35818 Public Disclosure Authorized

Sichuan Urban Development Project

EnvironmentalAssessment

SUMMARY REPORT Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized

Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences

Public Disclosure Authorized Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design & Research Institute

(January, 2006)

Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

Table of Contents

1. Introduction...... 4 1.1Project Background ...... 4

1.2 Basis for the EA ...... 4

2. Project Description ...... 5

3. Environmental Baseline...... 7 3. I Geographic Position ...... 7 3.2 Weather ...... 7

......

3.6 Ambient Air ......

3.7 Acoustic Environment ......

3.8 Social Environment......

3.9 Cultural Properties...... I2

3. IONatural Habitats ...... I2

4. Analysis of Alternatives ...... 13

5. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation...... 14 5. I Impacts during construction phase...... 14

5.2 Impacts during Operation Phase ...... I6 5.2.1 Aquatic Environment Impact ...... 16 5.2.2 Air Quality Impacts ...... 17 5.2.3 Noise impact ...... 17 5.2.5 Urban landscape ...... 19 5.2.6 Impacts to Cultural Properties...... 19 5.2.7 Indirect and induced impacts ...... -20

5.3 Mitigation Measures of Environmental Impacts,...... 20

5.4 Social environment, social impacts and mitigation measures...... 24

6. Environmental Management and Monitoring...... 25 6. I Objectives ...... :...... 25

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation, Design and Research Insitute 1 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

6.2 Management and Superviosn Organizations...... I. I I I. ~ I,...... , .. . , ...... , .. . . , , ...... , ...... , , ., , , .. . . . , ., .26

6.3. Environmental Supervision...... ,. ... , .....,.. ,...... , ...... 27 6.4. Environmental Monitoring ...... 27

6.5. Institutional Strengthening and Training ...... 32

6.6. Estimated Cost for Environmental Management ...... 33

7. Public Participation...... 33

8. Information Disclosure ......

9. Conclusions ...... 38

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation, Design and Research Insitute 2 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Development Project EA SummaT Report

FIGURES Figure 1- 1 Location of Mianyang, Panzhihua, Suining and Yibin Figure 2- 1 General Layout of Mianyang Project Components Figure 2-2 General Layout of Panzhihua Project Components Figure 2-3 General Layout of Suining Project Components Figure 2-4 General Layout of Yibin Project Components

TABLES Table 2- 1 Main Project Components of Mianyang Project 6 Table 2-2 Main Project Components of Panzhihua Project 6 Table 2-3 Main Project Components of Suining Project 6 Table 2-4 Main Project Components of Yibin Project 6 Table 3-1 Project City Locations 7 Table 3-2 Key Socio-economic Indicators of Project Cities 12 Table 5-1 Noise Mitigation Measures 21 Table 5-2 Land Acquisition and Resettlement Impacts 25 Table 6- 1 Mianyang Environmental Monitoring Programs 29 Table 6-2 Panzhihua Environmental Monitoring Programs 30 Table 6-3 Suining Environmental Monitoring Programs 31 Table 6-4 Yibin Environmental Monitoring Programs 31 Table 6-5 Summary of Estimated Costs for Environmental Management 33 Table 7- 1 Public Consultation Summary 35 Table 7-2 Major Public Concerns and Mitigation Measures 36 Table 8-1 Information Disclosure 37

TERMS CHIDRI Chengdu Hydropower Investigation, Design and Research Institute EA Environment Assessment EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan EPB Environmental Protection Bureau PMO Project Management Office PRC the People Republic of China SEPA State Environmental Protection Administration of China SAEC Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences SUDP Sichuan Urban Development Project TOR Terms of Reference WWTP Wastewater Treatment Plant

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Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

1. Introduction

1.1 Project Background

Mianyang, Panzhihua, Suining and Yibin are key secondary cities in one of China’s largest provinces, Sichuan (Figure 1-1). Over the last twenty years, rapid industrial expansion, population growth, and urbanization in cities, particularly since the Develop China’s West initiative, have created urgent needs to develop new urban areas and to improve and upgrade existing urban and environmental infrastructure and municipal services. The urban and infrastructure constraints in cities have limited cities’ growth (e.g., Suining and Panzhihua) and industrial expansion (e.g., Mianyang), resulted in urban transportation bottlenecks (e.g., Panzhihua and Yibin), as well as constrained general economic development, improvements in quality of life, and the ability to protect city residents and assets from flood hazards and environmental pollution.

Municipal governments have been taking actions to address these development issues over the last five years through investment in infrastructure upgrading and developments. The proposed World Bank financed Sichuan Urban Development Project (SUDP) is designed to be integrated into and supplement locally financed efforts in the four cities. The objective of SUDP is to support urban renewal of the project cities to facilitate their economic development and to improve environmental conditions and quality of life, through a mix of priority infrastructure investments in urban development, urban transport, and environmental improvement, as well as contributions to capacity building within the four municipal governments. The SUDP would also support development of new urban areas to accommodate rapid population growth and urbanization and continue attracting outside investments in industries.

Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences (SCES) and Chengdu Hydropower Investigation & Research Insitutute (CHIRI) have been engaged to conduct the environmental assessment (EA) for SUDP. Each of the EA teams are responsible for two cities: Mianyang and Suining by SCES, and Panzhihua and Yibin by CHIRI, respectively. The EA is to identify potential environmental benefits and consequences of the project, propose measures to avoid, mitigate or otherwise compensate for negative environmental impacts during construction and operation, and allow incorporation of appropriate measures into the design to minimize negative impacts to an acceptable level. This document is a summary of the EA documentation, compiled based on the four city EIA reports and four EMPs.

1.2 Basis for the EA

The legal and technical basis for the EA is: Environmental Protection Laws of PRC (December, 1989); and other state laws and

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regulations for water, air, soil, ocean, and solid waste pollution control; General City Plans ofMianyang, Panzhihua, Suining, Yibin (2001-2020); Tenth Five Year Plans for Environmental Protection for Mianyang, Panzhihua, Suining, and Yibin (2001-2005);

0 Terms of Reference (TOR) for Environmental Impact Assessment for Sichuan Urban Development Project (May 2005); Notice on Strengthening Management on Environmental Assessment for Construction Projects funded by International Financial Organizations, NEPA, SPC, the Ministry Finance and the People’s Bank of China, No. [1993]324; Operational Policies, Bank Procedure and Good Practices OP/BP/GP4.01: Environment Assessment, the World Bank, (January, 1999) and other safeguard policies where they are applicable; and

0 Feasibility study reports for the Mianyang, Panzhihua and Suining components by Southwest Municipal Design and Research Institute and for the Yibin components by Chengdu Municipal Engineering Design Institute, respectively.

The environmental quality and discharge standards applied in this EA are determined based on the functions, the impacted areas and as designated by relevant environmental authorities. These standards are: Surface Water Quality Standards, Class I11 for the project area rivers; Ambient Air Quality, Class I1 for project areas; Noise Standards, Class I for the most sensitive receptors such as hospitals and schools, Class I1 other sensitive receptors such as residents and Class IV for areas adjacent to trunk roads;

0 Wastewater Discharge Standards, Class ICategory B; Construction Standard of Urban Wastewater Treatment Project; and

0 Identification Standard for Hazardous Wastes for river sediment.

2. Project Description The SUDP includes area development, sewer line construction, flood control through river embankment, road development and environmental improvement components in four secondary cities in Sichuan province. These components are summarized in Table 2-1 through Table 2-4

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Table 2-1 Main ComDonents of Mianvang Proiect I Item I Contents I Scale I 22 road sections I 2 1.23 km long; 9-50 m wide I Storm and sanitary sewers 91.79 km Pioneer Park 1 interchange and 1 flyover Lighting and traffic management system Along the roads 17 road sections 24.53 km long; 14-80 m wide Economic Development Storm and sanitary sewers 74.56 km Zone 1 interchange, 4 flyovers Flood control embankment 4600 m

Table 2-2 Main Comr>onentsof Panzhihua Proiect Item Contents Scales Embankment Bank enforcement and upgrading Totaling 85.54 km I River sideroad I New roads I 2.68 km I Bridge 0.93 km Landscaping Lawns and scenery Along the river side Sanitarv sewer Sewer pipeline 38.9 km

Item Contents Scales Roads 3 segment upgrading and 19 new roads Total 35.68 km Bridges 9 new bridges Total 288 m River rehabilitation Expandinddredginglembankment 4.73 km Sanitary sewer pipe D300-800 pipes, 3 m below new roads 21 km Storm sewer DiDe D400-800,2 m below grade along new roads 21 km

Item Contents Scales Road Line A Road 6.9 km Bridge and culvert 10 units Embankment 2910 m Landscaping Along the river Road Line B Road 3.5 km Embankment 3521 m Landscaping Along the river

The specific component locations are shown in Figures 2-1 through 2-4.

In addition to the physical investments summarized above, the project will also support institutional strengthening and capacity building for urban and environmental management through technical assistance and training.

