Public Disclosure Authorized Initial Environmental Examination of Hetauda - Dhalkebar- Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line Project Public Disclosure Authorized
Public Disclosure Authorized Vol. I: Main Report --,: -;~. -- -.~. -
Submitted to 220 kV Transmission Line Construction Department Nepal Electricity Authority
Prepared and Submitted by Nepal Electricity Authority . Environment and Social Studies ~epartment Kharipati, Bhaktapur Phone:6611580.Fax:~11590 Email: [email protected] Public Disclosure Authorized
February, 2011 Hetauda- Dhalkebar Duhabi 400 kV TJL Project Draft lEE Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ...... 111 List of Tables ...... IV List of Figures and Annexes ...... VI List of Photographs ...... VII
1. NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL/INSTITUTION PREPARING THE REPORT ...... 1 1.1 PROPONENT ...... 1-1 1.2 SURVEY LICENSE ...... 1-1 1.3 RATIONALITY FOR CONDUCTING IEE ...... l-l 1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT ...... 1-2
2. GENERAL INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT ...... 2-1 2.1 BACKGROUND ...... 2-1 2.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE lEE SllJDY ...... 2-1 2.3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...... 2-2 2.4 PROJECT AREA DELINEATION ...... 2-7
3. DATA REQUIREMENT AND STUDY METHODOLOGy ...... 3-1 3.1 DESK STUDY AND LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 3-1 3.2 DATA REQUIREMENT COLLECTION METHODS AND ANALYSIS ...... 3-1 3.3 IMPACT IDENTIFICATION AND PREDICTION ...... 3-8 3.4 PUBLIC NOTICE ...... ; ...... 3-9 3.5 TIME COST AND SPECIALIST ...... 3-9
4. REVIEW OF RELEVANT POUCES, ACTS, RULES, GUIDEUNES &. CONVENTION
•••••••••• II II II •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 4-1 4.1 GENERAL ...... 4-1 4.2 NATIONAL PLAN, POLICIES ACTS RULES AND GUIDELINES ...... 4-1 4.3 WORLD BANK SAFEGUARD POLICIES ...... 4-10
5. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXISTING ENVIRONMNET ...... 5-1 5.0 GENERAL ...... 5-1 5.1 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ...... 5-1 5.2 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT ...... 5-10 5.3 SOCIOECONOMIC AND CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT ...... 5-23
Environment and Social Studies Department NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report
6. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ...... 6-1 6.1 BENEFICIAL IMPACTS ...... 6-1 6.2 ADVERSE IMPACTS ...... 6-3
7. ALTERNATIVE ANALySIS ...... 7-1 7.1 GENERAL ...... 7-1 7.2 ROUTE ALTERNATIVE ...... 7-1 7.3 LOCATION ALTERNATIVE ...... 7-1 7.4 DESIGN ALTERNATIVE ...... 7-3 7.5 CONSTRUCTION METHOD ALTERNATIVE ...... 7-4 7.6 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ...... 7-4 7.7 CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE ...... 7-5 7.8 OPERATION PROCEDURE ...... 7-5 7.9 NO ACTION ALTERNATNES ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 7-6
8. MITIGAnON AND ENHANCEMENT MEASURES ...... 8-1 8.1 ENHANCEMENT MEASURESE AND SOCIAL SUPPORT PROGRAMME ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 8-1 8.2 MmGATION MEASURES ...... 8-2 8.3 MmGATION AND ENHANCEMENT MEASURES COST ...... 8-19
9. ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN ...... 9-1 9.1 ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT ...... 9-1 9.2 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING ...... 9-6 9.3 IVlONITORING PARAMffiRS, SCHEDULE AND AGENCIES TO BE CONSULSTED ...... 9-7
10. CONCLUSION ...... 10-1 10.1 CONCLUSION ...... 10-1
Environment and Sodal Studies Department II NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
MPA Aquatic Animal Protection Act AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome B.s. Bikram Sam bat CBS Central Bureau of Statistics CBOs Community Based Organizations CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna CFC Compensation Fixation Committee CFT Cubic feet DDC District Development Committee DoED Department of Electricity Development EIA Environmental Impact Assessment HS EMU Environnent and Social Management Unit EMU Environnent Monitoring Unit EPR Environnent Protection Rule GoN Government of Nepal Ha Hectare INPS Integrated Nepal Power System lEE Initial Environmental Examination IUCN The World Conservation Union Km Kilometer Kwh Kilowatt hour LP Gas Liquid Petroleum Gas m3 Cubic meter MOWR Ministry of Water Resources MoE Ministry of Energy Il.1oEn Ministry of Environment MW Mega Watt NGOs Non Governmental Organizations NEA Nepal Electricity Authority NWP National Water Plan PAF Project Affected Families TOR Terms of Reference STD Sexually Transmitted Disease USAID United States Agency for International Development VDC Village Development Committee
Environment and Social Studies Department III NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report
LIST OF TABLES
Table- 2.1: Project features Table-3.1: Sample plots in different stage of transmission line Table 3.2: Details of Socioeconomic survey Table -5.1: List of critical angle points Table -5.2: Land use along the proposed alignment Table -5.3: Climatological data of the project affected area Table -5.4: Crossing of river road and other utilities Table -5.5: Forest status in the project district Table -5.6: Vegetation types in the RoW Table -5.7: Vegetation communities in the RoW Table -5.8: Distribution of existing vegetation type in different stretch of transmission line Table -5.9: SpeCies of conservation significance in the RoW Table -5.10: Plant species uses by the residents along the transmission line route Table- 5.11: Distribution of Household and Population of PAFs Table- 5.12: Distribution of Surveyed and Population by Board Age Groups Table- 5.13: Family Types of PAFS Table- 5.14: Castel Ethnicity Table- 5.15: Distribution of PAFs by Religion Table- 5.16: Distribution of PAFs by Language Table- 5.17: Literacy Status-6 Years above of the PAFs Table- 5.18: Educational Attainment among the Literate Population of the PAFs Table- 5.19: Occupation Composition of the PAFs (14 to 59 Years) of the Project Area Table- 5.20: Landholding of the PAFs by Type of Land Table- 5.21: Distribution of Households by Landholding Size by the Type of Ownership Table- 5.22: Major Crop Area Coverage, Production and Yield in the Project Area Table -5.23: Livestock Domesticated by PAFs Table -5.24: Food Sufficiency Status of PAFs Table -5.25: Annual Average Income of PAFs Table -5.26: Average Annual Expenditure of the Surveyed Household in the Project Area Table -5.27: Energy Requirement and Supply for Cooking Purpose Table -5.28: Source of Fuel Wood Table -5.29: Source of Energy for lighting purposed Table -5.30: Location for Defecation of the Surveyed HHs Table -5.31: Source of Drinking Water Table -5.32: Expectation of Local people from the Project Table -5.33: Knowleqge Regarding the Project Table -5.34: Attitude Regarding the Project
Environment and Social Studies Department IV NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar Ouhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report
Table 6.1: Impact assessment and mitigation measures matrix Table 6.2: Component Land Take and Land Use Pattern Table 6.3: Angle Tower Located in Unstable Area Table 6.4: District Wise Forest Area within the RoW Table 6.5: Forest Area within the RoWand to be cleared Table 6.6: Loss of Standing Tree along with Wood Volume and Biomass Table 6.7: Loss of Standing Tree in different stretch of Transmission Line along with Wood Volume Table 6.8: Loss of Standing Tree in different Project Districts Table 6.9: Forest Loss in terms of Plant Species Table 6.9: Loss of Protected Tree Species to be felled by the Projects Table 6.11: Acquisition of cultivated land for different Project Components Table 6.12: Acquisition of land as per Land Category based on Location Table 6.13: Acquisition of land in different ,Land Holding Category Table 6.14: Acquisition of Homesteads and Associated Structures Table 6.15: Area of Affected Houses/Structures Table 6.16: Loss of Income due to Land Acquisition Table 6.17: Magnetic and Electric Estimated and Recomr:nended Maximum Exposure Levels Table 6.18: Name of the Settlement and Infrastructure Located Close to TL Table 7.1: Alternative of Substation Sites Table 8.1: Angle Towers Needs Protection Works Table 8.2: Compensations of Permanent land Table 8.3: Compensations of Acquisition of Structure Table 8.4: Compensations for Land fall under RoW Table 8.5: Mitigation and Enhancement Measures Cost Table 9.1: Environnemental Management Plan Matrix Table 9.2: Environmental Management cost Table 9.3: Monitoring Parameter, Indicators, Method, Schedule, Location and Agencies to be consulted. Table 9.4: Environmental Monitoring cost
Environment and Sodal Studies Department v NEA Hetauda- Dha!kebar Duhabi 400 kV 77L Project Draft lEE Report
LIST OF FIGURES ANNEXES
Environment and Soda! Studies Department VI NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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HETAUDA- DHALKEBAR-DUHABI400 KV TRANSMISSION LINE
PROJECT INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION (lEE) REPORT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ...... 11 2. Project Description ...... 11 2.1 Transmission Line ...... 11 2.2 Substations ...... 111 3. Data Requirement and Study Methodology ...... V 4. Review of Relevant Policies, Acts, Rules, Guidelines and Conventions ...... VII 5. Description ofthe Existing Environment...... VII 5.1 Physical Environment...... vll 5.2 Biological Environment...... VIII 5.2.1 Vegetation/Forest Resources ...... VIII 5.2.2 Wildlife ...... X 5.2.3 Fauna of Conservation Significance ...... XI 5.3 Socio-econom ic and Cultural Environment...... XI 6. Environmental Impact...... xII 6.1 Physical Environment...... XII 6.2 Biological Environment...... XII 6.3 Socio-econom ic and Cultural Environment...... XIV 7. Analysis of Alternatives ...... XV 8. Enhancement and Mitigation Measures ...... XVI 8.1 Enhancement Measures ...... XVI 8.2 Mitigation Measures...... XVI 8.2.1 Physical Environment...... XVI 8.2.2 Biological Environment...... XVI 8.2.3 Socio-economic and Cultural Environment...... xVIl 9. Environmental Management Plan ...... XX
Environment and Social Studies Department NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is the proponent of this project. NEA is a semi government organization established in 1985 and is responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. The proponent intends to implement Hetauda Dhalkebar - Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line Project in ten districts of Nepal. The Initial Environmental Examination (lEE) of the proposed project was carried out as per the Environmental Protection Rules, 1997 as well as the requirements of World Bank for financing the project. The project proponent has obtained survey license from the Ministry of Energy (MoE) to carry out the feasibility study including lEE of the proposed project. The survey license was issued on May 17, 2010 and is valid up to May 16, 2011.
2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The proposed project is located in Central and Eastern Development Region of Nepal. The project covers 77 Village Development Committees (VDCs) and two muniCipalities of 10 districts. East-West Highway is the main access to the project area. Dhulikhel Sindhuli- Bhittamod road, Mirchaiya- Katari- Gaighat and Kadamchok-Bhediyatar road are the other main access to the project area. The transmission line is accessible through feeder roads and foot trails from these roads. Simara, Biratnagar and Janakpur are the nearest airports to the site. While selecting the transmission line alignment, due consideration was given to avoid the settlement areas, built structures, ecologically important areas such as dense forests, religiOUS places, schools and other community infrastructures as far as possible. The transmission line is aligned parallel to existing 132 kV line to the extent possible. In this regard out of 285.2 km total length, 96.6 km is aligned close to existing 132 kV line. This includes 29 km from Nijgadh to Bagmati, 20km from Bagmati to Dhalkebar and 47.6 km from Dhalkbear to Kanchanpur section.
The project area does not lie in a national park, wildlife reserve, buffer zone, conservation area, wetlands, historically and archaeologically important sites and or environmentally sensitivel fragile areas. However the transmission line passes close to buffer zone of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. The minimum distance of the alignment from the Koshi T appu Wildlife Reserve is 1.8 km .
2.1 Transmission Line The proposed 400 kV transmission line is 285.2 km in length. commencing at the under construction Hetauda substation(for Hetauda-Bardghat 220 kV Project) located at Hetauda Municipality Ward no 1 of Makwanpur district and terminating at the new Duhabi substation located at Ward no 7 Bhokraha tole(Hanif tole) of Bhokraha VDC in Sunsari district.
The initial 18.6 km stretch of transmission line passes through hill section (Hetauda Hurnamadi) and after that 23.4 km section is hill to Terai (Hurnamadi- Nijgadh). The remaining 243.2 km (Nijgadh- New Duhabi) passes through flat plain of Terai almost parallel to north of East-West Highway .
• The proposed transmission line will be double circuit comprising of duplex overhead conductor. Each line circuit will have three phases, each phase comprising two separate aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR). The vertical double circuit configuration tower will have an average height of 45 m and the standard tower base dimensions will
Environment and Social Studies Department II NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report
be 15 m x 15 m from centre to centre of each tower leg foundationl footing. Steel tower leg and body extensions will be utilized to reduce foundation excavation on slopes and provide greater tower foundation structural security. The design span between tower structures is 400 m. The right of way (RoW) of the proposed transmission line is 23 meters on each side from the centerline of the overhead transmission line as per the Electricity Regulation, 2050 (1993).
2.2 Substations
Dhalkebar Substation Dhalkebar substation will receive power from cross border transmission line until Nepal power system is in deficit. When there will be excess power in Nepal power system, electric power from various IPPs will flow to this substation via the proposed Hetauda Dhalkebar-Duhabi line. This substation will also serve for providing required power for the existing 132 and 33 kV network in this area. For this purpose there will be 400, 220, 132 and 33 kV voltage level buses. The project will acquire 6.77 ha private cultivated land nearby the existing Dhalkebar Substation for the construction of new buses.
New Duhabi Substation New Duhabi substation is proposed in Hanif tole of Bhokraha VDC. Koshi corridor transmission line will be connected to this substation at 220 kV and the existing 132 kV line will be looped in and out in this substation. The existing Duhabi substation is located some 17 km from this location. The existing Duhabi substation is now surrounded by settlement and there is problem of constructing new transmission line in this area. Bhokraha is a comparatively open area. Koshi corridor is having a huge capacity and will be connected to this substation at 220 kV in the initial stage. So in the initial stage this substation will have 220, 132 and 33 kV voltage level busses. In future 400 kV bus will also be required and an additional cross border transmission line will be constructed in this area. The project will acquire 9.48 ha private cultivated land for the construction of new substation.
New Hetauda Substation NEA is constructing a new Hetauda substation at Hetauda Municipality Ward-1 .220 kV transmission line from this substation to Bharatpur is under construction and there is a further plan to extend this line to Bardaghat. Under this Project. 220 kV bus will be added and 2 X 150 MVA, 220/132 kV transformers will be installed. The proposed expansion work will be conducted within the boundary of the substation and no additional land will be acquired. The project construction will take 36 months. The estimated number of unskilled, semi skilled and skilled manpower is 400, 150 and 50 respectively.
Table ES1: Project features Features I Description General Project Duhabi 400 kV Transmission
ion
Environment and Social Studies Department III NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report
Development Regio n Districts ! VDCs/municipalities Central Development Makwanpur Hetauda Municipality and Churiyamai, Region (6) Hatiya, Hurnamadi ,Shreepur Chatiwan and Dhiyal VDCs " Bara (2) Nijgadh and Bharatgang VDCs " Rautahat (5) Chandranigahapur, Kakanpur, Rangapur, Judibel a and Paurai VDCs " Sarlahi (10) Karmaiya, Dhungre khola, Hariaon, Atrouli, Pattharkot, Lalbandi, Kalinjor, Ranigunj, Bhaktipur and Gourishankar VDCs " Mahottari (3) Khayarmara, Gauribas and Maistan VDCs
" Dhanusha Tulsichauda, Begadawar, Dhalkebar, (10) Naktajhijh, Hariharpur, Puspalpur, Umaprempur, Yagyabhumi, Bharatpur and Godar VDCs Eastern Development Siraha (17) Ramnagar Mircharya, Fulbariya, Region Badharamal, Karjanha, Rampurbirta, Chandrodayapur, Chandralalpur, Jamdaha Lalpur, Ayodhyanagar, Asanpur, Dhangadhi, Bstipur, Padariya Tharotole, Govindpur T aregana and Bhadayia VDCs and Lahan Municipality .- ~---" ._- " Saptari (20) Madhupatti, Daulatpur, Kushaha, Khojpur, Pansera, Kalyanpur, I Bhangaha, Khoksar Parbaha, Rayapur, Terahota, Sitapur, Prasabani, Jandaul, Bakdhauwa, Theliya, Dharampur, I Rupnagar, Dhodhanpur, Kamalpur and Fate ur VDCs " Thoksila and Ta eswari VDCs Mahendranagar, Singiya, Dumraha, ! and Bhokraha VDCs -'-~--"'''~--'-'''-''--'~'-'-'----''--'---''''-''--'------.----~~~-. Initial point New Hetauda Substation , Hetauda Municipality M a kwanpur Terminal point New Duhabi Substation, Bhokraha VDC. Sunsari district Number of major road 3 ~rossing ______.... ___ .... _ .. __ Number of major river 4 crossings Number of 33 kV line 1 crossings Number of 66 kV line 1 ~rossing~__ . __ .. Number of 132 kV line 1 crossings
Environment and Social Studies Department IV NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report
285.2 km Total number of towers 608 Number of angle pointsltower ! 123 Number of towers 485 Average span between 400 m towers Right-of-way width 46 m (23 m on either side of centerline) ~Q!~~J~.'{~______I 400 kV _' _____ ' ______,_"""' ______' ______§JC!'lcJ~I m 5.5m Communication lines 3.5 m __~rounE~~9QR~~~~yeh~l~'~I-"c9~.~0-.~m~------Ground not negotiable by 8 m vehicle Water surface at maximum 7.5 m flood Substation ------,------,-1------,'--- New Substation 400/220/132 kV at Hanif tole of Bhokraha VDC ------"'------""""" ------'----'------Upgrading Construction of 400,220,132 and 33 kV voltage level buses at Dhalkebar substation and 220 kV bus and transformers at new Hetauda substation. USD 144 million GoN 1 World Bank 3. DATA REQUIREMENT AND STUDY METHODOLOGY For physical environment, data on climate, geology and land use are required whereas for biological environment vegetation and wildlife is the key information required for the study. Likewise in socioeconomic and cultural environment data on population, ethnicity, religion and religious sites, infrastructure etc are required for the study. The methodology applied for EA includes desk study, field study and impact identification through impact assessment matrix. The desk study includes the review of Environment and Social Studies Department v NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report Route Alignment Survey report of the project, Topo map of 1:2500 scale and GIS map, data of Central Bureau of Statistics, district profile of concerned districts etc. Altogether 116 sampling plots, each of 400 sqm (20m*20m) were placed for quantitative analysis of vegetation. Information such as frequency, density, basal area, seedlings and saplings was collected for each sampling site. Tree size and pole size trees were recorded by measuring breast height (dbh) with the help of a measuring tape. Similarly, their height was estimated simply by observation. In each plot, tree species were identified and all trees exceeding a diameter of 10 cm at dbh were counted. Canopy cover of the forest was estimated by visual observation. For estimating regeneration rate of forest, a p lot of size 1 Ox1 0 sq. m. was made. Out of the 65 community forest falling along the alignment, consultation was made with 47 community forest user groups. The representative of the concerned community forest was pre informed about the meeting. The meeting was attended by the chairman, secretary and members of the community forest user group. Data on wildlife was collected by direct observation using the transect passing along the RoWand adjacent areas with various land use types (e.g., forest areas, grassland, agriculture land etc). Line transect was placed at Ratmate, Shreepur, Sarashwatikhel, Nijgadh, Nunthar, Hariwan, Lalgadh, Kamala barrage, Ghoganpur, Tapeswari, Prakashpur and Singhiya area. Each transect was 200 m in length, taken on either side of the RoW centerline. Major habitat types were identified by direct field observation and using topographic maps. Different signs (e.g. scats/droppings, scratches, calls, pugmarks, carcasses, scales) were also used for identification of mammals, birds and reptiles. Other indirect indicators such as nests, dens, burrows were also observed in the area. The information about the fish was collected in consultation with local hoteliers located along the river side. Local people from the project area, members of Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs), authorities of Koshi Tappu and Parsa Wildlife Reserves, officials from concerned Range Post and District Forest Office were interviewed in order to collect information on wild fauna, their distribution, behaviors, movement pattern etc. Color photographs of different mammals, birds and reptiles were shown to the local people to ascertain their occurrence. The names of the land owners were identified with the help of cadastral map and the list of the affected people were verified on the ground. Altogether 130 household were affected by land and house acquisition. Of the 108 surveyed, members of 5 households were absent during the survey and 17 refused to give interviews. The 17 households affected by the proposed Dhalkebar substation have registered some demands with the NEA management and without addressing their demand, they were not willing to provide any information about their land possessions and their socioeconomic status. Ta bl e ES 2 Detal"I sotf h e S oCloeconomlc- S urvey Key FGD Survey Informant Market District PRA HH Interview Survey Occp.lEthnic Female Makwanpur 6 6 12 6 3 3 Bara 2 - 4 2 1 - Environment and Social Studies Department VI NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report Rautah~ - 10 5 1 1 Sarlahi 7 20 10 1 3 Mahottari 3 0 6 3 0 1 Dhanusa 10 31 20 10 3 2 Siraha 17 22 34 17 3 3 Saptari 20 19 40 20 4 5 Udayapur 2 - 4 2 1 1 Sunsari 4 23 8 4 2 1 Total 79 108 158 79 19 20 • 4. REVIEW OF RELEVANT POLICIES, ACTS, RULES, GUIDELINES AND CONVENTIONS The policies, legislative mechanisms, guidelines and standards of the Government of Nepal conform with the World Bank's safeguard guidelines for the natural environment. In fact many of the provisions of the government of Nepal are more stringent than the World Bank's safeguard policies such as the forest guideline 2006. The policies and legal provisions of the Govern ment of Nepal on the social and cultural safeguard, however, are not adequate to meet the provisions of the World Bank. The Land Acquistion Act, has unclear provisions for the compensation and rehabilitation of the project affected people. Similarly, there are no specific provisions on the loss of cultural resources. 5.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT 5.1 Physical Environment Physiographically, the proposed Hetauda-Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400kV Transmission Line Project area falls under the Terai and the Sub-Himalaya (the Siwa/iks or the Churiya Hills) of the Central and the Eastern Development Region of Nepal. Siwaliks are characterised by hill topography while the terai is a table flat land with wide flood plains of the river crossing the region. Physically, the transmission alignment runs parallel with the existing National Highway (Mahendra Rajmarga) and the 132 kV transmission line for greater parts of the alignment along the boarder line of the Forest and the agricultural landuse. It avoids the critical natural habitat zone of Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and the Parsa Wildlife reserve. Topographically, the transmission line starts at an elevation of 436m from Hetauda substation located in Hetauda Municipality and it gradually ascends to the highest elevation of 550 masl at AP-5 located at Hurnamadi VDC in the Siwalik Hills and then gradually descends to the lower elevation across Siwaliks at AP -13 B at Nijgadh. Between the stretch AP16-AP18, AP21-AP25 , AP37-AP39 and AP40-AP49 the proposed line runs parallel to the existing 132 kV line in the relatively flat Terai plains of central and eastern Nepal in the south. Refer to Map (Sheets 1-14) in the Annex. Geologically and geomorphologically, Siwaliks are fragile and are made up of less indurated sediments of tertiary period. Siwaliks are suceptible to erosion related to mass wasting and debris flows when stripped of the vegetation cover. The recent encroachment of the Siwaliks for agriculture and settlement has deteriorated the Environment and Social Studies Department VII NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project [nitialEnvironmental Examination Report watershed conditions of the Siwaliks in general. However, the Transmission alignment passes through relatively stable grounds in the region. The Terai on the other hand, being flat is a depositional area and is characterised by wide expanses of active alluvial plain. Geological composition of the terai is the alluvial deposits of quaternary age made up of silt sand and clay with cover of boulder beds, a dry delta type deposits, in the foot hill section of Siwaliks. The climate of the project area is subtropical to tropical. The monsoon from June through September delivers more than 80 percent of the annual rainfall. The floods are often associated with the high monsoon rainfall. The total land area within the 285.2 km transmission line with a 46 meter RoW is 1311.92 ha. The land use pattern in RoW are cultivated land 51.52%, forest 39.50% and river & road crossings and barren land is 8.98 ha. The land use of substation is 100% cultivated land. The transmission line crosses major rivers like Rapti, Bagmati, Kamala, Trijuga and Saptakoshi originating in the northern physiographic regions of Nepal. There are a number of tributaries originating in the Siwaliks. These rivers are influenced by monsoon rains and often exihibit flash floods in the event of high monsoon downpour. As the project corridor is close to the highway and 'under high human activity influence, the air, noise and water quality adjoining the alignment is influenced by vehicular related fugitive and combustion emissions and noises and the anthropogenic pollution activities. Nevertheless, the quality of air and noise is better than the water. Water quality has deteriorated because of the haphazard discharge of household wastes and poor santiation practices among the com munities. 5.2 Biological Environment The transmission alignment has avoided the Core and Buffer Zone of the Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and is located about 1.8 km away in the nearest section from the Reserve boundary. The general distance in other sections is greater than 5 km. Parsha Wildlife Reserve is more than 10 km to the west of the alignment corridor. Refer to Map (Sheets 1-14) in the Annex .. While crossing the forested areas, the corridor follows the forest fringe or border areas with the agricultural lands and avoid crossing the forest core areas to minimise forest fragmentation and disturbance to prime ecological area for wildlife habitats (AP50 to AP57, Dhaleke to Duhabi section and AP 37 to AP 41, Hetauda to Dhalkebar section). Apart from this, the alignment runs parallel and often co-shares the ROW of the existing 132 kV transmission line and Mahendra Highway in sections where it passes through the core forest area (AP 14 to AP 18, AP 22 to AP 24, AP 41 to AP 50, Hetauda to Dhalkebar section). While crossing the Siwalik Hills, the corridor passes along the river valley with high human encroachment in the forested areas. Refer to Map (Sheets 1-14) in the Annex. 5.2.1 Vegetation/Forest Resources Sal forest, riverine forest, mixed forest and pine forest are the major forest types in project area. 153 species of plants are found in transmission line corridors. Out of this 47 are tree species, 35 shrub and 71 herb speCies. Sal (Shorea robusta) is the dominant tree species found in the project area. Sallo (Pinus roxburgii) is other main tree species Environment and Social Studies Department VIII NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report found in the area mainly in Makawanpur district (Hetauda to Nijgadh section). Khayar (Acacia catechu) and Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo), are dominant tree species found in riverine forest throughout the alignment. Bot Dhayero (Lagerstroemia parviflora), Sindure (Mal/otus philippinesis), Asna (Terminalia alata) are the major co-dominating tree species found in the project area. The transmission line passes through 112.66 km of forest area which consists of 95.7 km of forest area, 8.2 km of shrub land and 8.76 km of grass land. The total forest land along the alignment ROW is 518.24 ha. Out of this 85.7 km (76.07%) is found in Hetauda- Dhalkebar stretch of transmission line and 26.96 km (23.93%) in Dhalkebar to New Duhabi section. The transmission line ROW passes through the 65 numbers of Community, and 4 numbers of collaborative forest Altogether 477.94 ha forest area falls under the transmission line RoW. The number of seedling and sapling ranges from 3,049/ha to 15,453/ha and 1,666/ha to 4,138/ha respectively. The total number of tree and pole class is 55,690 and 146,646 respectively. The total wood volume and biomass are 172,249 m3 and 137,137,734 kg respectively. Rare, Endangered and Protected Species of Plants Sal (Shorea robusta), Simal (Bombax ceiba) and Khayar are protected species found in the project area. These species are banned for felling, transportation and export for commercial purpose as per section 70 (Ka) of the Forest Act 1993. Simal is also classified under threatened category of IUCN. Tarul (Discorea deltoidea) is a climber, which is commercially threatened species of IUCN list commonly found in RoW. Similarly ,Sarpagandha( Rauvolfia serpentine), endangered species by IUCN and CITES II category is present as scattered form in Sal forest of Rautahat, Saptari and Sunsari section of transmission line. Chattiwan (Alstonia scholaris) classified as rare species in IUCN list is present in scattered population in Makwanpur section of transmission line. Khayar( Acacia catechu) is commercially threatened and under CITES II category is found in most of the section of alignment as well as in adjoining forest. Similarly Satisal (Dalbergia latifolia), is listed in vulnerable species in IUCN is scattered in distribution in Saptari, Siraha, Mahotari, Udyapur, Sunsari stretch of the transmission line. Ethnobotany In total, 27 plant species are used by the people of the villages adjoining the transmission line route, with several of these species have multiple use value. Ten species were preferred for timber, 11 species for firewood, 5 for fodder, 17 for medicinal herbs, 7 for edibles, 1 for spices/oil and 10 species for handicrafts and other uses. Ecological Status of the Corridor Forest The location of the corridor along the forest border line in most of the sections close to the agricultural area with high human encroachment has considerably degraded the forest ecological status. There are big trees but have limited ground flora. With the handover of the forest to the community forest user groups and collaborative forest user groups, there has been some improvement in the forest ecological status in the recent years. However, human disturbances, and movement of vehicles in the highway has driven away most of the fauna even in areas where the forest ecological status is considered good as in (AP41 to AP 50, Hetauda Dhal kebar Section). Environment and Social Studies Department IX NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Initial Environmental Examination Report 5.2.2 Wildlife The wildlife habitats consisting of forests, shrub land, grassland and riverine features are crossed by the transmission corridor. Such type of habitat is common in Siwalik and Terai region. Since the wildlife has wider habitat coverage the corridor alignment represents only a small segment along the boarder area of the total forestland habitat and the wildlife habitat of the coridor should be understood in this context. Mammals Altogether 27 species of mammals, 113 Species of birds, 18 species of reptiles and 15 species of fishes were recorded in the project area during the field survey. Out of 27 mammal species 5 were observed during the field survey (Macaca mulatto, Semnopithecus hector, Sus scrofa, Pteropus giganteus & Bosp/aphus tragocame/us), 3 were identified through indirect evidences and 19 species were identified in consultation with local people and existing literature. The species identified through indirect evidences include Canis aureus (Call heard at Swarswotikhel) E/ephas maximus (foot print and droppings in Tapeshwori forest) and Hystrix indica (Carcasses observed near Kama/a). At two sections the transmission line corridor passes close to the migration path of the E/ephas maximus and occasionally the elephants were reported to wonder across the proposed transmission line for crop raiding in the harvesting season from August through December. According to the locals they are not deterred by the existing 132 kV transmission line and the busy National Highway. The first section include AP15-16 in Nijgadh area and second section include AP 39-40 and 48.,. 51 at Ghoanpur and Tapeshwori area respectively. Birds Mixed hardwood forests, bamboo grove, agricultural fields, villages, rivers, streams, along the proposed route provide a variety of habitats for different bird species. Kanchanpur-Duhabi section is the potential site for birds as it includes vicinity of KTWR and Koshi Barrage. Out of 113 bird species reported in the entire project area, most prefer forest and bushes and the remaining prefer wetland habitats. Areas considered to have high habitat value for birds were not identified in the RoW. however some important birds habitats occur in the locality. These include KTWR, Koshi barrage, Kamala River Barrage and their wetland areas. Several bird species visit Nepalese wetlands, seasonally coming from different parts like India, Arab, China, Tibet, Russia and Northern Himalayas. These migratory birds are mainly water birds. Birds follow a certain migratory routes usually following a river system like Koshi River in the eastern Nepal, Bagmati River and Kamala river in the central Nepal across the proposed transmission corridor. Reptiles A total of 18 reptile species were recorded in the project area in which 9 species were found to prefer forest habitats and the remaining 9 preferred rivers and river banks. Swamp places, grass lands, forests and agricultural land provide a good habitat for reptiles. The common species reported are Buff-striped Keelback (Amphiesma sto/atum), Common Karait (Bungarus caeruleus), Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus), Environment and Social Studies Department x NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report Common Garden Lizard (Ca/otes versicolor) Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis), House Gecko (Hemidactylus spp), White Lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus albolabris) and Golden Monitor (Varanus flavescens). 5.2.3 Fauna of Conservation Significance Out of 27 mammal speCies recorded in the project area, 15 fall under different conservation status. Six species are legally protected under National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act. These species include Gaur (80S gaurus), wild water Buffalo (8ubalus amee) , Asian Wild Elephant (Elephas maximus), Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica), One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinocerus unicornis). These species are reported to be rare visitors in the project area. Twelve species falls under CITES list of different appendices and 7 species fall under different IUCN threatened category. Although classified under CITES and IUCN categories, these species are common and widely distributed throughout Nepal. , Out of 113 bird species present in the project area, 22 species fall under different conservation status. Four species are legally protected under NPWCA. These species include Great Hornbill (8uceros bicornis), Sarus Crane (Grus antigone), Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis) and Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indica). Nineteen speCies falls under CITES list of different appendices and 6 species fall under different categories of IUCN. Among 18 reptile species found in project area, 7 fall under different category of conservation status. Among them 3 species are legally protected under the NPWCA, 7 fall under different Appendix of CITES and 4 fall under different category of IUCN. Burmese Rock Python (Python molurus), Golden Monitor (Varanus flavescens), Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) are the NPWCA protected species. 5.3 Socio- economic and Cultural Environment The total population of the project VDCs/Municipalities falls along the alignment is 7, 48,215 with 3,79,832 male (50.77%) and 3,68,383 female (49.23%). Altogether 62 castes/ethnic groups are found in the project area. The Major caste/ethnic groups of the project area are Brahmin Hill and Terai (11.70%), Tamang (11.46%),Chettri (9.96%),Tharu{9.18%), Muslim (4.87%),Koiri(5.25% ),Yadav{4.94%) and M agar«4.74%). Government of Nepal categorized 59 castes into indigenous group. About 32.08% of the total population of the project VDCs/Municipalities falls under the category of Indigenous and Tribal people which occupies 4.68% of the total population of the project districts. The average land holding of the project VDCs/Municipalitiesis 0.64ha/HH which is lower than the average land holding (0.71ha/HH) of the project districts. Paddy wheat and millet are the major food crops grown in the project area. The cash crops grown in the project area are sugarcane, tobacco, Jute, maize, pulses, vegetables, and potato and oil seeds. Hand pipe, well and tube well are the major source of drinking water in Terai area whereas springs and rivulets are used in hill section of the alignment. Tap water facility is also available in some of the settlements. Firewood is the major source of cooking followed by cow dung cake. However, improved stoves, LP gas and kerosene are also being used by some households in the market area. The in -house sanitation facilities in most of the houses are not good. Environment and Social Studies Department XI NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report Health posts and sub- health posts are providing health services in the project area. Out of 77 project VDCs and 2 municipalities 54 VDCs and two Municipalities are fully electrified where as 23 VDCs are partially electrified through the national grid. About 49.23% of the total populations of the project area are women. The literacy status of women in the project area is low (37.20%) as compared with the male literacy status (59.62%). Most of the women in the project area are engaged in the household works as well as labor in agriculture and other sector. The family losing their land, structure and other private property are defined as Project Affected Families (PAFs). The total population of 108 surveyed households is 721 with male 380 (52.70%) and female 341 (47.30%). The average male and female sex ratio of PAFs is 1.11 and the average house hold size is 6.6 people. Tharu (13.89%), Yadav (11.11%), Chhettri (8.33%), Tamang (8.33%), Mandai (8.33%) and Sundi (9.26%) are the major caste/ethnic group affected by the project. The other caste/ethnic group includes Brahamin (5.56%), Newar (3.70%) and Dalits 5.56%( Kami, Damai, Sarki, Mushar, and Chamar). About 32.41 % of surveyed PAFs fall under the category of indigenous and tribal people listed by the Government of Nepal. The listed indigenous people found among the PAFs are Newar, Magar, Tamang, Bhujel, Tharu, Danuwar and Majhi. The average literacy status of the PAF is 84.75%, which is comparatively higher than the average literacy rate of the project VDCs/Municipalities (48.72%) and the project districts (47.29%). 6.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 6.1 Physical Environment The expected adverse impact of the project implementation and operation on the topograpy, drainage, air quality, water quality, noise levels are unlikely to cause significant implications to the physical environment. Similarly, the construction spoils generated in the tower foundation areas are also insignificant given the nature and extent of the required excavation. The land use change due to permanet land acqusition of the tower pads, and land use restriction along ROW, however, will impart moderate impacts to the site specific and local landuse adversely. Construction of the Transmission line in the geologically unstable areas such as AP2, AP3, AP46, AP 48, AP50, AP 51, AP52 of Hetauda-Dhalkebar stretch are potential to enhance erosion. Likewise the tower footings at AP7, AP13A, AP20 and AP 57 of Hetauda-Dhalkebar has potential to disrupt the natural drainages as they locate in the flood plain areas. Use of PCB contaminated oils in transformer, though it is legally prohibited, because of poor survilience is an issue of public as well as occupational health concern. 6.2 Biological Environment Forest and vegetation Of the total 477.94 ha forestland under ROW, 390.92 ha will need clear felling involving the loss of 1,58,022 standing trees (>10 cm dbh) of 47 species . Out of total standing tree loss 125,556 will be from 65 community forest and 32,466 will from 4 collaborative Environment and Social Studies Department XII NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report forest. Among the lost species Sal is the highly affected species contributing 52.94% (83,664) of the total tree loss, followed by Saj 6.46% (10203 nos) and Botdhairo 6% (9,483). The other species to be felled are Karam (4.85%), Sisso (4.68%), Sindure (4.48%), Bel (3.01 %) and Masala (2.34%). Rest 15.24% will be felled by 31 species and most of them will contribute less than 1% of the total loss. Five species of trees listed under different conservation status will be affected by the project. Altogether 93,539 trees will be felled by the implementation of the project which consist 89.44% sal trees and 8.19% Khair. The remaining 2.37% are Chhatiwan, Satisal and Sima!. Though the loss of trees is high in terms of numbers and species count (protected and otherwise), from the floral diversity perspective the loss is only of low to moderate significance because of the prevalence of the species in the adjoining forests and throughout the Terai forest areas of Nepal. Workforce exploitation of the forest resources, timber, fuelwood and NTFP, is an issue of concern during construction phase. Since the construction at anyone place is limited to less than one month and the number of workforce at one location is small, expected impacts are considered to be of low significance only. The operation phase impacts are mainly associated with RoW encraochment for settlment by landless people and possibilities of invasion by new species such as weeds with implications on the existing floral diveristy. This could potentially be a significant impact if not addressed in time by the project developers. Wildlife Transmission line construction will involve the felling of trees and poles in 390.92 ha forest land from the RoW, with the conversion of this area to low growing trees (less than 3 m height), shrubland and grassland. The removal of vegetation though have limited fragmentation of the core forest habitat, nevertheless will reduce the habitat area available to mammals and birds. The loss of tall trees will adversely impact monkeys and Langurs as they prefer continuous forest canopy for easy movement. On the other hand, clearance of the forest also provide new niche area for a number of prey species. A number of mature trees will be cleared from the ROW, since such mature trees are abundant in the adjacent ROW area the impact on dependent birds like Hornbills will not have to bear the pressure of forest clearance. All mammals identified in the project area are mobile, and have a natural range far greater than RoW area. Furthermore none of the sites are identified as core region for the wild fauna along the route. Considering the location of the forest habitat that the transmission line will cross and the limited extent of RoW clearance (up to 390. 92 ha along a total of 112.6 km of forest), the magnitude of the impact on wildlife caused by habitat loss is considered low. The excavation works for the tower pad might affect the underground habitat of reptiles. This impact is relatively high in Nijgadh to Kanchanpur stretch as lots of burrows were found along the alignment and nearby areas. Since the pad foundation area is limited to small area, the invisaged impacts are low, and site specific. Impacts related to construction noise, hunting and poaching by labour Force, and proxim ity of the alignment to the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve are also considered to be Environment and Social Studies Department XIII NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project . Initial Environmental Examination Report of minor significance because of the limited and low noise construction activities at tower foundation sites, small number of the construction workforce at anyone location during construction, and settlments and communities surrounding the Koshi Tappu Wildlife conservation site in between the alignment route and Reserve boundary . In the operation phase, the envisaged impacts are related to the migratory birds in the major river corridors of the transmission alignment. Though records of bird hits in Nepal are not available, the impacts of birds hit are highly likely particualry in the migratory corridors of the major rivers particularly across Koshi , (APSO-APS3 of Dhalkebar-Duhabi stretch), Bagmati ( AP27-AP28 of Hetauda-Dhalkebar section) and Kamala(AP10A - AP11 of Dhalkebar-Duhabi Substati on} rivers. The change in habitat due to forest clearance at ROW is not likely to impart a significant adverse impact to a majority of mammalian wildlife during operation phase, nevertheless, mortality and mobidity affects of the charged transmission line is highly likely to arboreal mammals such as monkeys, and Langurs paSSing across the transmission line corridors. High voltage 132 KV transmission lines have existed since 1985. These lines have not deterred the elephants from wandering across the transmission line, hence the impacts to the wondering elephants from the nearby migration routes across the proposed 400 KV transmission line parallel to the existing 132 KV transmission line is considered low. The proposed transmission line route lies in the wondering area near the migration route of the Asian Wild Elephant (Elephas maximus). Since 1985, the 132 kV transmission line, the highway and the feeder road have not hindered any wondering elephants till date and is expected not to interfere in the activities even after the construction of the transmission line. Therefore, the magnitude of impact is considered to be Low. 6.3 Socioeconomic Environment Out of total 123 angle towers 63 are located in private cultivated land whereas out of 485 suspension towers 243 are located in private cultivated land. The project will acquire 23.14 ha private land for the construction of Angle towers, supporting towers and new substations. Out of this 6.89 ha will be acquired for the angle towers and supporting towers located in private land and 16.25 ha for two substations. Out of the total area (6.89 ha) required for tower pads 1.42 ha will be for Angle Towers and remaining 5.47 ha will be for suspension towers to be placed in private land. The construction of new Duhabi substation and extension of Dhalkebar substation will requires 9.48 and 6.77 ha private cultivated land respectively. Out of the total land acquired for the towers pads 17.42% (1.2 ha) will be from urban area, 39.48% (2.72ha) from semi urban area and 43.11 %( 2.97ha) from rural area. The land proposed for Dhalkebar Substation is located in urban areas whereas the proposed new Duhabi (Bhokhra) is located in semi urban area. The acquisition of land for the Angle Towers and substation area will affect 130 households. Out of the total affected surveyed household 59.3 % lose less than 10% of their total land whereas 23.1% household lose 10 to 50% of their land and 17.6% household lose more than 50% of their land. Environment and Social Studies Department XIV NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Enuironmental Examination Report The field survey shows that 71.3% household will lose less than 10% of their total agriculture income due to the land acquisition. Similarly, 10.19% households will lose 10 to 25% of their agriculture income while 15.73% households will lose above 50% of their agriculture income. Since most of the household lose less than 10% of their land and agriculture income due to land acquisition the magnitude of impact is considered to be moderate. Five families will lose their homesteads with associated structures such as cowsheds, toilets, and hand-pumps for drinking water etc. Out of this four houses are Kachhichi type and one Pakki house. The project will also affect one cowshed. This impact is considered to be high but of local in nature. The Hunman Mandir located at Dhalkebar VDC due to the expansion of Dhalkebar substation and Gram Dewata Dewhar Than located at Badarmal VDC of Sirhah district falls in the RoW. Since these temples are of local significance the likely impact is considered to be moderate. There will be a loss of 42.35MT food grain and 113.76MT cash crop during construction phase due to permanent acquisition of land. Besides this agriculture loss will also take place in RoW which is approximately 113 MT considering 5m disturbed zone in cultivated area. The impact is considered to be low since it is widespread in 146 km length. During the construction phase socioeconomic and cultural environment impacts of low to moderate magnitude are likely to occur. These include changes in law and order situation, health and sanitation, occupational safety, livelihood , peoples safety and impacts on gender and vulnerable group etc. The operation phase impacts include land use restrictions to 669.03 ha private land falls in RoW. Out of this 7.38 %( 49.4ha) falls in urban area, 29.16% (195.08) ha in semi urban area and 63.46% (424.55) in rural area. The other impacts are loss of agricultural production, land fragmentation and farming hindrance, withdrawal of economic opportunity, occupationa I safety and livelihood. 7 .0 ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES Two alternative routes were analysed for the environmental assessment. Alternative A was approximately 235 km long and passed through the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. Nearly 75 percent of the alignment passed through the forested area while only 25 percent was on the agricultural land and settlments.The alternative is shown in a solid blue line in the Map (Sheets 1-14) in the Annex. Alternative B had a total line length of 285.2 km. The forest area in this alternative is less than 40 percent of alignment length. Though nearly 60 percent of the alternative passes therough the agricultural land and settlement, it has avoided Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, the large settlements, historical sites of cultural and religious significance, and institutional areas. Further, the second alternative passes along . the border area of the forest avoiding dense forest and settlments. Apart from this, the alignment is aligned parallel to the existing 132 kv transmission lir;le and the road, has opportunity to co-share the ROW with the transmission line to minimse the forestland take and eliminate to the Environment and Social Studies Department xv NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report extent possible the forest fragmentation and wildlife habitat disturbances. Refer to Map (Sheets 1-14) in the Annex. Despite longer transmission line length by about 50 km the second alternative was selected as it not only avoides critical natural habitat areas of Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve but also has minimum disturbences to wildlife habitats in the forest areas outside the wildlife reserves. In case of substations with sufficient land areas, the stations were upgraded to meet the infrastructure requirements as in Muzaffarpur and Hetauda. In substations where available land areas were not sufficient to accommodate the required infrastructures but with opportunities to augment additional land from adjacent land plots without impinging seriously to the natural and social environmental resources, land augmentation to the existing stations were made as in Dhalkebar. In areas where such opportunities were not available new substation of adequate size were identified as in Inurawa/Duhabi. Basic criteria used for selection of the sites included avoidance measures such as far from settlements, agricultural land with less economic opportunities, outside forest land, and lacking standing trees. 8.0 ENHANCEMENT AND MITIGArlON MEASURES 8.1 Enhancement Measures The enhancement measures proposed during construction phase include priority to the local employment, rural electrification in affected VDCs and implementation of community support program. Although these programs are not directly related to the project development, it has indirect consequences with regards to project construction. Since large scale transmission line project is going to be implemented in their area, the local people have certain expectations regarding the assistance in some of the development works. These include health post support program, school support program, small scale drinking water and irrigation assistance and assistance for the renovation and development of religious and recreational places. The major religious places proposed for assistance are Kushmandap Sarobar - Chaudhaghare, Hetauda municipality, ward no 9 Nunthar Mahadev - Paurahi VDC, Rautahat. Kailashpuri Mahadev, Harion, Sarlahi and Harihar Chhetra, Karmaiya, Sarlahi. In addition capacity building program for local institution (VDCs, NGOs, CBOs and clubs) working in community will also be conducted. 8.2 Mitigation Measures The project proponent will implement the proposed mitigation measures as a prime responsibility. The adverse impacts that are not identified during the study, if later discovered during the construction and operation phases will be mitigated by the proponent at its own cost. The project will compe'nsate for the loss of life and properties due to activities taken during construction and operation of the project. 8.2.1 Physical Environment Special foundation design like matt and pile foundation (or combined footing type of foundation) will be made for the towers located in flood plains and geological fragile areas. Such type of tower pads is proposed at AP 51 & AP52 and intermediate towers located in the flood plains of Koshi River which are prone to flash floods. Refer to Map Environment and Social Studies Department XVI NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report (Sheets 1-14) in the Annex. Revegetation and slope maintenance will be carried out in the disturbed areas of Siwaliks to avoid erosion and land degradation. The waste generated from the mixing concrete will be disposed in pits and filled with soil. Such pits will be made in barren land at approximately 500 meter distance from the water bodies. Wherever possible, low value landl barren land will be used for temporary facilities on rental basis and makeshift camps in the forestland will be prohibited. The temporary land occupied for project facilities such as storage area, temporary camp etc will be rehabilitated before handing over to the concerned land owner. Air and Water quality protection measures such as sprinkling of water in vulnerable sections to arrest fugitive dusts, establishment of waste mangement systems at camp and construction site with special focus on sanitation to control water and land poll ution will be implemented. To ensure that the PCBs are not used as the coolant oil in transformer a chemical certificate of the oil used will be provided by the supplier of the transformer prior to the installation of the transformer from an internationally accredited laboratory. To avoid leakage of oil from the substation, a provision of oil filter on the drainage outlet of the substation will be installed. 8.2.2 Biological Environment Vegetation/Forest Resources The 477.94 ha forest area falls in RoW will be taken on lease as per the Rules of Government of Nepal. Altogether 1,396 ha of land will be afforested by planting 3,489,806 saplings of local species at the rate of 2,500 saplings/ha as per the Forest Guideline of the Government of Nepal. This compensatory afforestation is envisaged to increase the forest area by at least 3 fold and tree numbers by at least 25 times the lost trees. To further minimise the loss of forest land, loss of trees and forest habitat. the design consultants and the contractors are recommended to co-share the ROW of the existing 132 kV transmission line with the proposed line. There is ample of opportunity to share the ROW of the two transmission line from AP 14 located at Nijgadh to AP 18 at Chandranigahapur, AP 21 to AP 25 and AP 38 at Lalbandi to AP 49 at Mahottari. The RoW sharing will save 96.6 km forest length having an area of 43.53 ha. This will reduce 18,429 numbers of poles and trees to be felled. Apart from this selective felling of trees in right of way of the transmission line will be done to minimize the forest loss. Similarly, the trees in the gully and valley will be avoided from felling as far as possible in the Siwalik section. The project will provide kerosene to the project workers to minimize the loss of forest. For the construction of temporary camps pole size timber felled by the project will be used. Training and other assistance program will be provided to the community forest affected by the project. The program basically includes capacity building training, forest management training etc. Like wise assistance will be also given to collaborative forest Environment and Social Studies Department XVII NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Initial Environmental Ex:amination Report affected by the project. The project proponent will prohibit project workers for the collection of non-timber forest products. Informative and warning sign at each construction sites located in and around the forest area will be placed. Training for cultivation of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP) especially medicinal aromatic plants and other herbs and condiments and agro forestry will be given to two members of each CFUGC. After implementation of training approximately 67,000 saplings at the rate of 1,000 saplings of NTF species will be planted in the cleared RoW in the area of each community forest. The project proponent will implement awareness program to make the local people aware and member of forest users group of the project area about the importance of forest conservation, plantation and economic importance of forest and its role in rural society. Such programs will be implemented in 10 places of the project area, which include 1 in each district. The plantation sites will be managed by the concerned Forest User's Group in community forest plantation area and representative of collaborative forest for the plantation in collaborative forest area. Replacement plantation will be conducted after one year based on the survival result and four years operation cost for such sites will be borne by the Project. Herbicides will not be used for vegetation clearance. Trees which are considered critical for the operation and maintenance of transmission line will be removed manually. The saplings, which will grow, more than 3 meters height will be trimmed for the safe operation of the line. The saplings below 3 meters will be kept intact since plants below such height will have no im pact on operation and maintenance of line. Wildlife Considering the compensatory afforestation in the area equivalent to the lost forest area and additional area to be afforested in 1:25 ratio of the lost tree and poles, total land area to be afforested is around 1874 ha. The actual loss of the forested land is 477.9 ha. This means forest habitat will be developed in more than 3 fold land area within 20 years. Hence the loss of habitat is a temporary only, provided the compensatory afforestation is observed strictly as per spirit of compensatory afforestation. Due emphasis will be given for the plantation work in elephant migration area. The towers falling in this area will be fenced. Measures to minimize bird injury and death associated with the transmission line will be considered in line design. Markers such as colored balls will be attached to wires to improve line visibility for birds. Silhouettes of birds of prey will be attached to conductors to frighten birds. Markers are proposed at Koshi River, Bagmati River and Kamala River crossings and nearby areas and transmission line stretch lies within 10 km of the reserve. The transmission cable between AP 10-11at Kamla, 24-28 Bagmati and 50-53 at Saptakoshi will be electrically insulated with epoxy compound. As far as possible construction work will be labor based. The project will be responsible to avoid the unnecessary machinery disturbances and lighting. The project workers will be strictly banned from hunting and poaching and any other kind of illegal activities related to hunting and poaching. Environment and Social Studies Department XVIII NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Initial Environmental Examination Report Awareness for wildlife conservation will be implemented to minimize the adverse impacts on local wild fauna. The conservation awareness training will be given to project labors and representative of Community Forest Users Group. 8.2.3 Socioeconomic and Cultural Environment For household losing less than 10% of their total land, only cash compensation will be provided. For household losing 10 to 50% of their land, cash compensation along with small scale assistance will be provided. These households will receive compensation equivalent to the total loss of agriculture income from the acquired land for livelihood restoration up to three years. Besides this one family member of each household will be provided livestock/agriculture training and assistance based on their interest. This will include distribution of hybrid seed, small agriculture tools and livestock (goat/pig, poultry). In addition to this one family member of each household will be provided technical training in the areas of driving, plum bing, house wiring as per their interest. For the households losing more than 50% of their total land, cash compensation along with large scale assistance will be given. These households will receive compensation equivalent to the total loss of agriculture income from the acquired land for livelihood restoration for three years. Similarly employment shall be provided one member of each affected household during the construction phase. Due emphasis will be given for employment opportunity during operation also to the extent possible. In addition repair and maintenance of mechanical and electrical equipment and advance house wiring training/motor rewinding training will be given to one member of each households. Considering the nature of the project single payment will be made to individual household for the entire compensation money to avoid administrative problem. The land used for temporary facilities will be taken on lease. A land lease agreement will be signed based on the annual production loss and payment will be given in advance for each cal end ar year. The project will provide compensation at replacement cost for the structures acquired by the project. This will include compensation for land occupied by the structure and cost of the structure and other accessories (hand pump, well). Owners will have the right to use salvage materials from the affected buildings. The value of salvaged materials will not be deducted from the compensation amount. A house rent allowances for 6 months will be paid to the concerned household at the rate of Rs. 2500/months assuming that a new house will be constructed within that period. Besides this a onetime dislocation allowance Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 10,000 transportation allowance per household will be provided for transportation of goods and materials. These households shall also be eligible to receive compensation and other benefits as per the criteria of land loss. The Hunman Mandir of Dhalkebar VDC and Gram Dewata Dewhar Than of Badarmal VDC will be relocated in near by area in due consultation with the local people. The project will ensure not to discriminate the local people based on their gender, caste, color and place of origin. When it comes to job opportunities, priority shall be given to the vulnerable groups (Dalit and households headed by women) affected by the project in order to raise their living standard. In addition entrepreneurship/skill development Environment and Social Studies Department XIX NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report (tailoring, knitting/weaving, handicraft etc.) for women and distribution of weaving (stitching) machine to each woman headed household are also proposed. Besides this, each household will be provided technical training in the areas of driving, plumbing, house wiring, care-taker as per their interest. The six Dalit household will also receive technical training in the areas of driving, plumbing, house wiring as per their interest. To minimize the impact of land use restriction, RoW falling in private land, compensation will be paid 10% of the total land price for urban, semi urban and rural areas along the alignment. The other social mitigation programs are compensation for standing crops, livelihood restoration program, occupational safety measures and awareness program. 9.0 Environmental Management Plan To ensure that the provisioned mitigation measures are implemented and unforeseen environmental impacts other than projected are avoided or minimised without delay, an environmental management plan has been devised for the project development and operation phases. The designed EM P will be a part of the contract bid document. The basic ingredients of the plan is an institutional framework for the implementation of the environmental management plan inbuilt within the project management structure, an environmental monitoring plan of the key measurable indicators and a mitigation management plan. The Project Manager Office will be established under the organizational setup of NEA. The Project Manager will have overall responsibility regarding the implementation of EMP including others. He will also be responsible for the overall coordination of the work and make final decision on environmental, social and public concern issues. An Environmental and Social Management Unit (ESMU) will be established under the Project Management Office. The ESMU will be headed by the personnel from Environment and Social Study Department of NEA. The personnel in the ESMU will be deputed from the ESSD and shall be responsible for implementation of environmental and social mitigation work other than allocated to contractors proposed in the EMP and coordinate with the concerned line agencies. Third party monitoring will be conducted by hiring independent consultant/firm. The Consulting Firm will establsih Environment and Social Monitoring Unit at site. The monitoring unit will be responsible for the monitoring works as stipulated in the EMP documents. Apart from the regular monitoring. a team of joint inspection. comprising representative of District Forest Office, District Development Committee, VDCs representative and representative of CFUG will also monitor the project works on regular basis. Similarly monitoring from district level line agencies, and funding Lender's engineer is also proposed to ensure that the plans in the EMP are implemented and the project environment is kept uncompromised. The project mitigation management plan is a package of actions identified as Mitigation Measures. These mitigation measures with distinctive objectives are arranged in an interactive matrix highlighting on the needed mitigation actions, timing of actions, location of actions, responsible individual or stakeholder for actions and the estimated Environment and Social Studies Department xx NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Initial Environmental &amination Report costs required for the actions. The Environmental Monitoring Plan comprises beside others, measurable monitoring indicators for physical, biological, cultural and social enivironmental resources including Environmental Mitigation Management Plan actions to monitor the project environmental compliance as well as environmental impacts. The plan is arranged in an interactive matrix highlighting on the environmental monitoring indicators, location of monitoring, monitoring method, person responsible for monitoring, timing of monitoring and the estimated costs if it requires instrumental monitoring. To ensure that the project environmental impacts are avoided or minimised and timely corrective actions are taken, a reporting and decision making framework has been devised as a part of the management plan. The section chief of the Environmental Monitoring Unit is made responsible to prepare a quarterly environmental report to the project management with reagard to compliance and impact of the project with corrective actions required. Besides, he will be responsible for flagging the compliance and impact issues verbally or in a written form at the active construction sites to the responsible stakeholders (Owner's Engineer and the Contractor) to avoid the impacts of the project, if required so. Environment Management Cost The total estimated environmental and social management cost for the proposed project is 842.952 million NRs, which is 7.81 % the total project cost. This cost is estimated for the implementation of mitigation and enhancement measures, community support program, institutional strengthening on environment and social safeguard and environmental monitoring during pre -construction, construction and operation phases of the project T a bl e ES3 E nVlronment M anagemen tCost Item Amount in Million (NRs) Cost for Environmental 1vfitigation Measures including 697.73 enhancement and community support program (refer Table 8,5) Cost for Environmental Monitoring 23.59 Project Information Center/Communication/Local 10 Consultative Fomm Institutional Strenghheing on Envviornment and Social 3S Safeguard NEA-ESSD/Project Staff Sub-Total Environment Management Cost 766.32 Contingency 76.632 Environment and Social Studies Department XXI NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Initial Environmental Examination Report Total 842.952 Total Project Cost 10800 Percentage of total Environmental Cost to the total Project 7.81% Cost I I I i I i litem Amount in Million (NRs) I Cost for Environmental Mitigation Measures 576.97 I Cost for Enhancement Measures 10 I Cost for community Support Program and 20 . Corporate Social Responsibility i Miscellaneous 3.08 i Cost for Environmental Monitoring 23.59 Project Information Center/Communication/Local 10 Consultative Forum Institutional Strenghheing on Envviornment and 15 Social Safeguard NEA-ESSD/Project Staff i l Sub·Total Environment Management Cost 658.64 Contingency 65.864 ! Total 724.504 Total Project Cost 10656 Environment and Social Studies Department XXII .NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Initial Environmental Examination Report Percentage of total Environmental Cost to the 6.80% total Project Cost Environment and Social Studies Department XXIII NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Final Draft lEE Report 1. NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL/INSTITUTION PREPARING THE REPORT 1.1 Proponent Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is the proponent of this project. NEA is a national level Government of Nepal undertaking organization established in 2042 B.S (1985). It is responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the country. Environment and Social Studies Department (ESSD) of NEA executes all activities related to the environmental aspects of the projects undertaken by NEA. Being the concern department, ESSD has prepared Initial Environmental Examination (lEE) Report of this Project. The IEE report of this project is prepared to fulfill the provisions made in Environment Protection Rules (EPR Schedule 5) as well as the requirements of World Bank for financing the project. The lEE report is prepared as per Terms of Reference approved by Ministry of Energy (Appendix -1 a). The address ofthe Proponent is as foUows: Nepal Electricity Authority Environment and Social Studies Department Kharipati, Bhaktapur Phone: 6-611580 Fax: 6-611590 Email: [email protected] 1.2 Survey License The project proponent has obtained survey license from the Ministry of Energy (MoE) to carry out the feasibility study including IEE of the proposed project (Appendix-1b). The survey license was issued on 2067/02/03 and is valid up to 2068/2/2. 1.3 Rationality for Conducting lEE Schedule -1 of the Environment Protection Rules (EPR) 1997 lists proposals requiring an lEE. As per the EPR, 1997 and the recent amendment, an lEE is required for 132 kV or above voltage transmission line. Since Hetauda- Dhalkebar- Duhabi Transmission Line Project is of 400 kV capacities, it needs an lEE for execution. The project area does not lie in the national park, wildlife reserve, buffer Zone, conservation ~>\rea, wetlands, historically and archaeologically important sites and or environmentally sensitive/ fragile areas. However the transmission line Environment and Social Studies Department 1-1 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Final Draft lEE Report passes close to buffer zone of Koshi Tappu Willdife Reserve. The distance of the alignment from the Koshi Tappu Willdife Reserve is 1.8 km. 1.4 Structure of the Report The lEE report is prepared into two volumes. Volume-l is the main report and volume two consist appendices. The volume -1 is divided into ten chapters. Chapter 2 contains a brief description of the project, including the transmission line and substations, construction planning and project area delineation. Chapter 3 discusses about the data requirement and the methodology adopted for the collection of data on physical, biological, socioeconomic and cultural environment of the area. This chapter also highlights the techniques used for data analysis and impact assessment. Chapter -4 deals with the national acts, policies, rules and guidelines along with World Bank Safeguard Policies. The existing environmental conditions of the Project area with respect to physical, biological and socioeconomic and cultural environment is given in Chapter -5. Chapter- 6 highlights the positive and adverse impacts likely to occur due to implementation of the project. Alternative assessment for the substation and route alignment is presented in chapter-7. The mitigation and enhancement measures Social Support Programme is presented in chapter -8. Chapter -9 deals with the environment management plan and conclusion of the study is given in chapter 10. Environment and Social Studies Department 1-2 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T! L Project Draft lEE Report 2. GENERAL INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT 2.1 Background Integrated Nepal Power System (INPS) has installed capacity of 697.8 MW of which 644.3 MW is hydropower, 53.4MW thermal and 0.1 MW solar energy (NEA 2010). NEA is constructing 220 kV transmission line from Khimti to Dhalkebar to evacuate power generated from Upper Tamakoshi (with an installed capacity of 456 MW), which is scheduled to be commissioned by 2014. Electric power potential of Tamakoshi basin exceeds 2000 MW and the nearest INPS center is Dhalkebar. Many independent power producers (IPP) are putting their effort on developing HEPs in this basin and export electric power to India via planned cross border transmission line from Dhalkebar to Muzaffarpur. So after commissioning of cross border transmission line in 2013/14, Dhalkebar will be an important point in Nepal power system. At present Nepal faces power deficit and due to severe imbalance in demand and supply of electricity, the countty has led to unprecedented load shedding since the last 2 to 3 years and is expected to continue this situation in coming years. This has resulted in severe loss to the productive sectors like industries and commerce in addition to the inconveniences to the consumers. To address this problem NEA plans to import power from India through this cross border transmission line (Dhalkebar-Bhittamod- Mujafurpur). The power so imported shall be transmitted to Duhabi in the east and Hetauda in the center of Nepal. Existing 132 kV line capacity will not be sufficient for this. Moreover, after commissioning of HEPs of higher capacity in this region there will be a requirement of a transmission back bone to transmit power from center to east and vise versa to transmit power to Dhalke:bar for export to India via the planned cross border transmission line. For this reason a strong 400 kV double circuit transmission line from Hetauda to New Duhabi has been proposed. HEPs developed in different part of the countty will be evacuated to the grid points such as Hetauda, New Duhabi and Dhalkebar via several planned transmission corridors. The Hetauda - Dhalkebar - Duhabi 400 kV transmission line will transmit this electric power to the Dhalkebar, so that it can be transmitted to India via the planned Cross Border transmission line. 2.2 Objectives of the lEE Study The general objective of the study is to prepare an lEE report in order to implement the proposed Hetauda - Dhalkebar - Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line Project in an environmentally sound manner. The specific objectives of the study are: Environment and Social Studies Department 2-1 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 • to establish the physical, biological and socioeconomic & cultural baseline conditions of the project area; • to identify beneficial and adverse environmental impacts of the project during construction and operation phases; • to analyze the impacts in terms of the magnitude, extent and duration; • to suggest mitigation measures for the adverse impacts and enhancement measures for beneficial impacts; • to prepare environmental management plan; • Involve public in the decision-making process related to the environment; and • To provide information to the decision makers regarding further action and about the environmental implications due to the development of the proposed project. 2.3 Project Description 2.3.1 Project Location The proposed project is located in Central and Eastern Development Region of Nepal (Fig 2.1). Physiographic ally the project is located in Siwaliks and Terai Region of Nepal. 2.3.2 Project Accessibility East-West Highway is the main access to the project area. Dhulikhel- Sindhuli- Bhittamod road, Mirchaiya- Katari- Gaighat and Kadamchok-Bhediyatar road are the other main access to the project area. The transmission line is accessible through feeder roads and foot trails from these roads. Simara, Biratnagar and Janakpur are the nearest airport to the site. 2.3.3 Transmission Line Route The proposed 400 kV transmission line is 285.2 km in length, commencing at the under construction Hetauda substation(for Hetauda-Bardghat 220 kV Project) located at Hetauda Municipality Ward no 1 of Makwanpur district and terminating at the new Duhabi substation located at Ward no 7 Bhokraha tole(Hanif tole) of Bhokraha VDC in Sunsari district. The initial 18.6 km stretch of transmission line passes through hill section (Hetauda- Hurnamadi) and after that 23.4 km section is hill to Terai (Hurnamadi- Nijgadh). The remaining 243.2 km (Nijgadh- New Duhabi) passes through flat plain of Terai almost parallel to north of East-West Highway. The transmission line is aligned parallel to existing 132 kV line to the extent possible. In this regard out of 285.2 km total length 96.6 km is aligned close to existing 132 kV line. This includes 29km from Nijgadh to Bagmati, 20km from Bagmati to Dhalkebar and 47.6 km from Dhalkbear to Kanchanpur section. Environment and Social Studies Department 2-2 NEA W'hile selecting the transmission line alignment, due consideration was given to avoid the settlement areas, inbuilt structures, religious places, schools and other community infrastructures and the core forest areas as far as possible. Wherever the forest stretches were to be crossed, it passes through forest fringes /boarder line with the agricultural land use showing high human interference and forest degradation. The transmission line passes through 10 districts (6 from Central Development Region and 4 from Eastern Development Region) 2.3.4 Project Features 2.3.4.1 Transmission Line and Tower The proposed transmission line will be double circuit comprising of duplex overhead conductor. Each line circuit will have three phases, each phase comprising two separate aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR). Altogether 608 towers will be erected in 285.2 km alignment. Out of this 123 angle towers were marked at the ground and 485 suspension tower will be fl1lalized after the check survey conducted by the contractor. W'hile selecting the location of suspension towers due emphasis will be given to avoid area close to river side, erosion prone area and unstable slopes. The vertical double circuit configuration tower will have an average height of 45 m and the standard tower base dimensions will be 15 m x 15 m from centre to centre of each tower leg foundation/ footing. Steel tower leg and body extensions will be utilized to reduce foundation excavation on slopes and provide greater tower foundation structural security. The design span between tower structures is 400 m. The right of way (RoW) of the proposed transmission line is 23 meters on each side from the centerline of the overhead transmission line as per the Electricity Regulation, 2050 (1993). The transmission line design features are given in Table 2.1. Table -2.1: Project features Features In! escnpoon .. General Project , Hetauda Dhalkebar- Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line ~ __~ ______~ ______:~. ~P_ro~j~ec~t~"~=-____~ ______----=n--ce_v_e-:-lo-"-____~'"'______It_-C-.-en---trC'cal-.--.a~d:g~~t~~Q(:!y.<:!l~£~~~tl':c:gig~ ______10 districts Districts Makwanpur (6) ! Rautahat (5) Rangapur, Environment and Social Studies Department 2-3 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV 2.3.4.2 Substation Dhalkebar Substation Dhalkebar substation will receive power from cross border transmission line until Nepal power system will be in deficit. When there will be excess power in Nepal power system, electric power from various IPPs will flow to this substation via proposed Hetauda - Dhalkebar - New Duhabi. This substation will also serve for providing required power for the existing 132 and 33 kV network in this area. For this purpose there will be 400, 220, 132 and 33 kV voltage level buses. The project will acquire 6.77 ha private cultivated land nearby the existing Dhalkebar Substation for the construction of new buses. New Duhabi Substation New Duhabi substation is proposed in Hanif tole of Bhokraha VDC. Koshi corridor transmission line will be connected to this substation at 220 kV and the existing 132 kV line will be looped in and out in this substation. The existing Duhabi substation is at around 17 km from this location. The existing Duhabi substation is now surrounded by settlement and there is problem of constructing new transmission line in this area. Bhokraha is a comparatively open area. Koshi corridor is having a huge capacity and will be connected to this substation at 220 kV in the initial stage. So in the initial stage this substation will have 220, 132 and 33 kV voltage level busses. In future 400 kV bus will also be required and an additional cross border transmission line will be constructed in this area. The project will acquire 9.48 ha private cultivated land for the construction of new substation. New Hetauda Substation NEA is constructing a new Hetauda substation at Hetauda Municipality Ward-l. 220 kV transmission line from this substation to Bharatpur is under construction and there is a further plan to extend this line to Bardaghat. Under this Project, 220 kV bus will be added and 2 X 150 MVA, 220/132 kV transformers will be installed. The proposed expansion work will be conducted within the boundary of the substation and no additional land will be acquired. 2.3.5 Construction Planning The implementation of proposed project comprises the construction of a new 400/220/132 kV substation, extension of existing and newly built substations; tower foundation and erection of towers, stringing of conductor, testing and commissioning of the 285. 2 km 400 kV transmission line. 2.3.5.1 Tower Foundation The construction of tower foundation will be undertaken by manual labor assisted by the mechanical plant wherever possible. The Mechanical plant will be limited to small demountable steel skid framed concrete mixers, air compressors, air drills/ chisels and tamping/ compaction tools. Environment and Social Studies Department 2-6 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Excavation and the concreting of the tower foundations will be carried out as per the design requirements and after necessary curing, the foundations will be backfilled with suitable materiaL 2.3.5.2 Erection of Galvanized Steel Towers Galvanized steel lattice towers manufactured in the factory will be transported to the individual tower locations and are erected manually by employing pulleys, wenches, etc. into the tower foundations. 2.3.5.3 Insulator Fittings, Conductor and Ground Wire Stringing Conductors, OPGW, ground wires, insulators and necessary accessories will be transported manually to the tower locations. The fitting of insulators on the tower will be carried out manually. Stringing of conductors, OPGW and EHS wire will be carried out with the help of tensioners and other pulling devices as per the design requirements. 2.3.5.4 Transportation Primary site access for the project construction will be through the Mahendra Highway, No permanent access roads will be constructed to tower sites from existing road. Existing feeder roads and tracks will be used for construction and maintenance where available. The construction material up to the nearest road head will be carried out through vehicle and latter it will be transported manually up to the individual tower location. 2.3.5.5 Spoil Dumping Site Since the construction of transmission line towers requires clearing and excavation of fairly small areas at tower locations, construction work will not require spoil dumping sites. The spoil will be filled up and compacted in the tower base area. Similarly, spoil generated from tbe substation construction will be used to the switcbyard location wbere borrowed earth materials have to be filled and compacted for the site grading. 2.3.5.6 Construction Materials The materials required for civil construction works related to the transmission line and substation will be: a. Steel reinforcement b. Cement c. Coarse aggregate d. Fine aggregates (sand) Environment and Social Studies Department 2-7 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Steel reinforcing bars and cement can be acquired from local manufacturers or can also be imported. Coarse aggregates will be produced at site from excavated materials or purchased from the nearby market. Likewise, fme aggregates will be collected from major quarries along riverbanks, the excavated foundation material can be used as a backfill material required for the foundation construction. 2.3.5.7 Manpower Local people those are affected by the project implementation will be encouraged for employment. As far as possible, local semi skilled and unskilled labor will be used for construction activities and transportation of materials. Altogether about 600 people will be deployed on daily basis during the construction of the project, which includes 400 unskilled, 150 semi skilled and 50 skilled manpower (personnel communication, Cross Border Transmission Line Project). 2.3.5.8 Project Implementation The estimated completion period of the project is 3.5 years. Implementation will consist of a 6 month pre-construction phase and 3 years construction and commissioning phase. The construction work of transmission line will primarily be carried out during the dry season when ground conditions are essentially dry and river flows low to allow easy movement of materials and construction of towers. Construction activities during the monsoon season will primarily be restricted to stringing of conductors, although this activity may also be restricted by the weather. However, the construction work of the substation will be conducted throughout the year. 2.3.5.9 Camp and Storage Area NEA and the Consultant offices will be at Bardibas and Lahan. Site offices will be established as per requirements. For the establishment of office the existing building will be taken on lease. The Contractor shall also establish its offices at the corresponding places. Furthermore, the Contractor shall establish eight storage yards at the distance of about 30-40 km at the appropriate places between Hetauda and New Duhabi for storing materials and equipment. Hetauda, Nijgadh, Dhalkebar, Laban, Inaruwa, Chandranijhapur, Fattepur and Kanchanpur are the sites proposed for storage yards. The land required for the storage will be taken on lease and lower value land or barren land will be taken for the storage purpose. The temporary labour camps shall also be located at the above mention places. Local buildings shall be taken on rent rather than constructing new temporary building to the extent possible. 2.4 Project Area Delineation Environment and Social Studies Department 2-8 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhcibi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report For the lEE of the proposed project, the project area is defmed as the area for the construction of a 400 kV transmission line alignment, 400/220/132 kV Substation and upgrading of Dhalkebar and new Hetauda Substation as well as the area that will be impacted due to the construction and operation of the project. This area includes 77 VDCs and two municipalities of 10 districts. Out of this 6 VDCs lies in Makwanpur, 2 in Bara, 5 in Rautahat and 10 in Sarlahi districts. The project area also covers 3, 10, 17 20, 2 and 4 VDCs of Mahottari, Dhanusha, Siraha, Saptari, Udayapur and Sun sari districts respectively ( Fig-2.2). The project area does not lie in the national park, wildlife reserve, buffer zone, conservation area, historically and archaeologically important sites and or environmentally sensitive/ fragile areas. However the transmission line passes close to buffer zone of Koshi Tappu Willdife Reserve. The maximum and minimum distance of the alignment from the Koshi Tappu Willdife Reserve is 9.4 km and 1.8 km respectively. The study area is divided into two parts on the basis of the proximity and magnitude of impacts. 2. 4.1 Core Project Area The "Core Project Area" consists of the 46 m Right-of-Way (RoW), encompassing 23 m on each side of the alignment measured from its center line. The settlements within SOOm from the transmission line alignment and area occupied by the substations are also considered as the core area. This area is also defined as the "direct impact zone". 2.4.2 Surrounding Area The term "Surrounding Area" indicates a greater area, which will directly or indirectly get influenced by the construction and operation of the project. This area includes all alignment encompassing VDCs/ municipalities of 10 districts excluding areas mentioned under core project area. This area is also defined as the "indirect impact zone". The term "project" indicates the Hetauda- Dhalkebar- Duhabi 400 kV transmission line and "Area" refers to the core project area and the surrounding area. The term "project area" is also referred to as the study area for the lEE. Environment and Social Studies Department 2-9 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report 3. DATA REQUIREMENT AND STUDY METHODOLOGY ------ 3.1 Desk Study and Literature Review The relevant literature of the project area including feasibility report, survey report, topographical and GIS maps and other required information were collected and reviewed. The following documents, which were considered to be relevant for the lEE, were reviewed. • 1:25,000 scale topographical maps prepared by the Department of Survey, GoN; • 1:100000 scale district map of 10 Districts. • GIS map of the transmission line alignment • Regional Geological Maps and previous geological reports of the Nepal Himalaya, Google Earth, the online software for verifying the transmission line alignment. • Population of Nepal, Population Census 2001, Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal in Collaboration with UNFP A Nepal, 2002. • Population of Nepal, Population Census 2001, Selected Tables on Caste/Ethnicity, Mother tongue, and Religion, Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal 2002. • District praftles of concerned District Development Committees. • Village Development Committee Profile of Nepal. • Collection and review of National Acts and Rules related to social environment especially the land acquisition, compensation and resettlement. • Review of the social safeguard policy including OP 4.12. • Route Alignment Survey Report of Hetauda-Dhalkebar- Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line 3.2 Data Requirement, Collection Methods and Analysis 3.2.1 Physical Environment 3.2.1.1 Data Requirement and Collection Methods Information on climate (temperature & rainfall) was obtained from review of data published by Department of Hydrology and Metrology. Topo map of 1:25000 scale and GIS map were reviewed to collect information about land use and other features along the alignment. The information of land use, stability, physiographic condition of the area was supplemented by the field survey conducted by the experts. The team covered the 285.2 km stretch on foot to investigate the actual site conditions. The team investigated the site conditions of the angle points and other critical areas along the transmission line. Geographic data, such as topography, land use, soil, stability of the angle tower Environment and Social Studies Department NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report locations, key environmental features were studied and collected for the entire study area during the site investigation. Similarly, the air, noise and water quality of the area was collected through general observation. 3.2.1.2 Data Analysis The collected data was analyzed by the Environmental Engineer and Engineering Geologist and presented in the prescribed format as per the requirement of the study. 3.2.2 Biological Environment 3.2.2.1 Data Requirement and Collection Methods Vegetation/Forest Resources District level forest data was collected by reviewing of booklets published by District Forest Office of the project districts. Two days walkover survey was done by group of expert to make general observation of the forest along the alignment. Based on the field observation the sample plots were fixed covering different habitat area. The status of forests, density of forests, location and feasibility of sampling site was considered for the determination of the sample plot. Altogether 116 sampling plots, each of 400 sqm (20m*20m) were placed for quantitative analysis of vegetation. Out of this 20 sample plots were taken from hilly region and remaining were placed in terai region including Churiya range. The information such as frequency, density, basal area etc was collected for each sampling site. Tree size and pole size trees were recorded by measuring breast height (dbh) with the help of measuring tape. Similarly, their height was estimated simply by observation. In each plot, tree species were identified and all trees exceeding a diameter of 10 em at dbh were counted. Canopy cover of the forest was estimated by visual observation. 1be transmission line was divided into 5 sections to collect the field data and report preparation. For estimating regeneration rate of forest, a plot of size 10xlO sq.m. was selected within each 400 sq.m. Plot and the number of seedlings and saplings of each species were recorded. Similarly occurrence of herbs and shrubs in the project area has been recorded. Details of the sample plots are presented in Table 3.1 below. T a bI e 31.. Sample Plots In. diffierent sttetch 0 fT ransmlSSlon L'me I District/ Section Name of No. of Sample Forest type I Density ( high, low or CFI Government Plot other parameter as forest you feel necessarv Section-1 Community forests 17 Sal, Sal mixed, Moderate (lvIakawanpur) Pine and Riverine Environment and Social Studies Department 3-2 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Section -2 Community forests I 16 Sal, Sal mixed and High (Bara, Rautahat) i Riverine Section -2 Collaborative 6 Sal mixed forests Low i (Rautahat) forests (Graging status is high) I Section-3 Community forests 24 Sal mixed and Moderate (Sarlahi, Dhanusa, Riverine . "/\1ahottari) Section·3 Collaborative 9 Sal mixed Low (Sarlahi forests (Graging status is high) Mahhotari) Section -4 Community forests 26 Sal, Sal mixed and High . (Siraha Saptari\ Riverine I Section -5 Community forests 18 Sal. Sal mixed and Moderate (Cdapur, Sunsari) Riverine I Total 116 Source: FIeld Survey, 2010. The infonnation about the private trees on the farm land was collected by making walkover survey along the alignment. Consultation with CFUGs Out of the 67 community forest falls along the alignment consultation was made with 47 community forest. The representative of concerned community forest was pre informed about the meeting. The meeting was attended by the chairman, secretary and members of the community forest. Altogether 291 people from 47 community forest were participated in meetings conducted at different locations. The meting was mainly focus on availability of flora, dependency of local people on forest resources, availability of Non-Timber Forest Products, species to be planted, possible plantation sites and assistance required to community forest. The details of the meeting are presented in Appendix-3a. Environment and Social Studies Department NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Draft lEE Report WiDdife Data on wildlife was collected by direct observation using the transect passing along the RoW and adjacent areas with various land use types (e.g., forest areas, grassland, agriculture land etc). Line transect was placed at Ratmate, Shreepur, Sarashwatikhel, Nijgadh, Nunthar, Hariwan, Lalgadh, Kamala barrage, Ghoganpur, Tapeswari, Prakashpur and Singhiya area. Each transect was 200 m in length, taken on either side of the RoW centerline. Major habitat types were identified by direct field observation and using topographic maps. Different signs (e.g. scats/droppings, scratches, calls, pugmarks, carcasses, scales) were also used for identification of mammals, birds and reptiles. Other indirect indicators such as nests, dens, burrows were also observed in the area. The information about the fish was collected in consultation with local hoteliers located along the river side. Interview Local people from the project area, members of Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs), authorities of Koshi Tappu and Parsa Wildlife Reserves, officials from concerned Range Post and District Forest Office were interviewed in order to collect information on wild fauna, their distribution, behaviours, movement pattern etc. Colour photographs of different mammals, birds and reptiles were shown to the local people to ascertain their occurrence. Wildlife species found in the project area were grouped into different threat categories based on IUCN (1978), CITES (1985) and GoN's act such as Forest Act 1993 and National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973. 3.2.2.2 Data Analysis The plant species at site were identified following standard nomenclature (Hara et. al 1978, 1979, l:Iara and Williams 1979, Polunin and Stainton, 1984). The collected herbariam plants were identified with the help of literature and by tallying the Herbarium specimens deposited in Tribhuvan University, Central Herbarium (TUCH). Based on this information, frequency, relative frequency, density, relative density, basal area, relative basal area, relative dominance, wood volume, biomass and important value index (IVI) and crown coverage were calculated. Diameter at breast height was measured at 1.3 meter from the ground level and the tree, pole, sapling and seedling were classified on the basis of following criteria. • Tree class above 30 em dbh • Pole class 10-30 em dbh • Sapling 4-10 em dbh • Seedling less than 4 em dbh Environment and Social studies Department 3-4 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 The following formula was used to calculate the above mentioned parameters: Number of quadrats in which individual species Frequency (%) = occurred x 100 Total number of quadrats studied ______Total number of individual species in all quadrat xlOOOO Density (tree/ha) Total number of quadrats studied x Area of a quadrat (m) cbh dbh Basal Ares is the trunk cross-sectional area. The basal area of each of trees was calculated on the basis of diameter at breast height. n(dbhf Basal area 4 Thus obtained basal area of each species were summed up and further it was expressed in basal area per hectare (m2/ha). Frequency of individual species Relative frequency (RF) = xlOO Sum of the frequencies for all species Density of individual species Relative density (RD) xlOO Total density of all species Basal area of individual species Relative basal area (RBA) = xlOO Total basal area of all trees Importance value index (IVI) =RF + RD+ RBA BAxh Wood volume 2 Biomass = wood volume x wood density Environment and Social Studies Department 3-5 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Draft lEE Report 3.2.3 Socioeconomic and Cultural Environment 3.2.3.1 Data Requirement and Collection Methods Socioeconomic and cultural data, such as population of affected VDCs, household size, male female ratio, infrastructures, ethnicity, language and religion data were derived from Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) 2001. District Profile of the project districts were referred for the socioeconomic data such as population, infrastructure etc. Literature review, survey of affected households (HHs), key informant interviews (KIIs), PRA in the affected VDCs, focus group discussions (FGDs) with female and Janjati/Dalit ethnic groups of the project area, market survey in the affected VDCs and informal discussion/meeting with district level government officials were the methodology applied for socioeconomic survey. Identification ofland Owner and Household Survey The name of land owner was identified with the help of cadastral map and the list of the person was verified on the ground. Altog~ther 130 household were affected by land and house acquisition. Appropriate questionnaire (Appendix-3b) was developed in Nepali language and administered in the households affected by the project. The questionnaire was pre tested before administration to the local community at site. T a hIe -3 . 2: D etal'1 sotf h e SOCloeconomlC . Survey Key Informant Market FGD District PRA Survey HH Interview Survey Occp./Ethnic Female Makwanpur 6 6 12 6 3 3 Bara 2 - 4 2 1 - Rautahat 5 - 10 5 1 1 ! Sarlahi 10 7 20 10 1 3 Mahottari 3 0 6 3 0 1 Dhanusa 10 31 20 10 3 2 :IS' ua h a 17 22 34 17 3 3 Saptari 20 19 40 20 4 5 Udayapur 2 - 4 2 1 1 Sunsari 4 23 8 4 2 I 1 Total 79 108 158 79 19 20 Key Informant Survey Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were conducted with 158 purposively selected key informants including 2 key informants from each affected VDC/ municipality to assess their views, concerns Environment and Social Studies Department 3-6 NEA Heta:uda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 and expectation from the project and relevant information of the project area. The key informants included representatives of local government bodies/line agencies, NGOs, CBOs, CFUGs, women organization, teachers, political party leaders and other intellectual of the project area. The KIIs was conducted using a key informant interview guideline (Appendix- 3c.). Focus Group Discussions Among the qualitative techniques, FGD is preferred for its in-depth approach and functionality. For in-depth understanding and analysis of the perceptions of stakeholders, altogether 39 FGDs were conducted including 20 FGDs with female and 19 FGDs with janjati/Dalit groups. The VDCs/municipalities for the FGDs were purposively selected considering representation of geographic location and caste/ethnic groups of the project area. The participants for the FGDs were purposively selected from the core project areas of the affected VDCs. The FGD was facilitated using a topic guide (Appendix.-3d). Participatory Rapid Appraisal Altogether 79 Participatory rapid appraisals (PlL,\s) were conducted including one in each VDC/municipality affected by the project to collect basic socio economic data, views, concerns and expectation of the local people from the project. Similarly, the participants were also informed regarding the project and its activities during the PM. The participants representing different groups, former VDC Chairman, VDC Secretary, school teacher, businessmen, farmer, student, social workers and representatives of women organizations, NGOs, CBOs, political parties etc. had participated in the PM. The average number of participants in each PM was 22 persons. A checklist was developed to facilitate the PRA (Appendix-3e). Market Survey Market survey of the 79 project VDCs/municipality was conducted to collect prevailing market price of consumption goods, construction materials, wage rate, land price etc. A market survey checklist was prepared and used to conduct the market survey (Appendix-3f:). Meetings/Consultations Informal meetings/consultations were also conducted with the relevant government officials (CDO, LDO, VDC Secretary), NGOs, CBOs, CFCGs of the project districts to collect information about the project area, their concerns/expectation and inform them about the project and its ongoing activities. The finding of the consultation is given in chapter -5 and issues raised by the local people are incorporated in impact and mitigation chapters of the report. Environment and Social Studies Department 3-7 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/ L Project Draft lEE Report 3.2.3.2 Data Analysis The HH survey data was processed using computer software ~1S Access) whereas the other data was processed manually. The out put tables were produced as required by the expert. The households were categorized as marginal (below 1.02 ha land holding), small (1.02 to 2.38 ha), medium (2.38 5.1 ha) and large (above 5.1 ha). Farmers as per the standard criteria (National Planning Commission, Survey of Employment, Income distribution and Consumption Pa ttem 1976-1977). 3.3 Impact Identification and Prediction Matrix method was used to assess impact of the project on physical, biological and SOC10- economic & cultural environment. The significance of both identified and predicted impacts was evaluated. Based on the evaluation each significant impact was further categorized as high, medium and low in terms of magnitude, short term, medium term and long term in terms of duration and local, site specific and regional in terms of extent. The magnitude, extent and duration were categorized as per National EIA Guideline 1993. 3.3.1 Significance of Impacts I. Significant: If the impact is considerable and changes the baseline condition it is considered significant impact. If the impacts are irreversible even with mitigation measures they are considered significant. II. Insignificant: If the change is so minor that baseline condition is not affected considerably it is called insignificant. If the impact could be reversible with mitigation measures. 3.3.2 Magnitude of Impacts I. Low Impact (L): If the value of the resources could be used with no or minimum inconvenience to the public. Loss of up to 50 trees/ha, and construction disturbances are considered low impacts. Household loosing 10% of their total land and 25% of their agriculture income are also categorized under this category. II. Medium/Moderate Impact (M): If the value of the resources could be used with inconvenience to the public. Loss of 50 to 200/ha trees/ha and fringe or degraded habitat loss is considered moderate impacts. Household loosing up to 50% of their total land and up to 50% of their agriculture income are also categorized under this category Environment and Social Studies Department 3-8 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k v T/ L Project Draft lEE Report III. High Impact (H): If the value of the resources reduced far below publicly acceptable level. Household loosing more than 50 % of their total land and 50% above of their agriculture income are also categorized under this category. Loss of more than 200 trees/ha, and loss of prime habitat of protected species and habitat of sensitive species is considered high Impact. 3.3.3 Extent of Impacts I. Site Specific (S): If the impact is limited to the project area then it is a site specific one. II. Local (L): If the impact of the work extends to the watershed then it is termed as local. III. Regional (R): If the impact of the work extends beyond the watershed then it is termed as regional. IV. National (N): If the resources are affected at national scale, it is known as a national impact. 3.3.4 Duration of Impacts I. Short Term (ST): If the impacts last for 3 years after project initiation it is classified as short term. The construction phase impacts are mosdy categorized under this category. II. Medium Term (MT): An impact that continues for more than 3 years but less than 20 years is considered as medium-term. The construction phase impacts which carry over 1-2 years of operation phase falls under this category. III. Long Term (LT): An impact that lasts beyond 20 years is considered to be long term. The operation phase impacts are mosdy categorized under this category. 3.4 Public Notice Notice with regards to Initial Environmental Examination Study will be published in 'Gorkhapatra/Kantipur a national daily news paper. As per clause 7 (2) of the amendment version of Environment Protection Rule 15 days time will be given to local people for providing written concerns/issues regarding the proposed project The copy of notice will be displayed at the VDC office, local schools, villages, health post and other public places. The Muchulka (Indeed of Notice) of the notice display will be collected. The recommendation letter of concerned VDCs will also be collected and presented in final lEE report. 3.5 Time, Cost and Specialist The lEE study including field work was completed in 6 months. The study cost is 5 million NRs. The following manpower was deployed for this study. Environment and Social Studies Department 3-9 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report • Project Coordinator- Deva Sharma Paudel • Team Leader- Rabindra Chaudhary • Sr. Eletrical Engineer - Shyam Shrestha • Geologist- Anirudha Paudel • Environmental Engineer- Annu Rajbhandari • Civil Engineer Ritu Duwal • Environmental Expert- Raju Gyawali • Botanist/ Forest Expert- Dr. Narayan Ghimire • Botanist/ Forest Expert- Milan Dahal • Kastup Neupane- Wildlife Biologist • Socio-economist- Achut Dawadi • Sociologist- Bhakti Timsina • Public Relation Officer- Raja Ram Thapaliya Environment and Social Studies Department 3-10 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report 4. REVIEW OF RELEVANT POLICIES, ACTS, RULES, GUIDELINES AND CONVENTIONS 4.1 General Environmental management is relatively a new subject in Nepal. This chapter focuses on brief description of the policy, legal and administrative framework within which Hetauda- -Dhalkebar Duabi 400 kV Transmission Line Project will be implemented. The proponent will comply the legal requirement of Government of Nepal (GoN) as well as the World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguard Policies and will be responsible for fulfilling provisions of all relevant acts while implementing the project. Some of these national and international policies, acts, rules, guidelines and conventions relevant to the proposed project are described below. The proponent will obey and follow if any other laws besides those already mentioned in the document are attracted due to various activities that will be undertaken as the part of the project. 4.2 National Plan/Policies, Acts, Rules and Guidelines 4.2.1 Plan, Policies and Strategies 4.2.1.1 Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2006 Article 35(5) of the Interim Constitution mentioned about environmental awareness to general public, minimization/avoidance of the impact of physical development works on environment and rare species with due emphasis of conservation. This article also deals with the biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of natural resources and equal distribution of benefits. Article 13 (3) stated that discrimination shall not be conducted based on color, origin, caste and language. Article 13 (4) mentioned that equal wages shall be given to female for same kind of work. 4.2.1.2 Tenth Plan (2002- 2007) The Tenth Plan includes five-year period of 2002 to 2007. The plan focus on infrastructure development, rational use of natural resources and use of biodiversity with due emphasis on environmental conservation and pollution control. Similarly priority has been given to increase the environmental awareness, health, education by using environmental, safety and rehabilitation measures. Environment and Social Studies Department 4-1 NEA Hetauda- Dhnlkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 4.2.1. 3 Three Years Interim Plan 2007 The interim plan was developed by National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal for three fiscal (07/08 to 9/10) years. The interim plan emphasize the need of Unified Environment Policy, applications of environmental standards, preparation of environmental impact reports and implementation of cleaner production and energy efficiency program. The plan also emphasizes the need for the implementation of environmental monitoring and environmental auditing program. 4.2.1. 4 Hydropower Development Policy, 2001 The Hydropower Development Policy 2001 emphasizes the need of implementation of mitigation measures in project affected area. The policy states that Resettlement and Rehabilitation works shall be conducted as per approved criteria of the GoN. The policy clearly states that hydropower development shall be emphasized with due consideration of environmental conservation and as an alternate of bio and thermal energy. Section 6.3 deals with the provision for investment in generation, transmission and distribution where as section 6.1.2.3 (a) deals with different kind of license required at different level of project development. The policy also recommends riparian release of 10% of the average minimum monthly flow or as recommended by the study. 4.2.1.5 National Water Plan 2002- 2007 The National Water Plan 2002-2007 (NWP) was prepared to implement the Water Sector Strategy of Nepal. The Plan targets an increase in Nepal's hydropower generation from 600 ~fW in 2007 to 4,000 ~ by 2027. The N\X'P emphasizes the need for Strategic Environmental Assessment. Section 7 of the NWP highlights the Environment Management Plan (EMP) as a strategic document for the implementation, monitoring and auditing of environmental protection programs. 4.2.1.6 National Biodiversity Strategy 2002 The National Biodivmiry Stmtegy 2002 is a commitment of the Government and the people of Nepal to protect and sensibly use the biologically diverse resources of the country, protecting ecological processes and systems, equitably sharing benefits in a sustainable basis and honoring obligations under the convention on Biological Diversity. 4.2.1. 7 Water Resources Strategy 2002 The GoN, through the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), formulated its first Environment and Social Studies Department 4-2 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV comprehensive Water Resources Strate!!J (WRS) in 2002. To contribute to the national goal of improving the living conditions of the Nepali people in a sustainable manner, the WRS has formulated short-term (five year), medium-term (15 year) and long-term (25 year) strategies for the water resources sector. 4.2.1.8 Forestry Policy, 2000 The Forestry Policy 2000 (revised) highlight the forest conservation, management and their sustainable use through people's participation. The long term objectives of the policy are to meet people's basic needs for fuel wood, timber, fodder and other forest products on sustainable yield basis to protect land against degradation and to conserve the ecosystem and genetic resources. The implementation of the project should not hamper the objectives. 4.2.2 Acts 4.2.2.1 Environment Protection Act, 1997 Nepal has enacted a comprehensive and umbrella- type environmental act, the Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1997 which is enforced through appropriate regulatory measures. The EPA provides a legal basis for the concerned authorities for regulating an Initial Environmental Examination (lEE) or/and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Section 3 of the act requires the proponent to conduct an lEE and ErA 1fi relation to the prescribed proposals. The act uses the word "proposal" instead of "projects" which makes the scope of the act much broader in relation to environmental studies. Implementation of any proposal without the approval of the relevant agency is prohibited by the act. 4.2.2.2 Electricity Act, 1992 The electricity act 1992 has been enacted to manage the survey, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and to standardize and safeguard electricity services. Article 3 - No license is required to survey, generate, transmit or distribute electricity from the projects of capacity ranging from 100 kW to 1000 kW. However, information should be provided to the designated authority about such a project. According to Section 4 subsection -1 of the act, Any person or corporate body who wishes to conduct survey, generation, transmission or distribution of electricity over 1 MW shall be required to submit an application to the prescribed officer along with economic, technical, and environmental study report. Section 24 of this act states that " While carrying out electricity generation, transmission or distribution, it shall be carried out in such a manner that no substantial adverse effect be made on environment by the way of soil erosion, flood, landslide air pollution etc". Environment and Social Studies Department 4-3 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report Pursuant to the act, the proponent requested Ministry of Energy (MoE), through the Department of Electricity Development, to issue a survey license for the proposed Project. The survey license was issued on 2010/05/17 and is valid up to 2011/05/16. 4.2.2.3 Water Resources Act, 1992 The Water Resources Act, 1992 has been enacted to make arrangement for the rational utilization, conservation, management and development of water resources in Nepal. According to section 8, subsection 1 of the act, a person or corporate body who desires to conduct surveyor to utilize water resources shall be required to submit an application to the prescribed officer or authority along with the economic, technical and environmental study report and with other prescribed particulars. This act is relevant to project that to get construction license above mentioned document must be submitted to DoED. Section 16 of the act mention that GoN will facilitate for land and house acquisition for development projects under prevailing rules. 4.2.2.4 Land Acquisition Act, 1977 It is the main legislation to guide the land acquisition process in the country. Government can acquire land at any place in any quantity by giving the compensation pursuant to the act for the land required for any public purpose or for the operation of any development project initiated by government institution (sections 3 and 4). The compensation paid under this act will be given in cash. To decide about the amount of compensation the act has made provision for the constitution of Compensation Fixation Committee (CFC). This act is silent about the payment of compensation at market rate, which pose difficulty for the payment of compensation at present value. 4.2.2.5 Forest Act, 1993 Section 49 of the act prohibits reclaiming lands, setting fires, grazing, removing or damaging forest products, felling trees or plants, wildlife hunting and extracting boulders, sand and soil from the national forest without the prior approvaL Section 68 (1) of the Act empowers the government to permit the use of any part of government managed forest, community forest; leasehold forest etc, if there is no alternative except to use the forest area for the implementation of a plan or a project of national priority without significantly affecting the environment. Environment and Social Studies Department 4-4 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 4.2.2.6 Soil and Water Conservation Act, 1992 The article 2 (B) of the act defines the soil and water conservation. According to article -3 GoN can acquire area/land by giving written notice for the purpose of water conservation. But for such acquisition, compensation shall be paid, in case of private land, in consultation \vith local authorities (VDC/Municipality). Article 10 of the act elaborates the activities that are considered illegal in the area which are suspected for natural disaster. 4.2.2.7 Local Self Govemance Act, 1999 Local self Governance Act, 1999 empowers the local authorities and makes them more responsible towards local development. Article - 6 of VDC deals with the environment conservation and management while design the project/program. Article - 8 deals with penalty if any body/person/institution is found polluting the environment. The act empowers municipality to control and manage different type of pollution, forest resources and other natural resources. 4.2.2.8 Labor Act 1992 111is act is enforced by GoN in 1992. This act classified people below 15 years as child and "Nabalik" for the age group of above 14 years and below 18 years. The act has also made provision of labor court and Department of Labor. The act clearly mentioned that appointment letter should be issued for all the employees which include their working hours, working time, wages and other benefits. The act allows for the time bond contract for the manpower required for development work. The act specifies that working hours for the Nabalik and women must be within the period of 6 AM to 6PM which clearly restrict to deploy women in night works. The act also stated that equal opportunity shall be given to women as man. Similarly working period of other employees must not exceed 8 hours a day and 48 hours in week. If some people work beyond that period over time allowances must be paid which is 150 % of the normal per hour wages and such over time must not exceed 4 hours in each day. According to this act wages rate of the employees shall not be less than rate fixed by the concerned offIces of GoN. 4.2.2.9 Land Reform Act, 1964 The Land Reform Act, 1964 is considered as a revolutionary step towards changing the existing system of land tenure by establishing rights of tenants and providing ownership rights to actual Tiller. To date it has been amended five times. Article sets ceiling on land ownership according to geographical zones. Article 25 (1) of this act deals with tenancy rights that also exists. 4.2.2.10 Aquatic Animals Protection Act, 1961 This act is amended in 2055 covering wide area including water resources projects. Section 4 empowers the government to prohibit catching, killing and harming of aquatic animals through Environment and Social Studies Department 4-5 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report notification in the Nepal Gazette. This act is in effective because no proper agency has been designated the responsibility of administering and enforcing AAPA. Department level proper agency should be identified and placed with full authority for the enforcement of AAPA -1961 4.2.2.11 Explosive Act 1961 Article 4 of the act emphasizes the need of permission for the use, sell, transportation and import of explosive item. The act made provision of penalty up to NRs. 20,000 if transporting or using the explosive items without proper permission. The act authorized chief District Officer to grant such permission. According to Article 8 of the act any accident caused by the use of explosives shall be informed to nearest Police Station to the earliest possible. 4.2.3 Rules/ Regulations 4.2.3.1 Environment Protection Rule, 1997 The EPR provides a legal basis for the concerned authorities in regulating the Initial Environmental Examination (lEE) or/and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). It is apparent from this provision that any private or government agency who wishes to implement any of the proposals defmed in the regulations must prepare either an lEE or EIA, as the case may be. Article 7(2) of the EPR made prm>ision of publishing notice during the preparation of IEE report to collect the concerns of stakeholders such as DDC, VDC, school, health post, hospital etc. As per the rule notice was displayed in project area and Muchulka was prepared. According to Section 10 of EPR recommendation letter of affected VDC is mandatory prior to submission of the lEE report. The proponent has collected recommendation letters of all affected VDCs which are annexed in the report. 4.2.3.2 Electricity Regulations, 1992 Section (Chha) of Article 12 and section (Chha) of Article 13 of Electricity Regulation 1992 are important from environmental viewpoint. The Initial Environmental Examination report should address the environmental issues, measures required to mitigate the significant adverse impacts. This regulation has also made provision for the formation of Compensation Fixation Committee for compensation of the land required for the project. Environment and Social Studies Department 4-6 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV 4.2.3.3 Water Resources Regulation, 1993 It is mandatory under Rule 17 (e) of the regulation that any person or corporate body, who desires to obtain a license for utilization of water resources must state in his application that appropriate measures will be taken to lessen the adverse effects due to the project on the overall environment. Measures are to be taken for the conservation of aquatic life and water environment and for mitigating social and economic effects of the project in the concerned area. 4.2.3.4 Local Self Governance Regulation, 2000 Local Self-Governance Regulation empowers the local bodies to coordinate and implement development programs and for rationale utilization of local natural resources. Article -7 (69) empowers the VDCs for monitoring and supervision of development work implemented in the VDC. The Article - 4 of DDC has provision of three members (Agriculture, Forest, and Environment) committee to look after the concerned issues. 4.2.3.5 Forest Regulation, 1995 Rule 65 of the Forest Regulation stipulates that in case the execution of any project having national priority in any forest area causes any loss or harm to any local, individual, or community, the proponents of the project itself shall bear the amount of compensation to be paid. Similarly the entire expenses required for the harvesting, logging and transporting of the forest products in a forest area should be borne by the proponents of the projects. 4.2.4 Guidelines 4.2.4.1 National Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines, 1993 According to the guidelines, lEE is mandatory for hydroelectric projects with generating capacities up to 5 MW. This guideline is frequently used and quite helpful right from making terms of reference to preparing impact assessment matrix and assigning values on impacts ranking. The other important feature of the guideline is description on community participation. Clause 49 deals with the methods to involve the public. 4.2.4.2 EIA Guideline for Agriculture Sector 2003 The EIA Guideline for Agriculture Sector 2003 was developed to minimize impacts on the agriculture sector due to increase in agricultural products and production and the activities of projects implemented by other organizations. Schedule 2 of the Guideline discusses the screening process for environmental studies, Schedule 4 relates to EIA scoping and Schedule 5 describes the requirements for the EIA ToR. Environment and Social Studies Department 4-7 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 1ne construction of the transmission line will involve the acquisition of cultivated land for tower sites and may involve the leasing of cultivated land for temporary construction sites, thus standing crops may be affected and therefore the provisions of this Guideline are relevant to the project. 4.2.4.3 DoED/USAID Hydropower Manuals The DoED, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Resources Group Ltd., prepared seven manuals relating to hydropower environmental studies and monitoring in Nepal. These manuals include: • Manual for preparing Scoping Document for EL\ of Hydropower Projects; • Manual for preparing Terms of Reference for EIA of Hydropower Projects with notes on EIA report preparation; • Manual for preparing Environmental Management Plan for Hydropower Projects; • