAINING ATTENDANCE SHEET AND THE QUESTIONNAIRES 62 APENDIX4: PUBLIC CONSULTATION QUESTIONNAIRE 703 APENDIX5: SITE INSPECTION PICTURES OF THE RURAL-URBAN ROAD PROJECT 718

I. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

A. Report Purpose

1. This Environmental Monitoring Report cover the period of January to June 2018.This report presents project implementation progress, institutional setup for EMP implementation, supervision and monitoring，environmental monitoring results，project readiness assessment，training and consultation activities，the grievance redress mechanism (GRM)，as well an assessment of environmental impact mitigation measures implemented within and nearby the construction sites by the contractors during the construction.

B. Project Background

2. Pingxiang Municipality is a prefecture-level city located in the western part of Jiangxi Province bordering Hunan Province, approximately 120 km east of Changsha, capital city of Hunan Province and 250 km west of Nanchang, capital city of Jiangxi Province. Its land area of 3,860 km2 is approximately 2.3% of the size of Jiangxi Province. At the end of 2012, it had a resident population of 1.874 million, accounting for 4.2% of the population of Jiangxi Province. Its topography is dominated by mountainous terrain (65%) with elevations ranging from approximately 65 m to 1,920 m. The terrain is high in the north and southwest, and low in the center sloping downward towards the east and west, similar to the shape of a saddle. It administers three counties (Lianhua, Luxi and Shangli) and two districts (Anyuan and Xiangdong).

3. Pingxiang can be considered to be at the southeastern periphery of the extended Changsha metropolitan region and east of the Chang-Zhu-Tan city-cluster that is being developed as a secondary node in the PRC's national urban system plan.It is connected to the national highway system and to the high-speed rail network with a station open since November 2014. It is a poverty-stricken and mineral-rich industrial city with economic pillars being coal and iron mining, steel, aluminum, industrial ceramics, chemical industry, and fireworks. Agricultural production is an important sector in a predominantly rural municipality and especially in Lianhua County in the south. Some of the manufacturing businesses can be considered as cottage industry, especially the fireworks production which contributes significantly to the economy in Shangli County and provides additional income to farmers.

4. Despite high gross domestic product growth rates and accelerated urban and rural development in recent years, Pingxiang's development is lagging behind. The urbanization ratio is at 31.59%, significantly lower than the national average of 53.7% and rural poverty is significant at 18.58%.2 Lianhua county is a national poverty county, and within the municipality, there are 123 national/provincial (37/76) designated poverty villages3. Pingxiang more than 420,000 residents lack access to safe drinking water. Most domestic wastewater is untreated, and wastewater from mining and industry, and non-point source pollutants contribute to poor surface water quality. Increased frequency and severity of flooding in recent years, and illegal waste disposal pose serious risks to Pingxiang.4 The exposure to flood risk and lack of basic environmental services and missing rural-urban connectivity is becoming a burden for environmentally sustainable and inclusive development. In 2008, Pingxiang was among 12 cities in the PRC to be classified as a resource-depleted city, and is eligible for central government support for its economic and industrial transformation to promote sustainable development. In 2013, the Pingxiang Resource- Depleted Transitional Development Plan (2013–2020) was

developed, outlining goals for promoting sustainable socioeconomic development and improving the urban-rural environmentally sustainable environment. The overall strategy for Pingxiang municipality is to develop a system of urban settlements that include sub-regional hubs in the county towns of Lianhua, Shangli, and Luxi. Towns around these hubs would be developed into satellites surrounding the core county town to lessen the movement of people from countryside to city areas. This requires infrastructure to raise living standards and a road network to facilitate daily commuting.

5. Flood risk reduction is a top priority for Pingxiang as flood frequency and severity significantly increased over the past years. A major flood affected Pingxiang on 25 May 2014 and caused severe damage to public safety, health, and massive loss of assets and income. Pingxiang rivers share similar challenges. Most existing riverbanks don't provide flood protection that led to regular floods during rainy season and to severe floods during heavy storms. Accumulation of sediments raised riverbeds further reducing flood discharge capacities and sediments from old mining sites upstream in the mountains pollute the rivers and degrade river ecology. Concrete weirs constructed along the rivers for water abstraction to irrigate farmland as well as abandoned bridges, uncontrolled vegetative growth, and sewer manholes in the rivers all impede flows during flood events. The overall river environment and ecology has deteriorated in urban areas and near rural settlements as development encroached upon wetland areas and floodplains. Riverbank erosion and degradation is serious in some river sections. Illegal solid waste disposal in the riverine areas are common, particularly in rural areas without municipal solid waste collection systems.

6. Pingxiang is a headwater municipality with all of its six major rivers originating in its mountainous areas and flowing into two major river systems: the Gan River system that flows into Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province and the Xiang River system that flows into Dongting Lake in Hunan Province. The rivers are pristine and clean in most upper reaches but accumulate pollution as they pass human settlements, farmland that uses chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and mining and industrial zones that discharge significantly polluted wastewater affecting downstream jurisdictions both river systems and contributes to pollution of the Poyang Lake. Wastewater collection and treatment rates are still low and much wastewater is discharged untreated into the rivers. Many urban areas and rural towns and villages have no sewer systems and wastewater treatment facilities and currently use poorly managed septic tanks with effluent run-off to rivers and percolating into ground water. In several cities and townships combined sewer and drainage pipe and channel networks are incomplete and wastewater is discharged into nearby drainage ditches and rivers. As some of Pingxiang's rivers are drinking water source for local communities, water pollution poses risks to public health.

7. Pingxiang suffers from limited access to and from rural areas to markets, jobs, training, education, and services in towns and cities. This lack of roads and public transport is a major constraint to improving rural opportunities, incomes and livelihoods. Except for the main east-west and north-south corridors served by highways and national roads many existing roads in Pingxiang are narrow and lack maintenance, particularly in the many and extensive rural and mountainous areas.

8. This project will have interventions to address the above problems in three counties (Lianhua, Luxi and Shangli) and one district (Xiangdong) within the municipality.

C. Brief Description of the Project

9. The project includes five components: (i) rehabilitation and flood risk management of eight rivers totaling approximately 79 km; (ii) installation of approximately 183 km of wastewater collection pipes and construction of two wastewater treatment plants (providing 5,000 m3/d treatment capacity in Xuanfeng Town and 2,500 m3/d treatment capacity in Tongmu Town); (iii) construction of a 44-km class II secondary trunk road in the northeastern mountainous area of the municipality; and (iv) capacity building in climate resilience, early flood risk warning, flood risk management, river environment and water pollution reduction, wastewater management system design (including rural wastewater and sanitation solutions and management); (v) rural-urban road and traffic safety, sustainable rural-urban transport and public transport management.

10. River rehabilitation and flood risk management will include river widening and deepening to increase flood water retention; repair and construction of embankments, revetment and toe protection; removal and reconstruction of weirs to improve water retention for irrigation and yet flood water flow during storm events; replacement or separation of in-stream sewer interceptors; and planting of aquatic plants and riparian vegetation to improve ecological habitat and biodiversity.

11. The wastewater treatment plants will treat effluent to Class 1B standard, significantly reducing the pollutant loadings entering the Lishui River (belonging to the Xiang River system) and the Yuan River (belonging to the Gan River system).

12. The class II road will connect Shangli County with Luxi County directly and fill in a missing link between the areas, serving an important role in the overall rural transport network and complementing the existing highway network consisting of an east-west and a north-south highway. It is aligned along valley, ridge and low-lying hillside to follow the landform, avoiding farmland and houses as much as possible. Road design will incorporate pedestrian lanes, bus stops and safety features, providing safe travel, all-weather access and public transportation services.

13. According to the project status of preparation,Lianhua county sewage pipe network project (84.14 km), XuanFeng wastewater treatment plant project (5000 m3 /d sewage plant, 25.76 km pipe network) and Xiangdong sewage pipe network project (53.35 km) have been canceled while added Zixi environmental rehabilitation project in YinHe town, LuXi county and Xiangdong Zhangli river integrated rehabilitation project.The adjusted project includes eight sub-projects, distributed in three counties and one district in Pingxiang, as shown in table 1-1.

