Initial Environmental Examination
March 2014
NEP: Second Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project- Baitadi Town Project
Prepared by Department of Water Supply and Sewerage, Ministry of Urban Development for the Asian Development Bank.
CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 30 April 2014)
Currency unit – nepali rupees (NPR) NPR1.00 = $0.01028 $1.00 = NPR97.2538
ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Asian Development Bank amsl – above mean sea level CMA – Community Medical Auxiliary DI – ductile iron Dia. – diameter DSC – Design and Supervision Consultant DWSS – Department of Water supply and Sewerage EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment EMP – Environmental Management Plan EPA – Environment Protection Act EPR – Environment Protection Rule GI – galvanized iron GoN – Government of Nepal HDPE – high density polyethylene pipe HHs – households IEE – Initial Environmental Examination lpcd – liter per capita per day lps – liters per second MOUD – Ministry of Urban Development NDWQS – National Drinking Water Quality Standard NEA – Nepal Electricity Authority NGO – Non Government Organization Nrs. – Nepali Rupees O&M – operation & maintenance OD – outer diameter PMC – Project Management Consultant PMO – Project Management Office TDF – Town Development Fund VAT – Value Added Tax VDC – Village Development Committee WHO – World Health Organization WSSDO – Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office WUSC – Water User’s and Sanitation Committee
NOTES
(i) The fiscal year (FY) of the Government of Nepal and its agencies ends on 15 July. “FY” before a calendar year denotes the year in which the fiscal year ends, e.g., FY2011 ends on 15 July 2011.
(ii) In this report, "$" refers to US dollars unless otherwise stated.
This 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. 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.
Government of Nepal Ministry of Physical Planning and Works Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Second Small Towns Water Supply & Sanitation Sector Project Project M anagement Office Panipokhari, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
Final Report on Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) for Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (Batch I, Package I)
March 2011
Submitted By:
E R M C ( P . ) L t d . (Environment & Resource M anagement Consultant) New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal P. O. Box: 12419, Kathmandu Tel.: 977-01-4483064, 4465863 Fax: 977-01-4479361 Email:[email protected], Website: www.ermcnepal.com
Initial Environment Examination on Baitaidi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION (IEE) OF BAITADI TOWN WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION SUB - PROJECT (BATCH I, PACKAGE I)
Submitted To: Ministry of Urban Development Government of Nepal Singhdurbar, Kathmandu
Submit ted By: Project M anagement Office Second Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Panipokhari, Kathmandu
M arch2014
ii Initial Environment Examination on Baitaidi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABBREVIATIONS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Nepali) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (English)
A. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 Name and Address of the Individual Institution Preparing the Report ...... 1 a. Name of the Proposal ...... 1 b. Name and Address of the Proponent ...... 1 c. Consultant Preparing the Report ...... 1 Basis and Extent of the IEE Study ...... 2 a. ADB Policy (ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement, 2009) ...... 2 b. National Laws, Policies, Acts, Regulations, Standards and Guidelines ...... 3 c. Objectives and Scope of the Environmental Study ...... 7 d. Relevancy of the Project ...... 8 e. Approach and Methodology ...... 9 B. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT ...... 12 a. Water Supply System ...... 12 b. Sanitation Facilities ...... 13 C. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT...... 23 1. Physical Resources ...... 23 a. Topography...... 23 b. Geology and Soils ...... 24 c. Climate and Rainfall ...... 24 d. Hydrology...... 24 2. Ecological Resources ...... 25 a. National Parks and Protected Areas ...... 25 b. Forests ...... 25 c. Aquatic Species ...... 26 3. Social and Cultural Resources ...... 26 a. Demography ...... 26 b. Health facilities ...... 27 c. Educational Facilities ...... 27 d. Physical or Cultural Heritage ...... 28 e. Employment ...... 29 4. Economic Development and Prospects for Growth ...... 29 a. Land Use ...... 29 b. Infrastructure ...... 29 c. Economic Characteristics ...... 31 d. Development Organizations ...... 33 e. Major Environmental Problems ...... 33 D. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ...... 35 1. Beneficial Impacts ...... 35 a. Construction Phase ...... 35
iii Initial Environment Examination on Baitaidi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project
b. Operation Phase ...... 36 2. Adverse Impacts ...... 37 a. Construction Phase ...... 38 b. Operational Phase ...... 41 E. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES WITH AND WITHOUT PROJECT SITUATIONS ...... 43 1. Design Alternative ...... 43 2. Project Site/Location Alternative ...... 43 3. Alternative in Technology, Implementation Procedure and Raw Materials ...... 44 4. No Project Option ...... 44 F. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION ...... 45 G. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM ...... 48 H. MATTERS TO BE MONITORED WHILE IMLEMENTING THE PROJECT AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (EMP) ...... 50 1. Mitigation and Monitoring ...... 50 2. Environmental Procedures and Institutions ...... 58 3. Potential Environmental Enhancement Measures ...... 60 4. Reporting Procedures...... 60 5. Procurement Plan and Cost Estimates ...... 61 6. Work Plan ...... 62 I. CONCLUSIONS ...... 64 REFERENCES ...... 65 LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 : National Policies, Acts, Regulations and Guidelines Relevant for the Project ...... 4 Table 2 : Existing Water Supply System...... 12 Table 3 : Total Water Demands ...... 15 Table 4 : Materials Required ...... 16 Table 5 : Salient Features of Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project ...... 18 Table 6 : Categories of Forests in the Baitadi District ...... 25 Table 7: Population of Proposed Project Area ...... 26 Table 8: Population Distribution of Caste/ Ethnicity ...... 27 Table 9: Population distribution by Education ...... 28 Table 10 : Existing Sources of Water Supply ...... 30 Table 11 : Type of Industries in Baitadi District...... 32 Table 12 : Cereal Production in Metric Tons ...... 32 Table 13 : Development Organizations ...... 33 Table 14 : Environmental Monitoring Program ...... 52 Table 15: Institutions Involved in the Proposed Project ...... 59 Table 16 : Annual Cost for EMP ...... 61 Table 17 : Monitoring Cost ...... 62 Table 18: Tentative Cost of Mitigation for Some Impacts ...... 62
iv Initial Environment Examination on Baitaidi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 : Schematic Layout of Project Components ...... 20 Figure 2 : Design Layout of Project Components 1 ...... 21 Figure 3 : Design Layout of Project Components 2 ...... 22 Figure 4 : Location Map of Dasrathchand Municipality, Baitadi District ...... 23 Figure 5 : Grievance Redress Mechanism ...... 49 Figure 6 : Implementation Schedule of the Project ...... 63
ANNEX
Annex 1: Approved Terms of Reference Annex 2: Rapid Environmental Assessment (REA) Annex 3: Public Notice Annex 4: Deed of Public Inquiry (Muchulka) Annex 5: Recommendation letters from concerned authorities Annex 6: List of persons contacted Annex 7: Survey questionnaire Annex 8: Land use map of Dasrathchand municipality, Baitadi district Annex 9: Water Quality Report Annex 10: Photographs
v Initial Environment Examination on Baitaidi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project
ABBREVIATIONS
MoUD Ministry of Urban Development ADB Asian Development Bank amsl above mean sea level DDC District Development Committee DSC Design and Supervision Consultant DWSS Department of Water Supply and Sewerage EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan EMAP Environmental Management Action Plan EPA Environmental Protection Act EPR Environmental Protection Rules GoN Government of Nepal GRM Grievance Redress Mechanism HH Household lpcd litres per capita per day IEE Initial Environmental Examination MPPW Ministry of Physical Planning and Works NEA Nepal Electricity Authority NDWQS National Drinking Water Quality Standard NWSC Nepal Water Supply Corporation PMO Project Management Office REA Rapid Environmental Assessment RP Resettlement Plan STWSSSP Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project SSTWSSSP Second Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project TDF Town Development Fund WUSC Water User and Sanitation Committee VDC Village Development Committee
vi Initial Environment Examination on Baitaidi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project
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vii Initial Environment Examination on Baitaidi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project
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The sub-project is a part of the Second Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (SSTWSSSP) of the Government of Nepal which aims to construct/extend drinking water supply systems, drainage and sanitation facilities as well as provide sanitary health education to the community in upcoming small towns of the country. The project embraces the community managed demand responsive approach and is being implemented under financial assistance of ADB. The proposed project will facilitate ward no. 1 (Gadhi, Sahilekh, Gothalapani and Bebet), parts of ward no. 2 (Madola), parts of ward no. 4 (Pallo Chaudali), parts of ward no. 5 (Buskot), parts of ward no. 6 (Simali) and parts of ward no. 9 (Tripura) of Dasrathchand municipality with above facilities. Purpose of IEE, ADB Policy, Nepalese Law The purpose of this Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) is to examine the environmental implication of proposed project and its activities to ensure that it will not damage the environment and to provide measures to remove or reduce those impacts into acceptable limits. Both the Nepalese law and ADB policy require that the environmental implications of individual developments are taken into account in the planning and decision making process. The statutory requirement of the Government of Nepal, that has to be adhered to for the proposed project, is the Environmental Protection Act, 1996 and Environmental Protection Regulation, 1997 (and amendments 2007). The present IEE study fulfills the requirements pertaining to Rule 3, Annex G of Schedule 1 of EPR, 1997. Similarly, as per ADB guidelines on Environmental Assessment requirements, the project is classified Environment Category B and IEE is required as per the checklist suggested by ADB. xi Initial Environment Examination on Baitaidi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Components of the Project The proposed ‘Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project’ is surface water based water supply system. The project comprises of two major components-Water supply and Sanitation. The water supply part comprises of gravity cum pumping scheme in which surface water from the source Madh khola is collected by gravity flow in the reservoir at Badilekh from where it is pumped to the service reservoir located at Tallo Gothalapani and Gadi area and to other parts located at lower elevation, water will be supplied through gravity from Badilekh reservoir itself. The system therefore consists of pumping facilities, construction of water treatment facilities, storage tanks or service reservoirs and construction of transmission and distribution lines. The second component is sanitation services which include construction of a six school toilets. There is also a provision of one tractor for the collection of solid waste of the project area. Baseline Information The existing water supply system in Dasrathchand municipality has poor reliability and the quality of services availed by the consumers is very low and services only part of the town. The proposed area does not get regular piped water supply and many households have to rely on other sort of means such as pond, khola etc to meet their basic demands. The sanitary facilities are satisfactory in Dasrathchand municipality. Most of the household in the bazaar area have access to some kind of latrines while a few percentages of people are found to practice open defecation. There is some storm water drainage along the roadside of Gothalepani, which requires repair and rehabilitation. There is no sewerage system and solid waste management systems are not managed well. Most of the people dispose the domestic waste in the kitchen garden. The socio-economic condition of the area is moderate. Majority of the people are found to be engaged in government and private services. It is then followed by agriculture, business and others. The community has good ethnic diversity. Brahmin and Chettris group are found to be the dominant one followed by other caste such as Janjati and Dalit. Gwalek forest is located at the southern side, which covers 2571 ha of land therefore harnessing good ecological diversity. Environmental Impacts, Mitigation and Monitoring No any significant adverse environmental impacts have been predicted and the anticipated negative impacts are of local in nature and low in magnitude. The main environmental concern for water supply system is related to construction activities such as digging of trenches for intake, pipe lines and other infrastructures. The project area being a hilly region, usually during excavation of pipe trench, soil erosion may occur. The mitigation measures are precautionary types such as proper back filling of the excavated trenches and avoiding cutting of vegetation. The locations of major structures have been acquired in consultation with the user committee and no households or xii Initial Environment Examination on Baitaidi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project community have been displaced or resettled. Therefore there are very less possibilities of adverse impacts on the biological and socio economical environment of the project area. Monitoring is necessary to check the implementation of mitigation measures and a detailed monitoring schedule has been designed specifying the regular and periodic monitoring activities during the project construction and operation phase. Before the operation of the project, PMO should develop detailed work plan for implementing mitigation measures and monitoring plans based on Environmental Management Plan which will be incorporated into the construction and operation contracts. Conclusion Considering the nature of the project; environmental and socio-economic situation of the area are based on the detailed field survey and consultation with the relevant stakeholders, it shall be concluded that the proposed project will have only minor negative impacts on the area. The impacts are mostly local in nature and shall be easily and cheaply mitigated with suitable mitigation measures and regular monitoring schedules. Implementation of the project will benefit the local people with safe and sufficient supply of drinking water and improved sanitary situation thereby raising the living standard of the people in Dasrathchand Municipality. If the project is properly implemented and environmental issues are duly considered, there will be a significant improvement in the health of the environment and people. It is proposed that the information suggested in the IEE report be well utilized in next phases of work and monitoring plan followed up. Hence, IEE is sufficient and proposed project is suitable for implementation. xiii Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project A. INTRODUCTION Name and Address of the Individual Institution Preparing the Report a. Name of the Proposal 1. The name of the proposal is ‘Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) of Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project’ in Baitadi District. The location map of the proposal is given in Figure 4. b. Name and Address of the Proponent 2. The project proponent Second Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (SSTWSSSP) under Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS) will be the responsible agency for the implementation of the proposal. The name and address of the proponent is given below. Proponent Government of Nepal Ministry of Urban Development Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Second Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project Project Management Office Panipokhari, Kathmandu Tel: +977 1 4423848, 977 1 4412348 Fax: +977 1 4413280 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.sstwssp.gov.np c. Consultant Preparing the Report 3. ERMC (P) Ltd. has worked on behalf of the proponent for conducting IEE studies and preparing IEE report using all the prevalent guidelines, acts, policies and regulations. The name and address of the consultant is given below. Environment and Resource Management Consultant (ERMC) Pvt. Ltd P. O. Box: 12419 Mid Baneshwor, Kathmandu Tel.:++977-1-4483064, 4465863, Fax: ++977-1-483064 Email: [email protected] 1 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Basis and Extent of the IEE Study 4. Government of Nepal has prepared a fifteen years development plan to implement the water supply and sanitation programmes in emerging towns or small towns in order to improve the health and the quality of life of the people living in the project towns by constructing and extending water supply system, drainage and sanitation facilities and providing health and hygiene education programmes in the towns. The project follow the community managed demand responsive approach where the community will be involved from the very planning phase to implementation phase and in the operation and maintenance of the subprojects soon after it is completed. The project, ‘Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project, STWSSSP’ is the outcome of that effort. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been providing the financial assistance to implement the project in both phases. Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS) is the implementing agency whereas Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD) is the executive agency. 5. Both the Nepalese law and ADB policy require that the environmental implications of individual developments are taken into account in the planning and decision making process and the action is taken to reduce the impacts to acceptable levels. This is done through environmental assessment process, which has become an integral part of lending operations and project development and implementation worldwide. a. ADB Policy (ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement, 2009) 6. ADB’s current safeguard policies are generally understood to be operational policies that seek to avoid, minimize, or mitigate adverse environmental and social impacts, including protecting the rights of those likely to be affected or marginalized by the development process. 7. ADB’s SPS 2009 highlights a number of areas that require attention in ADB's environmental assessment process. It addresses the need for more upstream environmental assessment at the level of country programming, the need for more structured consultation in the conduct of environmental assessments, the need for greater emphasis on monitoring and compliance with environmental requirements during project implementation, and finally the need to view environmental assessment as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event 8. ADB requires environment assessment of all project loans, program loans, sector loans, sector development program loans, financial intermediation loans, and private sector investment operations. The process of determining a project’s environment category is 2 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project based on a screening checklist that considers the type, size, and location of the proposed project. Loans are classified into category A (with potentially significant environmental impacts); category B (with potentially less significant environmental impacts); category C (unlikely to have significant environmental impacts); and a new category, FI (credit line for subprojects through a financial intermediary, or equity investment in a financial intermediary). A project’s environment assessment category is determined by the category of its most environmentally sensitive component, including both direct and indirect impacts. An IEE is required for category B projects, and an EIA, requiring greater depth of analysis, for category A projects. No environmental assessment is required for category C projects although their environmental implications nevertheless need to be reviewed. 9. The proposed Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project is classified as environment category B as per the ADB guidelines and following normal procedures for project loans, an IEE was conducted. The IEE has been done based on the checklist completed to support the environmental classification of project under ADB (Refer Annex 2 for REA Checklist). b. National Laws, Policies, Acts, Regulations, Standards and Guidelines 10. Most of the national policies and laws of the Government of Nepal (GoN) are in favor of environmentally sound economic development and growth. Following table summarizes the relevant policies, acts and regulations and guidelines that have been an integral part of the project and have been reviewed during the preparation of the IEE report. 3 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Table 1 : National Policies, Acts, Regulations and Guidelines Relevant for the Project Policies Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2007 The interim constitution of Nepal realized environmental protection as the policy of the state. Clause (4) of Article (35) of the constitution states that ‘The State shall, while mobilizing the natural resources and heritage of the country that might be useful and beneficial to the interest of the nation, pursue a policy of giving priority to the local community’. The Clause (5) states that ‘The State shall make necessary arrangements to maintain the natural environment. The State shall give priority to special protection of the environment, and rare wildlife, and prevent further damage due to physical development activities, by increasing awareness of the general public about environmental cleanliness. Provision shall be made for the protection of the forest, vegetation and biodiversity, their sustainable use and for equitable distribution of the benefits derived from them’. Second Three Year Interim Plan (2068 - 2071) The interim plan provides the most recent guidance on urban sector priorities highlighting, in particular, the need to address the effects of rapid urbanization on service levels, water quality and scheme maintenance. It proposes the full integration of sewerage, on-site sanitation and solid waste management in all urban schemes and specially endorses cost recovery from consumers. Local authorities are responsible for overseeing project implementation but with private sector organizations playing increasing roles. National Policy on Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, 2004 Provides guidance on water and sanitation service provision in rural areas using community led participatory approaches. While partially relevant t the urban context, particularly around the integration of inputs and local capacity building, it generally fails to address the complex operational challenges to be faced by Municipal authorities in implementing and managing urban services. National Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Policy, 2009 Formulated to provide the overall policy support and guidance towards achieving equity in service delivery by ensuring that the financially marginalized households within the system areas are mainstreamed as valid customers of service through design and implementation of financial incentives where so required. It aims to ensure that the roles and responsibilities of central and local government bodies, external development partners, private sector including NGOs and user groups are clearly defined in scheme implementation and regulation and performance management in accordance with national decentralization policy. 4 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Acts and Regulations Environmental Protection Act (EPA), 1996& Environmental Protection Regulations (EPA), 1997 (and amendments1999 and 2007) EPA and EPR have several provisions to institutionalize environmental consideration in development projects. Section (5) of EPA stipulates that ‘a proponent who is desirous of implementing any proposal shall have to submit such a proposal, accompanied by the report on Initial Environmental Examination or Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposal, to the concerned agency for the approval of such a proposal. The EPR elaborates provisions to prepare and submit the scoping report, Terms of Reference (TOR), and IEE/EIA report for approval and includes public consultation processes. As per the EPR, the Environmental Assessment report, in general, should include detail information on impacts and environmental protection measures, including implementation plan, monitoring and evaluation and environmental auditing. Public consultation is a pre-requisite in all the prescribed projects. Local Self Governance Act, 1999 & Local Self Governance Regulations, 2000 The Act empowers the local bodies for the conservation of soil, forest and other natural resources and implements environmental conservation activities. It also describes about the user group formation to implement the programs in the local areas. The Regulation has provisions for Village Development Committee (VDC), District Development Committee (DDCs) and municipality to coordinate and implement development projects/programs and to provide approval or clearance of the proposed project. Water Resources Act, 1992 & Water Resources Regulation, 2000 Water Resource Act is an umbrella act governing water resource management. It declares the order of priority of water use; vests ownership of water in the state; prohibits water pollution; and provides for the formation of Water User Association and system of licensing. The Regulation sets out the procedure to register a WUA and to obtain a license and sets out the rights and obligations of WUA and license holders. Drinking Water Regulations, 1998 Regulates the use of drinking water and deals with the control of water pollution and maintenance of quality standards for drinking water. It also sets out the conditions of service utilization by consumers Nepal Water Supply Corporation Act, 1989 (and amendments) & Water Supply Management Board Act, 2006 & Water Supply Tariff Fixation Commission Act,2006 These acts facilitate the improved management of water and sanitation services. They establish the legal basis for private sector management of schemes and independent fee setting and regulation applicable to all urban schemes 5 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Water Tax Act, 1966 Under the Act, the water user who use water through a tap distributed by the government is obliged to pay water tax as fixed by prevalent laws and charges are levied if the tax is not paid within the time as fixed by the law. Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Act, 1987 & Solid Waste (Management and Resource Mobilization Rules), 1990 As solid waste has direct impact on water supply system, discharge of solid waste in either public or private places have been prohibited under this Act. The rules entrusts Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Centre, established under the Act, to provide necessary service to individual or institution in managing solid waste. As such any water resource projects may obtain such service and maintain the water resource clean. Land Acquisition Act, 1977 & Land Acquisition Rules, 1969 The Land Acquisition Act and the Rules are the two main legal instruments that specify procedural matters of land acquisition and compensation. Under these, the Government is allowed to acquire any private land paying reasonable compensation to the affected party for any public purposes or for operation of any development project initiated by government institutions and the water resources laying and originating within such acquired area is spontaneously acquired under this process. Forest Act, 1993 & Forest Regulations, 1995 (including amendments) Since forest has an important role in managing water resources, Forest Act has many provisions effecting the integrated water resources management of the country. The basic objective is developing and conserving the forests of the country. The government can provide parts of any type of forest for the implementation of national priority plan with the assurance that it does not adversely affect the environment. The Regulation further elaborate legal measures for the conservation of forests and wild animals. Labor Act, 1992 The Act emphasizes on occupational health and safety of workers and stipulates provision of necessary safety gears and adopting necessary precautionary measures against potentially hazardous machine/equipment in the workplace. It also stipulates to make arrangements such as removal of waste accumulated during production process and prevention of dust, fume, vapor and other waste materials, which adversely affect the health of workers Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act, 2001 The section 3 of the act prohibits a child from engaging in work, sub clause 1 of the clause 3 states “Nobody shall engage in work a child who has not completed fourteen years of age as a labor and sub clause 2 states “Nobody shall engage a child in a risk full occupation or work set forth in the 6 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Schedule”. The section 4 states “Child not to be engaged in work against his will by temptation or fear or pressure or by any other means” Town Development Act, 1988 The Act has provisions about the formation of town development committee in any town area to implement town planning and in carrying out the developmental and reconstruction work of that town. Standards and Guidelines National EIA Guidelines, 1993 In the process of implementing National Conservation Strategy (NCS) in 1990, the government of Nepal in collaboration with The World Conservation Union - IUCN developed a locally suitable environmental assessment guideline. Although National EIA guidelines are procedural guidelines, it substantially encouraged the proponent to prepare an EIA report of the prescribed development projects and programmes and serves as the primary source of integrating environmental aspects in major development projects. The National EIA Guidelines contains objectives, methods of screening projects requiring the level of environmental assessment (IEE or EIA), scoping, impact identification and prediction, report review, monitoring and evaluation and impact auditing ensuring public participation during the preparation of the IEE/ EIA report. National Drinking Water Quality Standards (NDWQS) and Directives, 2005 Provides details of the water quality standards to be applied to all water supply schemes. These set out the water quality parameters, which the water suppliers should adhere to. The directives also ensures that the water sampling, testing and analysis procedures used to certify that the drinking water supplied or to be supplied conforms to the NDWQS and also sets the monitoring and surveillance procedures to certify that the quality of supplied water conforms to the standards. Water Resource Strategy, 2002 Provides a systematic framework for water resource development and identifies action plans to avoid and resolve conflicts and achieve water related development objectives. It has identified the need to integrate and coordinate all the uses of natural resources within the catchment basis and has laid emphasis on the development and management of water resources in a holistic, systematic manner, relying on integrated water resources management. c. Objectives and Scope of the Environmental Study 11. The main objective of the present IEE study for Water Supply and Sanitation is to fulfill the requirements pertaining to Rule 3, Annex G of Schedule 1 of the Environmental Protection Act, 1996 (including amendments 1999 and 2007) and to ensure the environmental and social sustainability of the project. It aims to help the decision makers to make informed decision about the project. 