SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
HEBEI ROADS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
IN THE
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
July 1997 2
CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 5 June 1997)
Currency Unit — Yuan (Y) Y1.00 = $0.120605 $1.00 = Y8.2915
The exchange rate of the Yuan is determined under a floating exchange rate system. In this report, a rate of $1.00 = Y8.2915, the rate prevailing at the time of appraisal of the project has been used.
ABBREVIATIONS
ADB — The Asian Development Bank BSHAD — Beijing-Shanghai Highway (Hebei Section) Administration Division CC — County Connector CO — Carbon Monoxide COD — Chemical Oxygen Demand CRD — Cangzhou Regional District EA — Executing Agency EIA — Environmental Impact Assessment EPB — Environmental Protection Bureau GDP — Gross Domestic Product HPCD — Hebei Provincial Communications Department HRD — Hengshui Regional District HRI — Highway Research Institute, Ministry of Communications IFILPO — International Financial Institution Loan Project Office MOC — Ministry of Communications N/A — Not Applicable NEPA — National Environmental Protection Agency NH — National Highway NOX — Nitrogen Oxide O&G — Oil and Grease RAP — Resettlement Action Plan SEIA — Summary Environmental Impact Assessment SO2 — Sulfur Dioxide SS — Suspended Solids TSP — Total Suspended Particulate VA — Village Access
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
dB(A) — Decibel (Absolute) m/s — Meter per Second mg/kg — Milligrams per kilogram mg/L — Milligrams per Liter mg/m3 — Milligrams per Cubic Meter mu — Unit for area commonly used in China; 15 mu to a hectare 3 t/yr — Ton/Year 4
CONTENTS
Page
MAP i
I. INTRODUCTION 1
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 1
III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 3
A. Landform and Geology 3 B. Aquatic Resources 3 C. Atmospheric Resources 4 D. Acoustic Environment 4 E. Agricultural Resources 5 F. Heritage/Cultural Resources 5 G. Socioeconomic Resources 5
IV. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 7
A. Land Resources 7 B. Aquatic Environment 9 C. Noise 11 D. Atmospheric Environment 13 E. Socioeconomic Impacts 14 F. Transportation of Hazardous Materials 16 G. Indirect Developments 17
V. ALTERNATIVES 17
VI. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS 18
VII. INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM 19
VIII. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 22
IX. CONCLUSIONS 23
APPENDIX 5
I. INTRODUCTION
1. This Summary Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) report is primarily based on information contained in the Project environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports1 and report addendum prepared by the Highway Research Institute (HRI), the Ministry of Communications (MOC). Additional information was obtained through a series of meetings with local environmental, socioeconomic, and resettlement specialists; project planners and design engineers; and officers from the International Financial Institution Loan Project Office (IFILPO) of the Hebei Provincial Communications Department (HPCD), which is the Executing Agency (EA) for this Project. Direct observations during site visits to the Project area further improved understanding of the general project setting and physical conditions of the surrounding environment. The SEIA also draws information from the Resettlement Action Plan2 (RAP), project Feasibility Study Report,3 and project Social Background Survey Report4 prepared by local specialists, and reports review and assessment by the international consultant. Data contained in these referenced reports were updated, where appropriate, when the SEIA was prepared.
2. The EIA reports were prepared using methodologies consistent with relevant guidelines set out by the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) and MOC. This is a widely accepted practice in environmental assessment for projects partially funded by international financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
3. The Project has three components: the four-lane, limited-access Beijing- Shanghai expressway, Hebei Section; the two-lane county connector (CC) roads, which will be three parallel segments intersecting the expressway; and the one-lane, multisegment village access (VA) roads, which will connect 169 poverty villages to the CC roads. Key features of the Project components are summarized in Table 1.
1 Highway Research Institute, the Ministry of Communication, 1996 "Environmental Impact Assessment, People’s Republic of China, Beijing-Shanghai Highway, Hebei Section Expressway; Aid-the-Poor Connecting Line Botou-Haifeng Section; Fucheng-Qiantongzhen Section; and Jinxian-Wuqiao Section."
2 HPCD, 1997 "Resettlement Action Plan, Beijing-Shanghai Highway, Qingxian to Wuqiao Expressway."
3 Hebei Institute of Social Sciences, 1997 "Hebei Roads Development Project Participatory Poverty Assessment and Participatory Monitoring Research" (draft)
4 Hebei Provincial Communications Planning and Design Institute. 1996. "Beijing-Shanghai Highway Section in Hebei Province Project Feasibility Study Report." 6
Table 1: Key Features of the Project
Feature Expressway CC Roads VA Roads Total length (km) 140.9 225.0 109.6 Agricultural land occupied (mu)a 18,882 6,872 nil Culverts (no.) 156 214 271 Bridges (no.) 70 46 2 Resettlement (m2) 3,949 34,337 nil Design Speed (km/hr) 120 80 40 Road Surface width (m) 30 9-16 3.6 Operation Services Eight toll stations, None None four service areas Total Costs Yuan (Y) million 3,401.7 674.8 39.9 Construction period (yr) 3 4 4 Counties connected Qingxian, Botou, Nanpi, N/A Cangzhou City, Mengcun, Yanshan, Cangxian, Botou Haixing Fucheng, Nanpi, Dongguang, Dongguang, Wuqiao Jingxian, Wuqiao a 15 mu to a hectare.
4. The proposed expressway alignment is located within the Cangzhou Regional District (CRD); most of the CC and VA roads are within CRD and a small part within the Hengshui Regional District (HRD), in the southeastern part of Hebei Province. The proposed expressway begins at the Tianjin-Hebei border to the north, extends south through six counties and one city, and finally ends at the Hebei-Shandong provincial border to the south (see Map 1, page i) The expressway will be approximately parallel to the north-south National Highway (NH) 104, while the CC roads are perpendicular feeders to the expressway and pass through nine counties, seven of which are designated by the Central Government as “poverty counties." The VA roads will be located within 2 kilometers (km) of each CC road, and link villages to the CC roads.
5. The proposed expressway will be constructed on a new alignment mostly on agricultural land. Presently, most of the CC roads are six meters (m) wide with mixed motor and nonmotor vehicle traffic. The VA roads are dirt or rutted dirt roads from the CC roads to village gates. This Project will mostly upgrade the CC roads through widening the present roadways and improving the pavement, with a small portion to be built on new alignments to bypass areas where significant disturbance to county and village properties/people would otherwise occur. For the VA roads component, the Project will surface the dirt roads with bitumen.