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3. Environmental Baseline

3.1 Geographic Position

Mianyang, Suining and Yibin are to the north, east, and southeast of the Sichuan basin while Panzhihua is in the deep mountains at the SichuadYunan provincial border (Figure 1-1). More specific locations of the four cities are presented in Table 3-1. The project area topography is basically plain to mild undulation in Mianyang, Suining and Yibin but high mountains and deep valleys in Panzhihua.

Cities East longitude North latitude Mianyang 103" 45 'to105" 43' 30" 42'to33" 03' Panzhihua 101" 08 ' to 102" 15 ' 26" 05 ' to27" 21 ' Suining 103" 45 'to105" 43' 30" 42 ' to 33" 03 ' Yibin 1 103" 39 'to 105" 420 ' I 27" 49 ' to29" 16 '

3.2 Weather

The weather of the four cities falls between north and south subtropical regions. They all have distinct seasons but temperature changes are relatively mild. Yearly average temperatures are 14.7 to 16.3"C for Mianyang, 20-22°C for Panzhihua, 17.4 "C for Suining and 17.8 "C for Yibin, respectively. Average annual rainfall is 760 mm for Panzhihua, 1007 mm in Suining, 1263 mm in Yibin, and 1800 mm in Mianyang.

3.3 Surface Water Environment

During the Project EA, four cities conducted river systems investigations and a monitoring program to determine the baseline water quality in the main rivers of the cities and/or project areas.

Mianyang

Peijiang and Anchanghe rivers are two major waterways in Mianyang. Water samples from three cross sections of Peijiang River and two from Anchanghe rivers were collected and analyzed between March 2004 to early 2005. The results show that all samples meet the applicable water quality standards (Class 111). There are no major industrial discharges in the project area, confirmed by the monitoring results demonstrating the good quality of the area surface water. However, the groundwater monitoring of the project area shows contamination of NH3-Nand total coliform, indicating groundwater contamination from domestic sewage.

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Panzhihua

Jishajiang River with a high gradient in a steep valley is Panzhihua’s landmark waterway and the city’s primary water supply source. The city and its iron and steel industrial complex and other industrial establishments are built on the both sides ofthe river valley. Based on local EBP monitoring data collected from five locations in Jishajiang river within the city boundary in 2003, all monitored water quality parameters met the designated Class I11 surface water quality standards except for fecal coliform, iron, and total phosphorus, indicating contamination from domestic wastewater discharges along the rivers. To further understand the water quality near the project area, water sampling and analysis was conducted during the project EA in five locations. Of the ten common water quality parameters tested, all except fecal coliform in three ofthe five locations met the designated water quality standards, consistent with the long term monitoring results by the local EPB.

Suining

Suining has abundant water resources with 46 large and small rivers criss-crossing the city. The new developed area has three rivers and creeks: the Guangjiyan, Nanbeiyan and Peijiang Rivers. A water quality monitoring program was conducted during project EA and water samples collected from three locations in Guangjiyan and Peijiang rivers were tested for pH, COD, BOD, DO, SS, petrol oils, NH3-Nand phenol. The results show that all parameters tested met the applicable Class I11 standards except for petrol oils in two sampling locations in the Guangjiyan and Peijiang rivers. The source of pollution is likely from industrial discharges from the upstream urban area as well as in the project area itself.

Ebin

Yibin city is at the joint of Jishajiang, Minjiang and Yangtze rivers as well as 55 other tributaries. The water quality monitoring in three locations in the city show that among all the parameters monitored, including pH, DO, BOD, COD, lead, cadmium, petrol oils, NH3-N,total phosphorus, total nitrogen and fecal coliform; petrol oils, total nitrogen and fecal coliform exceeded the applicable Class I11 surface water quality standards. The direct discharge of wastewater from the city (the city does not have an operating wastewater treatment plant yet) is the primary reason for the pollution. However very large assimilative and dilution capacity of the rivers prevent most other parameters from exceeding the standards.

3.4 Ecosystem

The vegetation in the four cities is mostly subtropical trees. Most ofthe native vegetation has been destroyed because of human activities and the existing vegetation mainly consists of secondary trees and landscaping. There is very little wildlife in the urban built-up areas or the suburbs in the four project cities for apparent reasons. The population Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 8 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

and species of wildlife in the suburb counties within the municipalities, except in the deep mountainous regions in the remote suburb Panzhihua, have been decreasing or disappearing due mainly to the expansion ofhuman activities. There are no endangered or protected species ofwildlife in the four cities.

The planned areas for urban expansion in Suining and Economic Zones in Mianyang are basically agricultural or barren land ready for development. The dominant agricultural lands are paddy fields and some vegetable gardens. As these regions are immediately adjacent to urban built up areas and economic zones, many areas of these agricultural lands have been encroached by the irregular and unplanned small developments.

In recent years, black-headed dulls, a common species of migrating birds have been seen landing on the water surface of rivers in the Yibin area. Each March and again in November, several hundreds black-headed dulls are seen in Minjiang, Jinshajiang and Yangtze rivers, although the stop is very short, about 1-2 days at a time. Other water fowls such as wild ducks are also seen in these rivers.

3.5 Sediment

As the Suining project will involve sediment dredging in the Guangjiyan River in the development region, a sediment sample at the river was collected during the EA to prepare for disposal. The sample was analyzed for possible contamination of sediment including leaching test to determine whether the sediment is hazardous waste or not. The result shows the sediment is free from major contamination and not a hazardous waste. This is consistent with the fact that there is no industrial discharge to the river based on the site survey on the present and past land uses in the river catchment.

Sediments in the Jishajiang river in the Panzhihua section were also sampled and tested for heavy metals. The concern is that over the years of the Panzhihua’s iron and steel complex operation, a very large quantity of slag has been dumped along the river side, part of it in the river itself. The results showed that key heavy contents met the Class I11 standards of the Soil Environmental Standards, indicating uncontaminated sediments despite the slag’s dumping in the river.

3.6 Ambient Air

Mianyang

Regular ambient air quality in the city has been used as the baseline air quality. In addition an air quality monitoring program was carried out in the two industrial parks during the project EA. The results show that all monitored parameters met the applicable standards of Class I1 air, except TSP in the industrial parks which slightly exceeded the standards.

Panzhihua

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Panzhihua is a heavy industrial city, with a major iron and steel complex and other supporting and auxiliary industrial outlets. Industry emissions, primarily S02, smoke and particulate, are the major sources of air pollution in the city. In 2003, the total industrial air emissions recorded was 87.5 billion m3, with SO2, smoke and particulate emissions of 846,500 t, 13,560 t and 168,900 t, respectively. As a result ofthese air emissions, acid rain has been a major pollution issue in the city. The acid rain rate in 2003 was 19.4% and as high as 87.5% in September. The air quality monitoring data from four city locations shows however, SO2 met the standards in three locations while PMlo exceeded standards in all four locations up to 2.95 times ofthe applicable standards.

Additional air quality monitoring was conducted during project EA. Four locations including two sensitive receptors near the project sites were monitored for SO2, NO2, and PMlo. The results showed that, except in one location where PMlo exceeded standards, air quality in other locations met the applicable standards.

Motor vehicle emissions have not been a major issue, although motor vehicle fleets in the city have been expanding rapidly. According to the 2004 annual motor vehicle inspection results, about 95% of motor vehicles met applicable emission standards. However, spot road side tests ofmotor vehicles showed only 63% compliance rate.

Suining

Air quality monitoring was conducted during project EA. Three locations including one sensitive receptor, Guangde temple, near the project area were monitored for SO2, NO2, TSP and PMlo. The results showed that, except in one location where PMlo and TSP exceeded standards, air quality in other locations met applicable Class I1 standards. PMlo and TSP in the Guangde temple exceeded their applicable Class Istandards, probably because of smoke from fumigating by the worshipers and visitors and temple censors throughout the temple yard.

Ebin

Yibin’s primary emission sources are from combustion of natural gas, which is the primary fuel used in the city, as well as from motor vehicles. According to Yibin Environmental Monitoring Station data, ambient air quality measured in all stations meet applicable air quality standards in the summer. But SO2 and PMloexceed the standards sometimes in winter in some of the monitoring stations. Overall, Yibin has a good ambient air quality.

3.7 Acoustic Environment

Mianyang

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According to regular noise monitoring conducted by the Mianyang Environmental Monitoring Center, all but one ofthe 13 monitored sites at or near the project areas had a high acoustic environmental quality, especially in the rural areas of the industrial parks. The one exception is the Industrial Park Administrative Building, where noise levels slightly exceeded the Category IV standard. The noise source at this location is basically traffic in front of the building.