7 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 12. The specific objectives of the IEE study are as follows: • To identify, evaluate and predict the potential beneficial and adverse impacts of the project on the physical, biological and socio-economical resources in the project area • To suggest enhancement measures to augment the benefits of the project and to propose suitable mitigation measures to avoid, minimize and compensate the adverse impacts of the project • To prepare appropriate Environmental Management Action Plan (EMAP) • To inform public about the proposed project and its impact on their livelihood 13. Scope of the Study: The present IEE study is proposed for Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project of Dasrathchand Municipality in Baitadi District. The study focuses on the adverse environmental impacts and mitigation measures relating to the location, design, construction and operation of all the project activities. d. Relevancy of the Project 14. The proposed water supply and sanitation project is need to be studied from the environmental point of view as per EPA 1996 and EPR 1997, 2054 BS (Amendments 1999 and 2007).The project is new as well as an extension and augmentation of the existing water supply and sanitation of Baitadi Town which is meant primarily for the market area but has also been supplying to the other areas of the proposed service area. It is a gravity cum lift type of water supply system based on a perennial stream as the main water source. The water from the intake at Madh Khola will be transported to and collected in the storage reservoir at Badilekh after necessary treatment from where the parts of the collected water will be pumped to the service reservoir and distributed to Gadi, Sailekh and Tallo Gothalepani systems. Remaining quantity will be supplied to the area situated at lower elevations by gravity from Badilekh reservoir itself.. 15. The main objective of the project is to improve the water supply and sanitation facilities and provide health and hygiene education program to the community. The project aims to provide improved water supply in the small towns that includes coverage of service area as per the requirement of User’s Group with continuous 24 hours supply of drinking water and have water quality confirming to the National Drinking Water Quality Standard (NDWQS) and in adequate quantity. The project will support community participation in the development of water supply and sanitation facilities and promote community based water quality monitoring. 8 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 16. It is expected that on completion of the project the users of the area will be able to avail of adequate amount of safe drinking water. The proposed project will be using surface water sources and the treatment capacity of the proposed units is less than 25 lps. 17. As the proposed project falls within the definitions provided in the EPR 1997(Amendments 1999 and 2007) Annex 1 (G) for drinking water projects; only an IEE shall be necessary. The regulation stated in Annex 1 (H) shall only be applicable, if the proposal does not fall under categories (A) through (H) of Annex 3. The project does not involve construction of any tunnels; relocation of people or households and there is no need to resettle any households above the gravity source, and construction of river training works (more than 1 km) is also not required. Therefore based on ADB’s guidelines and GoN’s EPR, 1997, only IEE is sufficient for the proposed project. e. Approach and Methodology 18. The present Initial Environmental Examination report has been prepared based on the Terms of Reference (TOR) approved by the Ministry of Urban Development, of the Government of Nepal. The study has followed the provisions outlined in the Environmental Protection Act, 1996 and Environmental Protection Regulation, 1997 and Environmental Assessment Guidelines, 2003 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The major activities undertaken during the preparation of IEE are outlined below. i. Desk Study 19. Existing secondary data relevant to the proposed project was collected from various published and unpublished sources from different governmental and non-governmental organizations. All the related maps, aerial photographs, newspaper articles were collected. The project engineering report and other relevant documents were thoroughly reviewed. Policies, legislations and guidelines relevant to the project were also refereed to. 20. The desk study also involved the preparation of questionnaire /checklists/ matrices for detailed field study to collect the primary data within the Zone of Influence (ZOI). In order to specify the area that would be covered by the assessment, the geographical boundary of the influence area is delineated on the topographical map. Depending upon the nature and extent of the expected impact area, the Zone of Influence (ZOI) has been categorized into Direct Impact Zone (DIZ) and Indirect Impact Zone (IIZ). • Direct Impact Zone (DIZ) 21. The area directly affected by the project activities are demarcated as Direct Impact Zone. The area bounded by Thalagadgaun on the northern side, Thatakholagaun on the 9 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project southern side, Pujaragaun on the western side and, Sukuti and Gunjari on the eastern side are delineated as direct impact zone. • Indirect Impact Zone (IIZ) 22. The area around the DIZ that could be indirectly affected due to project construction and implementation activities such as mobility of people, equipment, vehicles, noise, dust, vibration are demarcated as the Indirect Impact Zone. ii. Field Work 23. A detailed field investigation was carried out in June, 2012 to collect the baseline information on the physical, socio-economic and cultural environment of the project area. The local communities were consulted to understand the social and physical nature of the area. A survey was carried out to identify the environmental structures and to collect relevant baseline information. The details of the field study on various aspects (physical, biological and socio-economical) are as follows and the questionnaire used for socio economic survey of the project area is listed in Annex 7. • Physical Assessment 24. Existing physical attributes of the project area were studied through topographical map and site observation, complemented by secondary source of information from reports and interviews. Information on the location, topography, land use, geology, and soil hydrology were collected during field work and from the reports obtained from different institutions. • Biological Assessment 25. The ecological attributes of the area were gathered during the field survey. Information on vegetation pattern, wildlife, parks and reserves, sensitive habitats were collected. Identification of wild flora and fauna, rare and endangered species were done during field observation and by questionnaire survey. The scientific names of the flora and fauna were later recorded using secondary data/books. • Socio-economic Assessment 26. Socio-economic and cultural environment of the project such as population, community structure, distribution of income and sources of livelihood, and expected water users were obtained through various secondary and primary sources of data. These included literature review, questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, and the suggestions and comments obtained from all relevant stakeholders though public notices. 10 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project iii. Data Processing 27. The information obtained from the desk study and field works were processed in a standard format to maintain consistency. The data were tabulated and maps were interpreted. The mitigation and monitoring measures were then proposed based on the impacts identified during the study. 11 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project B. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT • Location and Accessibility of the Project Area 28. The proposed Baitadi town water supply and sanitation project is located within Dasrathchand Municipality which is about 205 km North West of Dhangadhi and 85 km north of Dadeldhura. These are connected or linked by all weather black topped road. Inside the service area, lots of places are linked by fair weather road only. There is no airport in the project area and not even in Baitadi District. The nearest airport is at Dipayal of Doti district which is about 140 km from the project area. It is linked with Kathmandu through National Highway and is about 800 km away. There are few bus services operating to and from Baitadi Bazaar to various parts of the country including Kathmandu. • Existing Water Supply and Sanitation Situation a. Water Supply System 29. The existing water supply systems of Dasrathchand Municipality have not been able to supply water in sufficient quantity to the public as per demand. The reliability of the system and quality of water and services received by the consumers are very poor. The water being supplied is untreated and the distribution network is totally in disarray. 30. At present there are three small water supply systems running in the service area implemented by DWSS and other agencies. The existing water supply systems are very old and have inadequate quantity of water to serve the growing population of the town. Each sub-system has been designed as an independent system. The major features are given below Table 2 : Existing Water Supply System Tapped Existing Name of the Ward Name of the S.N. Discharge Reservoir Size Condition Scheme Coverage source lps 3 Ferro cement tanks (2 existing & 1 Existing 1 Gothalapani 1 Sotegard 0.70 lps under tanks needs construction) rehabilitation each of capacity 20 m3 2 Sahilekh 1 Sotegard 0.5 lps 40 m3 Old 3 Gadhi 1 Jargmul 0.6 lps 50 m3 Needs repair 12 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 31. From the above table, it is obvious that the available water in the existing water sources is quite low in discharge to meet the demand of the people. Therefore, the main problem of this existing system is related to the quantity of water supplied. Based upon the topography, service area, living standard of the people and being the district head- quarter, the existing systems are not being able to supply water as per their requirement. 32. At present, people in the project area are facing acute shortage of water. It is due to the unavailability of sufficient water as per their demand. Presently, water is being supplied to the public less than two hours a day. So people have to manage either with that limited supply of water or they have to arrange other alternatives by themselves. Therefore, people are bound to rely on Khola or Kholsa, Spring etc for the regular routine works like bathing, washing clothes etc. As per the survey report the present supply of water during the dry season is about 155 m3 per day whereas the public demand is about 692 m3 per day, with a deficit of about 537 m3 per day. b. Sanitation Facilities 33. The sanitary situation of Baitadi bazaar and its surroundings is found to be satisfactory. Waste disposal is not much a serious issue at present. It is due to the fact that the town is not densely populated and the town being in sloping area has good natural drainage. In the bazaar area about 88% households have some kind of their own toilets. The remaining 12% households defecate on the farm land, kholsas behind bushes and in the forests. Majority of the local people have good knowledge about sanitation and cleanliness. 34. Storm water drainage exists along the road side of Gothalapani. But is not in good condition and need repair and rehabilitation. Construction of storm water drainage seems to be easier as the town has good natural drainage. There is no sewerage system in the service area. At present people dispose domestic waste water in the kitchen garden, or to soak pits or even to the natural drainage. • Type, Category and Need of the Subproject 35. The proposed ‘Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project’ is gravity cum lift type of water supply system based on a perennial stream as the water source. The proposed service area of the project covers ward no. 1 (Gadhi, Sahilekh, Gothalapani and Bebet), parts of ward no. 2 (Madola), parts of ward no. 4 (Pallo Chaudali), parts of ward no. 5 (Buskot), parts of ward no. 6 (Simail) and parts of ward no. 9 (Tripura) of Dasrathchand Municipality. The surface water from Madh Khola requires partial pumping about 150 m above to supply the water to the part of service area located at higher elevation. It 13 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project involves single stage pumping. The water from Madh Khola is collected in the reservoir at Badilekh by gravity flow and from the reservoir it is then partially pumped to the two different systems. Rest of the service area will be supplied through gravity from Badilekh reservoir. The system therefore consists of gravity flow pumping facilities, construction of water treatment facilities, storage tanks or service reservoirs and construction of transmission and distribution line. The second component is sanitation services which include construction of six school toilets. There is also a provision of one tractor for collecting solid waste of the area. 36. The project falls under Category B of ADB’s Environmental Categorization with potentially less significant environmental impacts thereby requiring only an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE). 37. It is a demand led project. The local people of the area had submitted their request for the project and the project has been undertaken accordingly. The existing water supply systems of Dasrathchand Municipality have not been able to supply water to the public in sufficient quantity and the reliability of the systems and quality of water and services availed by the consumers are also poor. Water is being supplied untreated and distribution is totally disarrayed. In this scenario, when water supplied is of poor quality and the reliability of the distribution system is quite poor, the consumers of the Dasrathchand Municipality felt the need for a reliable and sustainable system. In light of this situation and desire for better and improved services, the consumers organized themselves to approach the Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project to assist them in their quest. As a result of their efforts, the government has given the consent and project has been undertaken through SSTWSSSP as per their rules and regulations. • Size or Magnitude of Operation 38. The proposed source to supply water to the service area is Madh Khola which is located at about 5 km away from the project area. Therefore, the water from the Madh Khola source will be collected in the storage reservoir at Badilekh by gravity flow and then partially pumped to service reservoir of two sub schemes situated at higher elevation and rest will be supplied through gravity to service area located at lower elevation. Two number of sump wells are constructed to pump water from low altitude to high altitude. They are proposed near the storage reservoir site at Badilekh one for Gadi & Sahilekh system and another for Tallo Gothalapani. From Badilekh, water will be pumped separately to 2 different systems about 6.5 lps of water will be pumped to a height of about 135 m (total head 160 m) for a distance of about 725 m by a submersible pump having 27.6 HP power. Two such pumps will be installed and they will run for 20 hours a 14 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project day alternately. Another system is Gothalapani system, where about 3.2 lps of water will be pumped to a height of about 30 m (total head 70 m) for a distance of about 1860 m by another submersible pump having 5 HP power. As in first case here also two such pumps will be installed and they will run for 20 hours a day alternately and for rest of the service area located at lower elevation, water will be supplied by gravity. 39. The water demand has been calculated for base year population of 7366 (year 2014) and a design year population of 10793 (year 2029). The total water demand in the base year and design year are 1004 m3/day and 1340 m3/day respectively. Table 3 : Total Water Demands Water Demand S. Demand Type Base Year 2014 Design Year 2029 N liters/day liters/day 1 Domestic Demand 808328 1077903 2 Non Domestic Demand 95393 128390 3 System Losses @ 10% 100413 134033 Total 1004134 1340326 • Proposed Schedule for Implementation 40. The exact schedule for implementation of the project will be known after the work has been assigned to the contractor. For the feasibility study, detailed engineering design and construction work, three years period has been assigned. Therefore the base year for the project has been taken as the year 2014 and the design year has been taken as the year 2029. 