6. The expressway will form a strategic link in the national trunk highway system. It will link Beijing and industrial bases in northeast China to Shanghai and East China. Together with the CC and the VA roads, the expressway will also greatly improve the transportation infrastructure of Hebei Province and promote economic development in CRD, HRD, and other regions in and around the project corridors. The CC and the VA roads will contribute significantly to the poverty reduction effort in the “poverty counties” to be serviced by the project. 7
7. The loan to the Project is scheduled to be approved by ADB’s Board in November 1997. The construction is scheduled to start in mid-1998 and to be completed in three years for the expressway and four years for the CC and the VA roads.
III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT
A. Landform and Geology
8. The Project area is located at the eastern part of the North China Plain, with elevations ranging from 4 to 30 m above sea level. The area is mostly flat with a natural gradient of no greater than 0.05 percent. The underlying geology is characterized by Quaternary structure, and the soil is mostly clay and sandy clay, much of which is saline and soggy.
9. The Project area is close to the Cangdong Fault Zone with deep earth crust. Over the last 300 years, this region has had on record three earthquakes at a Richter scale of 5 or higher. According to the latest seismological classification of PRC by the State Earthquake Bureau, the Cangdong area is classified as 7 on the earthquake intensity scale.
10. A remarkable landform feature in the Project area is the very wide floodplains (up to 2.5 km wide). The waterways are dry in most of their widths during years of normal rainfall, but nevertheless require long expressway structures across the floodplain widths.
B. Aquatic Resources
11. The Project area, located in the lower part of the Haihe River basin, is crisscrossed by rivers, canals, and ditches, including the landmark South Canal (Grand Canal). The Canal is generally parallel to, but will be crossed twice by, the proposed expressway alignment and by the three segments of the CC roads. The surface water bodies in the region are characterized by low to nil flows in the dry season to relatively high water flows in the rainy season, usually in summer. Since all major rivers in this area have hydrology control facilities upstream, the flows in these rivers and the tributaries and irrigation ditches originating from them are therefore regulated primarily by the need for flood control and irrigation. Silt settles in the river channels in this area because of the flat gradient when the rivers reach the area.
12. The surface water bodies in the Project area are used mostly for flood discharge and irrigation. According to Government monitoring and survey records, there are no known fishery resources in these water bodies except the South Canal, which is reported to have a small amount of crucian, grass and silver carps, snakehead, and soft-shelled turtles. The South Canal was a waterway for seasonal navigation by small vessels. It is understood that navigation in the canal will be resumed in the future. There is no other use for surface water in this area.
13. The Project area hydrogeology is characterized by weathered rocks with high salt contents in shallow water layers, typically 2 to 7 m below grade. Water from these layers has little use in domestic or agricultural activities. Deep aquifers, typically located 30 to 50 m below grade or deeper, are the primary water sources for most 8 domestic, industrial, as well as agricultural (irrigation) purposes for urban centers and rural areas in the Project region.
14. There is no major pollution sources along the proposed alignments and the water quality is reportedly within the national water quality standards.1 A water sampling and analysis program in the New Ziya River, the largest river in the Project area, confirmed this. Averages of four samples collected from the proposed expressway crossing locations were analyzed for suspended solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease (O&G), and total lead. The results were 52, 70, 0.34, and <0.1 mg/liter (L), respectively. The primary sources of the elevated SS and COD are runoff from agricultural lands and domestic effluent from rural households.
C. Atmospheric Resources
15. The Project area has a continental monsoon climate with distinct seasonal changes. The average temperature in the coldest month (January) is -4.4oC and that in the hottest (July), 26.6oC. Annual average temperature is 12.3oC. The annual average precipitation is 600 mm, 60-75 percent of which falls in summer. Wind directions change distinctly with the seasons. In winter, the prevailing wind direction is northwest; that in summer, southwest to southeast. The annual average wind speed is 3 to 4 m/s.
16. A five-year (1991-1995) ambient air monitoring program in Cangzhou City, which has the worst air quality among counties within the Project area, indicated that 25 percent of the daily average readings for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and 70 percent of those for total suspended particulate (TSP) along NH 104 exceeded applicable national air quality standards. The same monitoring program showed none of the 180 readings on nitrogen oxides (NOx) exceeded the national standards. The air monitoring program in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for this Project showed better ambient air quality along the project alignments outside Cangzhou City, based on samples collected from three counties. Readings on carbon monoxide (CO), NOx, and TSP were under their respective standards. CO and TSP for air samples from Cangzhou City, however, exceeded the standards, consistent with the abovementioned long-term monitoring results for the city.
D. Acoustic Environment
17. A total of 18 receptors along the expressway alignment have been identified as sensitive to increased noise because of their nature and close proximity (within 200 m) to the proposed expressway. These are 14 villages or rural residential centers, three schools, and one medical care facility. The existing CC roads pass through or close by 61 villages, which will also be sensitive to increased noise from the CC roads after upgrading. Villages and other facilities beyond the 200-m range are considered less sensitive to noise from expressway traffic because of the attenuation of noise intensity over distance.
1 National Environmental Protection Agency. 1988. "Surface Water Quality Standards, GB3838- 88;" 1992. "Agricultural Field Irrigation Water Quality Standards, GB5084-92." 9
18. As part of the EIA, one-day noise monitoring program was conducted at the 18 noise-sensitive locations near the expressway and four of the sensitive receptors near the CC roads . The results — 40-51 decibels [dB (A)] during daytime and 30-46 dB(A) at night — were well below the applicable national noise standards of 60-70 dB(A) (day) and 50-55 dB(A) (night), indicating a high quality acoustic environment under existing conditions.
E. Agricultural Resources
19. Table 2 gives the main agricultural resources in the Project region.
Table 2: Agricultural Resources of the Project Area
Category Type Main Crops Wheat, corn, millet, barley, Chinese sorghum, beans, sweet potato Cash Crops Cotton, peanut, sesame, sunflower, vegetables, herb medicines Fruits Pear, golden Chinese date, apple, peach, grape, chestnut, hawthorn, pomegranate, persimmon Roadside/Canal-side Trees Poplar, willow Livestock and Poultry Pigs, cows, horses, sheep, geese, ducks
20. A soil sampling and analysis program for the EIA indicated that soil in the Project area is slightly alkaline with pH 8.5 to 8.9. The lead content of the soil samples ranged from 18.9 to 21.1 mg/kg, at or below the average baseline lead concentration of 21.5 mg/kg in the province.
F. Heritage/Cultural Resources
21. Consultation with relevant government agencies and local townships as well as site reconnaissance by local highway design engineers on the Project corridors showed no significant cultural, historical, and heritage resources along the project alignments or the area affected by the Project. Presently available information also show no known archaeological sites in this area.