Panzhihua

A noise monitoring program was conducted in Panzhihua during the project EA. Eight sensitive receptors, including six residential buildings and two resort villas along the project road areas, were selected for day and night monitoring. Except for two residential sites and one villa where daytime noise met the applicable standard of 60 dB(A), other sites exceeded this standard by 0.2-3 dB(A). At night, except in two sites, all other locations exceeded the applicable standard of 50 dB(A) by up to 13.3 dB(A). Based on site observations during noise monitoring, the main noise source is traffic. The high night noise, often higher than the day time noise in some locations, is because heavier trucks operate in the city streets.

Suining

A noise monitoring program was conducted in Suining during the project EA. Five locations, including four sensitive receptors at Guangde temple, a school, a park, and a residential building along the project road areas were selected for day and night time monitoring. All recorded day and night noise met the applicable standards of Class Ifor school and temple (55 dB(A) for day time and 45 dB(A) for night), Class I1 for residential and park (60 dB(A) for day time and 50 dB(A) for night), and Class IV for pumping station 70 dB(A) for day time and 55 dB(A) for night). This indicates the high acoustic quality at the relatively un-developed area.

Ebin

A noise monitoring program was conducted in Yibin during the project EA. Six sensitive receptors, including three schoolskindergartens, a hospital and two residential buildings along both project roads were selected for day and night time monitoring. Line A area had relatively high acoustic quality as all recorded day and night noise met the applicable standards of Class Ifor school (55 dB(A) for day time and 45 dB(A) for night) and Class I1 for residential (60 dB(A) for day time and 50 dB(A) for night), except the at kindergarten where night time noise exceeded the standards slightly. The three sensitive receptors at Line B all exceeded standards particularly at night when the recorded noise exceeded standards by about 5-12.5 dB(A). The main noise source was from road traffic. At the hospital where two poor quality roads intersect, highest noise was recorded both day and night time.

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3.8 Social Environment

The key socio-economic indicators ofthe four project cities are summarized in Table 3-2.

Indicators Mianyang Panzhihua Suining Yibin Population (million) 5.27 1.06 1.43 5.12 Per capital income 7179 (urban) 8373 (urban) 5404 (urban) 8669 (urban) RMBIcapita 255 1 (rural) 4507 (rural) 2116 (rural) 3068 (rural) Agriculture Rice, fruits, Rice, vegetable, Rice, wheat, Rice, corn, nuts vegetable, fruits, sugarcanes corns, beans bean, wheat Industry Defense, Iron & steel, Textile, food, Brewery electronics mineral resources machinery GDP (billion) 39.7 16.4 14.1 25.8

3.9 Cultural Properties

According to field investigations by the EA teams in the project areas of the four cities, one city-level cultural relic, the Chengxiang Shrine, is located adjacent to road Line A of the Yibin project. Built in 1856 in memory of an ancient primary minister, this is a memorial facility which has no service or any religious significance but is a tourist attraction. While the gate of the facility is 20 m from the project road, the main structure ofthe shrine is about 170 m away.

Within the development area of the Suining project, there is a 1000 year temple. The temple itself is not located near any project components but it is within the area which will be developed from the current rural and agricultural uses to urban use, partially through the Bank funded project, As such, the project may have indirect impacts on the temple as described in a latter section ofthis report.

Other than the above facilities, there are no cultural relics in the project directly or indirectly affected according to the site investigations by the EA teams. There is no known archaeological site based on the information collected from the relevant agencies. Detailed procedures have been included in the EMP to deal with chance finds during construction, if any.

3.10 Natural Habitats

The Yangtze River upper reaches, including Yibin city are within the “National Reserve for Yangtze River Upper Reaches Rare and Special Fish”. The reserve spreads over 1,162 km identified since April 2005, across the Sichuan, Yunan and Guizhou provinces and Chongqing municipality. The reserve is defined by the water body of the main river

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course at its 20 year flood water level. About 70 species of fish are present in the reserve including three rare and protected fish species: Psephurus gladius of a Class Iprotected species with its main spawning and regular habitats in Yangtze river Chongqing sections, about 350 km downstream from Yibin. Acipenser dabryanus of a Class Iprotected species with its spawning and regular habitats in Luzhou to Hejiang section of Yangtze river about 80 km downstream from Yibin, and Myxocyprinus asiaticus of a Class I1 protected species, with its spawning and regular habitats in Anbian to Boxi section of the river, which is located upstream from the project area. The river sections adjacent to the project roads are part of the core zone of the reserve. According to the fisheries specialists from the State Yangtze River Upper Reaches Rare and Special Fish Reserve Administration, the protected fish are large body fish living mainly in the middle ofthe river. These fish move quickly and are active in a very large area. A fish study using a sound trace device tied onto a Psephurus gladius by Yibin Fisheries Bureau shows that the monitored fish moved from upper stream in the Yibin area to Chongqing 350 km away and back in just a few days.

The Jishajiang river in the Panzhihua section is beyond the above mentioned reserve. The fish species and populations at this section are limited. There is no spawning, winter or food site in Panzhihua city according site investigations and consultations with the fisheries specialists knowledgeable about local conditions.

4. Analysis of Alternatives During Project development and design, various alternatives were screened and compared against technical, economic and environmental criteria. In terms of environmental comparison of alternatives, the primary objective was to identify and select options with the least adverse environmental impacts. The evaluation and comparison were made for alternatives with the following components and/or aspects:

All four cities considered the no-project scenario and concluded that the without the project scenario would affect sustained urban, community and economic development and thus their competitiveness, increase environmental burdens resulting from insufficient environmental and urban infrastructure, and impede the continued improvement of standards ofliving ofthe citizens of the four cities. All four city projects are well justified environmentally as well as economically.

Mianyang considered alternative bitumen and concrete pavement for roads, combined or separate systems for sewers, with or without pumping stations in the Economic Zone drainage system, and road configuration designs. The alternatives usingbitumen pavement, a separate sewer system, without pumping station, and road configuration design with the least potential for future congestion are selected based on their environmental and engineering merits, when compared with the other alternatives.

Panzhihua considered alternative tunnel designs on Bingren road, road cross sectional

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designs for both the Bingren and Binjiang roads, elevated viaducts versus high filling for the Bingren and Binjiang road sections, road surface paving of both roads, and interception sewer pipe plans. The alternatives having less earth work for the tunnel, better safety and traffic management for the road cross sectional design, less earth work and impacts on flood discharges for elevated viaduct designs, lower noise of using bitumen, and effective sewer interception alternatives were selected based on environmental as well as engineering and economic considerations.

Suining considered alternatives for overall road network in the new developed area, river bank designs for Guangjiyan River, alignments for Xingning road, and No.1 bridge designs. The alternatives which will comply with natural topography and thus minimize earth work and disturbance to natural setting and avoid construction of a tunnel for the network, lower earth work, abundant construction materials and better for flood discharge for the river bank design, lowest unit cost, lower earth work, and lowest disturbance to natural topography for the Xingning road alignment, and shorter construction time, lower impacts to traffic, and better architecture for the bridge design were selected. The comparison and selection were most based on environmental as well as engineering and economic considerations.

Ebin considered alternatives for road alignments, road configuration designs, road cross sectional designs, and pavement materials. The alternatives with less house demolition and less resettlement, smooth connection with city’s road network, less resettlement and no tunnel construction, and with lower noise bitumen pavement, were selected as the adopted alternatives. Environmental as well as engineering and economic considerations have been included in the analysis ofalternatives.

5. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation

5.1 Impacts during construction phase

The project construction activities are expected to generate the following adverse impacts:

Air borne dust: The construction, buildings demolition, earthwork excavation, material pile up and construction trucks movement will all produce dust. According to an analogy survey, if no measure is adopted, dust concentration (expressed as TSP) immediately from the construction site in leeward direction will reach over 3 mg/m3, while that of at 25 m away is 1.53mg/m3. TSP concentration at 60 m is expected to meet the standard.

Noise construction noise is mainly caused by construction machines and transfer vehicles. As the construction is usually in open space with no sound insulation or control measures and as the individual machine can generate noise in the range between 76 dB(A) and 110 dB(A), the impact of noise can spread very far. The impacts are mainly in urban areas

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during road, sewer pipeline, river embankment and landscaping construction. In the rural areas where regional development component are constructed such as those in Mianyang and Suining, the noise impact is mild as there is more open space and less residents and other sensitive receptors. In fact many of the current residents and other facilities will be relocated prior to project construction in these areas.

In addition, the increased noise during construction may affect the migrating black-headed dulls. However the impacts are limited as the dulls can land in any of the other water surfaces present in abundance in the project area, if the noise is too high at the water bodies near the construction sites.

Solid Wasfe: The solid waste during the construction period mainly include watercourse dredged materials and sediment from Suining, construction waste coming from the building demolition from all project components, and road paving scrapping from Panzhihua and Yibin projects. As the sediment sampling has demonstrated it is not hazardous, these materials will be sent to the local sanitary landfill for disposal. Other construction waste is generally considered non-polluted and will be used as filling materials where possible.

