Chapter 4 Environmental Management Consultants Ref: Y8LGOEIAPD ESIA of LNG Terminal, Jetty & Extraction Facility - Pakistan Gasport Limited
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ESIA of LNG Terminal, Jetty & Extraction Facility - Pakistan Gasport Limited 4 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE OF THE AREA Baseline data being presented here pertain to the data collected from various studies along the physical, biological and socio-economic environment coast show the influence of NE and SW monsoon of the area where the proposed LNG Jetty and land winds. A general summary of meteorological and based terminal will be located, constructed and hydrological data is presented in following operated. Proposed location of project lies within the section to describe the coastal hydrodynamics of boundaries of Port Qasim Authority and very near the area under study. the Korangi Fish Harbour. Information available from electronic/printed literature relevant to A- Temperature & Humidity baseline of the area, surrounding creek system, Port Qasim as well as for Karachi was collected at the The air temperature of Karachi region is outset and reviewed subsequently. This was invariably moderate due to presence of sea. followed by surveys conducted by experts to Climate data generated by the meteorological investigate and describe the existing socio-economic station at Karachi Air Port represents climatic status, and physical scenario comprising conditions for the region. The temperature hydrological, geographical, geological, ecological records for five years (2001-2005) of Karachi city and other ambient environmental conditions of the are being presented to describe the weather area. In order to assess impacts on air quality, conditions. Table 4.1 shows the maximum ambient air quality monitoring was conducted temperatures recorded during the last 5 years in through expertise provided by SUPARCO. The Karachi. baseline being presented in this section is the extract of literature review, analyses of various samples, Summer is usually hot and humid with some surveys and monitoring. rainfall. The mean maximum temperature recorded is 32°C while the mean minimum winter 4.1- Physical Environment temperature is 10°C. There are occasion when the coastal belt is in the wake of heat wave and the O 4.1.1- Climate maximum temperatures exceeds 40 C but this happens only a few times in the year and last for The coastal meteorology and hydrography of as short duration usually not exceeding three Karachi is controlled by the seasonal change in days at maximum. When this study was the north Arabian Sea i.e. monsoonal system. The conducted the region experienced a high Table 4.1: Mean Monthly Maximum Temperature OC Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual 2001 27.2 29.6 33.1 34.6 35.1 34.8 32.1 32.3 33.1 36.0 33.5 30.4 32.6 2002 27.0 28.1 33.3 35.4 35.6 35.1 32.2 31.0 31.3 36.5 32.7 28.1 32.2 2003 27.6 28.5 32.3 36.6 35.7 34.8 34.1 33.5 32.5 37.0 32.2 28.3 32.8 2004 26.6 29.9 36.2 35.4 36.8 35.6 33.5 32.6 32.8 33.7 30.7 29.4 32.8 2005 24.9 26.2 31.4 35.3 35.4 36.1 33.2 33.2 34.2 35.2 33.1 28.2 32.1 2006 26.0 31.3 31.8 34.0 34.6 35.3 33.8 31.0 34.2 35.0 33.4 26.3 32.2 2007 26.9 29.4 31.4 37.7 36.0 36.4 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 33.0 Source: Pakistan Meteorological Department 1 of 53 Chapter 4 Environmental Management Consultants Ref: Y8LGOEIAPD ESIA of LNG Terminal, Jetty & Extraction Facility - Pakistan Gasport Limited Table 4.2: Mean Monthly Minimum Temperature OC Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual 2001 11.5 14.9 19.6 23.8 28.1 29.0 27.1 26.5 25.9 24.4 18.6 15.8 22.1 2002 12.8 13.8 19.5 23.9 27.0 28.2 29.6 25.6 24.8 22.5 17.7 14.9 21.7 2003 12.7 16.9 19.8 24.2 26.5 28.2 23.6 27.0 25.3 20.9 15.2 12.0 21.0 2004 12.9 14.5 19.1 24.8 27.3 28.8 27.5 26.3 25.3 22.4 18.0 15.4 21.9 2005 12.3 11.3 20.3 23.0 26.4 28.3 27.2 26.6 26.6 22.9 18.9 13.0 21.4 2006 11.7 18.1 19.6 24.5 27.5 28.5 28.3 26.3 26.8 25.7 19.4 14.0 22.5 2007 13.0 17.3 19.7 24.7 27.6 28.6 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 21.8 Source: Pakistan Meteorological Department temperature which touched 44OC (as on 23rd June, above normal in the country except Sargodha and 2007). The Average minimum temperatures Quetta. recorded are shown in Table 4.2. More sunshine means more heat and implying Humidity may reach up to 90% during a monsoon more warming of land and the sea. Consequently spell. NE monsoon brings relief from the hot and Arabian Sea witnessed above normal heating and sultry summer weather. The mean summer onset of early monsoon season. relative humidity recorded by Meteorological The air temperature prevailing at Karachi City and Department at Karachi is 60-65% while the mean its adjoining coastal areas are generally high winter relative humidity is 25-30%. throughout the year. During winter the range of Weather conditions over Pakistan had already variation of temperature is large for Karachi Coast indicated warming and rise in day temperatures specially in respect of maximum and minimum by 0.5OC - 0.8OC at a few places in southwest temperatures. The air temperature range of O Balochistan, at isolated places in upper Sindh and Karachi has an average annual range of about ~6 C O to be falling by 2OC at 9 out of 18 Meteorological to ~42 C. The mean air temperature along the coast O O Centres in the Country, while remaining varies from 24 C to 31 C throughout the year. The O practically unchanged elsewhere in the region. highest temperature (40 C or above) occurs in May, June and October. The minimum O O Night temperatures have also risen by 2 C - 3 C at temperature may fall as low as 5OC to 7OC during a few places in upper Sindh, at isolated places in night and 18OC to 20OC during day in January. The north Balochistan, at an isolated place in lower average annual temperature during summer Sindh, south Balochistan. months is 26OC to 35OC, which may rise to above These were 2OC above normal at an isolated place 40OC during day in May/June. During SW in upper Sindh and were 3OC below normal at an monsoon in July and August due to cloud cover isolated place in northeast Balochistan and nearly the temperature is relatively moderate in Karachi normal elsewhere in the region. but humidity is high (about more than 70 %). The year 2007 has been rather unusual in that the The humidity along the coastal belt of Karachi is total duration of bright sunshine, remained above very high. The data recorded by Pakistan normal in the country. It ranged for 6 to 9 hrs/day Meteorological Department from Karachi city with an increasing trend from North to South. indicate that the monthly average maximum The intensity of solar radiation ranged from 19 humidity (in the morning at 8 A.M) varies from 74 MJ/m² to 23 MJ/m²/day with an increasing trend - 88 % during May to September and the monthly from North to South. Solar Radiations remained minimum average humidity (in the evening at 5 2 of 53 Chapter 4 Environmental Management Consultants Ref: Y8LGOEIAPD ESIA of LNG Terminal, Jetty & Extraction Facility - Pakistan Gasport Limited P.M) varies form 27 - 52 % during October to exceeding 15 mm at a time. Tropical Cyclones March. contain heavy bands of clouds and cause heavy rains during landfall or sometimes cross along the B- Rainfall coast far away but even heavy rainfall is encountered as Karachi received 50 mm rainfall in Karachi falls in dry to semi-arid region with 24 hours due the Guno storm which hit Balochistan rainfall of about 200 mm per year, with most of it in June 2007. falling in July when approximately 82.5 mm rainfall is measured on average. Rainfall is Discussion on recent developments in normally in the summer months of July and August, caused by south-westerly monsoon. There monsoon pattern is also meagre rainfall during winter months of Because of the increased sunshine and the December and January with approximately 12.4 accompanying rise in temperature of the mm in January on an average. landmass, Pakistan served as the main heat Rainfall record available for Karachi, which is engine this year to trigger heavy monsoon rains given in Table-4.3 shows that only 2 to 3 months all over the Indo-Pakistan region. get the heavy rainfall while during the rest of the Such rise in temperature on the one hand months the precipitation is extremely low. Karachi indicates onset of low-pressure zone, which can falls in the semi-arid climate zone. attract rain bearing winds in case they are around.