G. Socioeconomic Resources
22. Project area population and labor by city/county are given in Table 3. 10
Table 3: Project Area Population
City/ Population Rural Population Rural Labor in Labor Labor in County (x1000) Population Density Labor Agriculture in Commerce (x1000) (1/km2) Force (%) Livestock & Industry (x1000) (%) (%) Cangzhou 389 94 1921 - - - - Qingxian 363 326 375 142 85 2.0 12.0 Cangxian 636 616 416 51 82 3.0 15.0 Botou 523 430 520 160 80 4.0 16.0 Nanpi 335 299 421 126 87 2.0 11.0 Dongguang 330 305 471 141 90 2.5 7.5 Wuqiao 270 246 448 124 81 4.0 15.0 Mengcun 168 155 427 73 68 6.0 26.0 Yanshan 382 361 480 169 85 3.0 12.0 Haixing 195 169 233 78 72 4.0 24.0 Fucheng 323 297 464 122 64 2.0 34.0 Jingxian 481 446 407 203 75 3.0 22.0
23. Major rural socioeconomic indicators are in Table 4.
Table 4: Main Socioeconomic Indicators of the Project Area
City/ Average Farmers Cultivated Land Average Cultivated Agricultural County Income (Y/cap/yr) (x1000 mu)a Land (mu/rural cap) a Income (Y/mu) a Cangzhou 1127 - - - Qingxian 1327 852 2.61 402 Cangxian 1265 1241 2.18 312 Botou 1272 951 2.21 561 Nanpi 914 705 2.36 417 Dongguang 1098 738 2.42 358 Wuqiao 1151 585 2.38 568 Mengcun 988 312 2.01 365 Yanshan 734 728 2.02 288 Haixing 837 437 2.59 266 Fucheng 858 684 2.30 517 Jingxian 960 1193 2.67 425 a 15 mu to a hectare.
In addition, CRD as a whole enjoyed an economic growth of 12.3 percent per year on average between 1979 and 1994, and HRD, 8.4 percent, significantly higher than and at par with the provincial average, respectively. By 1994, the total gross domestic product (GDP) in CRD and HRD had reached, respectively, Y16.98 billion and 11.92 billion; annual industrial output, Y27.9 billion and Y19.7 billion; and annual agricultural output, Y8.1 billion and Y6.0 billion.1
1 Hebei Statistics Bureau. 1995. "Hebei Statistics Yearbook." 11
24. Primary socioeconomic services in the Project area in Table 5.
Table 5: Main Socioeconomic Services of the CRD Area
Services Scale/Level Education 2 colleges, 263 middle/high schools, 5,309 elementary schools, 98% villages have at least one school. Medical Care 12,253 hospital beds, 1.4 medical professionals/1,000 people; 9% of villages have medical care. Telephones 2 phone sets per 100 people in CRD; 62% of the villages are connected by phone. Transportation Beijing-Shanghai railway, numerous local rail lines, 1,490 km of roads with Class III or higher classification, and approximately 2,500 km of Class IV township level roads. One medium size airport is planned. Market Average of 1.5 market gatherings per rural township, permanent markets/department stores in all towns and counties Tourism Wuqiao Acrobatic World (foreign visitors in 1994: 3,926; annual revenue from foreign tourists: $112,000), Cangzhou iron lion (over 1,000 years old)
IV. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES
A. Land Resources
1. Agricultural Land
25. The proposed expressway will occupy a total of 18,882 mu and the CC roads, 6,872 mu of agricultural land. The occupied land represents about 0.24 percent of the total cultivated land in CRD and HRD. In the Project area, agricultural land is jointly owned by all farmers in a village. If certain land is converted for other uses, the remaining agricultural land would be redistributed among all the farmers in the village, i.e., the whole village shares the impact of land loss collectively. Table 6 shows the levels of land loss impact in the affected area.
Table 6: Agricultural Land Affected by the Project
City/Country Affected Total Affected Average Cultivated Average Land Land Population Cultivated Land Cultivated Land Land to be Loss Loss (x1,000) (x1000 mu)a (mu/farmer) a Lost to the (mu/farmer) a per Farmer Project (mu) (%) a Qingxian 213 514 2.41 5311 0.025 1.0 Cangxian 77 160 2.08 3311 0.043 2.1 Botou 20 36 1.85 948 0.048 2.6 Nanpi 77 161 2.10 3908 0.051 2.4 Dongguang 89 253 2.84 5059 0.057 2.0 Wuqiao 119 298 2.50 2647 0.022 0.9 Mengcun 25 40 1.61 597 0.024 1.5 Yanshan 23 40 1.74 973 0.043 2.4 Haixing 12 27 2.20 1574 0.131 6.0 Fucheng 42 97 2.30 934 0.022 1.0 Jingxian 122 255 2.09 492 0.004 0.3 a15 mu to a hectare. 12
26. To mitigate the impact, 60,000 trees and 60,000 bushes will be planted on both sides of the expressway, and 3,748 mu will be seeded to grass the embankment. This represents 20 percent of the total land to be occupied by the expressway. An estimated Y14.1 million is required for the expressway landscape plan. Over 112,000 trees will also be planted along the CC roads at an estimated cost of Y4.64 million, compensating for 12 percent of the green field lost to the CC roads. As the lost cultivated land cannot be recovered elsewhere, affected farmers will be compensated between Y5,000 and Y6,000/mu. The money is expected to be used to increase unit output on the remaining farmland (such as improving existing irrigation systems, planting part of the land to high-yielding cash crops, etc.) to offset the lost production and revenue. After mitigation measures, a net 15,134 mu of green field will be lost to the expressway and 6,031 mu to the CC roads. With impact shared by all farmers in the affected villages, the highest land loss impact will be about 0.1 mu/farmer or 6 percent of the land they own (see Table 6). Impacts on agricultural output and revenue, are expected to be insignificant after compensation.
2. Soil
27. A motor vehicle lead emission model projected that by the year 2019, lead concentrations in the soil within 1 km of the proposed project alignments will be up 33 mg/kg through accumulated increase of motor vehicle emissions. Although this is an almost 60 percent increase from the existing baseline lead concentrations in the soil, it will still be far below the 300 mg/kg limit set by applicable national standards.1
28. The impact of motor vehicle emissions to the soil will be insignificant, and no specific mitigation measure is necessary. In fact, the impact to the soil is expected to be of little relevance as the PRC Government has recently announced a plan to ban the use of leaded gasoline in PRC by the year 2000.
3. Siltation
29. The proposed expressway embankment will be 3.7 m above grade; the CC road embankment, 0.5-1.3 m; and the VA roads will have no embankment. Most of the required 21.14 million m3 fill material will be excavated on site, creating ditches on both sides of the roadways. Surface erosion and silt runoff may occur on the bare embankment, and unprotected slopes during heavy rainfall. Total silt erosion due to the Project is estimated to be about 1,900 tons/yr during construction and nil during operation when the landscaping is finished. Because of the flat terrain, the lost silt is expected to settle in side ditches, which are designed for surface water runoff from the Project.