Water Impacts Panzhihua and Yibin and, to a lesser extent, Mianyang and Suining projects, will have substantial river side construction from earthwork, dredging, slope protection, road construction to landscaping. These near water construction activities will cause discharge of sediment and to a lesser extent oils fiom construction machinery leaking into the rivers either directly or through surface runoff during rains, increasing suspended solids in the receiving water. A mathematical model considering the discharge from surface sediments and oil during construction and flows and other hydraulic conditions of Minjiang, Jinshajiang and Yangtze rivers predicts that, under the worse case scenarios of the dry season when the assimilative capacity ofthe rivers are at its lowest, there will be pollution plumes, defined as 10 mg/L increase in SS, ofabout 11-13 m wide and 870 m long downstream from the Line A construction site and 2.5 m wide and 70 m long downstream from Line B construction sites. Beyond these boundaries, the SS would be back to the baseline concentrations. To put these plumes in perspective, the annual average SS concentrations in the rivers are 1720 mgL, and the river width at these two locations is 450 m and 247 m. The plumes are in fact merely 0.6% higher than the annual average SS concentration and occupy 2.4% and 1% ofthe total river widths, respectively.

Impacts on Natural Habitats The increased suspended solids could be detrimental to the fish in the rivers. However, according to fisheries specialists experienced with the upper Yangtze River fish habitats, the fish in the receiving water, particularly those protected species in the Minjiang, Jinshajiang and Yangtze rivers, live mostly in the deep water zone away from the river banks. In addition, each year during the flood season, the SS in these rivers can increase by several hundreds to several thousands mg/l. The narrow plumes caused by the runoff and soil erosion during the road construction are not likely to have any significant impacts to the fisheries resources.

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Impacts on Traffic; The effect to traffic mainly occurs during sewer network construction and existing roads upgrading in the Yibin and Panzhihua cities. These construction activities will occupy roads or part of the roads in urban areas. Traffic will be detoured or forced to use only part of the roads, potentially causing traffic congestion. In addition, increased traffic ofheavy loading construction trucks for materials and construction waste transportation will also increase the traffic flows and burdens on urban streets.

Soil Erosion River embankment and rehabilitation works in Panzhihua and Yibin cities will improve river bank protection and as such reduce the potential for soil erosion. However, during project construction, primarily the embankment and road components as well as stock piles of bulwexcavated materials, borrow pits and spoil soil disposal sites in all project cities, soil erosion potential will increase because ofthe disturbance ofground surface vegetation and soil stability. The potential is particularly high in the Panzhihua and Yibin as the roads are immediately adjacent to large rivers and often on steep slopes. According to the EA estimates, the incremental increase in soil erosion will be about 142,540 t from the Panzhihua project, 7130 t from the Suining project, 9690 t from the Yibin project.

5.2 Impacts during Operation Phase

5.2.1 Aquatic Environment Impact

Upon the completion of the sewer network component of Panzhihua and Yibin projects, Panzhihuan system will intercept 68,700 m3 of wastewater and Yibin system will intercept 7800 m3 , which is discharged to Jinshanjiang and Yangtze rivers directly at present. The wastewater will be transferred to the WWTPs under construction and removed from the environment. Assuming COD of200 main domestic wastewater, the wastewater interception will remove 165 t in Panzhihua and 18.7 t of COD in Yibin, respectively. The major pollution issue in the Jinshajiang and Yangtze rivers are those related to domestic wastewater discharges, as shown by the higher than applicable standards in coliform, and nitrogen in the baseline conditions.

As the first flush of rainwater is contaminated by the dust, oil and other substances on the road surface, discharge of road surface runoff, the first two hours of a rain to the rivers could impact the receiving water quality. However, as the surface runoff is very small in proportion compared with the large river flows of the receiving rivers, even in the dry season when the flows are at their lowest, the dilution and assimilative capacity of the receiving rivers are very high and the impacts are thus minimal. A mathematical model for the Panzhihua and Yibin projects show that the discharges would result in an increase in COD by 2 mg/L for up to 1000 mypetroleum oil by 0.05 mg/L for up to 450 m in Yibin. Even with the increased concentrations, the river quality would still be within the designated surface water quality standards. The impact to Jishajiang in Panzhihua is similar and limited within a very small area near the river bank.

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The actual dredging of Fujiang River in Suining will take place during the dry season and a reservoir upstream will intercept the river flow. The dredging in the dry river bed will basically eliminate the concern for sediment suspension.

5.2.2 Air Quality Impacts

The primary air impacts during the operation phase are the impacts caused by motor vehicle emissions. A mathematical model in the Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment for Transportation Projects, issued by SEPA, was used for emission intensity form motor vehicles. CALINE4, a mathematical model developed by the California Department of Transportation was used to predict the emission dispersions and thus the impacts of emissions on ambient air quality. Both models have been adopted, and coefficients selected, based on local conditions of the respective project cities. The air quality impacts were forecasted by the models for the short (2008 when the road construction is expected to complete), mid (201 1) and long (2015) terms.

The modeling results show that the CO and NOx concentrations will increase at and near project road areas as a result of increased traffic. However, the ambient air quality is basically able to meet the designated air quality standards, except in three locations in Yibin where the model predicted NOx exceeds the applicable standards (all in Line A road). When forecast for the years 2011 and 2015, ambient NOx concentrations in Panzhihua are also predicted to exceed the applicable standards 15 m from the road centers. Air pollutant concentrations for sensitive receptors, such as schools, parks, and residential areas show that concentrations ofpollutants are expected to meet the standards, as these sensitive receptors are farther away from road centers.

From the city wide perspective, however, the road component is expected to contribute to motor vehicle emission reductions. The upgrading and construction ofthe river side roads at Panzhihua and Yibin will attract traffic from their respective city centers and thus release traffic congestion, increase average speeds ofvehicular traffic, and enhance motor vehicle smooth operations. All these effects will help reduce motor vehicle emissions for the same vehicles driving the same distances.

5.2.3 Noise impact

A noise model suggested by Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessments for Highway Construction Projects was used for predicting impacts of noise from traffic on the project roads. The model applied the traffic volume forecast by the project feasibility study teams and other local conditions. For the road upgrading and construction in the urban areas as in the Panzhihua and Yibin projects, noise prediction is focused on sensitive receptors such as residential buildings and schools. For roads in the new development areas as in Mianyang and Suining projects, the predicted noise would provide a guide for future development along the roads.

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Based on the modeling results, four residential buildings along the roads ofthe Panzhihua project exceeded the applicable standards at night, although day time noise is expected to meet the standards. The exceeding level is about 1 to 6.9 dB(A) when the project is finished. Along with the increase in traffic volumes with time, noise will increase. While the day time noise will continue to meet the standards, the night time noise will exceed the standards by up to 7.1 dB(A).

There are many more sensitive receptors along the two roads for the Yibin project, including 13 residential buildings, two parks, two schools, one hotel and one hospital. The modeling results show that all residential buildings exceed the standards, particularly at night, by 1-12.4 dB(A) at the time of project completion to 1.5-13.1 dB(A) for the long term. The noise at the school complies with the highest standard (Class I)because ofthe distance to the road while the night time noise is irrelevant as the school does not have classes or boarding. Noise at kindergarten is predicted to exceed the standards by 9.6 dB(A) during the day time and 12 dB(A) at night. About 200 children at this kindergarten would be affected by the increased noise following the project completion. Noise at the hospital is expected to exceed the standards by 4 dB(A) during the day time and 11.2 dB(A) at night. It will be pointed in many of these sensitive receptors, such as the hospital and some of the residential buildings the existing noise has already exceeded the standards. The incremental increase in noise following the project will hrther compound the noise impacts.

In Suining, where roads will be built in mostly new development areas, the noise is expected to exceed standards in areas 150 m from the trunk and main road center and 50 m from the branch road center along all the roads, particularly at night time. As most of the existing buildings and structures will be relocated, all but two sensitive receptors will remain after the project: a residential building and the Guangde temple. The noise at the residential building will exceed the standards by 7.1 dB(A) after project completion. It will be noted the project does not have a road component directly in front ofthe temple, but the road network construction and the area development will bring significant increase in traffic to the temple, The noise predicted for the temple considered this induced impact. The noise level at the temple gate is expected to be 58.6 dB(A) during the day time and 52.6 dB(A) at night. These are higher than the Class Istandards of 55 dB(A) at the day time and 45 dB(A) for the night. However, the main temple structure where services and studies are conducted, as well as the living quarters where monks and guests would stay for the night is about 150m further away in the temple compounds. Traffic noise from the road outside the temple gate will substantially attenuate over this distance and are not expected to affect the main structure and living quarters.

Traffic noise from the road networks in Pioneer Park and Economic Development Zone are predicted to have impact up to 180 m from the road center (based on Class I1 standards which apply to residential buildings). Similar to Suining, most of the existing buildings will be relocated during and soon after the project completion. One school,

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Nanshan Oriental Bilingual School, will stay and the noise at the school is predicted to exceed applicable standards.