41. The main task associated with the project will be as follows: • Conduct detailed survey work • Preparation of detailed engineering design • Preparation of working drawings • Preparation of quantity and cost estimates • Carrying out of economic and financial analysis and level of water tariff • Preparation of socio technical profile • Environmental study of the sub project area • Preparation of tender documents • Awarding of contract • Construction • Operation and Maintenance 15 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 42. The project has been designed in the principle of active community participation from the planning and design stage itself. The implementation strategy of the project is based on the community management approach. Therefore, user participation at the outset of the planning and design exercise is an essential requirement. The community has to contribute 50% of the construction cost. Out of it, 5% has to be deposited before implementation of the project as upfront cash, other 30% to be contributed by taking loan from TDF, and remaining 15% to be contributed either by direct financing if the community can afford or by taking loan from TDF. The loan is to be returned within 15 years with a grace period of 5 years along with the interest of 5% per annum through their affordable water tariffs. Tariff raised by the service has to support towards operation and maintenance of the supply system. DWSS is acting as the initiator/coordinator for the purpose. • Project Requirements i. Materials Required For Construction 43. The table below shows the materials required for construction of Baitadi Water supply and Sanitation project. Table 4 : Materials Required S.N. Particulars Quantity Source Adequacy 1. Cement 3423 Bags Dhangadhi Bazar Sufficient 2. Sand 199 Cum Jhulaghat Sufficient 3. Aggregate 397 Cum Jhulaghat Sufficient ii. Human Resource 44. The proposed Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project entail both skilled and non-skilled man power (laborers) for its construction and operation. As such a total of 391 skilled laborers and 2889 number of unskilled laborers are required. The laborers estimation was made on the basis of rate analysis and as far as possible they will be hired from the local market. • Description of the subproject 45. The Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project have been designed as a surface water based water supply system that will provide sufficient quantity and good quality of water to the residents of the service area of Dasrathchand Municipality. The water supply component of the project consists of following components- 16 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project • Intake at Madh Khola • Treatment Facilities (Sedimentation Tank + Slow Sand Filter+ Roughening Filter) • Transmission Main • Storage Reservoir • Sump Well and Pumping System • Electrical Facilities • Disinfection by Chlorination • Service Reservoirs for Various Schemes • Stream Crossings and Thrust Blocks • Distribution Systems • Valve Chambers • House (Private) Connections • Community Connections • Guard Houses and other Civil Structures 46. The sanitation component of the project consists of construction of a school toilet (6 Nos). There is also a provision of one tractor for solid waste collection of the project area. 47. The project activities includes all the activities of construction / operation phase. These activities comprises of earthwork excavation, aggregate crushing, backfilling of trenches, storage of material, water quality test and overall system operation state. 48. The salient features of the proposed project are presented in the following table: 17 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Table 5 : Salient Features of Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project S.N. Items Description 1 Name of the Project Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project, 2 Type Gravity cum Pumping Scheme 3 Study Level Detailed Engineering Design 4 Location Area Region Far Western Development Region Zone Mahakali District Baitadi VDC/Municipality Dasharathchand Municipality Ward 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9 of Dasrathchand Municipality 5 Available Facilities Road Baitadi Jhulaghat Rajmarg / Dadeldhura – Baitadi Rajmarg Airport At Dipayal of Doti district Water Supply System (existing) Gravity system Electricity Available Communication Available Health Services Available Banking Facilities Available Junction of East West Highway Attariya 6 Source Characteristics Source Name Madh Khola Source Type Stream Source Location Gwallek VDC Safe yield (lps) 20 Tapped Discharge (lps) 12 7 Project Components Stream Intake 1 No Collection Chamber 1 No Plain Sedimentation Tank 1 No (2 units) Roughening Filter 1 No (2 units) Slow Sand Filter 1 No (3 units) Sump Wells 4 Nos of Sump Well 2 each for Gadi Pumping Scheme and Tallo Gothalapani Pumping Scheme Guard House 1 Nos BPT 12 Nos Valve Chamber 10 Nos ( for Air Valves and for Wash- out Valves) Pipe Type Valve Box 85 Nos House connections 900 Nos Latrines 6 Nos Solid Waste Collection (tractor) 1 Nos Storage Service Reservoir at Gadi – 50 m3 for Gadhi Existing Tank System and 3 Ferro- cement Reservoirs of 20 m3 each for Tallo Gothalapani System 2 – 50 m3 one for Sailekh System and one for Proposed 3 Mathillo- Gothalapani System and one 150 m for Badilekh Sub System. 18 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project S.N. Items Description Total Length of Distribution pipe 31.15 km Total Length of Transmission 7.69 km (including pipe to all service reservoir) pipe Treatment (Km) Unit Conventional Treatment Plant (Sedimentation Tank, Roughening Filter and Slow Sand Filter) with chlorination. 8 Social Status Population Present Population (2010) 6652 Base Year Population (2014) 7366 Design Year Population (2029) 10793 Household Present Year (2010) 987 Base Year (2014) 1093 Design Year (2029) 1602 Average Family Sizes 6.74 9 Total water demand Design Domestic 1077.90 year (m3 / Non Domestic 128.39 day) Leakage / wastage 134.03 Total Water Demand 1340.32 10. Total Water supply component NRs. 134,353,447 Cost of the Project (With 10% physical contingencies, 5%price contingencies & 13% VAT ) 11 Per Capita cost for the Water Present Year (NRs.) 20,196 Base Year (NRs.) 18,239 Design Year (NRs.) 12,447 12 Total Sanitation Component Cost NRs.14,220,064 of the Project (With 10% physical contingencies, 5% price contingencies & 13% VAT) 13 Total Project Cost Including NRs. 148,573,511 Sanitation Component Cost of the Project (With 10% physical contingencies, 5% price contingencies & 13% VAT) 14 Per Capita Cost including Sanitation Present Year (NRs.) 22,442 Base Year (NRs.) 20,267 Design Year (NRs.) 13,831 15 Per Litre Cost Base Year (NRs) 134 Design Year (NRs.) 100 19 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Figure 1 : Schematic Layout of Project Components 20 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Figure 2 : Design Layout of Project Components 1 21 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Figure 3 : Design Layout of Project Components 2 22 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project C. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 1. Physical Resources a. Topography 49. The proposed Baitadi (Dasrathchand Municipality) Water Supply and Sanitation Project lies in high hilly belt of the Far Western Development Region on the north-west side of Nepal. The elevation of the project area varies from 700 m to 1662 m above mean sea level. The topography is highly sloping at some places with gentle slopes at some places. It is generally sloping towards the west. It lies in the midland zone in the Mahabharat range. The old part of this hill town is located along a hill ridge oriented in the east-west direction. The Southern cross slope of the ridge is rather steep whereas northern one is relatively flat and that is where the town is expanding. Majority of buildings are constructed of stone in mud mortar whereas a few have cast-in-situ RC slabs. Buildings are generally one to two stories. New buildings have more than two stories and stone masonry walls in cement sand-mortar with RC slabs. Figure 4 : Location Map of Dasrathchand Municipality, Baitadi District 23 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project b. Geology and Soils 50. Most of the area of the district lies in the mid-hilly region. It mainly lies in the lesser Himalayan sediment zone that comprises of rocks such as sand stones, phyllites, shales and schists. The soil is found moderately acidic with organic matter below. Clay type of soil is readily available in the area. However, in the areas around the river side and plain areas, there is presence of high percentage of sandy soil. In general soil type shall be classified as alluvial, colluvial and residual. 51. Geologically, Baitadi district being situated in the hilly region of the country is prone to erosion. Presence of natural features like extreme monsoon rainfall, steep terrain has led to frequent erosion in the region, approximately around 46 % land mass of the district faces the problem of erosion due to the natural entities. Beside these more than 60% landmass in the district have slopes steeper than 30o making them even more vulnerable to erosion. Baitadi district being surrounded by hills, optimum use of landmass in the district for agriculture is very difficult. c. Climate and Rainfall 52. The climate of the project area is diverse as due to variation in the altitude of the district. In the plain area, the climate is relatively warm even in the winter whereas in the hills due to the presence of westerly winds, heavy snowfall occurs. The climate ranges from temperate to sub-temperate type. The temperature varies from 5 to 30oC. The rainfall is about 1000 mm to 1500 mm and humidity changes from 50 to 95%. d. Hydrology 53. This district is very rich in hydrology. Mahakali and Seti are the two big rivers that flow through the Western and Eastern borders respectively. Other two rivers, mainly Chamelia and Surnaya flow within the district. Futhermore, there are streams such as Garbha, Pelya, Chaulani, Surnaya, Jamadi, Garma, Dikgarda, Koteligadh, Agarigadh, Pyanigadh, Gajarigadh, Nilgadgadh and Kansani Pelmodi flowing through the district. In the project area, local people are dependent on surface water as the source of water supply. Availability of ground water is limited in the area as deep boring is difficult in this area due to the hilly terrain of the region. 24 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 2. Ecological Resources a. National Parks and Protected Areas 54. The project area does not fall under any protected or buffer zone region. b. Forests 55. In Baitadi district, there are 344 Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) who own 12,672.94 ha of community forest benefiting 43,241 households. One of the important forests in the vicinity of the project area is the Gwalek forest located at the southern side. It covers 2571 hectare of land and is spread over eight VDCs. The forest also has a very famous site called the Gwalek dham, a holy place for the Hindus. The forest patch also serves as a major water shed' that provides drinking water to the district headquarters and adjacent settlements. There are thick shrub lands on the eastern side of the project area as well as in the Durga Bhawani Forest. Table 6 shows the area covered by different categories of forests in the Baitadi district. Table 6 : Categories of Forests in the Baitadi District National Leasehold Forest Program Private Forest Forest Religious Forest No. of Area (in No. of Area Area (in Ha) Area (in Ha) Households Private Ha) Group (in Ha) Forest 42,136 655 92 216.95 952 1 0.1 (Source: District and VDC profile of Nepal, 2010 ) i. Flora 56. The trees found in the area are mainly Pinus wallichi. The dominant forest and fodder species are Ficus roxburghii (Timilo), Sapindus mukorossi (Ritha), Grewia oppositiafolia (Bhimal), Pinus roxburghii (Khote salla), Myrica esculenta (Kafal). Among the timber based forest products, Bambusa vulgaris (Bamboo) and Drepanostachyum annulatum (Nigalo) are the common ones. The common medicinal species are Valeriana jatamansi (Sugandhawal), Cinnamomum tejpata (Tejpata), Cinnamomum tamala (Dalchini), Bergenia ciliata (Pashanbhed), Paris polyphylla (Satuwa), Acorus calamus (Bojho), Artemisia Indica (Titepati), and Asparagus racemosus (Satarwari). The Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) found in the area is mainly Gerardiana diversifolia (Allo) and Rubia manjith (Majitho). 25 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project ii. Fauna 57. Pathera pardus (Leopard), Hystix indica (Porcupine), Canis aureus (Fox), Macaca mulkatta (Monkey), Felis chaus (Jungle Cat) are the wild animals commonly found in the forest of the proposed area. Lophura lencomelna (Kalij pheasant), Columba livia (Pegion), Chyakhura, Dhukur, Titra are the main birds of the region. c. Aquatic Species 58. Schizopyge progastus (Asala) is the fish found commonly in the rivers and streams of the district. 3. Social and Cultural Resources a. Demography i. Population and Settlement Pattern 59. The total population of the district as per 2011 census is 250,898. Out of which male population is 117407 and female population is 133491. But the service area is limited to certain wards of the Dasrathchand Municipality only. Therefore, the present population of the service area is 6652 living in about 987 households. Among them male population is estimated at 2835 (47.3%) which is slightly less than female population of 3,159 (52.7%). 60. Baitadi bazaar, being the market place of the municipality the population pressure is high. The settlement pattern within the bazaar area is more compact than other parts and in both sides of the road. However outside of the bazaar, the settlement pattern is quite scattered and is a hilly rural type nature. The table below gives the highlight of the population of the project area. The total population residing is 5992 while the rental population is 660. Table 7: Population of Proposed Project Area Ward Househo Population Rented Total % Nos. ld Nos. Male Female Total % Population Population 1 602 1709 1887 3596 60.01 656 4252 63.92 2 60 158 173 331 5.52 4 335 5.04 4 22 54 64 118 1.97 118 1.77 5 117 339 407 746 12.45 - 746 11.21 6 106 337 362 699 11.67 - 699 10.51 9 80 238 264 502 8.38 - 502 7.55 Total 987 2835 3157 5992 100 660 6652 100 (Source: Socio economic survey by ERMC Pvt. Ltd, 2010) 26 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project ii. Caste and Ethnicity 61. Baitadi district shows diversity in terms of caste/ethnicity. Although majority of the population are Chhetris (District Profile, 2063), there is a good distribution of other caste as well in the proposed service area. Majority of people that inhabited are Brahmins and Chhetris (about 77%) followed by Dalits (about 20%) and Janjati (about 2%). In Far- Western hills, the Janjati are found fewer in number. The ethnic competition of beneficiary's population is presented in the table below: Table 8: Population Distribution of Caste/ Ethnicity Total S.N Ethnic Group HH No. Percentage Population Percentage Brahmin & Chhetris 1 771 78.1 5158 77.54 and others 2 Janjati 21 2.1 164 2.46 3 Dalit 195 19.8 1330 20.00 Total 987 100 6652 100 (Source: Socio economic survey by ERMC Pvt. Ltd , 2010) b. Health facilities 62. Baitadi district doesn’t have good health facilities. To add to the misery the district does not even have the facility of Ambulance Services. There is lack of infrastructural development of health institutions, lack of quality medicines and medical equipment. Besides people in this district are victim of superstition. The poor standard of health facilities is also shown by the fact that the district has high Infant and Maternal Mortality Rate which is 80 per 1000 infants and 515 per 100000 mothers respectively. Incidence of Acute Respiratory Tract Infection (ARTI) per 1000 children under the age of 5 years is 129 which rank the district in 10th place which is very high compared to other district of Nepal. Similarly incidence of diarrhoea per 1000 children under the age of 5 years is 138 which rank the district in 19th place compared to other districts in Nepal. The local people still believe in spiritual cleansing when suffering from diseases. 