30. The roadway embankment slopes will be grassed and treed soon after the expressway is completed. Land disturbance will be limited to the construction period. Erosion and silt runoff during road operation will be negligible.
1 Ministry of Communications. 1997. "Specifications for Environment Impact Assessment of Highways." 13
4. Construction Materials
31. Gravel used in Project construction will be purchased from commercial gravel pits in Hebei and neighboring Shandong Provinces, beyond the control of the EA. It is understood that the cost for environmental protection and site reclamation at the gravel pits will be included in the sales price. The coal burning residual/bottom ash, which has been used widely in PRC for highway construction and for other Hebei highway projects, will be used as a subgrade material. Chemical analysis showed that the material is chemically stable and poses little risk to groundwater. In the field, groundwater samples collected near the bottom-ash subsurfaced Shanghai-Jiaxin expressway after two years operation showed that, except for manganese, all water quality parameters were within the national drinking water standards.1 Moreover, since shallow groundwater aquifers in the Project area are alkaline and saline and thus have little use, they are not environmentally sensitive. The use of bottom ash will, in fact, benefit the environment by reducing the need for excavation of other filling materials and alleviating ash disposal problems from coal-burning power plants. However, bottom ash transportation can generate airborne dust enroute to the construction sites.
32. The EA will accept bids for construction materials only from suppliers with sound environmental management programs and reclamation plans, where applicable. Bottom ash will be watered to 40 percent moisture content and/or covered during transportation. The residual impact related to bottom ash will be insignificant.
B. Aquatic Environment
1. Hydrology
33. The construction of bridge piers will reduce the cross-sectional area of the river channels for flood discharge. As a result, water levels in the rivers upstream from the bridges will increase up to 50 cm, reducing the free board of the river dikes up to 5.6 km from the bridges during design floods. The Project will have virtually no impact on hydrology and flood discharge/control because the bridges are designed for 100- to 300-year floods, while the dikes (built long before this Project) were designed for 50- year floods. Floods will overflow the dikes before the bridges show impact on hydrology. In-water construction activities such as piling and concrete bridge piers grouting will be done in dry season when little water is in the rivers. When steel cofferdams must be used during rainy season for in-water construction, the crosssection of the riverbeds will be further reduced. However, unless major floods occur during pier construction, there will be no impact on flood control.
2. Water Wells
34. A total of 52 water wells primarily used for irrigation are located on the expressway alignment. For each of the wells to be buried by the expressway, two will be built at the same depth on both sides of the expressway to eliminate the impact. In addition, 237 wells located near the proposed alignment will be cut off by the expressway from the agricultural land on the opposite side of the expressway. Similar to the compensation for the occupied wells, 237 wells will be drilled to the same depth at
1 National Environmental Protection Agency. 1985. "Drinking Water Standards, GB5749-85." 14 appropriate locations. On the CC roads, 71 water wells to be lost and replaced with the same number of new wells on the same side of the roads where the wells are currently located. The residual impact will be nil. The total cost for well relocation and new well construction is estimated to be Y1.76 million. These wells will be drilled at the same time that the expressway is constructed.
3. Water Quality
35. During the construction stage, silt from disturbed soil and in-river construction activities may result in increased suspended solids (SS) in rivers immediately downstream from the expressway, and duck/fish ponds and water wells near the VA roads. Such impacts will be temporary and limited to small areas downstream, but can affect a large portion of an adjacent fish pond. Construction camps will generate domestic effluent of 60 L per person per day on average, and total wastewater in the largest camp may be up to 60,000 L per day. If discharged directly into natural water bodies, the domestic effluent from construction camps would raise COD concentrations by about 1.2 mg/L in large rivers and up to 34.7 mg/L in smaller streams. During the operational stage, small quantities of sediment and dripping oil and grease from the road surface may be washed out and discharged to nearby surface water bodies as runoff during the rainy season. As this would also be the season when the rivers have their highest flow rates, the impact to water quality will be small. The two surface stations will generate effluent containing COD, SS, and O&G. The effluent will eventually be discharged to the Helongguang and Xuanhui Rivers, respectively, year- round.
36. All contractors will be required to build septic tanks at their construction camps as part of the construction contracts. This will remove approximately 40-50 percent of the COD and 50-70 percent of the SS. During construction, contractors will also be required to have sound environmental management programs for the storage of hazardous materials, solid waste collection and disposal, and environmental contingency plans. Surface runoff to fish ponds and drinking water wells by the VA roads will be intercepted to prevent impact on these water bodies. The residual impact on water quality during construction will basically be short-term increases in SS concentrations in the rivers immediately downstream from the expressway. In the South Canal, increased SS may drive the fish population, away from the impacted area; but the impact will dissipate soon after the construction terminates. Septic tanks will be built in the four service areas as an integral part of these facilities. The wastewater treatment systems are estimated to cost Y2.8 million. The two receiving water bodies may be impacted in terms of increased COD and SS by the final discharges from the service area septic tanks during dry season when river flows are minimum. Long-term impacts on water quality in other rivers in the Project area during expressway operation will be low. During construction and operation, water quality in the major rivers and the South Canal will be monitored for SS, COD, and O&G to confirm the result of the impact assessment. 15
C. Noise
1. During Construction
37. The main noise sources during construction are construction machinery, which generate noise at levels from 76 dB(A) to 98 dB(A) measured 5 m from running machines. At about 100 m, the noise levels are expected to reduce to levels within the daytime national noise standards of 70 dB(A). The noise will have an impact mostly on construction workers and residents living within 100 meters from the construction sites.
38. To mitigate noise, no machines will be allowed to work at night. During the day, noisy stationary machines such as power generators, concrete mixers, pug mills, etc., will be located at least 300 m leeward to sensitive receptors. With these measures, the residents living within 100 m from the project sites, excluding those who will be relocated, will still be affected by increased noise sometimes to levels exceeding the national standards. The impact will be limited to daytime and will be completely gone once construction activities stop.
2. During Operation
39. The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) noise model was used to forecast noise levels to be generated by the Project during three operation years. The national noise standards of 60-70 dB(A) for daytime and 50-55 dB(A) for nighttime were used as threshold values for significant noise impact. The isolines of these noise thresholds forecast by the model (distance in m to the curb of the expressway or the CC roads) are given in Table 7.