5.2.5 Urban landscape

After completion of the project, the impacts on urban landscapes will be mainly positive. Much river side area in the Panzhihua and Yibin project areas is not well protected, with little public access for leisure. Industrial, construction and domestic solid waste dumping can be seen in many parts of the river side areas. The project in the two cities will eliminate random dumping and landscape the area, and thus significantly improve the water front environment. The specific direct and indirect benefits of the project will include: (1) significant improvements to the living and working environment for the river side residents and institutions; (2) turning the river side into an attractive leisure place for all citizens; (3) reduced risk of disease caused by sewage discharge and waste dumping and enhanced sanitation for river side communities; (4) enhanced land and real estate values of river side properties and improved investment environment for communities and cities in general; (5) improved flood-preventing capability and ensure the safety of government property and residents’ lives; and (6) enhanced environmental aesthetics of the cities.

5.2.6 Impacts to Cultural Properties

Guangde temple is a provincial level cultural relic. Although there is no project component in its immediate vicinity, the temple is located within the region of the new development area. As the road network in the project will greatly improve access to the temple, motor vehicle traffic in front of and visitors to the temple are expected to increase. The noise model discussed above already showed that the noise level at the temple gate will exceed standards but as the main temple structure and living quarters are further away from the road, the noise impact is not expected to be significant. The greater number of visitors will increase burdens on the temple including its services such as washrooms, garbage collection system, etc. These however, can be mitigated by providing sufficient facilities in anticipation of the increased visitors. The consultation with the head monk and the temple community shows that the temple welcomes the project, which would improve access and increase the number ofvisitors to the temple.

There is a city-level cultural property in Yibin, the Chengxiang Shrine Park. A project road will go in front of the gate. Although the gate is only 20 m from the road, the actual shrine is 170 m and other attractions of the park are at least 200 m. The main impacts of the project would be disturbances during road upgrading, access to the park gate, dust and construction noise. Most ofthe impact would be to the gate area and not the shrine and other park facilities directly because of the buffer provided by the distance.

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5.2.7 Indirect and induced impacts

The road and sewer construction components in Suining will play an important role in regional development. The project area will be converted from the current agricultural use to urban, residential and tourism use following project completion. As such, agriculture will disappear and the area will become completely urban. According to the master plan for the area, the population will increase from the current 42,000 to 52,500. In addition, the improved road and other services will promote tourism to the Guangde temple and other area tourists attractions, up to 1000 /day. As a result of the increased population and visitors to the area, the burdens to the environment will increase, primarily by increased domestic wastewater and solid waste. As a new development area, all municipal infrastructure such as sewer and solid waste services will be constructed at the same time. The collected domestic sewage will be transferred to Suining’s WWTP which has 40,000 t/d capacity, and will soon expand to 8 t/d, and as such have sufficient capacity for the wastewater from the project area. The city’s sanitary landfill has a capacity of 200 tfd, enough to accept additional waste from the newly urbanized areas. Once built, the new urban area will be fully integrated into the existing built up area both on physical infrastructure and institutional arrangements for municipal services currently provided by the city.

The new development areas for the Pioneer Park and Economic Development Zone will convert the existing agricultural and barren land to residential, administrative, commercial and industrial uses. According to the master plans for the Pioneer Park and the Economic Development Zone, the industries to be attracted to the areas will primarily electronics and other high technologies related industries. There will be no heavy industries or industries with major air and water discharges. One wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) will be constructed at the same time with the development of the Pioneer Park and two at the Economic Development Zone. All domestic sewage and industrial effluent, following pre-treatment as may be needed, will be collected and conveyed to the WWTPs for treatment before discharge to the environment. Both economic development zones will have other facilities for solid waste collection. There are several dedicated hazardous waste disposal facilities near the MianyangKhengdu area which will be used for safe disposal ofhazardous waste generated from industrial expansion in the project area. The environmental infrastructure will ensure the compliance with relevant discharge standards at the economic development zones. Environmental management will be managed by the Administrations of the Pioneer Park and Economic Development Zone, both of which have dedicated environmental management offices and staff.

5.3 Mitigation Measures of Environmental Impacts

Design Phase

When deciding road alignments and pumping station sites, those alignmentdsites that can avoid or reduce adverse environmental impacts will be selected.

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0 Designs will be provided for soil erosion control, including excavatiodfill balance, appropriate road slopes, and slope protection, landscaping design, spoil materials disposal site designs, etc. The green area will be located along road sides. Large and tall trees will be planted along the roads to create a green partition to absorb dust and noise and improve scenery. Major noise mitigation measures have first been identified and reviewed including noise barriers, low noise pavement, double glazed or noise isolation windows, trees/landscape, traffic management (speed control, horning restriction, etc.), as well as planning and zoning of impacted areas. A number ofmeasures have been adopted and incorporated into the design for sensitive receptors at which there will be significant incremental increase in noise level. The considerations for selection of mitigation measures included effectiveness in noise reduction, roadsite conditions and constraints, costs, and social and community impacts. The adopted noise mitigation measures are summarized in Table 5-1.

Mitigation Implementation Places City Estimated Measures quantity Low noise asphalt project roads Panzhihua 6.7 km payment project roads Yibin 10.4 km Noise insulation First row of all residential Panzhihua 1364 units windows buildings along project roads 948 residential housing Yibin 2541 m2 I Ahospitaland kindergarten 1 Yibin I 244units Noise barrier Chuanzhong Oil and Gas suining ComDanv Residential Area, I 200m2 Tree planting Guangde Temple suining 5xl00m Proper planning to Along project roads in the Mianyang In the whole avoid constructing newly developed urban area suining districts and sensitive facilities and industrial parks industrial near the roads parks Traffic control and Speed restriction, horning Panzhihua, management bans, truck traffic restriction, Yibin, Suining traffic management Mianyang

Construction Phase

0 Demolition waste will be recycled and reused to the extent possible. It is a common practice in the project area to recycle materials from building demolition, including bricks and tiles, woods, plastics, doors/windows, wiring, and metals. The project EMP further specifies the recycling requirements as part of the contractor obligations during building demolition. To ensure a high level of recycling, the demolition will mostly be done by labor with minimum involvement of mechanical

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machines. Construction sites, material piling and roads with heavy construction trucks will be water sprayed twice a day for dust suppression. In windy days more sprays will be applied to prevent airborne dust. Night time construction will be banned in urban and sensitive areas. Where night time construction has to be conducted for technical reasons, the contractors must receive prior approval from the local environmental authority, and affected people will be informed and consulted ahead oftime, and necessary measures such as noise barriers will be applied as may be necessary to minimize impacts. Wastewater from all construction camps will be collected and discharged to municipal sewers. In places where such municipal service is not available, onsite septic tanks or other facilities will be constructed to provide necessary treatment. Direct discharge ofwastewater from construction sites and camps to receiving rivers will be strictly banned. Machinery and construction equipment parking lots and maintenance shops will be away from river sides and covered at least with a roof to avoid surface runoff contamination with oils leaked to the ground. All waste oil will be collected and recycled. Any construction activities below the 20-year flood level in the Yibin area will be strictly banned. Erosion control measures, such as slope covers, prompt post-rehabilitation construction, interception ditches and retaining walls where possible, etc., will be applied during road construction along river sides to minimize the impact of runoff to eceiving water bodies. River side excavation and other construction activities resulting in river bank slope disturbances will be suspended during heavy rainfalls. The construction activities will be closely supervised for environmental control. In Yibin, officials from the State Yangtze River Upper Reaches Rare and Special Fish Protection Area Administration, and Yibin Fisheries Bureau will be invited to regularly supervise the construction activities on the river side. Any archaeological sites found by chance during construction will be immediately reported to the cultural relic protection departments and construction activities at the sites will be suspended and sites protected until handled properly by the relevant authorities and specialists. Domestic garbage from construction camps will be collected and transported to appropriate places such as landfills for disposal. Proper plans oftemporary usage of land will be made, and if there is any need to use farmland, an advanced discussion with the peasants will be conducted to decrease the impact on crops and compensate lost or damaged crops by construction activities. As soon as construction finishes, the temporarily occupied farmland will be restored. Borrowed materials will be taken and spoiled materials disposed of only at pre-designated areas. Random dumping of spoiled materials and construction waste will be banned, particularly into rivers. Rehabilitation measures will be taken promptly after the borrowing and disposal activities.

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Spoiled earth will be transported as soon as possible, particularly from urban areas, to minimize effects on the lives ofresidents. If it can't be transported outside for any significant period oftime, it will be covered to reduce dust. Trucks with covers will be used to transport the earth to avoid leaks and protect the environment.

0 Appropriate arrangements will be made to balance excavation and fill demands so that material borrowing can be minimized. Any spoiled earth from the construction of the pipeline and the wastewater treatment plants will be used to fill the land where possible. The reminder will be transported to other needy construction sites for filling or sent to landfills.