Table 1- 1 Main subprojects and Components Subcomponent and Location component Xiangdong Lianhua County Luxi County Shangli County District 1. Integrated river Lian river and The rivers along Lishui river and Pingshui river rehabilitation and Baima river the uban area of Jinshan river integrated flood risk integrated Luxi county integrated rehabilitation management rehabilitation integrated rehabilitation project in

project in Lianhua rehabilitation project in Shangli Xiangdong district county project county Zixi Xiangdong environmental Zhangli river rehabilitation integrated

project in YinHe rehabilitation town project （new project）（new project） Lianhua county XuanFeng TongMu Town Xiangdong 2. Wastewater sewage pipe wastewater wastewater sewage pipe collection and network project treatment plant treatment plant network project treatment （have been project（have and sewage pipe （have been canceled） been canceled） network project canceled） 3. Rural-urban Xuanfeng road connecting Luxi and transport Shangli 4. Capacity development and institutional strengthening

14. Zixi environmental rehabilitation project in YinHe town includes the following components: Integrated rehabilitation of Zixi river approximately 3km, and the flood discharge capacity of the river reaches the flood control standard once every 20 years.The village's main road surface is paved with asphalt for 3km, and the new road is 800m. The road of proposed project is a Class Ⅳ road, and the design speed is 40km/h;construct a community service center of 1,664 square meters, maintenance of 260 houses, and renovation of the 1200 square meters agricultural products trading training center.Village public renovation 4,700 square meters, housing before and after environmental management 42,000 square meters, public infrastructure management.

15. Xiangdong Zhangli river integrated rehabilitation project includes the following components: (i) rehabilitation and flood risk management which consist of river dredging of 6024m,planting riparian vegetation along the hard embankment of 5904m,construct ecological revetment of 5196m,construct ecological hard slope protection of 1455m. (ii) environmental management for the river consist of constructing 453m sewer piping along the road, relocation 1000m brach pipes for rain and sewage diversion in small areas, 4 small sewage treatment stations; The total length of ecological restoration channel is 6024m. (iii) landscape project to build five themes zones of wetland purification experience, the industrial culture exhibits, people around the park, town promoted the transformation, landscape ecological construction development function.(iv)the sponge project: including planting grass ditch, permeable paving, concave green space, rain garden, ecological tree pool.

D. Project Implementation Progress

16. By the June 30, 2018, only the Xuanfeng road connecting Luxi and Shangli urban is under construction and the construction of other sub-projects have not begun. The below Table 1-2 shows the latest implementation progress of this project components.

Table 1- 2 Project Implementation Progress project Location subproject implementation Current Status unit Lianhua Lian river and Baima Lianhua Water The detail designs have

County river integrated Affairs Bureau been finished. rehabilitation project in The bidding of the Lianhua county supervising unit has been completed and the bidding of the contractor is in progress. The detail designs have been finished. The rivers along the The bidding of the uban area of Luxi supervising unit and the county integrated LuXi contractor has been Luxi rehabilitation project Water Affairs completed. The County Bureau construction of the subproject has not begun. Zixi environmental At the stage of feasibility rehabilitation project in study, the eia has not YinHe town started yet. The detail designs have been finished. Lishui river and The bidding of the Jinshan river supervising unit and the integrated contractor has been rehabilitation project in ShangLi Shangli completed. The Shangli county Water Affairs County construction of the sub- Bureau project has not begun. TongMu Town The detail designs has wastewater treatment been mostly completed plant and sewage pipe without approval. network project The detail designs have been finished. Pingshui river The bidding of the integrated supervising unit has rehabilitation project in XiangDong been completed and the Xiangdong Xiangdong district Water Affairs bidding of the contractor District Bureau is in progress.

Xiangdong Zhangli At the stage of feasibility river study, the eia has not integrated started yet. rehabilitation project Luxi PingXiang County Xuanfeng road All the roadbed Municipality and connecting Luxi and construction is under Transport Shangli Shangli way. Bureau County

II. INSITITUTIONAL SETUP AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Environmental Supervision Agencies

17. The Executing Agency (EA) is the Pingxiang Municipal Government (PMG), who is responsible for the implementation of the entire project. The EA has established the Pingxiang Project Management Office (PMO) which is situated at the Pingxiang Urban Construction Investment and Development Corporation (PUCIDC). The PMO has appointed an environmental specialist on its staff to oversee the implementation of the EMP.

18. The Implementing Agencies (IA) are the county and district governments of Lianhua, Luxi and Shangli and Xiangdong. The IAs has established Project Implementation Units (PIU) to undertake the implementation of sub-components in their respective counties and district. Each PIU has appointed one environmental specialist on its staff to ensure the implementation of EMP. The PIU of Shangli county has hired a few environmental supervision engineers to review and audit the implementation of environmental protection measures on construction sites. The other PIUs has not hired environmental supervision engineers so far.

Figure 2-1 Environmental Management System in the Construction Period

B. Institutional Responsibilities

19. The PMO, located within the Pingxiang Urban Construction Investment and Development Corporation (PUCIDC), will have the overall responsibility delegated by the Pingxiang Municipal Government for supervising the implementation of the EMP, coordinating the environment

grievance redress mechanism (GRM) and reporting to ADB. In compliance with SPS 2009 requirements for category A projects, the PMO will assign one of its full staff environment specialist to coordinate EMP implementation. The EMP Coordinator will be within the Comprehensive Office that will be set up within the PMO. S(he) will take charge of: (i) ensuring that environmental management, monitoring, and mitigation measures are incorporated into bidding documents, construction contracts and operation management plans; (ii) on behalf of PMO, hiring an external environment monitor (EEM, see below);(iii) coordinating the project level grievance redress mechanism (GRM, see below); (iv) preparing and submitting semi-annual environment monitoring reports to ADB; and (v) coordinating implementation of the training and consultation plans defined in the EMP.

20. Each PIU will assign one staff to coordinate EMP implementation at local level, which will take charge of (i) coordinating the implementation of the EMP; (ii) supervising the implementation of mitigation measures during project construction and operation (the PIU will hire construction supervision companies, CSCs, and environment supervision engineers, ESEs); act as local entry points to the GRM; (iii) report to PMO on EMP implementation progress; and (vii) responding to any unforeseen adverse impact beyond those mentioned in the domestic EIRs and EITs, the project EIA and the EMP.

21. . An external environment monitor (EEM) will be contracted by the PMO through CQS to oversee EMP implementation and monitoring. The EEM will advise the PMO, PIUs, contractors, CSCs and ESCs on all aspects of environmental management and monitoring for the project. The EEM will (i) assist in updating the EMP and environmental monitoring program, as needed; (ii) review and confirm project readiness in accordance with indicators defined in the EMP; (iii) supervise the implementation of the mitigation measures specified in the EMP through regular site visits and review of EMP implementation reports of the ESCs; (iv) coordinate environmental monitoring in accordance with the monitoring plan;1 (v) prepare semi-annual environment monitoring reports in English and submit them to ADB; (vi) provide training to the PMO, PIUs, and contractors on ADB SPS 2009, World Bank Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Guideline, EMP implementation, and GRM in accordance with the training plan defined in the EMP; (vii) identify any environment-related implementation issues, and propose necessary corrective actions; (viii) provide support to PMO and PIUs in organizing public meetings in the project city/towns prior to mid-term mission to present and discuss EMP implementation progress, solicit community opinions and concerns, and agree on required corrective actions; and (viii) prior to project completion report, organize surveys to assess community satisfaction with project implementation, project outputs, and EMP implementation performance, and draft the project completion report (PCR).

22. Environmental Supervision Engineers (ESE). Each PIU will contract an independent ESE to supervise and verify environmental performance during construction and whether the implementation of EMP items complies with the plan. The ESE will review EMP implementation, monitoring activities and results, assess EMP implementation performance, visit the project sites and consult potentially affected people, discuss assessment with PMO and the respective PIU; and suggest corrective actions. The ESE will prepare monthly reports for submission to the PIU which will be submitted to and reviewed by PMO during the preparation of the quarterly project progress reports for ADB and by the EEM during the preparation of the semi-annual environment monitoring reports for ADB.

23. Construction Contractors. Construction contractors will be responsible for implementing relevant mitigation measures during construction under the supervision of the CSCs and PIUs.