Table 7: Distance from the Project Where Noise is at the National Noise Thresholds
Future Operational Year Daytime (m) Nighttime (m) Expressway CC Roads Expressway CC Roads Year 2000 10 <10 to 10 80 to 100 20 to 40 Year 2010 30 to 40 <10 to 20 150 to 170 30 to 60 Year 2019 50 to 60 10 to 20 180 to 200 50 to 80
The noise impact will be long term and increase over time as traffic volume on the project roads increases. Table 7 shows that areas to be affected significantly by increased traffic noise will be larger at nighttime than at daytime. The noise levels exceeding the standards and the number of sensitive receptors exposed to higher than the standard noise levels are given in Table 8. 16
Table 8: Extent of Noise Impact by Expressway/CC Roads
Operational Time Daytime Nighttime Levels Receptors (no.) Levels Receptors (no.) Exceeding the with Exceeding the with Standards by Exceeded Noise Standards by Exceeded Noise dB(A) Levels dB(A) Levels Early Years < 3/nil 2/0 1-6/0.6-3.4 13/7 Near Future 2-5/0.9 12/2 3-9.5/3-5.8 17/7 Future 2-7/2.5 15/2 4-12/4.6-7.6 18/7
There will be very low traffic on VA roads. Noise impact during VA road operations will be negligible.
40. Three groups of mitigation measures are planned based on the extent of noise levels above the national standards. These measures, their estimated costs, and residual impact after taking the measures are in Table 9.
Table 9: Mitigation to Noise Impact
Levels Exceeding the Mitigation Estimated Costs Residual Impact Standards by dB(A) Measures < 3 None None Noise levels exceeding the standards up to 3 dB(A) 3 to 9 Increase the height/ 13,200 m2 @ Reduce noise levels by construct new brick Y50-100/m2 or 5-15 dB(A). Residual walls to 4 m around total Y960,000 noise exceeding the houses affected. standards up to 4 dB(A). > 9 Relocate. 2,980 m2@Y500/m2 Nil or total of Y1.49 million
In addition, some sections of the CC roads will be diverted from the existing alignments to bypass downtown areas of two counties, one township, and several villages to avoid increased noise as well as resettlement, traffic hazards, and other adverse impacts. Other mitigation measures such as tree planting, double glazed windows, and excluding future development from the affected zones (200 m from project alignments) will be taken to further reduce the noise impact. Nevertheless, the incremental increase of noise at sensitive receptors will be apparent — from rural baseline noise levels of around 50 dB(A) during daytime and 40 dB(A) or lower at night up to 70 to 75 dB(A) during daytime and 65 at night. This will permanently expose some receptors to noise levels exceeding the national noise standards even after the preceding mitigation measures.
41. A positive impact is that much of the through traffic and the long- distance regional traffic on NH 104, which runs approximately parallel to the proposed expressway, will divert to the expressway once it is completed. As a result, the noise level from NH 104 is expected to be about 6 dB(A) lower than the present level, 17 benefiting an estimated 144,000 urban and rural residents, as well as schools, medical care facilities, and other institutions. Residents in the counties, townships, and villages currently intersected by CC roads will also benefit when the new CC roads bypass these areas.
D. Atmospheric Environment
1. During Construction
42. The primary air emissions during project construction will be from pug mills and airborne dust from construction truck movements. Air monitoring for similar highway projects in the same region indicated that at 100 m leeward to the source, concentrations of pug mill emissions were up to 1.2 to 1.7 mg/m3 and dust (as TSP) from truck traffic 20 mg/m3 ; contaminated areas could reach 150 m leeward.
43. To mitigate the impact on the atmosphere during construction, pug mills will be located at least 300 m from residential and other sensitive receptors, and covered where possible. The residual impact of pug mill emissions will be negligible except to construction workers. During dry season and in sensitive areas, hauling roads will be watered to suppress dust. The residual impact of airborne dust will be limited to small areas close to truck roads and terminated shortly after the end of truck traffic.
2. During Operation
44. A model using the Gaussian Equation was applied to forecast air contamination for Class D Atmospheric Stability during project operation. The results for 50 m from the alignment are in Table 10.
Table 10: Air Contamination (at 50 meters) During Expressway and CC Roads Operation
Operation Year NOx (mg/m3) CO (mg/m3) Peak Hour Daily Average Peak Hour Daily Average Expressway 2000 0.021 - 0.034 0.017 - 0.028 0.054 - 0.087 0.044 - 0.070 2010 0.047 - 0.069 0.038 - 0.060 0.118 - 0.174 0.095 - 0.140 2019 0.057 - 0.099 0.046 - 0.079 0.143 - 0.227 0.115 - 0.200 CC Roads 2000 0.019 - 0.032 0.017 - 0.029 1.05 - 2.36 0.79 -1.06 2010 0.027 - 0.051 0.024 - 0.045 1.07 - 2.30 0.80 -1.08 2019 0.034 - 0.065 0.029 - 0.057 1.08 - 2.42 0.81 -1.10
The modeling results indicate that CO concentrations will be below the national standards beyond 10 m from the expressway in the year 2019. The model forecasts that NOx concentration (daily average) will slightly exceed the standards for one receptor in the year 2010 and for five in 2019. None of the forecast parameters exceed the standards for the CC roads. Long-term air quality monitoring is needed to confirm the air modeling forecasts for the Project area. Because of the low traffic and the absence of sensitive receptors nearby, the VA roads will have negligible air quality impact. 18
45. Although areas adjacent to the expressway and that now have no emission sources will be adversely affected, air quality will be improved from a regional perspective. An early study1 in North PRC showed that light motor vehicles driven 80 percent of the time at 100 km/h and 20 percent acceleration/deceleration — the likely scenario on the expressway — will reduce CO emissions by 47 percent, hydrocarbons (HC) by 48 percent, and NOx by 35 percent compared with vehicles driven 40 percent at 100 km/h and 30 percent at 50 km/h and 30 percent acceleration/deceleration as is typical on NH 104. In addition, much of the motor vehicle emissions will be moved from the NH 104 corridor to the less populous expressway corridor. The improved ambient air quality will directly benefit over 144,000 people who live along NH 104, 54 km of which pass through urban and densely populated areas. Similarly, the upgrading of the existing CC roads will increase motor vehicle speeds and reduce acceleration/deceleration on the roads. The new alignments will bypass the downtown areas of two counties, one township, and several villages intersected by the present CC roads. Thus, the reduced air emissions will benefit over 88,000 people residing on both sides of the CC roads.
E. Socioeconomic Impacts
1. Agricultural Land and Rural Community Severance
46. The fully fenced, limited-access expressway will separate certain farmland from farmers and some villages from one another on both sides of the alignment. It will limit the access of certain farmers to their fields and certain rural residents to schools, markets, services, and relatives and friends. About 80 villages and 60,000-80,000 rural residents throughout the Project area will be affected.
