Initial Environmental Examination

Initial Environmental Examination Project Number: 53382-001 May 2021 Bangladesh: South Asia Sub regional Economic Cooperation Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Road Investment Project Prepared by the Roads and Highways Division, Bangladesh, Dhaka for the Asian Development Bank. Page i Terms as Definition AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ADB Asian Development Bank AMAN Rice (grown in wet season) APHA American Public Health Association ARIPA Acquisition and Requisition of Immoveable Property Act As Arsenic BD Bangladesh BIWTA Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority BNBC Bangladesh National Building Code BOQ Bill of Quantities Boro Rice (grown in dry season) BRTA Bangladesh Road Transport Authority BWDB Bangladesh Water Development Board CITES Convention on Trade in Endangered Species CO Carbon Monoxide CoI Corridor of Impact CPRs Community Property Resources DMMP Dredged Material Management Plan DC Deputy Commissioner DO Dissolved Oxygen DoE Department of Environment DoF Department of Forest EA Executive Agency ECA Environmental Conservation Act ECR Environmental Conservation Rules EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan EMoP Environmental Monitoring Plan Engineer The construction supervision consultant/engineer EPAS Environmental Parameter Air Sampler EPC Engineering Procurement and Construction EQS Environmental Quality Standards ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ESSU Environmental and Social Safeguards Unit FC Faecal Coliform FGD Focus Group Discussion FOB Foot Over Bridge GHG Greenhouse Gases GoB Government of Bangladesh GPS Global Positioning System GRC Grievance Redress Committee GRM Grievance Redress Mechanism GSIP Gender and Social Inclusion Plan ha Hectare HYV High Yielded Variety ICTPs International Conventions, Treaties and Protocols IEC Individual Environmental Consultant IoL Inventory of Losses IFC International Finance Corporation IRC Indian Roads Congress IUCN International Union for Conservation and Nature JVC Joint Venture Consultant Page ii LGED Local Government Engineering Department LRFD Load Factor Resistance Design km Kilometre km/h kilometre per hour NM Noise Measurement NO Nitric Oxide NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide MG Metre Gauge MoEFCC Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change MoRTB Ministry of Road and Bridges O3 Ozone PCU Passenger Car Unit PDPs Project Displaced Persons PM 10 Particulate Matter (less than or equal to 10 microns) PM 2.5 Particulate Matter (less than or equal to 2.5 microns) PPE Personal Protective Equipment PPV Peak Particle Velocity PT Performance Target PWD Public Works Department RoW Right of Way SOx Sulfur Dioxide SPS Safeguards Policy Statement TC Total coliform TDS Total Dissolved Solid TOC Total Organic Carbon TSS Total Suspended Solid TPP Tree Planation Plan UN United Nation VG -40 Viscosity grade-40 Currency Equivalent Weight and Measures (as of 11 Jan 2021) I ha = 2.47 acre Currency Unit = Bangladesh Taka (BDT) 1 ha = 10,000sqm BDT 1.00 = $ 0.1182 1 Acre= 100 decimal $ 1.00 = BDT 84.6 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 on ADB’s 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. Page iii CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I I INTRODUCTION 1 A. Background of the Project and Rationale 1 B. Objectives of the Project and Outcome 1 C. Objective of the IEE 3 D. Extent of IEE Study 4 E. Approach and Methodology 5 II POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK 8 A. GoB’s Legal Framework and Regulatory Requirements 8 B. Environmental Categorization of the Project by GoB 14 C. Environmental Clearance Procedures 14 D. International Treaties and Commitments 17 E. Specific Rules and Regulations Relevant to Road Projects 18 F. ADB’s Safeguard Policy and Categorization of the Project 22 III DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 24 A. Location of the Project 24 B. Project Category 26 C. Characteristic of the existing Road 27 D. Traffic 31 E. Proposed Upgrading and Improvement of the Project Road 31 F. Construction Materials, Sourcing and Utilities Need 60 G. Social and Resettlement Considerations 63 H. Implementation Schedule of the Project 63 IV DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 64 A. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT 64 A. Ecological Environment 94 B. Socio-economic Environment 111 V ANTICIPATED IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 123 A. Methodology of Impacts Identifications 123 B. Screening of Anticipated Impacts 125 C. Assessment of Alternatives (Alignment Options) 133 D. Typical Potential Beneficial Impacts 137 E. Potential Adverse Impacts 137 F. Pre-construction Phase Impacts and Mitigations 137 G. Construction Period Impacts and Mitigations 153 Page iv H. Operational Phase Impacts and Mitigation 191 I. Emergency Response Plan: 206 VI GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSION 208 A. Climate Change Mitigation 208 VII INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, CONSULTATIONS AND PARTICIPATION 220 A. Objective of the Public Consultation 220 B. Project Stakeholders 220 C. Consultations with Project Affected People/Beneficiaries 220 D. Consultations with Governmental Departments 222 E. Outcome of Consultations 226 F. Disclosure of Information 226 G. Virtual Consultation Meeting on Safeguard Issues 238 VIII GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM 239 A. ADB’s Requirement of Grievance Redress 239 B. Grievance Redress Mechanisms 239 IX ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 242 A. Environmental Management Plan (EMP) 242 B. Environmental Monitoring Program (EMoP) 243 C. Environment Management Budget 244 D. Organisational Set-Up to Implement the EMP 246 X CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 251 BIBLIOGRAPHY 253 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Contract Package-wise Length and Civil Cost ....................................................... 2 Table 2. Bangladesh Policies and Acts Relevant to Environment ...................................... 11 Table 3. Institutions involved to Permit NOC for Obtaining ECC from DOE ........................ 17 Table 4: International Treaties, Conventions and Protocols Signed by GoB ....................... 18 Table 5: Relevant to Labor Acts in Bangladesh ................................................................ 22 Table 6. Environmental Regulatory Compliance of the Project .......................................... 23 Table 7: Existing RoW, Roads Intersections, Built up Areas, CD Structures ....................... 28 Table 8: Projected Vehicles and PCU in Six Homogenous Sections .................................. 31 Table 9: Adopted Design Criteria for the Project ............................................................... 32 Table 10. Proposed Community Safety Drainage Structures ............................................. 37 Table 11: New and Reconstruction of Culverts and Bridges .............................................. 40 Table 12: Proposed Protection Works of the Project ......................................................... 47 Table 13. Basic Road Design Features of the Project Road .............................................. 48 Page v Table 14. Quantity and Sourcing of Construction Materials ............................................... 62 Table 15: Name of Ambient Air Quality Testing Locations ................................................. 68 Table 16: Sensitive Receptors Located Alongside the Project Road .................................. 74 Table 17. Flood prone Areas within the Project Alignment ................................................ 85 Table 18: Annual Maximum and Minimum Water Levels in the Project Area ...................... 86 Table 19. Affected Waterbodies within the Proposed RoW................................................ 87 Table 20: Affected Waterbodies within RoW of the Proposed Realignments ...................... 87 Table 21: Names of Surface water Sampling Locations and Sampling ID .......................... 89 Table 22: Name of the Sampling Locations of Groundwater .............................................. 91 Table 23: Protected Areas Located within 10 Km buffer of Project Area ............................ 97 Table 24. Affected Trees within the Proposed RoW of the Project ................................... 102 Table 25: Presence of Migratory Birds at Rivers Banks of Major Bridge ........................... 106 Table 26. Land Type Classes within the Project Districts ................................................ 111 Table 27: Length of Road under RHD by Road Classification, 2016 ................................ 112 Table 28: Land use classification witin 10 km buffer........................................................ 115 Table 29: Population, Sex, HHs Number, Average HH Size and Population Density ........ 118 Table 30: Tribal Population and Tribal Households in Project Areas ................................ 119 Table 31: Affected Persons, HHs and Other Entities by the Project ................................. 120 Table 32: Distribution of Affected Households/Units under 13 Packages ......................... 121 Table 33: Criteria for rating the significance of impacts ................................................... 125 Table 34: Anticipated Impacts Screening for the Project ................................................

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