63. The health institution density of the district is mere 3.6 per 1000 population which is quite low. There is only one district hospital in the district. Other health institution providing health services in the district includes primary health post, health post, sub-health post and ayurvedic pharmacy. The district hospital and some health post and ayurvedic pharmacy are situated in the municipality c. Educational Facilities 64. The survey showed that about 20% (including children less than 5 years) of total population of the project area are illiterate and 24.6% are just literate. It also showed that, 10.2% completed primary level, 8.9% secondary level and about 12.8% has completed 27 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project SLC level education. Nearly 9.3% had received intermediate level, 4.5% had bachelor's level and about 0.9% has completed master level education. Most of the people go to other cities and to India for higher education. 65. The details of literacy of the service area excluding literacy rate of rental population are presented in the table below. The population shown in the table only comprises of permanent resident of the project area. The NA in table is due to the undisclosed education status by the respondent i.e. 8.6% of people didn’t mentioned their educational status during socio-economic survey. Excluding non respondent the corrected % is calculated and presented in the table below. Table 9: Population distribution by Education Ward No. Corrected S.N. Education Level Total % 1 2 4 5 6 9 % Not counted ( 1 less than 5 years 414 29 12 63 53 36 607 10.1 11.2 children) 2 Illiterate 427 4 12 101 32 18 594 9.9 10.9 3 Literate 803 214 29 176 226 29 1477 24.6 27.1 4 Primary Level 357 16 12 73 58 94 610 10.2 11.2 5 Secondary Level 312 11 14 64 48 90 536 8.9 9.9 6 SLC Level 443 23 15 112 102 73 768 12.8 14.1 Intermediate 7 349 21 71 70 34 556 9.3 10.0 Level 8 Bachelor Level 189 10 5 30 23 13 270 4.5 5.0 9 Master Level 31 3 1 11 4 3 53 0.9 1.0 10 NA 271 0 10 45 83 112 521 8.7 Total 3596 331 118 746 699 502 5992 100 100 (Source: Socio economic survey by ERMC Pvt. Ltd , 2010) d. Physical or Cultural Heritage 66. The temple of Tripura Sundari, is one of the most famous goddess temple of far western region situated in the project area. The famous temple is 10 minutes' drive or 40 minutes' walk from Baitadi bazaar. The main festivals of the district are Gaurah, Dashain, Tihar, Chite Dashain, Holi, Makar Sankranti. People visit various religious sites according to the festivals they celebrate throughout the year. Also a very popular temple known as Pancha Dewa Shiva Mandir is situated within Dasrathchand Municipality, ward no 1. 67. There are seven temples of Bhagwati in different parts of Baitadi, Doti and Bajhang districts of which five are situated in Baitadi district. According to ancient mythology these seven Bhagwatis (Ranayanishaini, Ningalashaini, Bodalashaini, Potalashaini, Dilashaini, Shaileshwory & Melaulee) are sisters. In different temples fair occur at different time. 28 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Bhatt, Chand, Thapa, Maunee, Guru and Markand decide whether to worship or not. This meeting is called Chaurathha. 68. Fair (Jaat is local languages) occurs two times in a year i.e. in Kartik and Asadh. Visitors from neighboring districts and even from bordering part of India visit Baitadi for the fair and to worship goddess. The fair is celebrated for two days. First day it is called Nani Jaat and second day Thuli Jaat. Most of the villagers dazzle in neat and clean dresses, bangles, ornaments combined with beautiful tika on their forehead e. Employment 69. Employment plays a vital role in the analysis to compare the income source of the people. The survey data revealed that majority of the people about (32%) are in government and private services in the area which is followed by agriculture (31%), business (23%), wage labor (11%) and others including tailoring, blacksmith and pension holders (3%). 4. Economic Development and Prospects for Growth a. Land Use 70. Land use pattern of the district shows that almost 49%(58,582 Ha) of the area comprises of forest land; 16% (19,199 Ha ) of the area is pasture land; 11% (12,449 Ha) of the area is agricultural land and remaining 24% (29,023 Ha) of the area is other type of land which includes barren land, foot trails, and roads. b. Infrastructure i. Transportation 71. The main transportation mediums in the district are roads. Although there is a small airport located at Patan it has not been in operation since last 10 years. Roads are the only medium to get in to Baitadi from different parts of Nepal. In Baitadi, 27% populations have access to the roads that is around 2 km distance from their locality/village; 56% have access to roads at a distance of more than 4 km. Similarly 33.51% of the localities have access to feeder road within a distance of 0.5 km and remaining 66.49% have access to the feeder road at a distance of more than 0.5 km. 72. Most of the roads around the district are not gravelled properly. During monsoon and due to lack of proper maintenance work, most of the roads are out of order. During such period, in order to reach Baitadi, people have to walk up to Jhulaghat and from there one can go to Kanchanpur and other places via India. 29 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project ii. Drinking Water Supply 73. At present there are three small water supply systems operated in the service area implemented by DWSS. The existing water supply system is very old and has inadequate quantity of water to serve the growing population of the town. The existing water supply has been made possible mainly from two sources of surface water namely Sote Gad and Jargmul which covers three areas of the municipality. Tapped discharge from these sources is very low which is shown in the following table. Table 10 : Existing Sources of Water Supply S.N Water Distribution Area Name of the Source Tapped Discharge (lps) 1 Gothalapani Sote gad 0.70 lps 2 Sahilekh Sote gad 0.5 lps 3 Gadhi Jargmul 0.6 lps (Source: Socio economic survey by ERMC Pvt. Ltd , 2010) 74. The service area being the district head-quarter, the rate of increase of population is significant making the water supply too low for the demand to be fulfilled. The proposed system is an extension and augmentation of the existing system in order to meet the demands of the area. The water tapped undergoes a treatment before supplying it to the public. Although the present water quality report shows no pre treatment requirement, but during rainy season it may contain some impurities and thus will be requiring pre treatment facility. Therefore a sedimentation tank is proposed near the intake and slow sand filter with roughening filter at the reservoir site at Badilekh. iii. Surface drainage, Sanitation and Sewerage 75. The topography of the most parts of the service area is slopy in nature and so the town is comparatively clean due to natural drainage. At present there are few surface drains along the highway (hilly) and in the market area but these are not in proper condition and need repair and rehabilitation. There is no other surface drainage in the area. 76. Solid waste management in the project area is minimal. People dispose their solid wastes at public places and in open areas. The dumping site that is near to the project area is located at Jagannath Patal which lies between Gothalapani and Shailekh Bazaar. The solid wastes are just dumped in open space and are not covered by layer of soil as a result there is a problem of foul odor in and around the dumping site. However, as a part of solid waste management, the collected solid wastes in the dumping site are incinerated periodically. The municipality is also disposing the waste at Jagannath Patal. No settlement is located near to the dumping location. 30 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 77. There is no sewerage system, even in the urban centers of the district. Most of the households have pit latrines in the rural areas and most of the households in urban areas have pour flush toilets that is connected to septic tanks and soak pit. iv. Electricity 78. Some parts of Baitadi district have electricity for household consumption supplied by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) through its national grid and from other alternative sources of electricity. Most of the parts of the service area do have electricity facilities at present. 79. The amount of electricity that has been produced in the district has not been enough for the district. Majority of population in the district are deprived of electricity facility. Almost 600kW of electricity has been imported to Baitadi district from India, which is not regular. Until 2056/57 only 2995 households from Dasrathchand Municipality and 15 VDCs (in total 7.4%) had the supply of electricity. v. Communications 80. Dasrathchand municipality has been facilitated by telephone and mobile phone services. Most of the organizations in the district have telephone facility and 81 organizational telephone line were distributed in the district. There are few radio stations that have been established in the district. Majority of people living in and around municipality have television in their home. There are no local newspaper publications, so all the newspapers that reach the district come from other cities like Kathmandu and Nepalgunj. The national daily publication like Kantipur reaches the district only the day after the original date of publication. There is good postal service in the district. c. Economic Characteristics i. Industries 81. The table below shows the number of different types of registered industries. Apart from these registered industries, there are 206 cottage industries and 233 small industries in Baitadi district. 31 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Table 11 : Type of Industries in Baitadi District Type of Industry Quantity Agriculture and Wildlife 38 Productive 57 Service sector 161 Construction 123 Tourism 2 Small Firms Private Firm 299 Partnership Firm 6 Domestic Private Firm 75 Partnership Firm 1 (Source: District and VDC profile of Nepal, 2010) ii. Agricultural development 82. The project area, except the main bazaar area, is of rural in character. Therefore these area and the adjoining areas are good for agriculture production. The major crops produced are maize, wheat, paddy and millets. Potatoes, seasonal vegetables and fruits are cash crops produced in the area. 83. According to the statistics of 2007/08, the amount of cereal crops produced in the district is not enough to sustain the district and there is deficit of 30,086 metric ton of cereal crops in a year. Table 12 : Cereal Production in Metric Tons Total Year Population Rice Wheat Maize Millet Barley Required Deficient Edible 2007/08 259,572 5,035 5,085 11,051 779 138 22,088 52,174 -30,086 (Source: District and VDC profile of Nepal, 2010) iii. Tourism Development 84. Baitadi district has got potential to be a good tourist destination for internal as well as external tourists but the absence of airport is a big hurdle to develop the district in terms of tourism aspects. Lack of airport in the district will cause difficulty in attracting tourists. In Baitadi district, the religious and historical sites mentioned above have got potential to be developed into a possible tourist destination. In most of these locations, there is need of development of foot trails so that a hiking route shall be specified for the tourists. There is need for development of hotels and restaurants that can accommodate the tourist and provide quality services to them. 32 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project d. Development Organizations 85. Apart from educational institution there are few NGO, CBOs and other institutions and offices in the service area. Banking services are provided by two commercial banks namely Rastriya Banijya Bank and Nepal Bank. There are also few private commercial banks and cooperation within the project area. 86. Some of the development organizations that are active in the district are listed below: Table 13 : Development Organizations S.N Banks Numbers S.N Co-operative Types Numbers 1 Agriculture development Bank 5 1 Saving and Credit 44 2 Rastriya Banijya Bank 2 2 Multi-Purpose 18 3 Nepal Bank Limited 1 3 Agriculture 11 4 Electricity 1 5 Herbal 3 6 Dairy 2 7 Others 10 (Source: District and VDC profile, 2010) e. Major Environmental Problems 87. Some of the major environmental problems prevalent in the Dasrathchand municipality are as follows: • There is lack of knowledge within the society in the district regarding human endeavors that may potentially damage various aspects of environment and their consequences to human welfare. • Except for the roadway linking Dadheldhura and Baitadi, most of the roadways in the district are not black topped. As a result areas around the roadways are polluted by dust and smoke emitted by the vehicle that runs on the roadways. • Apart from the pasture land, people leave their livestock to graze haphazardly on steep terrain and farmland which has augmented erosion in the sites. • In most parts of the urban areas, the standard of solid waste management and waste water treatment is very poor. Even the roadside drainage is full of scraps which act as a blockade during monsoons and rain water overflow from these side drainages. • There is lack of proper education and knowledge regarding management of solid waste and waste water. The wastewater generated will be discarded properly in a nearby stream. Since the area is not an industrial focused area the waste water generated is mostly from a residential area, being domestic one and is being 33 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project disposed into septic tank and soak pit where natural treatment occurs so its effluent is not so much harmful 34 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project D. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 1. Beneficial Impacts 88. The development of water and sanitation will have numerous beneficial impacts to individual as well as to the entire community. Availability of clean, safe and adequate drinking water and sanitary environment are one of the basic human needs. Also any development efforts aimed at improving water and sanitation needs of an area will significantly contribute towards improving the quality of life of that area. 89. Some of the major beneficial impacts of the project and their maximization measures are described below. a. Construction Phase Employment Generation 90. Beneficial Impacts: The project will generate direct employment opportunities to the local people of the area. As the project involves construction work it will offer fine opportunities for various skilled and non-skilled work forces. The amount of money earned by the local people will directly affect the local economy thereby reducing the chances of seasonal migration of the local people. The project will provide short term direct employment benefit to majority of the construction workers and even long term employment to few workers during the operation of the project. In order to augment such benefit, priority will be given to employ local laborers as far as possible. 91. Maximization Measures: The local people particularly poor; Dalit people, ethnic minority and women will be given priority for employment. They will be provided with training in order to do the job. 92. This is a direct type, positive nature impact which has a very low magnitude and is for short term duration. Skill Enhancement 93. Beneficial Impacts: The construction of the project will not only provide direct employment opportunities but also ensure the transfer of skills and technical proficiency to the local workforce. The project activities such as constructing tanks, drains, slope stabilization methods will provide transferable skills. These skills will directly benefit the local people in long term for similar activities in future. Such benefit will be augmented by making proper work plan and code of conduct during the construction period. 35 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 94. Maximization Measures: The person assigned for the laying of the pipes shall be given on the job training on plumbing, bathroom fittings and construction. 