47. A total of 223 crossings (see Table 11) will be constructed under the expressway or an average of 1 every 600 m. The total estimated cost of these crossings is about Y117 million. The majority of the crossings are designed to be at existing roads and meet the need for agricultural and social activities. The crossings will eliminate the impact of land and community severance, except that pedestrians who otherwise could walk to their destinations through the field will have to walk no more than 300 m on average to one of the crossings. Also, some farmland originally cultivated as one parcel will be split into two.
1 Post Buckley International. 1994. "Air Quality and Vehicle Emissions in Liaoning Province, PRC." 19
Table 11: Expressway Crossings
Grade Design Criteria Designed Functions Number (width x height, m) Class I 8 x 4 Motor vehicles 11 Class II 6 x 3.5 Tractors and agricultural vehicles 105 Class III 4 x 3 Pedestrians 107
2. Revenue from Orchard Operation
48. The impact on income for farmers who will lose their fruit trees to the expressway and the proposed compensation are given in Table 12. In addition, 19,560 fruit trees and 17,500 regular trees will be removed because of the CC roads. The total compensation of Y7.11 million will be used to replace the lost trees. Upgrading the VA roads will not involve tree replacement.
Table 12: Impact on and Compensation for Fruit Trees (Expressway)
Type of Tree Quantity Unit Total Revenue Compensation Total Revenue (Y/yr) (Y/tree) Compensation (Y) (Y/yr) Saplings 38,047 nil nil 5 190,235 Young 15,892 80 1,263,000 200 3,175,800 Mature 28,743 300 8,623,000 500 14,371,500 Non-fruit 5,002 nil nil 20 100,040
49. It usually takes about 1-2 years for saplings to bear fruit and another 2-3 years for them to mature to full production capacity. Farmers who will lose fruit trees will be affected in terms of reduced fruit yields and revenues for up to 5 years.
3. Traffic
50. The existing traffic on the CC and VA road will be restricted during the upgrading. Both motor vehicle and nonmotor vehicle traffic will be affected for up to six months on the CC roads. For 169 villages, upgrading of their roads will reduce access for up to one month.
51. During construction, traffic will be detoured to other existing roads or to adjacent temporary dirt roads to be built, where needed. Traffic will be slowed because of the poorer quality of the detour roads and/or longer distance. There will also be increased air emissions and airborne dust on the roads for the detoured traffic. The residual impact will last during construction and will vanish once construction is completed. 20
4. Tombs
52. Expressway alignment and widening of the CC roads will bury 2,361 tombs that belong to rural families in adjacent villages. None of the tombs have any archaeological value.
53. Affected families will be offered other sites in the same area to relocate the tombs and Y25-70 each to cover the relocation cost. As long as new sites for the relocation are appropriate, the residual impact will be small.
5. Economic Development
54. The Project will improve infrastructure in the region and make the area more attractive to outside investments. Economic benefits will also include higher efficiency in transport of local raw materials (minerals, agricultural produce such as fruits, etc.) and finished goods to local and outside markets. More tangible and immediate benefits will be increased employment opportunities directly related to project construction and operation. Of an estimated 11 million labor-days required for expressway construction, 50 percent is expected to come from the local labor force. As to the two other road components, almost 100 percent of the 2.7 million labor-days required for CC roads and 0.4 million for VA roads construction will be supplied by the local labor force. Of the labor requirements for VA roads construction, 80-90 percent will come directly from seasonal labor of the “poverty villages.” Indirect employment related to services, vendors, etc. will generate additional income-earning opportunities during the construction period. In the operational stage, an estimated total of 800-1,200 permanent employment positions related to highway maintenance, services, toll station operation, policing, management, etc. and additional indirect employment positions will be created in the region.
F. Transportation of Hazardous Materials
55. With oil and gas production and petrochemical industry establishments in the Cangzhou area, it is anticipated that 15 percent of all heavy truck traffic on the expressway will involve transportation of hazardous materials. Accidents involving trucks carrying these materials could result in explosions, fires, or spills, impacting adversely on the safety of residents nearby, other motor vehicles and their passengers on the expressway, and the surrounding environment.
56. Planned mitigation measures are the following.
(i) Individuals (drivers, etc.) transporting hazardous materials will be examined when entering the expressway to ensure possession of appropriate operation permits. Vehicles will be inspected to ensure appropriate marks and equipment. (ii) Vehicle operators will be forbidden to smoke cigarettes while with the vehicles, and will be warned through appropriate signs for traffic safety while passing rivers, villages, and other sensitive areas. (iii) When accidents occur, vehicle operators will be required to report immediately to public security (the police) and the environmental authority 21
and take appropriate emergency measures according to relevant guides to minimize potential spread of the spilled materials. (iv) An emergency response team will be established to deal with accidents involving hazardous materials. The team will involve fire departments, police, and environmental specialists. They will be trained to properly handle these accidents and to be familiar with necessary emergency measures such as prompt evacuation of residents nearby as needed. (v) An emergency phone system will be installed along the expressway for prompt reporting of environmental emergencies, as well as other accidents. The telephone number for the environmental emergency teams will be posted in each of the phone booths.
Despite the above measures, potential dangers remain and accidents involving hazardous materials could threaten the safety of people, and pollute waterways and soils in accident areas.
G. Indirect Developments
57. Impact may also come from induced industrial development. The expressway will make CRD and HRD more attractive for further development and for investment from outside sources. Short- and long-term development plans for the regions place chemical/petrochemical, pharmaceutical, general machining, textile, and construction material industries at the top of the priority list. Although most of the planned industrial development will be the expansion of existing establishments, some new ones can be expected in locations along the expressway, especially on land near expressway entrances/exits and major interchanges. The CC and the VA roads will promote township and village industries such as food processing, metal shops, hand knitting, and so on. While benefiting the local economy and standards of living of the people in the Project area in general, the new developments and emissions/discharges from new industries will impact adversely on the surrounding environment.
58. The key environmental protection measure for new industrial developments is sound environmental planning and management. No developments will be allowed without an appropriate environmental impact assessment and mitigation plan.
V. ALTERNATIVES
59. Two alternative expressway alignments were contemplated and evaluated at the planning stage of this Project. Alternative I is on the west side of the Beijing-Pukou railway and crosses the rails to the east side near Botou county; Alternative II is consistently on the east side of the railway. Both alternatives would pass through the same counties and cities and are about 30-50 km apart. Other features of the alternatives are summarized in Table 13. 22
Table 13: Comparison of the Two Alternatives
Item Unit Alternative I Alternative II Land requirement mua 18,882 19,538 Nature of the land Mostly arable, Mostly saline-alkali many orchards some orchards Fruit trees removal/replacement number 31,000 8,200 Interference with urban planning no yes Culverts number 156 151 Bridges number 70 109 Total length km 140.9 145.8 a 15 mu to a hectare.