Contractors will develop site-specific EMPs based on the project EMP. Contractor environmental specifications will be included in all civil works contracts. The Contractor Environmental Specifications (see Appendix 2) are standard environmental clauses and sub clauses that are applicable to all general infrastructure construction. The objective of these clauses is to reduce and manage all potential environmental impacts caused by the construction activities. These specifications should be included into the standard Contractor Specifications included in the Contract between the IA and the Contractor. After project completion, environmental management responsibilities will be handed over to O&M units.

III. COMPLIANCE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL RELATED PROJECT COVENANTS

24. Only the urban and rural road has started construction in all subprojects and the other components haven't started yet. As for Integrated River Rehabilitation and Flood Risk Management, construction contract and supervision contract have been signed. However, wastewater collection and treatment in Tongmu Town has not yet carried out contractor and supervision bidding. Relevant sections of the EMP are incorporated in the existing bidding and contract documents. A list of EMP covenants and compliance status is shown in the Table 3-1 below.

Table3-1 Project Implementation Progress Status of Project Item Environmental covenants compliance The contractor shall prepare a site-specific environmental management plan (SEMP) prior to the commencement of construction works, and shall submit the plan to the project implementation unit (PIU) for review and approval by the Incorporated environmental supervision engineer (ESE) and the the Site specific loan implementation environmental consultant covenants environmental (LIEC). The plan shall include method statements into the management on the implementation of pollution control and bidding plan (SEMP) mitigation measures, adherence to energy-and documents resource-efficient construction practices, as well as and contracts an emergency spill contingency plan for containing of the project and cleaning up accidental chemical spills on construction sites. The SEMP shall be updated as needed as and when environmental issues not covered by the plan arise. Locations of asphalt mixing stations and concrete batching plants shall be at least 300 m downwind of the nearest air quality and noise protection target. All the Incorporated Locations of borrow areas shall be at least 500 m the Subprojec from residential areas. t covenants Siting of Borrow areas and spoil disposal sites with long, into the construction steep slopes, susceptible to erosion shall be bidding facilities avoided and shall include small level cut-off drains documents to break up and redirect runoff. and contracts Access and haul roads shall be constructed at of the project sufficient distances from residential areas, in particular, local schools, health clinics and hospitals. Incorporated the covenants

There shall be no night time (between 22:00 and into the Construction 06:00 hours) construction. bidding time documents and contracts of the project Provide dust masks to construction workers, Incorpor Protection of especially those involved in the Taohua Tunnel ated the air quality construction. covenants

Build access and hauling roads at sufficient into the distances from residential areas, particular, from bidding local schools and hospitals. documents Assign haulage routes and schedules to avoid and contracts transport occurring in the central areas, traffic of the project intensive areas or residential areas. For the areas with high-demand on environmental quality, transport should be arranged at night. Spray water regularly on unpaved haul roads and access roads (at least once a day) to suppress dust; and erect hoarding around dusty activities. Cover material stockpiles with dust shrouds or tarpaulin. For the earthwork management for backfill, measures will include surface press and periodical spraying and covering. The extra earth or dreg should be cleared from the project site in time to avoid long term stockpiling. Minimize the storage time of construction and demolition wastes on site by regularly removing them off site. Equip asphalt, hot mix and batching plants with fabric filters and/or wet scrubbers to reduce the level of dust emissions. Install wheel washing equipment or conduct wheel washing manually at each exit of the works area to prevent trucks from carrying muddy or dusty substance onto public roads. Keep construction vehicles and machinery in good working order, regularly service and turn off engines when not in use. Vehicles with an open load-carrying case, which transport potentially dust-producing materials, shall have proper fitting sides and tail boards. Dust- prone materials shall not be loaded to a level higher than the side and tail boards, and shall always be covered with a strong tarpaulin. In periods of high wind, dust-generating operations shall not be permitted within 200 m of residential areas. Special precautions need to be applied in the vicinity of sensitive receptors such as schools, kindergartens and hospitals. Site all dredged sediment storage or disposal facilities at least 50 m from the nearest air quality protection target. Unauthorized burning of construction and demolition waste material and refuse shall be subject to penalties for the Contractor, and withholding of payment. Noise levels from equipment and machinery shall Incorporated Protection of conform to the PRC standard for Noise Limits for the the acoustic Construction Sites (GB12523-2011) and the WBG covenants environment EHS Standards, and properly maintain machinery into the to minimize noise. bidding

Equipment with high noise and high vibration shall documents not be used near village or township areas and only and contracts low noise machinery or the equipment with sound of the project insulation is employed. Temporary noise barriers or hoardings shall be installed around the equipment to shield residences when there are residences within 20 m of the noise source. Regularly monitor noise levels at construction site boundaries. If noise standards are exceeded by more than 3 dB, equipment and construction conditions shall be checked, and mitigation measures shall be implemented to rectify the situation. Provide the construction workers with suitable hearing protection (ear muffs) according to the worker health protection law of the PRC. Control the speed of bulldozer, excavator, crusher and other transport vehicles travelling on site, adopt noise reduction measures on equipment, step up equipment repair and maintenance to keep them in good working condition. Limit the speed of vehicles travelling on site (less than 8 km/h), forbid the use of horns unless absolutely necessary, minimize the use of whistles. Maintain continual communication with the villages and communities near the construction sites, and avoid noisy construction activities during school examination periods. Portable toilets and small package wastewater treatment plants shall be provided on construction sites and construction camps for the workers and canteens; If there are nearby public sewers, interim storage tanks and pipelines will be installed to convey wastewater to those sewers. Sedimentation tanks shall be installed on construction sites to treat process water (e.g. concrete batching for bridge construction) and Incorporated muddy runoff with high concentrations of the suspended solids. If necessary, flocculants such as covenants Protection of polyacryl amide (PAM) will be used to facilitate into the water quality sedimentation. bidding Construction machinery shall be repaired and documents washed at special repairing shops. No onsite and contracts machine repair and washing shall be allowed. of the project Storage facilities for fuels, oil, and other hazardous materials will be within secured areas on impermeable surfaces, and provided with bunds and cleanup kits. The contractors' fuel suppliers must be properly licensed, follow proper protocol for transferring fuel, and must be in compliance with Transportation, Loading and Unloading of Dangerous or Harmful

Goods (JT 3145-88). Material stockpiles will be protected against wind and runoff waters which might transport them to surface waters. Spills shall be cleaned up according to PRC norms and codes within 24 hours of the occurrence, with contaminated soils and water treated according to PRC norms and codes. Records must be handed over without delay to the PMO and Pingxiang EPB. All process wastewater and muddy runoff from construction sites and supernatant water from dredged sediment storage or disposal sites shall be treated to GB 8978-1996 Class I standard before discharging. No treated wastewater from construction sites shall be discharged to Category II water bodies. Preserve existing vegetation where no construction activity is planned. Incorporated Protect existing trees and grassland during the construction; where a tree has to be removed or an Protection of covenants area of grassland disturbed, replant trees and re- biological into the vegetate the area after construction resources and bidding Remove trees or shrubs only as the last resort if wildlife documents they impinge directly on the permanent works or and contracts necessary temporary works of the project Construction workers are prohibited from capturing any wildlife in the project areas. Establish enclosed waste collection points on site, with separation of domestic waste and construction & demolition (C&D) waste. Set up centralized domestic waste collection point and transport offsite for disposal regularly by sanitation department. Maximize the reuse of earth cut materials and C&D waste for filling and foundations of other construction works specified by the municipal and planning departments, or transport in enclosed Incorporated containers to designated C&D landfill site. the Solid waste Confirm location of the borrow pit and temporary covenants management, spoil storage and final disposal sites. into the earth works Develop borrow pit and spoil disposal site bidding and soil management and restoration plan, to be approved documents erosion by responsible authority; obtain permit for the and contracts clearance of excavated earthworks of the project Construct intercepting ditches and drains to prevent runoff entering construction sites, and diverting runoff from sites to existing drainage. Construct hoardings and sedimentation ponds to contain soil loss and runoff from the construction sites. Limit construction and material handling during periods of rains and high winds Stabilize all cut slopes, embankments, and other

