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Summary Environmental Impact Assessment Gansu SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT GANSU ROADS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA July 2004 CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 1 July 2004) Currency Unit – yuan (CNY) CNY1.00 = $0.1208 1.00 = CNY8.2766 ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Asian Development Bank AIDS – acquired immune deficiency syndrome COD – chemical oxygen demand CRO – county resettlement office EIA – environmental impact assessment EMP – environmental management plan EPB – environmental protection bureau ErPP – soil erosion prevention plan GCSO – general contract supervision office GPCD – Gansu Provincial Communications Department GPG – Gansu Provincial Government GWRB – Gansu Water Resource Bureau HIV – human immunodeficiency virus IEE – initial environmental examination I/M – inspection and maintenance KMNRMD – Kongtong Mountain Nature Reserve Management Department MOC – Ministry of Communications NH – national highway NR – nature reserve PMO – project management office PRC – People’s Republic of China PRO – project resettlement office RP – resettlement plan SEIA – summary environmental impact assessment SEPA – State Environmental Protection Administration STD – sexually transmitted disease TA – technical assistance TOR – terms of reference TSP – total suspended particles WEIGHTS AND MEASURES dB(A) – decibels (measured in audible noise bands) ha – hectare km – kilometer m – meter m2 – square meter m3 – cubic meter mm – millimeter mte – medium truck equivalent pcu – passenger car unit pH – acidity t – ton NOTE In this report, "$" refers to US dollars. CONTENTS MAPS I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 1 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 3 A. Physical Environment 3 B. Ecological Environment 7 C. Sociocultural Environment 8 IV. ALTERNATIVES 9 V. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 11 A. Soil Erosion and Flooding 15 B. Noise 17 C. Water 18 D. Air 19 E. Impact on Natural Preservation Area of Kongtong Mountain 20 F. Impact on Flora and Fauna 22 G. Transport of Hazardous and Toxic Materials 22 H. Vehicle Emissions 22 I. Cumulative Impacts on the Western Part of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 23 J. Industrial Development Induced by the Project 24 K. Local Road Environmental Impact 25 L. Environmental Impacts Due to Deviation of Alignment 25 VI. ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT 25 A. Environmental Mitigation Costs 25 B. Environmental Benefits 26 VII. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 26 VIII. PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND DISCLOSURE 29 IX. CONCLUSION 31 APPENDIXES 1. Summary of Soil Erosion Prevention Plan 33 2. Mitigation Costs 38 3. Environmental Management Action Plan 40 4. Summary of Public Consultation Program 51 5. Summary Resettlement Plan 57 I. INTRODUCTION 1. This summary environmental impact assessment (SEIA) report is primarily based on information contained in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report1 for the Project’s expressway component, which was prepared by Tsinghua University; as well as the initial environmental examination (IEE) for the local road component prepared under technical assistance (TA).2 The SEIA report follows the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Environmental Policy and Environmental Assessment Guidelines. Additional information was obtained through a series of meetings with local environmental, socioeconomic, and resettlement specialists as well as with project planners, design engineers, and officers from the Gansu Provincial Communications Department (GPCD), which is the Executing Agency for the Project. Direct observations during site visits to the project area further improved understanding of the Project’s general setting and surrounding environmental conditions. The SEIA also draws on information from the resettlement plan3 (RP), the project feasibility study report,4 soil erosion prevention plan,5 and the work of the TA team. Data in the EIA and the other reports were updated, where appropriate, during the SEIA’s preparation, following ADB's safeguard policies and environmental assessment guidelines. 2. In March 2003, GPCD commissioned Tsinghua University to conduct the EIA. University staff visited field to prepare terms of reference (TOR) for GPCD in October 2003. The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) approved the TOR in January 2004. Based on the TOR, Tsinghua University completed the draft EIA in May 2004 on the alignment shown in the revised feasibility study report and preliminary design drawings, finalized the draft EIA, and submitted it to the Ministry of Communications (MOC) for review in July 2004. The EIA will be submitted to SEPA for approval. 3. The EIA report was prepared using methodologies and standards consistent with relevant guidelines established by SEPA and MOC of the People's Republic of China (PRC), as well as in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 4. The Project contains two main physical work components: (i) the construction of a 231- kilometer (km)-long four-lane controlled-access expressway from Luohandong to Dingxi, and (ii) upgrading of five local roads of about 460 km. In addition, the Project will acquire land and right- of-way required for this physical work. It will also include road safety improvement, construction supervision, capacity building, institutional strengthening, and human resources development. Key features of the Project are summarized in Tables 1 and 2. The location of the Project is shown in Map 1. 