60. Alternative II is less environmentally sensitive, in terms of the impacts on fruit trees and arable lands. However, it will take more land, interfere with urban development planned for Cangzhou City, be about 5 km longer, and be more expensive to construct. After consideration of all factors, Alternative I was selected.
VI. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS
61. Table 14 gives the costs of environmental protection, impact mitigation, and compensation (excluding costs for sewage treatment at construction camps, watering for dust suppression, etc., which will be borne by contractors).
Table 14: Estimated Cost for Environmental Protection/Compensation
Item Unit Quantity Rate (Y) Amount (x1000 Y) Landscape/reforestation km 365.9 20,000- 18,740 100,000 Walls for noise attenuation m2 13,200 50-100 960 Silt loss control and m3 246,000 490 120,032 drainage system Tree compensation each 124,800 5-500 24,949 Agricultural compensationa mu 25,753 4,912- 152,181 6,292 Construction of water wells each 360 1,760 Resettlement for noise m2 2,980 500 1,490 alleviation Tomb relocation each 2,361 25-70 145 Grade separated crossings each 252 116,873 Two emergency vehicles, and each 3 500,000 3,000 one monitoring vehicle 2,000,000 Wastewater treatment in the each 4 700,000 2,800 service areas Personnel training person- 15 5,000- 1,100 month (overseas) 66,000 20 (domestic) Total 444,030 a 15 mu to a hectare. 23
62. The annual costs of environmental protection are given in Table 15.
Table 15: Annual Operating Cost for Environmental Protection
Item Cost (x1000 Y) Remarks Environmental equipment operation 199 Of which 139,000 is for and maintenance costs, depreciation equipment depreciation Green area maintenance 185 @ Y200-1000/km Technical renovation 200 New mitigation technologies Environmental contingency cost 100 For unforeseeable mitigation measures Environmental monitoring 30 Noise, air and water Wages for environmental staff 100 20 @ Y500/person/month Personnel training 10 Domestic Administration cost 100 @ Y5000/person/year Total 924
63. The environmental and socioeconomic benefits of this Project include reduced air emissions and noise on NH 104, reduced air emissions on the existing CC roads, creation of a large number of short- and long-term jobs for the local economy, direct benefit from the improved environment. The benefit from reduced air emissions is estimated to be about Y1.74 million.
VII. INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM
64. An organizational chart for environmental management has been developed for this Project. It involves the following offices:
• National Environmental Protection Agency; • Environmental Protection Office, MOC; • Environmental Protection Division, HPCD; • Environmental Protection Bureau, Hebei Province; • Environmental Protection Bureaus of the counties and regional districts involved; • Provincial project management and operation agencies; and • Design Institutes and EIA consultants and contractors.
65. The environmental responsibilities of agencies are defined for various stages of this Project in Table 16. 24
Table 16: Environmental Responsibilities
Project Stage Responsible Staff Size Responsibilities Agencies/ Organizations Design Design Institute 1 Incorporation of mitigation measures into engineering design Design IFILPO 2 Review and approval of environmental measures Tendering Contractors N/A Include environmental management programs in the bids Construction Contractors 1 full time Supervise implementation of personnel environmental measures each Construction IFILPO 2 Environmental monitoring and periodical environmental inspection Operation BS Highway 2 Environmental management and Administration Div. (planned) environmental monitoring
66. There are two part-time environmental staff in IFILPO (the agency responsible for construction), and two are planned for the Beijing-Shanghai Highway (Hebei Section) Administration Division (BSHAD, the organization responsible for operation). Environmental monitoring will be carried out by the CRD’s monitoring station during construction and by BSHAD during operation. The monitoring station has ten full- time environmental technicians and six units of air and noise monitoring equipment. BSHAD and the monitoring station’s environmental staff have not been involved in, and therefore lack experience with, environmental management for highway construction and operations. These technicians as well as some management staff will receive training, both domestic and overseas, in environmental monitoring, interpretation of monitoring results, mitigation planning, environmental policy making, and other environmental management techniques.
67. Training for 15 person-months overseas and 20 person-months in country is proposed for the environmental staff. Overseas training will involve five persons: one senior manager, two technicians from BSHAD, one technician from the monitoring station, and one from the emergency response team. Upon their return, these five technicians will act as primary resources for domestic training for other staff of the monitoring station and the emergency response team. The total cost for the training is estimated at Y1.1 million.
68. A mobile environmental monitoring vehicle, capable of insitu air and noise monitoring and/or sampling, will be purchased for BSHAD for the monitoring program during operation. The procurement plan includes two emergency response vehicles, capable of handling hazardous waste spills. The estimated total cost for the vehicles is Y3 million.
69. The environmental monitoring program is described in Table 17. 25
Table 17: Environmental Monitoring Plan
Construction Stage Operation Stage Air Monitoring Locations Pug mills, dusty roads Xiaoti, Xingmazi, Dawang, Cuijiawa, Yangzhuang villages Parameters TSP, pug mill emissions NOx, CO, TSP Frequency Twice a year Once a year Length of monitoring 1-3 days 5 days Sampling hours 10 am and 3 pm 7-11 am and 2-5 pm Implementing institutions Municipal monitoring station Municipal monitoring station Responsible agency IFILPO BSHAD Review agency Provincial EPB Provincial EPB
Noise Monitoring Locations Sensitive areas within 150 m Xiaoti, Wangcheng, Xingmazi, from construction site and Guogangzi, Dawang, Cuijiawa, buildings within 50 m from Yangzhuang, Tanzhuang, piling sites Laizhuangzi village Parameters Noise Noise Frequency Twice a year or pile driving Once a year Length of monitoring 2 days or during pile driving 3 days Sampling hours Twice a day 10 - 11 am and 10 - 11 pm Implementing agency Municipal monitoring station Municipal monitoring station Responsible agency IFILPO BSHAD Review agency Provincial EPB Provincial EPB
Water Quality Monitoring Locations South Canal at expressway, South Canal at expressway, New Ziya River at New Ziya River at expressway, expressway, Heilonggang River at service area, Xuanhui River at CC roads, Xuanhui River at service area. Nanpixui River at expressway Parameters SS, COD, and O&G SS, COD, and O&G Frequency Three times a year Twice a year (dry and rainy seasons) Monitoring party Municipal monitoring station BSHAD Responsible agency IFILPO BSHAD Review agency Provincial EPB Provincial EPB
70. The environmental monitoring results at both construction and operational stages will be submitted to the responsible agency, or IFILPO and BSHAD, which, in turn, will submit the results to the Environmental Office of MOC. IFILPO and BSHAD will be responsible for reviewing the monitoring results and, if necessary, will decide on further mitigation actions during the construction and operational stages, respectively. Copies of all results will be sent to environmental bureaus of the counties and cities involved, the provincial Environmental Protection Bureau, NEPA and ADB. These agencies/institutions may also request that appropriate actions be taken for environmental mitigation as they deem necessary.
