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Environmental Assessment Report Initial Environmental Examination Project Number: 37192 August 2009 PAK: Multitranche Financing Facility Power Transmission Enhancement Investment Program, Tranche 1 Sub Project No. 20 220 kV Dera Ghazi Khan - Loralai Double Circuit Transmission Line Subproject Prepared by National Transmission and Despatch Company for the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The initial environmental examination 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. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 30 May 2009) Currency Unit – Pakistan rupee/s (Pre/PRs) PRe1.00 = $.0080 $1.00 = PRs79.80 ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Asian Development Bank dB(decibel) – sound level measure EIA – environmental impact assessment EMP – environmental management plan IEC – International environmental consultants IEE – initial environmental examination LARP – land acquisition and resettlement plan MFF – Multitranche Financing Facility PCB – Polychlorinated biphenyls PEPA – Punjab Environmental Protection Agency PEPAct – Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 (as regulated and amended) PMU – project management unit ROW – right of way WMP – waste management plan DEFINITIONS Barren Land – Land which has not been cultivated and was lying barren at the time of field survey for this IEE Cropped land – Land which was under agricultural crops at the time of field survey for this IEE. Landowner – Person(s) holding legal title to property on the electric transmission line route from whom the Company is seeking, or has obtained, a temporary or permanent easement, or any person(s) legally authorized by a landowner to make decisions regarding the mitigation or restoration of agricultural impacts to such landowner(s) property. Right-of-Way – Includes the permanent and temporary easements that the Company acquires for the purpose of constructing power transmission facilities. For IEE of this Subproject Right of Way was 100m on either side from the center line. Tenant or Hari – Persons cultivating the land on tenancy or share cropping basis. Topsoil – The soil that has the highest content of organic matter, more specifically defined as the "A" horizon. Transmission Line – Includes electric transmission and distribution lines, substations, and their associated components. Uncultivated Land – The land which was not cropped at the time of field survey for this IEE. CONTENTS Page I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. Overview 1 B. Background 1 C. Scope of the IEE Study and Personnel 2 D. Policy and Statutory Requirements in Pakistan 4 E. Structure of Report 7 II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 8 A. Type of Project 8 B. Categorization of the Project 8 C. Need for the Project 9 D. Location and Scale of Project 10 E. Alternatives 10 F. Proposed Schedule for Implementation 11 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 11 A. Project Area 11 B. Physical Resources 13 C. Ecological Resources 17 D. Economic Development 19 E. Social and Cultural Resources 21 IV. SCREENING POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 25 A. Project Location 25 B. Potential Environmental Impacts 29 C. Environmental Impacts During Detailed Design and Pre-construction Phase 33 D. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures During Construction 39 E. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures During Operation 48 V. INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS & ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 50 VI. PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE 54 A. Approach to Public Consultation 54 B. Public Consultation Process 55 C. Results of Public Consultation 55 VII. CONCLUSIONS 56 A. Findings and Recommendations 56 B. Summary and Conclusions 57 APPENDIXES 1. Pakistan EIA Process 41 2. Environmental Management Plan 42 3. Monitoring plan 50 4. Summary of public consultation 63 5. Preliminary program for design, construction and commissioning 88 6. Trees affected by transmission line route 89 7. Cropping, trees and other infrastructure within 200m ROW 93 8. List of affected sensitive receivers 118 Annexure 1. Emissions Standards 142 2. Photographs 144 I. INTRODUCTION A. Overview 1. This document is the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) for the construction of the new Dera Ghazi Khan to Loralai, 220 kilovolt (kV) double circuit transmission line and forms Subproject No. 20 under Tranche–1 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Multitranche Financing Facility (MFF) Power Transmission Enhancement Investment Program (the Program). This IEE presents the results and conclusions of environmental assessment for the proposed construction of Dera Ghazi Khan to Loralai Transmission Line (TXL) Subproject and is submitted by the Government of Pakistan (the Government), Ministry of Water and Power and National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC). The Dera Ghazi Khan to Loralai TXL Subproject is to be considered for early construction under the Program and requires environmental assessment under ADB operating procedures. An IEE has been carried out to fulfill the requirements of ADB Guidelines (May 20031 2). This IEE study report is used to complete the Summary SIEE, the sub project along with the Rohri to Gumbat Transmission Line sub project are being shifted from Tranche 3 of the MFF to Tranche 1 and as part of the request to ADB for this reallocation of sub projects a SIEE (Dated May 2009) has been prepared and submitted to ADB .3 Figure 1 presents the location of the substation. 1 Initial project classification was carried out in 2008 and the Category is B. Most of the construction impacts will take place with only local impacts and there are no potential significant environmental impacts associated with the Tranche 3 Subproject construction. Initial environmental reconnaissance and Rapid Environmental Assessment carried out by consultants under ADB guidelines in March 2008 indicated that all the Tranche 3 Subprojects will be Category “B”. 2 ADB. 2003. Environmental Assessment Guidelines. Manila. 3 Category A projects that are deemed by ADB's chief compliance officer to be environmentally sensitive for the purposes of (i) the 120 day rule, and (ii) the environmental management plan requirement could involve projects that are near or in environmentally sensitive areas. At this stage, no component of the Tranche 1 Subprojects under consideration is actually within a critical area and therefore the MFF as a whole is Category “B”. Figure 1: Location of the Sub Station 2. The total cost of the Loralai Subproject is estimated at US$ 70.00 million. ADB will fund the design, civil works and procurement of equipment. 3. The Project involves the construction of TXL over land at Dera Ghazi Khan District of Punjab and Barkhan, Musakhel and Loralai districts of Baluchistan. Detailed designs are currently being progressed. Land will be not acquired for the TXL as only compensation for crop and trees damages will be paid. 4. The environmental assessment requirements of the Government for power transmission projects are different to those of ADB. The environmental regulations of the Government categorize development projects into two schedules according to their anticipated potential environmental impact. The proponents of projects that have more adverse environmental impacts (Schedule II) are required to submit an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The policy is ambiguous and needs clarification. The consultants have initiated a dialogue with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Islamabad for review of the policy. EPA Islamabad has agreed to open discussions with provincial EPAs and other stakeholders to revise the schedules, so that study requirements are not related to voltage or length of facilities being proposed to be added, but are related to impacts. A review of the need for EIA/IEE submission is therefore required by the relevant environmental protection authority, in this case both the Punjab Environmental Protection Department and Baluchistan EPA. B. Background 5. The condition of the power transmission system in Pakistan is inadequate to meet rapidly growing demand for electrical power. This situation limits national development and economic growth. To cope with the constraints, the existing power transmission infrastructure has to be improved and upgraded. The overall contribution of power infrastructure also requires 2 institutional arrangements and capacity that support strategic management of the sector, and planning and management of investments. Overall, the Program has been designed to address both investment and institutional aspects in the electrical power sector. 6. The Tranche–1 Subprojects involve the addition of new facilities, which requires damages to be paid for crop damages. Dera Ghazi Khan to Loralai TXL Subproject is in the group of projects that involve construction of new TXLs. Impacts from the Subproject are potentially significant, although not insurmountable, although no land will be needed to be acquired for the TXL. The design for Dera Ghazi Khan to Loralai TXL Subproject is sufficiently complete (March 2008) to permit initial environmental examination (Cat “B”). The designs for the Tranche–1 Subprojects have been developed under the ADB Loan No. 2178-PAK: Infrastructure Development. The Subproject, originally a part of tranche 3, is being shifted to Tranche-1 so as to utilize the unspent amount allocated to Tranche 1. 7. The Government has requested the ADB to provide financing for the Dera Ghazi Khan to Loralai TXL Subproject to cover the construction of 220 kV of double circuit 220 kV TXL