95. This is a direct type, positive nature impact which has a very low magnitude and is for long term duration. Local Trade and Business Opportunities 96. Beneficial Impacts: In order to meet the food and other demands of the construction workers, there will be opportunities to establish small, tea shops and eating places around the vicinity of project area. The demand of the local food items; beverages and other necessary items of the workshop will provide direct benefit to the supplier, farmers and retailers. These will increase the local trade and business opportunities in the area which will be augmented by providing awareness and ensuring good relation between the local people and outside work force. 97. Maximization Measures: The local entrepreneurs shall be supported, cooperatives will be promoted and linkage with bank and other financial institutions shall be developed. 98. This is a direct type, positive nature impact which has a very low magnitude and is for intermittent duration of time. b. Operation Phase Improved Health and Hygiene 99. Beneficial Impacts: Deteriorating water quality and unsanitary conditions are often the causes of water borne communicable diseases. The survey report showed that the people in the project area are mostly dependent on water from existing system such as ponds, stream etc which have high chances of contamination. After the implementation of the project; the health and hygiene of the local people will improve and will help reduce occurrence of water borne diseases in the area. In order to enhance such benefit regular maintenance of the water supply and sanitation components will be done so that the project operates smoothly and the benefits are intact. 100. Maximization Measures: Regular maintenance of the water supply system will be done by the users group 101. This is a direct type, positive nature impact which has a very high magnitude and is for long term duration. 36 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Increased Economic Opportunities 102. Beneficial Impacts: After the construction of the project, due to improved living condition, there could be increased migration towards the town from surrounding rural areas which will create opportunities for shops and other business activities in the area. Due to increased economic opportunities, the land value of the area could increase which will uplift the economic status of the local people. These benefits shall be maximized by ensuring regular maintenance of water supply and sanitation components and by promoting land development activities in the area. 103. Maximization Measures: The municipality shall manage planned growth with required infrastructure facilities for healthy and hygienic environment in the market areas. 104. This is a direct type, positive nature impact which has a very low magnitude and is for long term duration. Benefits to Women 105. Beneficial Impacts: Women and girls are mainly responsible for household activities such as fetching water and cleanliness. Improved water supply and sanitation will improve the health and hygiene of women, girls and the entire household members. The time they save from fetching water from distant location and cleanliness will be utilized in other economic and income generation activities. 106. Maximization Measures: Health and awareness programs and campaigns will be organized within the local community. 107. This is a direct type, positive nature impact which has a moderate magnitude and is for long term duration. 2. Adverse Impacts 108. The potential impacts of the proposed Baitadi Water Supply and Sanitation Project may be physical, biological and socio-cultural in nature and can occur at various phases of the project such as construction phase and operation and maintenance phase. The magnitude of the impacts shall be small, moderate or high depending upon its severity and will be temporary or last permanently. The impacts are not necessarily always negative; some impacts could be positive as well. The attempt is to augment the positive impact and remove or minimize the negative impacts by applying suitable mitigation measures 37 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 109. The summary of the anticipated environmental impacts and the mitigation measures are given in Table 14. a. Construction Phase i. Physical Environment Landslide, Soil Erosion and Disturbance of Land 110. Impacts: Construction related activity such as digging of trenches for laying of pipes can affect the local land system causing silt run off. The street surfaces could bring about ponding of water and create disposal problems. 111. Mitigation measures: The mitigation measures are more precautionary type such as proper and timely back filling of the excavated trenches; reuse of the excavated earth and proper disposal of the surplus excavated soil. The excavated trench will be refilled immediately after laying of pipes and brought back to the normal condition. 112. This is a direct type of impact which has a moderate magnitude, with higher extent covering large area and is for short term duration. Impact on Surface Water 113. Impacts: Apart from the intake source (Madh Khola) which lies far away from the service area, the project area has other small streams such as Nilgadigad, Chiauligad running nearby. The excavated soil during the construction period, if not properly managed, could eventually find its way to the surface water and the irrigation canals and may increase the turbidity of water. 114. Mitigation measures: To avoid such impact there will be proper spoil management system set up in the project area. To minimize such impact temporary water diversion facility will be constructed in the upstream to avoid the contamination of water source at the construction site. At the same time, if needed the excavated earth will be disposed in a location where such impact is minimal. 115. This is a direct type impact which has a significant magnitude, with higher extent covering large area and is for short term duration. 38 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Air and Noise Pollution 116. Impacts: Trucks, tractors and other vehicles used for the transportation of construction materials will create noise and release emissions. The excavation activities may also release dust matters. All these effects are temporary and will last for the construction period only. 117. Mitigation measures: The workers exposed to 80 -85 db noise level must be provided with ear plugs. The vehicles used for transportation must be checked for its condition and if it applies to European Emission Standard, Euro III and Nepal government mass emission standard (NVMES, 2069 )for all the heavy loaded vehicles. The equipment will be checked by technicians before the commencement of work and working night shift with equipment producing high noise will be prohibited. To minimize the dust and particulate matters, sprinkling of water will be done and the construction materials will be covered during transportation to avoid dust generation. Also open burning of solid wastes generated particularly from labor camps and construction activities will be completely banned. 118. This is a direct type of impact which has a small magnitude, with lower extent covering smaller area and is for short term duration. ii. Biological Environment Degradation of Cultivated Land and Vegetation 119. Impacts: The major structures of the project will be constructed in the land acquired by WUSC. There will be no major disturbance of vegetation and no cutting of trees in the project area but some ground vegetation has to be cleared for the construction of those structures. Even along the alignment of transmission and distribution line cutting of trees will not be involved. Some of the topsoil and vegetation may lost during pipe laying works. 120. Mitigation measures: Minimization of vegetation clearing and careful cutting of ground vegetation will be done. Trees and shrubs will be planted wherever possible. In case of unavoidable situation due to the obstruction by the tree for any constructing structure, the lost trees in public land will be compensated by planting 1:25 ratio and in private land trees will be planted in 1:1 ratio. A plan and cost for developing greenery by undertaking plantation shall be taken into consideration in all major sites. 121. This is a direct type of impact which has a small magnitude, with lower extent covering smaller area and is for long term duration. 39 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project iii. Socio-Economic Environment Impact to Local Residents 122. Impacts: The construction related activities that generates dust, noise and impede access could disturb the local residents. Also it may create traffic problems in creating traffic jam near the construction site. 123. Mitigation measures: To cope with such impact the local residents will be consulted and informed about the disturbances in advance. Temporary diversions and signboards will be provided for the pedestrians. Traffic management will be done to avoid such issues. 124. This is a direct type of impact which has a small magnitude, with lower extent covering smaller area and is for short term duration. Problems from Outside Work Force 125. Impacts: Haphazard disposal of solid waste and improper sanitary conditions generated by the construction workers may cause the pollution of surrounding environment and affect the health of local people. There could also be some social problems due to irresponsible behavior of the work force such as gambling, alcoholism and disrespect to local people and their culture. 126. Mitigation measures: Mechanism of safe disposal of waste according to SWMA, 2068 will be developed in the project site and construction camp before the actual commencement of work and unwanted littering and discharge of waste will be prohibited to avoid such impact. In addition the contractor shall instruct all the workers to act in a responsible manner within the working premises. Also a dustbin in the work site will be provided to collect the waste and then finally disposed to a solid waste carrying vehicle which eventually will be discarded to Jagannath Patal (dumping site). To create a friendlier environment social gathering for the workers shall be accepted once a month. 127. This is an indirect type of impact which has a moderate magnitude, with lower extent covering smaller area and is for short term duration. Occupational Health and Safety 128. Impacts: During the construction work, the laborers involved in the construction activities may be exposed to different level of health risks and are prone to accidents. 129. Mitigation measures: A site health and safety plan will be prepared encouraging use of safety measures and personal protective equipment (PPE). The laborers will be insured 40 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project for their health and safety. First aid box will be kept at a proper and easily accessible place. General public will be excluded from all the construction sites. 130. This is a direct type of impact which has as significant magnitude, with lower extent covering smaller area and is for short term duration. b. Operational Phase i Inadequate Operation and Maintenance (if happens) 131. Impacts: Under suboptimal operation, the Project creates hazards in term of overall delivery of the outputs and safety of the personnel. On such condition the existence of the Project will be at risk. The people consuming water from such source will be at higher risk as the whole population will be consuming the same water. 132. Mitigation Measures: In order to avoid such state regular O&M of water treatment plants including chlorinators; regular water quality monitoring of water in the distribution system; immediate action in case of water quality problems; and training and operational supervision of system staff will be conducted. 133. This is a direct type of impact which has significant magnitude, with larger extent covering large area and is for short term duration. ii. Toxic Chemical Hazard 134. Impacts: Chlorine and Bleaching Powder are toxic to humans. Ingestions, inhalations, application to body parts, especially to such parts as eyes, nose and mouth are of extreme hazard. 135. Mitigation Measures: The storage, in-plant handling and dosages of chlorine (bleaching powder) must be addressed and procedures set up and guidelines developed for its handling and first aid measures to be introduced for emergencies and the training and operational supervision of system staff. 136. This is a direct type of impact which has significant magnitude, with lower extent covering smaller area and is for short term duration. 41 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project iii. Repair and Maintenance 137. Impacts: Repairs of pipe networks will disrupt business in the market area and will be difficult for public to walk on the very area. The workers and the public are at risk from accidents when such activities are conducted. 138. Mitigation Measures: In order to avoid such issue people of the area should be informed of any work in advance and avoid work in sensitive times: provide walkways/bridges for people and vehicles if trenches have to be dug; provide diversions with the help of the police; and complete works quickly in sensitive areas. Also workers are to be provided with health and safety measures to avoid risk from accidents at site during pipe repairs and installation of new connections. 139. This is a direct type of impact which has significant magnitude, with lower extent covering smaller area and is for short term duration. iv. Sludge after treatment 140. Impacts: The sludge produced during the operation of treatment plant, if disposed haphazardly will create an unsanitary situation and effluent after backwash water from treatment will create soil erosion problem in the adjacent hill side of the treatment location. 141. Mitigation Measures: a small sludge collection pit is designed and proposed at downhill side along the disposal drain to collect the washed sludge. The collected sludge can be used as fertilizer. 142. This is a direct type of impact which has low magnitude, with lower extent covering smaller area and is for short term duration. 42 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project E. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES WITH AND WITHOUT PROJECT SITUATIONS 143. The aim of the project is to provide safe and sufficient water supply to the residents of the service area of Dasrathchand Municipality in Baitadi District. The various alternatives to achieve the objectives of the project with minimum impact to the environment are presented in the following sub-sections. 1. Design Alternative 144. The proposed project has been formulated to provide reliable and continuous drinking water supply in adequate quantity and good quality to the consumers of the service area. In order to achieve that, a new system needed to be designed with additional sources of water, increased distribution network, treatment plant and enhanced storage facilities. The additional system need to be integrated with existing storage facility providing cross- connected distribution network. There are few existing gravity water system, which are serving the population of Dasrathchand Municipality, but they are rural in nature and supply water through public tap stands without proper treatment and not in sufficient quantity. Therefore the proposed project has been envisaged to streamline the various systems and develop a reliable and sustainable system. Baitadi being a hilly region there is an unreliable ground water table; as such the project has to find an alternative approach in order to meet the requirement. The present project is designed with due consideration of these aspects and thus the proposed design has no alternatives. 2. Project Site/Location Alternative 145. There are three potential sources available for Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation System. First source is from Iswariganga Khola, which is a perennial system and has sufficient discharge to meet the demand of the area but it has been already booked and surveyed for irrigation work. Second potential source is Gwalekh (Nilgard Khola) from where water will be supplied by gravity, but it has low yield and source is at dispute. Another source Kansanigadh Khola, a perennial stream although with sufficient discharge to meet the water demand, but it needs pumping of 960 m (six stage pumping) very expensive mainly in operation cost. So the only remaining source is the Madh Khola, which has sufficient yield, good water quality and has no dispute. 146. No significant adverse environmental impacts are found with the present location of the project. The location of the treatment site has been finalized after consultation with the local community and distribution lines are fixed where with minimum impacts on the environment. Therefore, the proposed location of the project has no alternatives. 43 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 3. Alternative in Technology, Implementation Procedure and Raw Materials 147. The technologies proposed in the project are reliable. The source of water, being a spring fed perennial stream, has safe yield and is a reliable one. The source is located at lower altitude and water needs pumping. The tapping point at the stream is far from the residential area and there are no settlements around. There is no barrier and thus water will be easily pumped to the service area. Therefore the system proposed is technically viable. 148. The work involved is labor intensive and minimum use of mechanical equipment is involved. Most of the construction work will be done using manual which will produce minimum environmental impacts. Trained human resources will be used so that there is minimum disturbance of the local system and no health and safety hazards to workers arise. 149. The working procedures proposed are participatory one and the beneficiaries will be actively participating in all the phases of the project. Except from some mechanical equipment, most of the raw materials used will be local in nature. Similarly, as far as possible, local people will be employed for the project so that the chances of conflict are minimal. 4. No Project Option 150. The No-project alternative prevents the implementation of the project. Such action will impede the local people of the area from having the facility of safe and sufficient drinking water and also living in sanitary environment. If the project is not implemented, the people will have to continue depending upon the existing unreliable water supply system for drinking purpose. It also limits the chances of socio-economic development of the area. 151. On the other hand, if the project is implemented, the people of the area not only benefit from the supply of safe and sufficient drinking water but also improve their health and hygiene conditions. The project implementation will create job opportunities, thereby improving the socio-economic condition of the local people and help in improving their quality of life. . The Implementation of the proposed project will produce only negligible and insignificant environmental impacts. The do-nothing option will be able to avoid some minor environmental impacts; however, difficulty of having safe and reliable water supply; remoteness and poverty of the area will remain intact. 44 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project F. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION 152. One of the important objectives of IEE is to facilitate the participation of all the stakeholders and general public right from pre-construction phase of the project to its operation. Several consultations were held with the locals in the project area to understand their views of the project and to get their consensus. 153. The project has involved a variety of concerned groups, including non-governmental organizations, line agencies, community based organizations and local people while preparing the IEE report. After the TOR was approved from ministry on 13 February 2011, a notice was published in the Rajdhani daily on 6 March 2011 informing the local people and stakeholders about the project and to obtain suggestions about the possible environmental impacts and likely mitigation measures during the implementation of the project. A copy of the notice was also displayed at concerned Municipality office, local school, health posts and other public places (Refer Annex 3 & 4) 154. During the field survey Focused Group Discussion were held with the local people and public meeting was held in local area to understand the public attitude and views and to get consensus of the project. Written forms of suggestions were collected during the meeting and from relevant government agencies. The recommendation letters from the concerned agency has been attached in Annex 5. During the public consultation, the project objectives were explained and people were requested to give their opinions and suggestions. The lists of key people contacted are given in Annex 6. 155. The main issues raised during the public consultation were regarding- • Information dissemination of the project (SSTWSSSP) • Roles and responsibilities of WUSC, community and other stakeholders • Required Cash Contribution and Modality of Project: WUSC and community were fully aware of it and they are ready to cooperate with the team and others during implementation of the project. • Service Area Delineation: The service area delineated for sub-project during meeting were ward no. 1 (Gadhi, Sahilekh and Gothalapani and Bebet), parts of ward no. 2 (Madola), parts of ward no. 4 (Pallo Chaudali), parts of ward no. 5 (Buskot), parts of ward no. 6 (Simail) and parts of ward no. 9 (Tripura) of Dasrathchand Municipality • Choice of Source: There is no much reliable and suitable gravity water sources available for the sub-project. The only suitable and reliable source for the system is 45 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Madh Khola, a perennial stream, which needs pumping and has been proposed as the suitable water source for the system. • Survey of Transmission Main and Distribution System: The decision was made that the technical survey works needs to be done taking Madh Khola as proposed source which needs pumping and distribution networks in some of the service area. Similarly, the social survey of the service area has to be done. • Acquisition of Land: All land required for the construction of various infra structure such as intake structure, treatment units, reservoirs and others are already acquired by the WUSC. • WUSC Office Building: WUSC do not have its own building. One such building is felt necessary for various operational works and provision will be made regarding this. • Reduction of Project Cost: Design shall be made in such a way that the cost required shall be minimal without compromising the quality of work and workmanship. Existing structures, if it is usable, shall be used to reduce the cost. 156. Draft IEE was sent to DWSS and ADB for review and comments. After incorporating the comments and suggestions from all the concerned stakeholders, final IEE report will be prepared and sent to MOUD for approval. 157. The information about the project is disclosed not just by active participation of stakeholders during public consultation process but also formally by making the related material available in a form and at a location that is easily accessible to the stakeholders. This normally involves making the draft reports available (in local language) at public locations in the community and providing a mechanism to obtain the comments and suggestions back from the community. ADB encourages governments to upload all the documents into their website. The Executive Summary of the IEE study is to be made public through depository library system and ADB websites. The full IEE of the proposed project is posted on ADB website and also made available to the interested parties upon request. Also in the future in order to make the public aware and active in the project, public communication shall be done frequently to inquire about any further queries and give them the highlights of project current state. 158. EMP compliance monitoring will be carried out by PMU by using the automated safeguard monitoring software prepared by NRM. A Safeguard Desk will be established in the sub project with an expert from DSC assigned as focal person. The person will be provided orientation training by the PCU and monitoring checklist will be provided for recording compliance status in the sub project. The desk will organize monthly meeting among safeguard members in the team to discuss areas of compliance and 46 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project noncompliance. They will then organize meeting with the technical team to discuss agree on corrective measures to mitigate impacts. Record of the meeting will be registered in minute, a copy of which will be attached to regular progress report. Members of WUSC will be involved in the activities of the desk at all stages to transfer knowledge on environment friendly practices to them so that they will be able to continue the safe practices during operation and maintenance of the system. 47 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project G. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM 159. The project also aims to facilitate a grievance and redress mechanism to address the environmental and social concern of the community who are affected by the project activities. The proposed project doesn’t involve resettlement of any community, and a Resettlement Plan that addresses the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) is not necessary. However, all the stakeholders are to be made aware of the project-specific GRM so that there is an appropriate channel of communication and a formalized procedure to settle disputes. 160. The process requires a GRM committee to be established as a local level to assure accessibility to the Affected Person or Stakeholder. The committee should consist of members with sufficient knowledge about the project, with technical know-how and expertise and someone aware about the socio-cultural dynamics of the community. The GRM requires that issues and comments are first lodged with the local level GRM committee for handling of grievances at project site. The GRM committee should conduct their meeting within 3 weeks of receipt of complaint and solution needs to be provided at meeting or within the very week. 161. If the grievance cannot be solved at the project level, the GRM committees need to submit it to the PMO. The PMO with assistance from Environmental Specialist and WUSC experts should resolve the grievance. If the grievance cannot be solved by the PMO, it will be referred to the VDC and district DWSS. And if the grievance cannot be resolved even by VDC and DWSS within 2 weeks, the case will be referred to court of law to adjudicate the matter. 48 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Figure 5 : Grievance Redress Mechanism Affected Person Grievance/Complaint GRM Committee Redress Grievances PMO Environmental / WUSC Social Safeguard Specialists VDC DWSS Court of Law 49 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project H. MATTERS TO BE MONITORED WHILE IMLEMENTING THE PROJECT AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (EMP) 1. Mitigation and Monitoring 162. Environmental Monitoring is necessary to check the implementation of environmental measures in a manner that had been prescribed earlier and to ensure that the project activity complies to the environmental protection standards. Monitoring shall be done before the project construction begins (Baseline Monitoring); during the construction and operation phase (Impact Monitoring) and periodically even after completion of the project activity (Compliance Monitoring). 163. Construction and operation phase monitoring of the mitigation measures will mainly consider the following impacts due to • Construction Phase: Soil erosion; sedimentation and slope stabilization; vegetation clearing; change in hydrology of surface waters; water, air and noise pollution; solid waste; land intake and compensation; health, safety and sanitation of the work force; and traffic management • Operation Phase: Drinking water treatment operations; discharge of waste water into surface waters; and quality of drinking water supplies 164. Some of the baseline monitoring that needs to be done before the start of the construction activities so as to compare the results before and after the construction works are: • Monitoring of air quality and noise levels (vibration) before and during the construction work • Water quality analysis of the nearby streams (Nilgadigad, Chiauligad) in order to examine the physical, chemical and biological quality of the water. 165. The Monitoring Plan is designed in a way that it has been approved and monitored by the contractor who ensures that the mitigation measures are followed during the construction period. It also requires regular and periodic monitoring of the actual environmental impacts during the project operation over the years following project completion. All the monitoring parameters for the water quality for example its turbidity, its mineral content, dissolved oxygen, pH will be tested in the laboratory and the rest such as for the occupational health and safety are based on direct observation. All the parameters are required to be observed on the basis of design reports, physical checking and visual 50 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project records. A detailed monitoring plan giving the mechanisms of monitoring for the environmental impact and the mitigation measures are given in the following table. 51 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Table 14 : Environmental Monitoring Program Parameters to be Responsible for S.N. Impacts Mitigation Measures Location Frequency Monitored Monitoring WATER SUPPLY COMPONENT Construction Phase Impacts 1. - Unorganized disposal of Precautionary measures will Contractor Construction DSC excavated earth be taken during construction records sites to avoid cave in - Soil erosion, silt runoff Reuse of excavated soil and Quantity of soil Daily Contractor - Pollution of surface backfilling of trenches will be remained water done Safe disposal of excavated Disposal site Daily Contractor, - Deterioration of air soil WSSDO quality due to dust Sprinkling of water to avoid Dust in the Air At the time Daily Contractor - Disturbance to the dust of trench pedestrians digging Temporary diversions and Signboards Construction Daily Contractor, signboards will be provided site WSSDO for the pedestrians 2. - Noise pollution The workers exposed to 80- Contractor Construction As needed DSC/Contractor 85 dB noise level will be records site - Air pollution due to provided with ear plugs. release of emissions The equipments will be checked by technicians before the commencement of work and working in night shift with equipments producing high noise will be prohibited. 52 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project The construction material will Contractor As needed Contractor be covered during records transportation to avoid dust generation The vehicles used for transportation of construction material will be checked if it applies to the Nepal government emission standard and Euro III 3. - Generation of excess Mechanism of safe disposal Contractor Construction Daily DSC, WSSDO grease, solid waste and of waste will be developed in records site other construction the project site before the waste actual commencement of work. - Pollution of nearby Provision of dustbin for solid Contractor Daily Municipality irrigation canals and waste collection. records water bodies Prohibition of unwanted Amount and Construction Monthly Municipality littering and discharge of disposal of solid site waste waste 4. - Obstruction in Care will be taken while Contractor Construction Daily Contractor, pedestrian and traffic excavating and laying of records sites DSC movement pipes so that there is minimal vibration and slope Uneven surfaces disturbances - Removal of excavated Excavated soil will be Pavement Roadside Daily Contractor material can affect the dumped in outer side of demolition local land system trench opposite to roadside (erosion and soil and backfilling will be done instability) properly 53 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 5. - Risk of pollution of Spoil management unit to Contractor Project area Weekly Contractor other streams in the work efficiently to avoid the records area causing increase excavated soil from finding its in turbidity way downstream to other surface sources and irrigation canals. 