erosion-prone working areas while works are going on. Stockpiles shall be short-termed, placed in sheltered and guarded areas near the actual construction sites, covered with clean tarpaulins, and sprayed with water during dry and windy weather conditions. All earthwork disturbance areas shall be stabilized with thatch cover within 30 days after earthworks have ceased at the sites. Immediately restore, level and plant landscape on temporary occupied land upon completion of construction works. Implement all soil erosion protection measures as defined in the soil and water conservation reports. Contractor shall provide adequate and functional systems for sanitary conditions, toilet facilities, waste management, labor dormitories and cooking facilities. The site shall be effectively cleaned and disinfected. During site formation, the site shall be sprayed with phenolated water for disinfection. Toilets and refuse bins shall be disinfected and Incorporated timely removal of solid waste shall be ensured. the covenants Rodents on site shall be exterminated at least once Construction into the every 3 months. Mosquitoes and flies shall be site sanitation bidding exterminated at least twice each year. documents Public toilets shall be provided in accordance with and contracts the requirements of labor management and of the project sanitation departments in the living areas on construction site, and designated staff responsible for cleaning and disinfection shall be appointed. Work camp wastewater shall be discharged into the municipal sewer system or treated on-site using portable systems or septic tanks. A person responsible for environmental, health and safety during construction shall be appointed for the project. Personal protective equipment (safety hats and shoes and high visibility vests) shall be provided to Incorporated all construction workers. the Ear defenders for hearing protection shall be covenants Occupational provided to workers operating and working near into the safety noisy power mechanical equipment. bidding Safety goggles and respiratory masks shall be documents provided to workers doing asphalt road paving and and contracts tunnel blasting. of the project Method statements shall be prepared and approvals obtained for hazardous activities such as blasting, tunnel works, excavation and working near water. Food hygiene in canteens on site shall be Incorporated Food safety inspected and supervised regularly. Canteen the workers must have valid health permits. covenants

into the If food poisoning is discovered, effective control bidding measures shall be implemented immediately to documents prevent it from spreading. and contracts of the project All contracted labor shall undergo a medical examination which shall form the basis of an (obligatory) health/accident insurance and welfare provisions to be included in the work contracts. The contractors shall maintain records of health and welfare conditions for each person contractually engaged. Incorporated Health clinic shall be established at location where the workers are concentrated, which shall be equipped covenants Disease with common medical supplies and medication for into the prevention and simple treatment and emergency treatment for bidding health services accidents. documents A person responsible for health and epidemic and contracts prevention and education and training on food of the project hygiene and disease prevention shall be specified (by the IA and contractors) to raise the awareness of workers. Induction and training by local health departments on prevention and management of communicable diseases shall be provided. Incorporated The following shall be prioritized: (i) employ the local people for works, (ii) ensure equal covenants Social conflict opportunities for women and men, (iii) pay equal into the prevention wages for work of equal value, and to pay women's bidding wages directly to them; and (iv) not employ child or documents forced labor. and contracts of the project A traffic control and operation plan shall be prepared together with the local traffic police prior to any construction. The plan shall include provisions for diverting or scheduling construction traffic to avoid morning and afternoon peak traffic hours, regulating traffic at road crossings with an emphasis on ensuring public safety through clear Incorporated signs, controls and planning in advance. Haulage the routes and schedules shall be assigned to avoid covenants Community transport occurring in the central areas, traffic into the health and intensive areas or residential areas. bidding safety Residents and businesses shall be informed in documents advance of the road improvement activities, given and contracts the dates and duration of expected disruption, of the project dusty and noisy activities, and access to the grievance redress mechanism. Local communities shall be alerted of the time and location of hazardous activities such as blasting. Construction billboards, which include construction contents, schedule, responsible person and complaint hotline

number, will be erected at each construction site. Clear signs shall be placed at construction sites in view of the public, warning people of potential dangers such as moving vehicles, hazardous materials, excavations etc. and raising awareness on safety issues. Heavy machinery shall not be used at night, where possible, and all such equipment shall be returned to its overnight storage area/position before night. All sites shall be made secure, discouraging access by members of the public through appropriate fencing, signage and/or security personnel, as appropriate. Continual communication with the villages and communities along the road alignments shall be maintained and the grievance redress mechanism shall be accessible and effective. Contractors shall assess construction locations in advance and identify potential for disruption to services and risks before starting construction. Any damage or hindrance/disadvantage to local Incorporated businesses caused by the premature removal or the insufficient replacement of public utilities shall be covenants subject to full compensation, at the full liability of Utility into the the contractor who causes the problem. interruption bidding If temporary disruption is unavoidable the documents contractor shall, in collaboration with relevant local and contracts authorities such as power company, water supply of the project company and communication company, develop a plan to minimize the disruption and communicate the dates and duration in advance to affected persons. To avoid odor impacts caused by sediment dredging, transport dredged sediment in closed tank wagons to contain odor and prevent scattering along the way. Mitigation of water quality impact during bridge and weir construction, dredging, cofferdam construction and water pumping out of the cofferdam shall be based on water quality monitoring results. The water quality monitoring approach shall include, at each Lianhua Incorporated of the above location, one control station 50 m up current of the County the location and one impact station 100 m down current of the location. Integrated covenants When the monitoring result shows that the suspended solids (SS) River into the level at the down current impact station is ≥130% higher than that at Rehabilitat bidding the up current control station, it is indicative of bottom sediment ion and documents being stirred up, re-suspended in the water column, and transported Flood Risk and contracts down current. The contractor shall deploy a silt curtain 100 m Managem of the downstream of the location or reduce the dredging rate and/or adopt ent subproject alternative dredging method until the down current SS level is less than 130% of the upstream SS level. During dredging works within the Class 1 protection zone for the drinking water intake (from 1,000 m upstream of the intake to 100 m downstream of the intake) of the Lianhua County Water Treatment Plant (WTP) intake on the Baima River, a silt curtain shall be deployed in front of this intake for protection of intake water quality.

No treated wastewater from construction sites shall be discharged to Category II water bodies, which include the Class 1 drinking water protection zone above. Prior to commencement of construction, tag and conspicuously mark all the identified protected Camphor Trees along the Baima River and the Lianjiang River as identified in the EIRs and Table V.3 of this EIA, to prevent damage to these trees by construction workers. To avoid odor impacts caused by sediment dredging, transport dredged sediment in closed tank wagons to contain odor and prevent scattering along the way. Mitigation of water quality impact during bridge and weir construction, dredging, cofferdam construction and water pumping out of the cofferdam shall be based on water quality monitoring results. The water quality monitoring approach shall include, at each of the above location, one control station 50 m up current of the location and one impact station 100 m down current of the location. When the monitoring result shows that the suspended solids (SS) Luxi level at the down current impact station is ≥130% higher than that at Incorporated County the up current control station, it is indicative of bottom sediment the Integrated being stirred up, re-suspended in the water column, and transported covenants River down current. The contractor shall deploy a silt curtain 100 m into the Rehabilitat downstream of the location or reduce the dredging rate and/or adopt bidding ion and alternative dredging method until the down current SS level is less documents Flood Risk than 130% of the upstream SS level. and contracts Managem During dredging works within the Class 1 protection zones for the of the ent drinking water intakes (from 1,000 m upstream of the intake to 100 m subproject downstream of the intake) of the Luxi County WTP intake on the Yuan River, a silt curtain shall be deployed in front of this intake for protection of intake water quality. No treated wastewater from construction sites shall be discharged to Category II water bodies, which include the Class 1 drinking water protection zone above. There shall be no construction works on the Yuan River, Xinhua River and Tankou River from March to June each year for protection of the Provincial Protection Zone for Pingxiang Red Transpartent Crucian Carp Germplasm. To avoid odor impacts caused by sediment dredging, transport dredged sediment in closed tank wagons to contain odor and prevent scattering along the way. Mitigation of water quality impact during bridge and weir Shangli construction, dredging, cofferdam construction and water pumping Incorporated County out of the cofferdam shall be based on water quality monitoring the Integrated results. The water quality monitoring approach shall include, at each covenants River of the above location, one control station 50 m up current of the into the Rehabilitat location and one impact station 100 m down current of the location. bidding ion and When the monitoring result shows that the suspended solids (SS) documents Flood Risk level at the down current impact station is ≥130% higher than that at and contracts Managem the up current control station, it is indicative of bottom sediment of the ent being stirred up, re-suspended in the water column, and transported subproject down current. The contractor shall deploy a silt curtain 100 m downstream of the location or reduce the dredging rate and/or adopt alternative dredging method until the down current SS level is less than 130% of the upstream SS level.

