Initial Environmental Examination June 2014 BAN: SASEC Railway Connectivity: Akhaura- Laksam Double Track Project Prepared by the Ministry of Railways, Government of Bangladesh for the Asian Development Bank. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 30 March 2014) Currency unit – Bangladesh Taka (BDT) BDT 1.00 = $ 0.12 $1.00 = BDT 78.85 ABBREVIATIONS ADB = Asian Development Bank As = Arsenic BADC = Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation BD = Bangladesh BIWTA = Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority BOQ = Bill of Quantities BR = Bangladesh Railway BUET = Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology BWDB = Bangladesh Water Development Board CO = Carbon Monoxide CPRs = Community Property Resources CROW = Construction Right of Way The Engineer = Construction Supervision Consultant CWLR = Continuous long welded rail track system dd/mm/yy = Date notation to be used at all times DG = Director General DO = Dissolved Oxygen DoE = Department of Environment DoF = Department of Forest DPHE = Department of Public Health Engineering ECA = Environmental Conservation Act ECR = Environmental Conservation Rules EIA = Environmental Impact Assessment EMoP = Environmental Monitoring Plan EMP = Environmental Management Plan EPAS = Environmental Parameter Air Sampler EQS = Environmental Quality Standards ESCAP = United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific EMiT = Environmental Mitigation Table EMoT = Environmental Monitoring Table ESSU = Environmental and Social Safeguards Unit FD = Forest Department Fe = Iron FGD = Focus Group Discussion GHG = Greenhouse Gases GM = General Manager GoB = Government of Bangladesh GPS = Global Positioning System GRC = Grievance Redress Committee GRM = Grievance Redress Mechanism GW = Ground Water ha = Hectare h = Hour HYV = High Yield Variety IC = Inter-City ICTPs = International Conventions, Treaties and Protocols EIB = European Investment Bank IEE = Initial Environmental Examination IESR = Initial Environmental Scoping Report IUCN = International Union for Conservation and Nature JICA = Japan International Cooperation Agency Khadi = rough textures of the spun cotton km = Kilometre km/h = Kilometre per Hour LGED = Local Government Engineering Department M = Metre Mn = Manganese MPTS = Multipurpose Tree Species NE = Northeast NEMAP = National Environmental Management Action Plan NGO = Non-Government Organization NM = Noise Measurement NO = Nitric Oxide NO2 = Nitrogen di-oxide O3 = Ozone PC = Public Consultation PCRs = Physical and Cultural Resources PM10 = Particulate Matter (less than or equal to 10 microns PM2.5 = Particulate Matter (less than or equal to 2.5 microns PAPs = Project Affected Persons PRA = Participatory Rural Appraisal Q/A = Questions & Answers QS = Questionnaire Survey RCC = Roller Compacted Concrete RCI = Regional Cooperation and Integration RCIP-Rail = Regional Cooperation and Integration Project- Rail Component RH = Relative Humidity RHD = Roads and Highway Department RoW = Right of Way RLFL = Recorded lowest Flood Level RHFL = Recorded Highest Flood Level RTW = River Training Works S = Sulphur SAARC = South Asia Association of Regional Cooperation SHWL = Standard High Water Level SO2 = Sulphur di-oxide SPS = Safeguards Policy Statement SRDI = Soil Resource Development Institute SRMTS = SAARC Regional Multimodal Transport Study SW = Surface Water TDS = Total Dissolved Solids TEU = 20 foot equivalent units TOC = Total Organic Carbon ToR = Terms of References TSS = Total Suspended Solid UNO = Upazila Nirbahi Officer USD = US Dollars UP = Union Parishad USEPA = US Environmental Protection Agency VOC = Volatile Organic Compound WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 1 ha – 2.47 acre 1 ha – 10,000 sq.m 1 acre – 100 decimal NOTE The Construction Supervision Consultant Engineer is referred as The Engineer, throughout this report, since this is the terminology used in the construction contract documents This Project, Subproject 2, is one of seven subprojects being investigated under the RCIP-Rail Component. It shall be referred to herein as the Project This Initial Environmental Examination is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. Your attention is directed to the “terms of use” section of this website. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 A. Background .......................................................................................................... 1 B. Need for Project ................................................................................................... 1 C. Scope of Environmental Assessment ................................................................... 4 D. Objectives of the IEE ............................................................................................ 4 E. Methodology ......................................................................................................... 4 F. Environmental Classification of Project ................................................................. 9 II. POLICY, LEGAL, AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK ...................................10 A. Bangladesh .........................................................................................................10 B. Relevant International Conventions, Treaties and Protocols (ICTPs) ...................11 C. GoB Environmental Clearance and Public Consultation Procedure .....................12 D. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) ...................................................................13 E. European Investment Bank .................................................................................14 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT ........................................................................16 A. General ...............................................................................................................16 B. Project Boundaries and Design ...........................................................................16 C. Project Design .....................................................................................................18 D. Social and Resettlement Considerations .............................................................24 E. Project Implementation Schedule ........................................................................25 IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT ...........................................................26 A. Biophysical Environment .....................................................................................26 B. Social Environment .............................................................................................38 C. The Gumti River Bridge .......................................................................................41 V. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................43 A. Alternative to the Project .....................................................................................43 B. Without the Project Alternative ............................................................................43 C. Alternative Alignments .........................................................................................43 VI. IMPACTS AND MITIGATIVE MEASURES .........................................................46 A. Pre-Construction Period: Project Location and Design ........................................46 B. Construction Period Environmental Effects and Proposed Mitigation ...................48 C. Operating Period .................................................................................................61 D. Climate Risks ......................................................................................................68 E. Summary of Potential Impacts .............................................................................71 F. Environmental Benefits and Enhancements ........................................................71 VII. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM ..............................................................74 A. Introduction .........................................................................................................74 B. The Grievance Redress Committee .....................................................................74 C. Steps to a Solution ..............................................................................................75 D. Publicizing the Grievance Redress Steps and the Committee .............................75 E. Reporting .............................................................................................................76 F. Construction Workers Grievance .........................................................................76 VIII. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, CONSULTATION, AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ...........................................................................................................77 A. General ...............................................................................................................77