VIII. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 26
71. The first of the two-part public participation program for the expressway component consisted of a series of meetings held 7-10 August 1996. Attending were 40 representatives from 28 such organizations as communications, agriculture, land, hydrology, climate, and environmental bureaus of all the counties and cities where the expressway will pass. The objective of the meetings was to solicit comments and opinions on the project from the perspective of the participating agencies.
72. The other part of the public participation program was a public opinion poll. A questionnaire on the Project, designed by the EIA team together with HPCD, was distributed to the potentially affected public between 6 and 26 September 1996 for the expressway and CC roads components, and between 15-17 April 1997 for the VA roads component. Farmers, workers, government officials, and teachers were among those who gave their opinions on the Project through the questionnaire. Returned questionnaires were 151 for the expressway, 90 for the CC roads, and 53 for the VA roads. Limited direct consultation with affected villagers on the VA and the CC roads were also made during site visits in April 1997.
73. The results of the public meetings and the completed questionnaires, showed the following major public opinions and concerns on the Project.
• All who returned the questionnaire supported the Project and considered it a necessity to promote economic development and reduce poverty in the region. • The vast majority expressed their willingness to accept the land acquisition and resettlement plan. However, those who would be affected wanted the compensation and land acquisition costs to be fair, to comply with relevant state and provincial policies, and to be paid on time and in full, instead of in many installments. • The primary environmental concerns included the loss of green field, protection of water wells, and traffic noise. • The existing infrastructure, such as roads, bridge, hydro facilities, power, etc., should be well protected and repaired if damaged during construction. • Sufficient expressway crossings should be provided to villages on both sides of the expressway for their outings and visits to other places. • There should be sufficient culverts under the VA roads for irrigation. • Dongguang, Haixi, Yanshan, Mengcui, Nanpi, Fucheng, and Jingxian are “poverty counties." They wish to receive special support, such as financial support, for their part of the CC roads.
74. The majority of the issues raised through the public participation program have been appropriately addressed during the EIA and mitigation planning. Specific mitigation measures have been designed to avoid or minimize the adverse impacts about which people are most concerned, with specific implementing timetables and budgets. Concerns that are beyond the scope of the EIA, such as resettlement plan (see Appendix 1) and protection of existing infrastructures during construction, have been conveyed to relevant authorities.
IX. CONCLUSIONS 27
75. The fully fenced, limited-access Beijing-Shanghai Expressway Hebei Section will lower transportation cost and reduce travel time. The CC and the VA roads will provide a significant aid to the poor in the “poverty villages” through greatly improved access to marketplaces. The expressway will serve as part of the national highway network and, together with the CC and the VA roads, significantly improve the regional infrastructure, making the region more attractive to further development and outside investments. The construction and operation of the Project will bring a large number of direct and induced employment opportunities to the local economy.
76. From the regional perspective, the Project will significantly reduce motor vehicle emissions as a result of improved motor vehicle engine efficiency when operating on the expressway. As much of the traffic on NH 104 will be diverted to the expressway, noise levels are expected to be reduced by about 6 dB(A). An estimated 144,000 or more people as well as schools, hospitals, and other sensitive receptors near the highway will directly benefit from the improved air and acoustic environments. The reduced emissions from motor vehicles on the upgraded CC roads will benefit an additional 88,000 people living near the CC road corridors.
77. The adverse impacts generated by the expressway will be avoided or reduced to insignificant levels through appropriate mitigation and compensation measures. Such measures include a reforestation and landscape program along the project alignments to compensate for about 18 percent of green field lost to the project, construction of 223 grade separated crossings under the expressway to mitigate agricultural field and rural community severance, construction of wastewater treatment facilities in service areas, increases in the height of residential property perimeter walls to attenuate noise levels; building of temporary roads to minimize the effect on the traffic during upgrading of the CC and the VA road; development of sound environmental programs during construction to mitigate such impacts as noise, dust and silt runoff; and establishment of environmental emergency teams to minimize impacts of motor vehicle accidents involving hazardous materials.
78. Some adverse impacts, while mitigated to acceptable levels, will still be noticeable. These include a permanent net loss of about 21,165 mu of agricultural land, two to five years time required to completely replace the lost yields of fruit trees, increased noise to mostly rural residents living near the project alignments, temporary obstruction and detouring of traffic on the CC and the VA roads during construction, and accidental releases of hazardous materials from tanker trucks on the expressway.
79. To ensure the protection of the environment from anticipated adverse impacts and to decide whether to take further actions for impact mitigation where needed, noise, air quality, and water quality will be monitored during construction and operation. The monitoring stations will be located in sensitive areas such as villages, schools, hospitals, and rivers. 28
Appendix 1
BRIEF SUMMARY OF RESETTLEMENT PLANNING
1. Resettlement action planning under the Project is covered by five Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) for the main alignment for the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, the Botou-Haifeng connecting road, the Fucheng-Dongguang connecting road, the Dongguang-Qiantongzhen connecting road, and the Jingxian-Wuqiao connecting road. The total cost of the resettlement package is about Y177 million or about $21.4 million. The bulk of the amount will be for land acquisition, fruit tree compensation, and relocation of utilities. The bigger portion (about 74 percent) represents resettlement costs for the main expressway.
2. The national and provincial laws and regulations on resettlement in PRC now substantially meet the requirements of international funding agencies. The structure and content of the RAPs basically follow models provided by such funding agencies as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Major sections are devoted to the project background, project effect, legal framework, cost estimates, resettlement and recovery planning, organizational structure, participation and consultation processes, monitoring, reporting, and grievance and appeal. Considerable detail is provided in tables in the RAP. For example, in addition to a list of the affected population, information is provided on such specific vulnerable groups as families headed by women, the elderly, the disabled, the very poor, and national minorities. In the case of this Project, of the total population to be resettled or to lose land, the vulnerable groups are only marginally affected.
3. The main expressway accounts for the bulk of the land to be acquired for the Project (about 75 percent) and the fruit trees to be lost (about 80 percent). The majority of the housing to be lost will be on the Fuchen-Dongguang connecting road. The highest impact on the poor will be on the Jingxian-Wuqiao connecting road because of the need to take land for the new alignments planned. In each case, the preliminary planning for alignments has taken into account the impact on the population. Where possible, villages have been avoided and less populated areas have been selected.
4. Compensation rates have been based on standard national guidelines and regulations. Payments for land taken will be made to the villages, which hold and allocate land on behalf of the state to individual farmers. Payments for housing or such investments as trees and fences will be made directly to the farmers. Details on such compensation are provided in the RAPs. Planning is also keyed to the start-up dates for construction on each of the sections of roadworks.