6. - Loss of vegetation and Provision of minimization of Cleared area Construction weekly Contractor habitat vegetation clearing and site careful cutting of ground vegetation Plantation of tree and shrub Afforested area, Project area Yearly WUSC where ever possible numbers of trees planted 7. - Local residents could Work will be conducted as Contractor Construction Monthly DSC, WSSDO be disturbed by noise, quickly as possible to records site dust and impeded minimize disturbance access The residents will be Communication Project area As needed Contractor, consulted and inform about with local people DSC, WSSDO the disturbances in advance 8. - Problems due to All the workers will be Behavior of Construction Weekly Contractor, irresponsible behavior instructed to act in a workers camp WUSC of work force (e.g. responsible manner gambling, disrespect to Possible social gathering Uses of alcohol, Weekly WUSC, the local area and shall be allowed records of fights Contractor people) Local people will be employed Local survey As needed Contractor as far as possible WUSC 54 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 9. - Risk of accidents to the A site health and safety plan Use of helmet, Construction Daily Contractor, workers and public including safety measures mask, globes, site DWSS such as provision of personal boots etc. protective equipment will be included First aid will be kept at hand First aid box Monthly Contractor, in working area DSC, WSSDO General public will be Signboards Monthly Contractor, excluded from all construction DSC, WSSDO sites Insurance will be provided to Health and safety One time Contractor, the workers insurance DSC, WSSDO O&M Phase Impacts 10 10.1 Risk of accidents to Usage, handling and storage of Contractor records Weekly WUSC, WSSDO workers and mishandling chlorine will be prescribed and Distribution of chlorine. guidelines developed site First aid measures will be located in First aid box As needed WUSC, WSSDO emergencies SANITATION COMPONENT Construction Phase Impact 11. - Unorganized disposal Safe disposal and re-use of Stacking of soil, Construction Daily Contractor of excavated earth excavated soil quantity of soil site remained - Surface runoff, Sprinkling of water to avoid Dust in the air Daily Contractor pollution of water ways dust - Nuisance to 55 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project pedestrians Temporary diversions and Signboards Daily Contractor, signboards will be provided to WSSDO - Deterioration of air the pedestrians quality due to dust 12 - Loss of vegetation and Provision of minimization of Cleared area Construction Weekly Contractor habitat vegetation clearing and site careful cutting of ground vegetation will be done Trees and shrubs will be Afforested area, Project area Yearly WUSC planted wherever possible number of trees planted 13. - Risk of accidents to the A site health and safety plan Use of safety Construction Daily Contractor, workers and public will be prepared and gears site DSC, WSSDO implemented O&M Phase Impacts 14. - Pollution of nearby Regular cleaning and Frequency of Toilet drain Periodically WUSC, DSC, stream maintenance of the toilets sprinkling of WSSDO (sprinkling of disinfectants) disinfectants. Vector breeding sites and Vector breeding Toilet drain Periodically WUSC DSC - Nuisance due to odor, resting sites will be modified and resting sites insects and rodents (e.g. using appropriate chemicals, spray) Providing buffer zone around Buffer area Around toilet One time DSC, WUSC the area and plant trees in the area (during buffer zones Trees planted design) Properly covered Transport truck Project Area As needed WUSC, DSC transportation systems will be provided 56 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Quality of effluent and river Checking of River water Monthly WUSC, water will be regularly effluent near the WSSDO monitored parameters drain disposal site 15. - Pollution of river water Waste sorting and disposal will O&M guidelines Project area Weekly WUSC due to waste disposal be properly done Waste will be transported via Transport truck Project area As needed WUSC, DSC truck or tractor (waste will be - Nuisance to properly covered in the neighboring areas due vehicle) to an appropriate site to transportation of selected by WUSC waste 57 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 2. Environmental Procedures and Institutions 166. Institutions have a crucial role to play during monitoring. There will be firm institutional commitment by the agencies responsible for monitoring. The Ministry of Science, technology and Environment (MOSTE) is in charge of environmental control and management for all sector agencies. The Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD) has the overall responsibility for environmental monitoring of all water supply and sewerage projects. In case of an EIA, it has to be finally approved by MOSTE. In case of an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), the final approval lies with MOUD. 167. The different agencies involved in the Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project are as explained in the following table. 58 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Table 15: Institutions Involved in the Proposed Project S.N Organization Roles and Responsibilities 1. Ministry of Urban Development It is the executive agency for the implementation of (MOUD) Second Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project. It is responsible for monitoring of project design, construction and operation activities according to the approved IEE report. It is also responsible for approving the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the IEE and approving the IEE studies. 2. Department of Water Supply and DWSS is the implementing agency for the Sewerage (DWSS) SSTWSSP. It is responsible for ensuring that all the environmental measures to be adopted during different phases of project implementation and operation have been fully adhered to. It is also responsible for water quality monitoring. 3. Project Management Office PMO under DWSS implements the project. It (PMO) ensures that all the mitigation measures prescribed by approved IEE have been fully adopted. It acquires permits and approval for project construction and assists WUSC on source registration and transfer of land ownership. It also ensures that responsibilities of other stakeholders are incorporated as per agreements. 4. Town Development Fund (TDF) TDF provides funding to the WUSC. It ensures that necessary environmental screening and assessments have been carried out during the funding decisions. 5. Water User and Sanitation WUSC is responsible for forming member based Committee (WUSC) water user group and registering it. It is responsible for ensuring the implementation of environmental measures recommended especially during the construction and operation phase. Activities such as public awareness on sanitation and maintaining record of the water quality data are some of its responsibilities. 6. Design and Supervision DSC is responsible for conducting the feasibility Consultant (DSC) study and preparing detailed design and supervision work of the project. It ensures that all the mitigation measures are incorporated in the final design of the system and the environmental prescriptions are being met by the construction contractor. 7. Contractor It is responsible to ensure that the mitigation measures are specified during the construction 168. Apart from the above mentioned agencies, there are other institutions that are directly and indirectly involved in the project and during the IEE studies. Local bodies such as District Development Committee (Baitadi), Municipality (Dasrathchand) and Village 59 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Development Committees help in disseminating information about the project to local people and related stakeholders and in giving permits to conduct the IEE studies. 3. Potential Environmental Enhancement Measures 169. In parallel to the suggested mitigation measure, it is important to encourage opportunities to enhance the project and its elements so as to have minimal environmental disturbance. The proposed project has both positive and negative impacts and the present stage gives an opportunity to enhance these positive features through innovative measures. For category B project, annual EMP compliance report will be sufficient for ADB purpose. Some of such potential environmental measures include: 170. Ensuring resource mobilization and participation of the local community to develop a sense of ownership and empowerment of the project 171. Determining roles and responsibilities of all the stakeholders and institutions to promote effective coordinated action 172. Providing training and awareness program in health and sanitation issues; water cost and usage; environmental pollution and waste management 173. The local youth clubs and NGO within the municipality will be mobilized to monitor the environment in areas affected by project activity and report back the problems to PMO. 4. Reporting Procedures 174. For an effective implementation of mitigation measures and Environmental Management Plan, it is necessary to have a mechanism in place to report the entire mitigation operation plus the reports on progress and status of each mitigation conducted. 175. The contractor has a crucial role in ensuring that the mitigation measures are implemented during project construction phase. The contractor should develop an Environmental Mitigation Execution Plan (EMEP) based on EMP. The contractor has to report weekly about the progress of its work together with day-to-day practical aspect of project implementation to the DSC. It is suggested that a team comprising of WUSC member and contract workers be established at the onset of the project to make periodic reporting to the DSC. 176. The DSC then has the responsibility of ensuring that all the procedures and final design that includes the mitigation measures are followed. DSC has the responsibility to check the weekly progress report of the contractor and fields verify whether the implementation of mitigation measures have been conducted as decided in the EMEP or not. 60 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project 177. DSC then has the responsibility to prepare and environmental monitoring report based on the weekly progress report of the contractor. DSC has to report the status of the project and the monitoring report to the PMO for its review. PMO should then forward the monitoring report to review by the Environmental Specialist of the DSC. 10 copies of the reports will be submitted to PMO every month, which will be distributed to the responsible agencies for review. The Environmental Specialists of the DSC should then review the comments and suggestions from the various authorities and act accordingly. 178. Monthly progress reports, including bi-annual and annual reports on the implementation of EMP will be produced on a regular basis. The report should contain information of all the activities conducted within the given time including the cases of non-compliance. A feedback mechanism of reporting will be developed and based on the results of monitoring; the Environmental Management Plan will be adjusted accordingly. 5. Procurement Plan and Cost Estimates 179. The cost for the recommended mitigation measures and monitoring activities are described in Table 18 and 19. Cost of mitigation measures directly linked to the construction activities (such as erosion control measures) are not included in the cost estimates as most of these are already included in the construction and operation and maintenance cost of the project. Table 16 : Annual Cost for EMP S.N. Item Cost 1. Mitigation Budget Provision of safety measures to workers 1,00,000 Training for WUSC staff 20,000 Environmental Awareness Campaigns 30,000 2. Monitoring Budget Environmental Management Specialist 1,00,000 Sociologists 75,000 Support Staff 40,000 Cost for monitoring by MOUD/DWSS 2,00,000 Transportation and others 40,000 Total 6,05,000 Monitoring Costs 180. Most of the monitoring cost for the proposed project is related to the expenses for experts for observation and monitoring during construction and operation phases of the project. The following monitoring costs are to be incurred by the project. 61 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Table 17 : Monitoring Cost Expert Team Monitoring Cost MD Rate Amount Environmental Management Specialist 1 100000 100000 Sociologists 1 75000 75000 Support Staff 2 20000 40000 Cost for monitoring by MOUD/DWWS LS 200000 Transportation and others LS 40000 Total 455000 Mitigation Costs 181. Most of the costs related to the mitigation and monitoring activities are either included in the construction cost estimation in accordance with the contract specification or covered in the Operational and Maintenance costs and thus are not detailed here. 182. Further funds are needed mainly for developing the capacity and facilities of the WUSC for environmental monitoring and for conducting environmental training and awareness campaigns. The estimation is presented in the following table. Table 18: Tentative Cost of Mitigation for Some Impacts S.N. Activities Estimated (NRs) Remarks During construction 1. Provision of safety measures to workers 1,00,000 period 2. Training for WUSC staff 20,000 During operation period During construction and 3. Environmental Awareness Campaigns 30,000 operation periods Total 1,50,000 6. Work Plan 183. Before operation, PMO/DSC, with the help of its Environmental Specialists will develop detailed work plans for implementing mitigation measure and monitoring plans based on EMP. These plans will be incorporated into the project contracts. 184. Before construction, PMO will develop a detail responsibilities and requirements for contractors and will provide a detail cost estimates of mitigation measures and environmental monitoring in construction contracts 185. Before operation, PMO will develop detailed work plans for environmental management and monitoring during operation based on the EMP which will be submitted to the concerned persons to help them supervise implementation 186. The EMP implementation schedule is given in the following figure for a period of 2 years 62 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project Figure 6 : Implementation Schedule of the Project Months Activities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Tendering + Award of Contract Presentation of Security Performances contract Field Mobilization Approval of Tendering + Procurement of Materials Transportation of Materials Structural Works Installation Works Piping Works Mechanical + Electrical Works Construction / Procurement Finishing Works 63 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project I. CONCLUSIONS 187. Considering the nature of the project; environmental and socio-economic situation of the area are based on the detail field survey and consultation with the relevant stakeholders, it shall be concluded that the proposed Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project will have only minor negative impacts on the physical, biological and socio-cultural aspects of the area. The impacts are mostly local in nature and will be easily and cheaply mitigated with suitable mitigation measures and regular monitoring schedules. 188. The implementation of the project will have several beneficial impacts to the people of Dasrathchand Municipality in Baitadi district. The local people will benefit from safe and sufficient supply of drinking water and have improved sanitary situation. All this will significantly raise the living standard of the people in the Dasrathchand Municipality. 189. From this IEE study it will be seen that the beneficial impacts of the proposed project outweighs the negative impact and thus full scale EIA is not required. Both in terms of GoN requirement and ADB’s requirement, a full scale EIA is not required and IEE is sufficient. 190. The present IEE study with various environmental mitigation and monitoring plan is recommended. It is proposed that the information suggested in the IEE report will be well utilized in next phases of work and monitoring plan followed up. 64 Initial Environment Examination on Baitadi Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project REFERENCES ADB (2009). Safeguard Policy Statement. Asian Development Bank. Dasrathchand Darpan (2003). Dasrathchand Municipality. District Development Committee (2009).District profile of Kanchanpur. HMG/N (1996). Environmental Protection Act (with amendments). His Majesty’s Government of Nepal. HMG/N (1997). Environmental Protection Rules (with amendments). His Majesty’s Government of Nepal. Other related Policies, Acts, Regulations and Guidelines. 65