To avoid odor impacts caused by sediment dredging, transport dredged sediment in closed tank wagons to contain odor and prevent scattering along the way. Mitigation of water quality impact during bridge and weir construction, dredging, cofferdam construction and water pumping out of the cofferdam shall be based on water quality monitoring results. The water quality monitoring approach shall include, at each of the above location, one control station 50 m up current of the location and one impact station 100 m down current of the location. When the monitoring result shows that the suspended solids (SS) Xiangdon Incorporated level at the down current impact station is ≥130% higher than that at g District the the up current control station, it is indicative of bottom sediment Integrated being stirred up, re-suspended in the water column, and transported covenants River into the down current. The contractor shall deploy a silt curtain 100 m Rehabilitat downstream of the location or reduce the dredging rate and/or adopt bidding ion and documents alternative dredging method until the down current SS level is less Flood Risk than 130% of the upstream SS level. and contracts Managem of the During dredging works within the Class 1 protection zones for the ent subproject drinking water intakes (from 1,000 m upstream of the intake to 100 m downstream of the intake) of the Lengtanwan WTP on the Pingshui River in Xiangdong District, a silt curtain shall be deployed in front of these intakes for protection of intake water quality. No treated wastewater from construction sites shall be discharged to Category II water bodies, which include the Class 1 drinking water protection zone above. There will be no construction works on the Pingshui River from April to June each year for the protection of the National Protection Zone for Pingshui River Special Fish Species Germplasm. Mitigation of water quality impact during bridge construction shall be based on water quality monitoring results. The water quality monitoring approach shall include, at each of the above location, one control station 50 m up current of the location and one impact station 100 m down current of the location. When the monitoring result shows that the suspended solids (SS) level at the down current impact station is ≥130% higher than that at the up current control station, it is indicative of bottom sediment being stirred up, re- suspended in the water column, and transported down current. The Incorporated contractor shall deploy a silt curtain 100 m downstream of the the location or reduce the dredging rate and/or adopt alternative covenants Rural- dredging method until the down current SS level is less than 130% of into the urban the upstream SS level. bidding Road No treated wastewater from construction sites shall be discharged to documents Pingshui River and Yuanbei River, which are Category II water and contracts bodies. of the Prior to commencement of construction, tag and conspicuously mark subproject all the identified protected Camphor Trees and Happy Trees along the rural-urban road as identified in the EIRs and Table V.3 of this EIA, to prevent damage to these trees by construction workers. There shall be no construction works on the rural-urban road section crossing the Yuen River from March to June each year for protection of the Provincial Protection Zone for Pingxiang Red Transpartent Crucian Carp Germplasm. There will be no construction works on the rural-urban road section

crossing the Pingshui River from April to June each year for the protection of the National Protection Zone for Pingshui River Special Fish Species Germplasm. During construction of the road section through the Yangqi Mountain Scenic Area in Luxi County: (1) no asphalt mixing or concrete batching station is allowed within the scenic area; (2) no material stockpile is allowed within the scenic area; (3) no borrow area and spoil disposal site is allowed within the scenic area;(4) water unpaved areas within the scenic area every two hours during dry weather to suppress dust and to reduce visual impact; (5) erect hoardings around the construction area within the scenic area to shield off noise and visual impact from construction machinery.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT MITIGATION MEASURES

25. In order to avoid and reduce the adverse environmental impact during the implementation of the project, the mitigation measures to be implemented during the project construction and operational phases have been defined in the EMP. Most of the mitigation measures in the design phase and construction phase have been implemented, only a few of the mitigation measures have not been implemented. The implementation status is shown in the Table 4-1 below.

Table 4-1 IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT MITIGATION MEASURES Item Impact Factor Mitigation Measures Defined in the EMP Implementation status Embankment Technical design of embankments shall be adequate and stable enough to withstand the strong force of heavy storm water flow but Have been incorporated into the at the same time maximize the adoption of eco-friendly embankment detail design. designs Ecology Technical design of the alignments of the Baima River and Lianjiang Design of Have been incorporated into the River shall avoid the protected Camphor Trees and Happy Trees at river detail design. locations shown in the EIRs and Table V.3 of this EIA. rehabilitatio Solid waste Technical design of the dredged sediment disposal site shall include n and flood double lining with impervious liner on the bottom of each disposal risk cell, and perimeter drainage ditches to intercept and divert runoff Have been incorporated into the manageme from the site during storm events. Upon completion, all disposal sites detail design. nt shall be capped with clean soil on top with a thickness of at least 1 m, followed by restoration with planting of vegetation. Climate change Technical design of the flood control function of the river channels Have been incorporated into the shall take into consideration extreme storm events due to climate detail design. change. Design of wastewater The design and construction method of the wastewater collection Have been incorporated into the Environmental pollution collection pipelines must be adequate to prevent pipe burst. detail design. pipeline Technical design of the WWTPs shall include facility and equipment Have been incorporated into the to remove odor generated during plant operation. detail design. Technical design of the wastewater treatment plants shall include an environmental buffer distance of 200 m from the boundary of the Have been incorporated into the Design of wastewater treatment plant to the nearest environmental protection detail design. Air quality wastewater target for potential odor impact. treatment The nearest environmental protection target for the Tongmu Town plant WWTP in Shangli County is Xiashan Village which is only 108 m Have been incorporated into the from the WWTP site boundary. Resettlement plan for two detail design. households in Xiashan Village is required. Noise Technical design of the WWTPs shall (1) contain the operational Have been incorporated into the noises from pumps, blowers and other noisy equipment with proper detail design.

acoustic design of these facilities Water quality Technical design of the WWTPs shall achieve the desired treatment to meet Class 1B discharge standard and safety of plant operation, Have been incorporated into the with dual power supply to avoid interruption to plant operation due to detail design. power failure. Solid waste Technical design of the WWTPs shall include temporary sludge Have been incorporated into the drying beds to produce sludge with water content of lower than 60% detail design. Provide dust masks to construction workers, especially those Have been incorporated into the involved in the Taohua Tunnel construction. detail design. Build access and hauling roads at sufficient distances from In compliance residential areas, particular, from local schools and hospitals. Assign haulage routes and schedules to avoid transport occurring in In compliance the central areas, traffic intensive areas or residential areas. Spray water regularly on unpaved haul roads and access roads (at least once a day) to suppress dust; and erect hoarding around dusty In compliance activities. Cover material stockpiles with dust shrouds or tarpaulin. For the earthwork management for backfill, measures will include surface Rural-urban Natural press and periodical spraying and covering. The extra earth or dreg In compliance Road Environme Air quality should be cleared from the project site in time to avoid long term Project nt stockpiling. Minimize the storage time of construction and demolition wastes on In compliance site by regularly removing them off site. Site asphalt mixing and concrete batching stations at least 300 m The pavement construction has downwind of the nearest air quality protection target. not yet begun. Equip asphalt, hot mix and batching plants with fabric filters and/or The pavement construction has wet scrubbers to reduce the level of dust emissions. not yet begun. Install wheel washing equipment or conduct wheel washing manually at each exit of the works area to prevent trucks from carrying muddy Have not complied with. or dusty substance onto public roads. Keep construction vehicles and machinery in good working order, In compliance regularly service and turn off engines when not in use.

Vehicles with an open load-carrying case, which transport potentially dust-producing materials, shall have proper fitting sides and tail boards. Dust-prone materials shall not be loaded to a level higher In compliance than the side and tail boards, and shall always be covered with a strong tarpaulin. In periods of high wind, dust-generating operations shall not be permitted within 200 m of residential areas. Special precautions In compliance need to be applied in the vicinity of sensitive receptors such as schools, kindergartens and hospitals. Unauthorized burning of construction and demolition waste material and refuse shall be subject to penalties for the Contractor, and In compliance withholding of payment. Noise levels from equipment and machinery shall conform to the PRC standard for Noise Limits for Construction Sites (GB12523- In compliance 2011) and the WBG EHS Standards, and properly maintain machinery to minimize noise. Equipment with high noise and high vibration shall not be used near village or township areas and only low noise machinery or the In compliance equipment with sound insulation is employed.

Sites for concrete-mixing plants and similar activities will be located In compliance at least 300 m away from the nearest noise protection target.

Noise Temporary noise barriers or hoardings shall be installed around the equipment to shield residences when there are residences within 20 In compliance m of the noise source.

No construction shall be allowed between the night time hours of In compliance 22:00 to 06:00.

Regularly monitor noise levels at construction site boundaries. If noise standards are exceeded by more than 3 dB, equipment and In compliance construction conditions shall be checked, and mitigation measures shall be implemented to rectify the situation. 21

Provide the construction workers with suitable hearing protection In compliance (ear muffs) according to the worker health protection law of the PRC.

Control the speed of bulldozer, excavator, crusher and other transport vehicles travelling on site, adopt noise reduction measures In compliance on equipment, step up equipment repair and maintenance to keep them in good working condition.

Limit the speed of vehicles travelling on site (less than 8 km/h). In compliance

Maintain continual communication with the villages and communities In compliance near the construction sites.

Portable toilets and small package wastewater treatment plants shall be provided on construction sites and construction camps for the workers and canteens; If there are nearby public sewers, interim In compliance storage tanks and pipelines will be installed to convey wastewater to those sewers. Sedimentation tanks shall be installed on construction sites to treat process water (e.g. concrete batching for bridge construction) and muddy runoff with high concentrations of suspended solids. If In compliance necessary, flocculants such as polyacryl amide (PAM) will be used to Surface facilitate sedimentation. water Construction machinery shall be repaired and washed at special In compliance repairing shops. No onsite machine repair and washing shall be allowed.

Storage facilities for fuels, oil, and other hazardous materials will be In compliance within secured areas on impermeable surfaces, and provided with bunds and cleanup kits. The contractors' fuel suppliers must be properly licensed, follow In compliance proper protocol for transferring fuel, and must be in compliance with

Transportation, Loading and Unloading of Dangerous or Harmful Goods (JT 3145-88). Material stockpiles will be protected against wind and runoff waters In compliance which might transport them to surface waters. Spills shall be cleaned up according to PRC norms and codes within 24 hours of the occurrence, with contaminated soils and water In compliance treated according to PRC norms and codes. Records must be handed over without delay to the PMO and Pingxiang EPB. No treated wastewater from construction sites shall be discharged to Category II water bodies, which include the Class 1 drinking water In compliance protection zones listed above and at the road bridges crossing the Pingshui River and Yuanbei River. For river dredging works, sewer relocation, and bridge and weir construction, water quality monitoring shall be conducted at each dredging location, one control station 50 m up current of the location and one impact station 100 m down current of the location. When the monitoring result shows that the suspended solids (SS) level at the Have not complied with. down current impact station is ≥130% higher than that at the up current control station, a silt curtain 100 m downstream of the location shall be deployed, or the dredging rate shall be reduced until the down current SS level is less than 130% of the upstream SS level. Establish enclosed waste collection points on site, with separation of In compliance domestic waste and construction & demolition (C&D) waste. Set up centralized domestic waste collection point and transport Solid In compliance offsite for disposal regularly by sanitation department. waste, earthwork, Maximize the reuse of earth cut materials and C&D waste for filling and foundations of other construction works specified by the soil erosion In compliance protection municipal and planning departments, or transport in enclosed containers to designated C&D landfill site. Confirm location of the borrow pit and temporary spoil storage and In compliance final disposal sites.

Develop borrow pit and spoil disposal site management and restoration plan, to be approved by responsible authority; obtain Have not complied with. permit for the clearance of excavated earthworks. Construct intercepting ditches and drains to prevent runoff entering construction sites, and diverting runoff from sites to existing In compliance drainage. Construct hoardings and sedimentation ponds to contain soil loss In compliance and runoff from the construction sites. Limit construction and material handling during periods of rains and In compliance high winds. Stabilize all cut slopes, embankments, and other erosion-prone In compliance working areas while works are going on. Stockpiles shall be short-termed, placed in sheltered and guarded areas near the actual construction sites, covered with clean In compliance tarpaulins, and sprayed with water during dry and windy weather conditions. All earthwork disturbance areas shall be stabilized with thatch cover In compliance within 30 days after earthworks have ceased at the sites. Immediately restore, level and plant landscape on temporary In compliance occupied land upon completion of construction works. Implement all soil erosion protection measures as defined in the soil Have not complied with. and water conservation reports. Remove trees or shrubs only as the last resort if they impinge In compliance directly on the permanent works or necessary temporary works. Prior to commencement of construction, tag and conspicuously mark all the identified protected Camphor Trees along the Baima River, Impacts on fauna, flora the Lianjiang River and the rural-urban road, and the Happy Trees Have not complied with. and protected areas along the rural-urban road as identified in the EIRs and Table V.3 of this EIA, to prevent damage to these trees by construction workers. Construction workers are prohibited from capturing any wildlife in the project areas. In compliance There shall be no construction works on the Yuan River, Xinhua

River and Tankou River (including the rural-urban road section crossing the Yuen River) from March to June each year. There will be no construction works on the Pingshui River (including the rural-urban road section crossing the Pingshui River) from April In compliance to June each year. During construction of the road section through the Yangqi Mountain Scenic Area in Luxi County: (1) no asphalt mixing or concrete batching station is allowed within the scenic area; (2) no material stockpile is allowed within the scenic area; (3) no borrow area and spoil disposal site is allowed within the scenic area; (4) water In compliance unpaved areas within the scenic area every two hours during dry weather to suppress dust and to reduce visual impact; (5) erect hoardings around the construction area within the scenic area to shield off noise and visual impact from construction machinery. Contractor shall comply with PRC's Cultural Relics Protection Law and Cultural Relics Protection Law Implementation Regulations if Physical cultural such relics are discovered, stop work immediately and notify the In compliance resources relevant authorities, adopt protection measures and notify the Security Bureau to protect the site.

Each contractor shall provide adequate and functional systems for sanitary conditions, toilet facilities, waste management, labor In compliance dormitories and cooking facilities.

Effectively clean and disinfect the site. During site formation, spray Constructio with phenolated water for disinfection. Disinfect toilets and refuse In compliance Occupation n site piles and timely remove solid waste. al health sanitation, Exterminate rodents on site at least once every 3 months, and and safety In compliance pest control exterminate mosquitoes and flies at least twice each year. Provide public toilets in accordance with the requirements of labor management and sanitation departments in the living areas on In compliance construction site, and appoint designated staff responsible for cleaning and disinfection. Work camp wastewater shall be discharged into the municipal sewer In compliance system or treated on-site with portable system.

Provide safety hats and shoes to all construction workers and In compliance Personal enforce their use by the workers. Protective Provide goggles and respiratory masks to workers doing asphalt The pavement construction has Equipment road paving and tunnel blasting. not yet begun. Provide ear plugs to workers working near noisy PME. In compliance Inspect and supervise food hygiene in canteen on site regularly. In compliance Canteen workers must have valid health permits. In compliance Food safety If food poisoning is discovered, implement effective control No food poisoning was found. measures immediately to prevent it from spreading. All contracted labor shall undergo a medical examination which should form the basis of an (obligatory) health/accident insurance In compliance and welfare provisions to be included in the work contracts; The contractors shall maintain records of health and welfare Have not complied with. conditions for each person contractually engaged; Disease Establish health clinic at location where workers are concentrated, prevention which should be equipped with common medical supplies and and safety Have not complied with. medication for simple treatment and emergency treatment for awareness accidents; Specify (by the PIUs and contractors) the person responsible for health and epidemic prevention responsible for the education and In compliance propaganda on food hygiene and disease prevention to raise the awareness of workers. Civil works contracts shall stipulate priorities to (i) employ local Social people for works, (ii) ensure equal opportunities for women and men, In compliance conflicts (iii) pay equal wages for work of equal value, and to pay women's wages directly to them; and (iv) not employ child or forced labor.

A traffic control and operation plan will be prepared together with the Have not complied with. Temporary local traffic management authority prior to any construction. Community traffic health and manageme The plan shall include provisions for diverting or scheduling safety construction traffic to avoid morning and afternoon peak traffic hours, nt In compliance regulating traffic at road crossings with an emphasis on ensuring public safety through clear signs, controls and planning in advance.

Information Inform residents and businesses in advance through media of the disclosure construction activities, given the dates and duration of expected Have not complied with. disruption.

Access to Place clear signs at construction sites in view of the public, warning constructio people of potential dangers such as moving vehicles, hazardous n sites materials, excavations etc. and raising awareness on safety issues. In compliance All sites will be made secure, discouraging access by members of the public through appropriate fencing whenever appropriate. Utility Assess construction locations in advance for potential disruption to services services and identify risks before starting construction; In compliance interruption s If temporary disruption is unavoidable, develop a plan to minimize the disruption in collaboration with relevant local authorities such as power company, water supply company and communication In compliance company, and communicate the dates and duration in advance to all affected people.

V. IMPLEMENTATION OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION PLAN

26. The roadbed construction of the road sub-project is under way.During the construction process, relevant soil and water conservation measures have been taken in accordance with the requirements in the soil and water conservation report (SWCR).

27. The contractors have stabilized all cut slopes, embankments, and other erosion-prone working areas while works were going on.

28. The contractors have constructed intercepting ditches and drains to prevent runoff entering construction sites, and diverting runoff from sites to existing drainage.

29. Temporary piles of earthwork during construction have been protected by enclosure and covering measures

30. The intercepting ditch has been set in the borrowing pit and the excavation slope has been controlled reasonably.

31. The contractors have restored，levelled and planted landscape on the land of the spoil disposal sites in which the spoil disposal has been completed.

VI. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT MONITORING

A. Project Readiness Monitoring

32. According to the EMP, before construction, the EEM will assess the project's readiness in terms of environmental management based on a set of indicators. However, the EEM was contracted by the PMO in April 2018, when the work on the road had already begun. In spite of this, the EEM assessed the project's readiness and found that most of the indicators are complied with the criteria except for a few, the EEM has suggested corrective actions to ensure that all requirements are met (see Table 6-1). Other components are still getting ready.

Table 6-1: Project Readiness Assessment Indicators Indicator Criteria Assessment EMP update  The EMP was updated after technical detail design as No needed, approved by ADB, and disclosed on the project website Compliance with  The borrower complies with loan covenants related to Yes loan covenants project design and environmental management planning Public involvement  Meaningful consultation completed Yes effectiveness  GRM established with entry points Yes  Environment specialist appointed by PMO Yes  Environment specialists appointed by PIUs Yes Environmental  EEM contracted by PMO Supervision Yes in place  Contractors have site-specific EMPs  ESEs contracted by PIUs Yes  EMS contracted by EEM Yes Yes  Bidding documents and contracts incorporating the Yes environmental activities and safeguards listed as loan Bidding documents assurances and contracts with  Bidding documents and contracts incorporating the environmental impact mitigation and environmental management Yes safeguards and monitoring provisions of the EMP  Environmental requirements of EMP included in Yes contract documents  The required funds have been set aside by PMO, EMP financial support PIUs, contractors and the O&M units to support Yes the EMP implementation

B. Environmental Impact Monitoring

33. Table EMP-6 shows the environmental impact monitoring program specifically designed for this project, defining the requirements, including, scope, location, parameter, duration and frequency of monitoring during the construction and operational stages. Environmental impact monitoring will include monitoring of air quality, noise, water quality and ecology.

34. Environmental monitoring of air quality, noise and water quality during construction and operation is conducted by the local Environment Monitoring Stations (EMS) which has been contracted by the EEM. Ecological monitoring is based on the requirements in the topical reports prepared by the Pingxiang Municipal Station for Promotion of Aquatic Product

Technology (PMSPAPT) (2013, 2015)1 for the national and provincial fish protection zones on the Pingshui River and Yuan River respectively. And the environmental monitoring results will be compared with relevant PRC performance standards. Up to now, only work on the road component has begun, so it is only necessary to monitor the atmospheric environmental quality and acoustic environment quality of sensitive sites during the construction of the road subproject. The external environmental unit was contracted in April 2018, before that，the Xuanfeng road connecting Luxi and Shangli urban has been under constructed. Therefore, the environmental impact during the construction period and the environmental baseline were monitored simultaneously.The Jiangxi Provincial Yueke Testing Technology Co., Ltd. which is entrusted by the external environmental unit has completed this monitoring in May, 2018.

35. Result of atmospheric environmental impact monitoring is shown in table 6-2. According to the monitoring results, the daily mean values of TSP and PM10 at all monitoring sites in the project area are lower than the Grade II values in "ambient air quality standard" (GB3095- 2012). So, the environmental air quality of the area where the project is located is good, and the environmental sensitive points of the project are less affected by road construction. The atmospheric environmental of the sensitive points is hardly affected by the construction. Subgrade construction is underway throughout the road.Subgrade excavation near the Shapoxia, Changmu Hejiazhen, Huangtang and Anbei caused more dust, so the monitoring results at these locations are relatively high. During the monitoring period, the amount of earthwork which caused dust at the other monitoring locations was small, so the monitoring results are lower.

Table 6-2 Result of atmospheric environmental quality monitoring Sub- Monitoring Monitoring results(mg/m3) reach the standard or not component site TSP PM10 TSP PM10 Aoshang 0.086 0.041 yes yes Daijialing 0.100 0.031 yes yes Shiziling 0.083 0.033 yes yes Taohuacong 0.080 0.027 yes yes Shizishi 0.111 0.021 yes yes Shapixia 0.120 0.030 yes yes Road Changmu 0.112 0.022 yes yes component in Xinwuchang 0.099 0.033 yes yes Shangli and Shangtonguk 0.081 0.047 yes yes Luxi counties eng Panjiatang 0.077 0.25 yes yes Yuanxi 0.098 0.042 yes yes Zhangjiapi 0.104 0.028 yes yes Hejiazhen 0.113 0.037 yes yes Huangtang 0.126 0.023 yes yes Yanbei 0.117 0.032 yes yes According to”ambient air quality standard “（GB3095-2012）Grade II，daily mean 3 3 concentration for PM10 and TSP are 0.15mg/m and 0.3 mg/m respectively;

According to the World Bank EHS，daily mean concentration for PM10 is 0.075-0.15 mg/m3, guideline value is 0.05 mg/m3.

36. Result of acoustic environmental quality monitoring is shown in table 6-3. According to the monitoring results, all the noise is lower than standard limit in “Acoustic Ambient Quality Standards”（GB3096-2008） and world bank EHS, so the acoustic environmental of the sensitive points is hardly affected by the construction. During the monitoring period, there were

large bulldozers working near the Shizishi,Daijialing and Anbei, so the noise monitoring values at these locations are high. The large machinery at the construction sites near the other monitoring locations was not operated and the noise monitoring values at these locations are lower.

Table 6-3 Result of acoustic environmental quality monitoring reach “Acoustic Monitoring Reach world bank Sub- Monitoring Ambient Quality results/dB(A) EHS or not component site Standards”or not day night day night day night Aoshang 52.9 42.6 yes yes yes yes Taohauco 53.2 43.1 yes yes yes yes ng Shiziling 52.8 42.7 yes yes yes yes Shizishi 54.1 43.5 yes yes yes yes Baishuxia 52.9 42.9 yes yes yes yes Shapixia 53.1 42.8 yes yes yes yes Rural- Daijialing 54.0 43.5 yes yes yes yes urban Changmu 53.2 42.9 yes yes yes yes transport Xinwucha 52.7 42.7 yes yes yes yes infrastructu ng re in Shangton 52.9 42.7 yes yes yes yes Shangli gmukeng and luxi Yuannan 53.4 43.1 yes yes yes yes counties School Zhangjiapi 52.4 42.8 yes yes yes yes Hejiazhen 52.8 42.6 yes yes yes yes Yinhezhen 53.4 43.0 yes yes yes yes School Huangtan 52.9 42.8 yes yes yes yes g Yanbei 53.9 43.1 yes yes yes yes “Acoustic Ambient Quality Standards”（GB3096-2008）Grade II：day 60dB（A）and night 50dB（A） World bank EHS standard：day55dB（A）, night 45dB（A）

VII. CONSULTATION AND GRM

A. Consultation, Participation and Information Disclosure

37. According to plans for public involvement during construction and operation stages (Table EMP-10), there are 4 times of Public consultation & site visits, once before construction commences and once and once each year during construction. Actually, no public consultation had been conducted before construction commenced. Then in January 2018 after the commencement of the project, a public consultation & site visit was conducted. Residents in direct project area were interviewed. According to the results, the affected people in the direct project area were satisfied with the environmental impact of the project. They hoped that the road would benefit their life and didn't think that the road construction caused much inconvenience.

B. Grievance Redress Mechanism

38. PMO has established a complaints center and coordinated the GRM for the project for complaints related to both environmental and resettlement issues. The project complaint center will direct all environmental complaints as appropriate to: (i) the contractors, ESE or CSC; (ii) PIUs; (iii) EPBs. These are also entry points to whom the affected people could directly register their complaints. Complaints related to resettlement issues received by the complaints center will be directed to the relevant agencies in accordance with the resettlement GRM. The grievance redress steps are described below: Step 1. For environmental problems during the construction stage (and until a project completion report is issued), affected persons can register their complaints directly with contractors. Affected persons may also file their complaints through the normal EPB hotline or a project complaint hotline to be established by the PMO, with a designated person in charge of handling complaints, and advertised at the main entrance to each construction site. Each contractor is required to document all complaints and to respond to complainants in writing within 1 week about their proposed solutions and how they will be implemented. If a problem is resolved and the complainant (i.e. the impacted person making the complaint) is satisfied with the solution, the grievance handling ends here. Contractors are required to report complaints received, handled, resolved, and unresolved to the CSC, ESE and PIU monthly (through the monthly progress reports). Step 2. For environmental problems that could not be resolved at the contractor level, the affected person can take the grievance to the PIU. On receiving complaints, the PIU will (i) document the complaint into a complaints register; (ii) send a copy of the complaint to the environmental staff of the PMO; and (iii) after discussing possible solutions with the complainant and the contractor, reply in writing within 14 calendar days describing the proposed solution and how it will be implemented. The results (the complainant is satisfied or unsatisfied) is documented in the complaint register and reported to the PMO quarterly (through the PIUs' quarterly project progress reports). Step 3. If the affected person is not satisfied with the solutions proposed in the step 2, he or she can, upon receiving the reply, take the grievance directly to the PMO. The PMO must immediately inform ADB of the complaint. After discussing the complaint and potential solutions among PMO, the EEM, the loan implementation consultant, relevant agencies and EPB, the affected person, and the contractor, the PMO must provide the complainant with a clear and understandable reply within 14 calendar days, and record it into the complaint register.

39. Up to now, there have been no complaints about inconvenience caused by construction.

VIII. INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING

A. Institutional strengthening

40. The capacities of the PMO and PIUs to coordinate environmental management have been strengthened through the following measures: i.The appointment of qualified environment specialists within the PMO staff to be in charge of EMP coordination, including GRM and coordination of environmental impact monitoring, training, reporting, etc.; iii.The contracting of an External Environmental Monitor (EEM) to guide and verify PMO and PIUs in implementing the EMP and ensure compliance with ADB's Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS 2009); iv.The appointment of environment specialist(s) by the PIUs on their staff to conduct regular site inspections; and v.The contracting of environmental supervision engineers (ESE) by the PIUs to verify environment performance of the project on construction sites.

B. Training

41. The PMO, PIUs, contractors and O&M units will receive training in EMP implementation, supervision, and reporting, and on the Grievance Redress Mechanism (Table 8-1). Training will be facilitated by the EEM and experts under the loan implementation consultant services.

Table 8-1: Tentative EMP-related Training Program Have Training Attendees Contents Times conducted

EMP adjustment PMO, PIUs, Development and Twice - Once prior to and contractors, adjustment of the EMP, Once prior to, each component implementation ESEs roles and responsibilities, and once after implementation, monitoring, supervision one year of and once after and reporting project one year of the procedures, review of implementation road component experience (after 12 months) Grievance Redress PMO, PIUs, Roles and Twice - Once prior to Mechanism contractors, responsibilities, Once prior to, each component EPBs, ESEs procedures, review of and once after implementation, experience (after 12 one year of and once after months) project one year of the implementation road component Environmental PMO, PIUs, Pollution control Twice (during Not yet technologies and contractors technologies, equipment project processes , O&M selection and implementatio units procurement n) Environmental PMO, PIUs, Monitoring methods, Once (at Once prior to monitoring, contractors data collection and beginning each component occupational health processing, reporting of project implementation, & safety systems, occupational constructio and once after health & safety n) one year of the during construction road component

42. With the progress of the project construction, the EEM has conducted the relevant training for the project, see more details in table8-2 and Annex 2.

Table 8-2 relevant training completed Training Training time Contents Attendees Training effect site methods The results of the questionnaire EMP adjustment shows that the Attendees have and grasped the environmental protection requirements of ADB implementation, Propagan policies, and they have learned ACB policies, dand PMO, PIUs, about EMP, they have Grievance Redress explainati June contractors, understood their respective roles Pingxia Mechanism， on with 11th, ESEs and responsibilities. More ngshi PPTand 2018 Environmental important, they have learned questionn monitoring, how to react and record the aire occupational complaints and how to prepare

health & safety the environment monthly report. So it is very helpful to the EMP implementation.

IX. ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A. Key Issues identified

43. The contractors and supervision units of the river channel components have not yet appointed an environmental specialist.

44. Contractors and supervision units needs to pay more attention to the clauses related to the EMP.

45. Some of the mitigation measures haven't been fully carried out.

46. Since there have been no complaints about inconvenience caused by construction up to now, sometimes entry points don't report on time their records of complaints to the complaint center. As required, even if no complaints, the records should be reported regularly.

47. Soil and water conservation monitoring has not been carried out for the road subproject.

B. Additional Action Required

48. The contractors and supervision units of the river channel components should apponit their environmental specialists as soon as possible, so that they can get trained in time and play their roles in the EMP implementation.

49. Contractors and should receive more training in EMP implementation, supervision, and reporting, especially on site environmental management.

50. PIUs should conduct site inspections more frequently to make sure the that contractors strictly implement environmental impact mitigation measures.

51. The complaint center should communicate better with all entry points to make sure that the records of complaints be reported regularly.

52. The project implementation unit shall employ a water and soil conservation monitoring unit to conduct soil and water conservation monitoring in accordance with the requirements in the soil and water conservation report (SWCR).

X. CONCLUSION

53. PMO, PIUs, O&M units and contractors' staff responsible for EMP implementation and supervision have been appointed and have received training in EMP implementation, supervision, and reporting, and on the Grievance Redress Mechanism.

54. During the reporting period, the External Environmental Monitor commissioned Jiangxi Yuehuanke testing Technology Co., Ltd. to carry out environmental monitoring and assessed the environmental impact during the construction phase and the implementation of mitigation measures.

55. The road contractors have basically implemented the environmental mitigation measures specified in the EMP and reduce the adverse environmental impact as much as possible. The monitoring results shows that the ambient air and noise in the construction period can satisfy the standard.

56. Effective training has been conducted and the capacity of PMO, PIUs, contractors has been strengthened. Environment monthly report is required to help with better communication. PMO has established a complaints center.

57. The capacities of the PMO and PIUs to coordinate environmental management should be strengthened. More training should be conducted to make sure of the implementation of EMP.

58. The project implementation unit shall employ a water and soil conservation monitoring unit to conduct soil and water conservation monitoring in accordance with the requirements in the soil and water conservation report (SWCR).

XI. APPENDICES

1. Environmental Quality Monitoring Report 2. Pictures of the Training 3. Training Attendance Sheet and the Questionnaires 4. Site Inspection Pictures of the Rural-urban Road Project

APPENDIX1: Environmental Quality Monitoring Report

APPENDIX2: Pictures of the Training

APPENDIX3: Training Attendance Sheet and the Questionnaires

APPENDIX4: Public Consultation Questionnaire

APPENDIX5: Site Inspection Pictures of the Rural-urban Road Project