0 Traffic plans will be developed ahead oftime for road and sewer construction in the urban built up areas, including traffic control, detour plans, public notices, and traffic control assistance by contractor staff. The existing road upgrading will be conducted half ofthe road at a time to maintain traffic capacity.

0 Experience with previous World Bank financed urban transport and environmental projects in China, has indicated that high awareness and fill participation ofcontractors in environmental management during the construction phase are critically important to ensure environmental performance and pollution control at the construction sites. Environmental protection will start from pre-qualification of contractors, when environmental awareness and management systems will be evaluation criteria. The environmental mitigation measures, management and monitoring plans will be incorporated into bid documents to ensure there is sufficient finding from bidding contractors for these activities, and environmental management will be contractual obligations for contractors. Finally, short course trainings will be provided to all winning contractors, and construction supervision on environmental policies and regulations, potential impacts, mitigation measures, daily monitoring and reporting, and emergency handling will take place.

Operational Phase

Proper planning and zoning along the road sides will occur, particularly in the newly developed areas in Mianyang and Suining where there are virtually no buildings along the new roads. Sensitive receptors such as schools, hospitals and residential buildings will be avoided to construct along the front rows facing the roads andor within close distance. Where such construction is necessary (e.g., easy public access, etc.), the building designs will consider mitigation of noise and air emission from traffic on the roads. A motor vehicle air emissions control strategy requires an integrated approach from numerous government agencies as well as private sector stakeholders. The project cities will enforce applicable standards for motor vehicles and fiels and continue the annual motor vehicle inspection programs which are already in place in the project cities to minimize the air emissions from increased motor vehicle traffic on urban roads. Other measures already in place or to be introduced in the project cities include: (1) motor vehicles not meeting the emission standards will be banned from sale in the city; (2) acceleratation of the old vehicle retirement program; (3) continue the random emission

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testing for buses; (4) improve the annual motor vehicle emission testing for entire fleet; (5) introduce the clean fuel conversion programs; and (6) introduce fuel additives for emission control.

0 A number of measures will be taken during the operation phase to minimize impacts of traffic noise. These measures include: (1) ban honking in residential and other sensitive areas; (2) enhance traffic management to minimize noise from disorder traffic; (3) properly arrange night time traffic particularly for heavy duty trucks to avoid the residential areas; and (4) limit motor vehicle speeds at night. As all project cities will have road components near rivers and water bodies, particularly Yibin where two project roads are adjacent to protected water bodies; an emergency plan will be established to deal with environmental emergencies from traffic accidents involving tanker trucks with liquid chemicals. The fire departments of the cities will be trained and provided with necessary equipment for spill control and clean up to control the impact on receiving water to the minimum. Other departments/organizations, such as environmental, communications, traffic police, hospitals, fisheries, municipal services, etc, will also be included in the emergency response plan. Hazardous material transportation in the cities will be strictly controlled and managed. The following measures will be enforced in compliance with relevant regulations: (1) all hazardous materials will be sealed with proper and clear warning signs, indicating flush points, toxicity, chemical natures and emergency response methods; (2) drivers of hazardous materials containing trucks as well as the trucks themselves must have required permits and certificates; (3) all hazardous materials transportation must pre-registered with the relevant authority ahead of time; (4) trucks containing hazardous materials are allowed to operate only in pre-approved routes and locations and unauthorized stops and parking are not allowed; and (5) drivers are trained for truck operation and requirements for hazardous materials. Drinking driving and tiring driving will be strictly banned. Extensive environmental monitoring programs will be implemented during both construction and operation phases (details below) to ensure that adverse environmental impacts are as projected during the EA and the mitigation measures proposed will be implemented and effective. Inadequate mitigation or new adverse impacts that emerge beyond the EA’S expectations will be detected by the monitoring programs promptly, and appropriate new actions will be taken to address them.

5.4 Social environment, social impacts and mitigation measures

Table 5-2 summarizes the social impacts of the project on the four cities of Mianyang, Suining, Panzhihua and Yibin. For each of the cities a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) has been developed in conformity with the requirements of World Bank OP4.12, Involuntary Resettlement. The basic principle of the RAPSis to minimize resettlement wherever possible and, where resettlement cannot be avoided, to provide a plan for the resettlement and rehabilitation of the PAPS so that they will be compensated for their losses and their standards of living will be improved or at least

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 24 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Develooment Project EA Summaw Reuort

Items Mianyang Panzhihua Suining Yibin Total Land acquisition (mu) 2,4 15 558 2,332 64 5,369 House demolition (m2) 171,177 72,841 143,421 158,291 545,730 No. ofhouseholds relocated I 1.003 1 345 I 670 I 1,028 I 3,046 I No ofnon-residential units I 19 I 91 21 I 347 I 396 I Total resettlement cost (Ymil) 186.13 36.11 152.89 245.48 620.61

6. Environmental Management and Monitoring

An environmental management plan (EMP) has been developed as a separate and stand alone document for each ofthe four project cities. These EMPs include policies basis and applicable environmental standards, environmental management system, mitigation measures, monitoring plans. Institutional arrangements and capacity building plans, and estimated costs for the mitigation measures and monitoring programs for both the construction and operation phases, were also included.

6.1 Objectives

The EMPs provide a framework for the implementation of mitigation measures and environmental management and monitoring during the project implementation. As such, they represent commitments ofproject owners as well as the governments ofthe four project cities to environmental protection, pollution control, and impact minimization. More' specifically, the objectives ofthe EMPs are to: Set out the legal and policy framework as well as applicable environmental standards with which the Project will be compliance;

0 Identify and design with sufficient details and specifics the mitigation measures for adverse impacts ofthe Project;

0 Specify institutional roles and responsibilities for mitigation measures implementation and environmental management during Project; Outlines the requirements for environmental monitoring programs and reporting needs; and

0 Provides a stand alone document which may be used during Project implementation for Project supervision.

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6.2 Management and Superviosn Organizations

There will be three layers of organization that will be responsible for environmental performance of the Project. The frst represents project preparation, implementation and management organizations which have the ultimate responsibility for environmental performance of the project. These organizations include:

0 Sichuan Provincial Urban Developement Project Management Office (PMO), which is the overall coordination organization for project preparation and implementation. The PMO will have dedicated safeguard staff to coordinate the environmental management efforts of the project, supervise the implementation of the EMP, and provide necessary monitoring reports to the World Bank and domestic regulatory agencies

0 City project proponents/owners including MPPA Investment Company, Mianyang Shanj iang Investment Company, Panzhihua Urban Investment and Development Management Company, Suining Economic Development Zone Administration (SEDZA), and Yibin Urban Development Company, which are the executing organizations of the projects in the cities. The project owners will be responsible for engaging the design, EA and RAP teams during preparation, and construction and supervision during construction, as well as for project management during operations. As owners of the EMPs, they will follow and implement or cause the contractors to implement the mitigation and other measures outlined in the EMPs. Properly staffed environmental offices or divisions will be created in these organizations. These divisions and associated staff will be responsible for implementing mitigation measures and other requirements of the EMP. They are also responsible for the project operation in compliance with environmental laws, regulations, policies and standards, for environmental supervision and coordination with other operation departments, and for liaison with the local EPBs and other regulatory agencies.

The second layer represents contractors, construction supervision, and third party independent supervision/monitoring agencies, Contractors will be the actual implementation organizations for the mitigation measures during the construction phase, while construction supervision will play a role in environmental supervision. The third party monitoring will be engaged to conduct regular compliance monitoring during both the construction and operation phase. Each of the organizations, particularly the contractors and company supervision companies will be requested to have a dedicated environmental staff for daily environmental monitoring and supervision. Further details on the site monitoring are presented in a later section of this report.

The third group is the environmental law enforcement and other regulatory agencies including SEPA, Sichuan Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB), local EPBs in each of the project cities, Fisheries Bureau, Forest Bureau, and State Yangtze River Upper Reaches Rare and Special Fish Reserve Administration. Besides regular regulatory duty such as EA review and approval, regular site inspections during the construction and operation phases, reviews and responses to environmental monitoring and incident reports, as may be required and/or empowered by laws for environmental performance and compliance status, will take

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place. The agencies will also be invited to supervise and inspect construction activities at sensitive locations such as the fisheries protected area in Yibin.

The Mianyang and Suining components involve development of new urban subdivisions or new areas of economic development zones.. Together with other basic infrastructure facilities in these new zones, the project facilities, namely roads and sewer, will be integrated into the respective city systems and managed by relevant or economic development zones. The Suining economic development zones and the economic development zones in Mianyang have complete, experienced, and fully fbnctioning agencies for municipal infrastructure and environmental management.