5. The main objectives of the Project are to (i) promote economic growth, (ii) reduce poverty in the eastern part of Gansu Province through better and safer traffic conditions and 1 Environmental Impact Assessment Department, Tsinghua University. 2004. Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the Luohandong-Dingxi Expressway. 2 ADB. 2003. Technical Assistance to the People’s Republic of China for Preparing the Gansu Roads Development Project. Manila. 3 Ningxia Poverty Reduction and Environmental Improvement Center. 2004. Resettlement Action Plan. 4 Gansu Provincial Communications Planning, Survey and Design Institute. Feasibility Study. Originally completed in May 2003 and revised in March 2004. 5 Beijing Water Resource Research Institute, Ministry of Water Resources. 2004. Soil Erosion Prevention Plan Report for the Luohandong-Dingxi Expressway. 2 provide access to poor rural areas, and (iii) contribute to regional development. The Project will accomplish the objectives by (i) alleviating congestion, reducing travel time and vehicle operating costs, and improving road safety; and (ii) improving the access of the poor rural population to market centers. While contributing to poverty reduction, the Project will also support reforms relating to road safety, vehicle emissions, and corporate governance. Table 1: Key Features of the Expressway Componenta Item Quantity Item Quantity Total Length (km) 257.4 Permanent Land Occupied (ha) 1,148.1 Design Speed (km/h) 80 and 100 Temporary Land Occupied (ha) 102.3 Road Surface width (m) 24.5 and 25.5 House Demolition (m2) 55,611.5 Auxiliary Road (km) 94 Total Earth Work (10 million m3) 36.0 No. of Interchanges 13 Total Stone Work (10 million m3) 4.1 No. of Grade-Separated 16 Cut (10 million m3) 22.3 Crossings No. of Culverts 652 Fill (10 million m3) 31.1 No. of Bridges 143 Borrow (10 million m3) 17.8 No. of Crossings 260 Spoil (10 million m3) 8.9 No. of Tunnels 6 Total Workforce (10 million person days ) 3.6 No. of Services Areas 5 No. of Crossings per km 1.4 Costs (CNY billion) 7,245 Construction Time (year) 5.0 a Including 26 km connecting road from Changqingqiao to Luohandong that will use domestic fund. ha=hectare, km=kilometer, km/h=kilometer per hour, m=meter, m2=square meter, m3=cubic meter. Source: Feasibility study report, environmental impact assessment, soil erosion prevention plan, and resettlement plan, 2004. Table 2: Key Features of the Local Road Component Length Improvement Costs Costs/km No. Start–Finish (km) From To (CNY million) (CNY ’000) 1. Pingliang–Gaozhai 40.0 IV III 24.1 602.0 2. Jiingyuan–Chankou 117.4 IV III 65.6 559.0 3. Guochengyi– 118.0 IV III 153.4 1,300.0 Houjiachuan 4. Pingfeng–Qinan 104.4 IV III 49.9 922.0 5. Dingxi–Longxi 80.0 III III 88.9 1,111.0 (paving only) Total 459.8 381.9 km=kilometer. Source: Gansu Provincial Communications Department. 6. The existing road between Lanzhou and Xi’an consists of a section of national highway (NH) 312 that stretches between Shanghai and Huoerguosi in the Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region. It is a combination of Class I and Class II roads, and urban streets. The topography throughout the major part of NH312 in the project area is loess and mountains. Traffic congestion on some sections, especially during the rainy season is due mainly to landslides. Travel time from Lanzhou to Xi’an via NH312 is currently about 15 hours, and current average traffic volume is estimated at about 5,786 passenger car units (pcus) per day. Delays are frequent because of difficult road conditions, small radius curves, and low design speed. The incidence of accidents is also high. The project expressway will increase corridor capacity to about 55,000 pcus per day and reduce travel time to about 7 hours. 7. As part of the poverty reductions element of the Project, five county and village roads, about 460 km long, were identified for improvement. Of this, about 23 km will be new construction and the rest mainly rehabilitation and upgrading work that will not have significant negative environmental impacts. The roads were selected on the basis of community needs, 3 population served, and presence of poor and very poor families. The improvements are predicted to serve about 728,250 people and will cost CNY382 million. III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT A. Physical Environment 1. Topography, Geology, and Soil a. Expressway Area 8. The project expressway will pass though three major areas. The first is the Jing River Valley from Luohandong to Kongtong Mountain, which averages 1.4 km wide and possesses a floodplain and terraces. The terraces are 2–10 meters (m) higher than the wide and shallow riverbed, while the floodplain is only 60-80 cm higher than the riverbed. The second area is Kongtong gorge, which is the lower part of Liupanshan Mountain gorge.
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