6.3. Environmental Supervision

Environmental supervision is a new requirement of the environmental protection work.. The environmental supervision should be carried out through the entire process of project construction so as to guarantee the implementation of environmental protection work and environmental protection measures. Environmental supervision will be conducted by the project owners who will assign or engage qualified environmental supervisors to provide the supervision and the exact number ofsupervisors will be determined by need. The activities of environmental supervision will include: attending monthly regular meetings of the project general supervisor and review site environmental reports, dairies, and records, regularly sponsoring the environmental supervision meetings and solve problems and put forward the working scheme, examining or reviewing the provisions of environmental protection in Organizing Plan of Project Construction compiled by contractors, conducting supervision and inspection ofpollution control facilities. conducting environmental education to contractors, pointing out the environmental sensitive points, putting forward the control measures in term of main pollutants in the process ofconstruction, regularly inspecting rconstruction sites with a focus on the operation of environmental protection system, supervising the construction of impact mitigation and water & soil conservation measures. checking and accepting the environmental protection facilities and site rehabilitation, and produce the Final Report of Environmental Supervision.

6.4. Environmental Monitoring

The EMP includes environmental monitoring programs for both the construction and operation phases. The parameters to be monitored include resettlement, noise, dust, water quality, and solid waste disposal. There will be a two-tier monitoring: daily and routine monitoring, primarily during the construction phase, and regulatory compliance monitoring in both the construction and operation phases. During the construction phase, daily and routine Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 21 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Develonment Project EA Summary Reoort

monitoring will be conducted through mainly visual observations for air borne dust, muddy runoff discharge to rivers, etc., and limited equipment measurements such as hand-hold noise meters by contractors and construction supervision companies. The dedicated environmental staff, as well as senior management ofthe contractors and construction supervision companies, will be required to participate in a mandatory training program prior to the start of construction. Important training topics will be environmental monitoring, reporting and monitoring responses. Self monitoring and supervision are critical as compliance monitoring cannot practically occur on-site all the time, and as such will not be able to timely identify environmental issues and pollution risks that may be associated with or generated fkom construction activities, and thus not able to provide guidance on necessary corrective and mitigative actions. The contractors and construction supervision companies are the only parties on-site all the time and able to monitor all construction activities.

Periodic monitoring by professional monitoring stations using standard methods recognized by regulatory authorities will also be conducted to determine compliance status. Proper training ofcontractor and construction supervision staff on environmental monitoring, as well as on-going supervision of and assistance to these staff, will be provided by environmental professionals. Monitoring reports will be compiled once every six months, summarizing findings. The reports will be submitted to project proponent as well as relevant agencies and the World Bank. During the operation phase, noise levels will be monitored once a month for the first six months and once every six months thereafter for the first three years of operation. The general environmental monitoring programs are summarized in Table 6-1 through Table 6-4 for the four project cities, respectively.

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 28 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

No. of Items Parameter Monitoring frequency Monitoring time monitoring points

Twice a year 5 Air PMlO consecutive days 7:00, 14:00, 19:OO 5 9:OO- 16 :OO, Noise Leq(A) Twice a year for 2 day 23 100-5100 5 pH, DO, BOD, SS, Once every flood and Surface dry season, 3 water 2 times per day 4 Oil, consecutive days each quality TP, NH3-N, E. coli time soil erosion Three timesday during for 1 Once a day erosion intensitv 141 I I I I Once a day of noise monitoring for each road section under construction, visual Daytime observation airborne dust, runoff discharge, solid waste disposal, and other environmental issues; to be conducted by contractors

NOX, PMlo 7:00, 14:00, 19:OO I 5 I

Noise 9:00-16:00,23 :00-5:00 151

pH, DO, BOD, SS, One day each quarter for 3 times monitoring per Petrol oil, COD, 5 days qualityWater day TP, NH3-N, E.Coli I 1 Once day 141

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No. of Items Parameter Monitoring Monitoring time monitoring frequency points

PMlO 0:00-24:00 Once a quarter for Daily average: 0:OO-24:OO 4 Air TSP 5 consecutive days hourly average: 4 timedday Once a quarter during Asphalt emission construction Twice a day 3 Once a quarter for 0:00-24:00 Noise Leq(A) 2 day 5 ww SS, volume Once a quarter for Twice a day 1 discharge 1day pH, DO, BOD, Once every flood, Surface SS, Petrol oil, average and dry water COD, TP, season, 5 consecutive 3 times per day 3 quality NH3-N, E.Coli days each time Soil I Soil erosion 1 Twice in the rainy Onceaday 4 erosion.~~~~.~~ intensitv season for 1 day 1 I I I I Once a day of noise monitoring for each road section under construction, visual Daytime observation airborne dust, runoff discharge, solid waste disposal, and other envlronmental issues; to be conducted by contractors Once a da of noise monitoring at key sensitive residential areas of the urban road section un CYer construction each night; to be conducted by contractors

Once a quarter for 5 Air NOX, PMlo consecutive days 0:00-24:00 4 Noise L2 (A) Once each quarter, for Tra ic flow 2 consecutive days 0:00-24 ZOO 5 pH, DO, BOD, Water SS, Petrol oil, One day each quarter monitoring per day 2 quality COD, TP, for 5 days NH3-N, E.Coli Soil Soil erosion Once a year for three year ~IIthe rainy Once day erosion intensity season l3

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 30 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Develoument Project EA Summarv Reuort

Table 6-3 Suining Environmental Monitoring Program

Monitoring frequency Monitoring time No. of monitoring I Items 1 Parameter points I Construction Phase Air Once a quarter for 0:00-24:00 2 PMlO 5 consecutive days . I Noise I Leq(A) I Onceaquarter for2day I 0:OO-24:OO I 2 Once a day of noise monitoring for each road section under construction, visual Daytime observation airborne dust, runoff discharge, solid waste disposal, and other environmental issues; to be conducted by contractors I Operation phase NOx,,CO Twice a year for 5 Air PMlO consecutive days 0:00-24 ZOO 2

Noise Le2 (A) Twiceayearfor2 2 I 1 Tra ic flow I consecutive days I 0:OO-24:OO I

No. of Items Parameter Monitoring frequency Monitoring time monitoring points

Once a quarter for PMlO 5 consecutive days 0:00-24 ZOO 4 Air Once a quarter during Asphalt emission construction Twice a day 3 Noise I Leq(A) I Onceaquarterfor2 day I 0:OO-24:OO I 5 ss, volume Once a quarter for lday discharge- 1 1 1 Twiceaday I1 Surface pH, Do, Once every flood, average and water s%e$ll,dry season, 5 consecutive days 3 times per day 3 quality NH3-N, E.Coli each time Soil Soil erosion Twice in the rainy season for 1 Once a day erosion 1 intensity day 1 Once a day ofrandom noise monitoring for each road section under construction, visual Daytime observation airborne dust, runoff discharge, solid waste disposal, and other environmental issues; to be conducted by contractors Once a day of noise monitoring at key sensitive residential areas of the urban road Nighttime section under construction each night; to be conducted by contractors Operation phase Once a quarter for 5 Air 1 I consecutivedavs 1 0:OO-24:OO 4 Noise Le (A) Once each quarter, for 2 Trafic flow consecutive days 0:00-24:00 5 pH, DO, BOD, Water SS, Petrol oil, One day each quarter for 5 3 times monitoring quality COD, TP, days per day 2 NH3-N, E.Coli Soil Soil erosion Once a year for three year in erosion intensity the rainy season Once day 3

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 31 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

The monitoring, as well as site supervision reports will be reported to the respective project owners, local EPBs, and provincial PMO periodically. During construction, the monitoring reports will be provided once every six months while during operation the monitoring reports will be provided once a year for two years. The PMO, the ultimate party responsible for environmental performanc during construction, will review and take necessary mitigation actions promptly, while the transportation bureau will be responsible during the operation phase. If needed, the PMO and project owners will call upon professional consultants and experts to develop mitigation measures and supervise implementation. Twice a year, an overall monitoring report will be submitted to the World Bank, summarizing the observations, monitoring results, corrective actions taken, and monitoring effectiveness and other findings and issues during the monitoring period.

6.5. Institutional Strengthening and Training

To ensure the environmental performance of the Project, the EMP emphasizes institutional building and strengthening. Besides an organizational structure involving various management and supervision organizations for environmental decision making, monitoring, reporting, and mher mitigation planning and implementation, the EMP includes detailed programs for personnel training. The programs involve training of professional, managerial and technical personnel from government, project proponent, and operation units, environmental institutions and contractors and construction supervisions, to enhance their awareness with the applicable regulations. The training may be held at local universities, other cities in China where there are environmental management experiences for similar urban environment and road construction projects, and/or provided by professional consultants engaged through the project technical assistance programs. The training for the PMO and project owners will include environmental management, regulatory framework, applicable environmental standards and their implications to the Project, mitigation planning, environmental decision making and pollution control technologies.

An environmental training for contractors and construction supervisions will be held prior to the commencement of construction. This training will be mandatory and will be attended by at least one senior management and one technical staff member to be assigned as the designated site environmental staff. The objective is to ensure that each contractor and construction supervision unit will have staff on site full time for environmental monitoring on a daily basis. The training will cover basic knowledge of environmental protection and pollution control, the results of the respective city EIAs, and requirements of EMPs, methodologies of site environmental management and monitoring, and reporting requirements. As the contractors and construction supervision companies will conduct daily and regular environmental monitoring at their construction sites, the trainings will include a detailed program on monitoring methodologies to be delivered by specialists of environmental monitoring stations and consultants provided by the project technical assistance programs.

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 32 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Develonment Project EA Summaw Renort

6.6. Estimated Cost for Environmental Management

The cost for environmental management and mitigation measures have been estimated and included in the Project budget. The estimated cost is summarized in Table 6-5.

Table 6-5 Summary of Estimated Cost for Environmental Management (RMB x1000)

Environmental Construction 110 248.3 60 80 monitoring Operation 60 84 60 40

7. Public Participation

Methodology and Consultation Programs

Two rounds of public consultations have been carried out during the EA: the frst round during the preparation of the EA terms of reference (TOR) between October 2004 to May 2005 and the second round during the preparation of the draft EA reports between June to October 2005. The primary technique used for public consultation was public opinion surveys through public opinions questionnaires, supplemented by focused interviews and public meetings with key affected groups and individuals. The people consulted included mainly those who will be directly affected by the project. Relevant government and non-government organizations and experts from academic and other professional institutions have also been consulted on various environmental and socio-economic issues.

The public was filly aware of the proposed project and expressed its support in general. The predominant concern from the affected public was increased noise following project implementation. Concerns from the church community were basically building/structure safety, relocation ofthe oEce/dormitory building, occupation ofthe land, visual impacts, etc. Other concerns expressed by the affected public included air borne dust during construction, location of asphalt mixers, motor vehicle air emissions, landscaping, community severance, resettlement, cultural relics and wetland protection, etc.

Besides the directly affected residents in the project areas, the EA team met with experts from cultural and fisheries bureaus and universities. The experts provided their opinions on Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 33 Sichuan Academy ofEnvironmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

environmental and cultural relic issues and provided recommendations fiom technical points of view.

The EA team responded to public concerns and suggestions by proposing a series of dust control measures during construction; noise insulation windows and noise barriers at sensitive receptors, which are expected to experience significant incremental increases in noise levels after the project; pedestrian and bicycle traffic street crossings; large-scale landscaping programs with more new trees planted than those cut down during the project; and structural strengthening of the church building. Concerns were expressed to the RAP team by the public on resettlement, relocation, and livelihood rehabilitation, and these concerns have been addressed via appropriate measures in the RAP.

Public consultation activities in the four project cities are summarized in Table 7-1.

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 34 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Develournent Proiect EA Surnmarv Reuort

Stage Form By whom and for whom Time location WB policy

1St Questionnaire By project owner and EA May Project areas OP4.01 round survey team for 70 affected people 2005 2"d Questionnaire By project owners and EA August Project areas OP4.01 round Survey team for 182 affected 2005 people

1St Questionnaire By project owner and EA October Neighborhood OP4.0 1 round Survey team for 90 affected people 2004 along project roads 2"d Focused By project owners and EA May Panzhihua Project OP4.01 round specialist team for 10 specialists in 2005 Ofice interviews environmental, hydrology, and meeting municipal engineering Questionnaire By project owner and EA October Urban Panzhihua OP4.01 survey team for 150 local affected 2004 people Suining By project owner and EA May Xining District, OP4.0 1 round team for 120 affected 2005 1 Suining people By project owner and EA Sept., Guangde temple OP4.01 team for 106 local 2005 residents, temple visitors Focus By project owner and EA July Guangde temple OP4.01 meeting team for monks and care 2005 takers of Guangde temple Yibin lst Questionnaire By project owner and EA Sept Along two project OP4.01 round survey team for 90 affected people 2004 roads in Yibin 2"d Questionnaire By project owner and EA May Along two project OP.401 *ound survey team for 97 affected people 2005 roads in Yibin Group PMO, Project owner and October ProvincialPMO OP4.01 meeting EA team for fisheries 2005 office in Chengdu specialists

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 35 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

Public Consultation Results and Responses

In general, the public is well aware ofthe proposed project in all four project cities. Most of the consulted peoples expressed their support of the project, citing benefits to regional development, improved municipal services, better road conditions, improved urban conditions and beautification of their cities (particularly in water front areas), increased leisure places, improved environmental conditions, etc. At the same time, the public, particularly affected people and stakeholders, expressed concerns on potential adverse environmental and community impacts, mostly related to the construction phase. Many of these concerns expressed by the public from the four cities are common, and the EA teams responded to these concerns by including the issues raised by the public in the environmental impact assessment, and addressing them through appropriate mitigation and management measures. These concerns and mitigation measures are summarized in Table 7-2.

Table 7-2 Major Public Concerns and Mitigation Measures

knowledge on compensation and regulations. Follow closely the project resettlement

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 36 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

8. Information Disclosure In compliance with EIA process requirements of the Chinese government and the World Bank, the completed draft EIA and EMP reports were released in public places in the project area, including libraries, EA team offices, local project owner offices, neighborhood committee locations, and on cities’ websites on the internet. Members of the concerned public can access and review the reports at these places. In addition, information on the Project and availability of these reports were advertised in the Mianyang Daily, Panzhihua Daily and Panzhihua Evening News, Suining Daily and Yibin Evening News, which are all major and widely distributed local newspapers. The EA team plans to disclose the final EA reports to the general public in public places once final versions are completed. The information disclosure is summarized in Table 8-1,

Table 8-1 Information Disclosure Summarv I Information I Date I Locatiodmedia I WB Dolicv 1 Public Notice on project July 6 Mianyang Evening News OP4.0 1 description and major 2005 impacts Public Notice on project September Panzhihua Daily and OP4.01 description, major 16-18,2005 Panzhihua Evening News impacts and mitigation Public Notice on EA and September 29, Suining Daily OP4.0 1 RAP availability 2005 Full EA draft report Since August City internet website OP4.01 2005 www.auetda.com - Draft EA report and EMP Sept. 29-30 and Yibin Daily OP4.0 1 Oct. 11,2005 Final EA and EMP (planned) City libraries in Mianyang, OP4.01 December, 2005 Panzhihua, Suining and Yibin, respectively

The Sichuan Urban Development Project (SUDP) will play an important role in expanding and upgrading basic urban, environmental and transport infrastructure in Mianyang, Panzhihua, Suining, and Yibin, help control water pollution and flood risks, improve environmental quality, and promote urban, industrial and general economic development in the four key secondary cities in the province as well as the standard of living of the cities’ residents. The upgrading and newly built roads will support the development of new urban areas and industrial parks to accommodate the rapid urban, population, and industrial expansion. The road components in the cities will help reduce traffic congestion in city centers by attracting traffic which otherwise would go through urban center roads. All four city projects comply with their respective Master Plans, Master Transport Plans, and Master

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 37 Sichuan Academy ofEnvironmenta1 Sciences Sichuan Urban Development Project EA Summary Report

Environmental Management Plans, and as such will contribute significantly to the cities development.

9. Conclusions

The project will bring positive impacts and benefits to the environment and communities. The sewer components will intercept wastewater currently discharged to the rivers without treatment, and thus reduce pollutant loads to the receiving environment, some areas of which are important fish habits. From the city wide perspective, air quality is expected to improve due to reduced traffic jams and increased average driving speeds. The new and upgraded roads will contribute significantly to community development, attracting outside investment, and improving the quality of life for area residents. The river embankment component will reduce flood risks and provide better protection, promoting the safety of people and assets. The landscape components will improve environmental aesthetics and provide more space for leisure for residents.

However, construction and operation ofthe project will also result in a number of adverse impacts to the environment in the project areas, mostly during the construction phase. These impacts include increased airborne dust, noise, soil erosion, surface runoff containing suspended solids and possibly oils to receiving waters and fish habitats, land occupation, involuntary resettlement of people, vegetation disturbances and removal during construction, motor vehic'le emissions, deteriorating air quality along project road areas, increased noise levels at sensitive receptors, and surface runoff from road surface to the rivers. In addition, the urban expansion components will convert existing agricultural (Xining District in Suining and Pioneer Park in Mianyang) and mostly unused land (Economic Development Zone in Mianyang) into urban or industrial land. The original lands will lose their current land features and the area environment will receive higher pollutant loads from increased populations and new industrial operations. As an indirect and induced impact, the improved road network in Suining will also result in increased visitors to the Guangde temple, a provincial level cultural relic.

With mitigation measures designed specifically to address the above listed adverse impacts, the impacts will be prevented, reduced, minimized, or otherwise compensated. Furthermore, an environmental management system involving environmental management and supervision organizations, environmental monitoring, institutional strengthening, and project owners and contractors personnel training will be established to ensure the environmental performance ofthe Project. With appropriate implementation of mitigation measures, as well as the environmental management systems, the adverse impacts will be reduced to acceptable levels.

Chengdu Hydropower Investigation Design and Research Institute 38 Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences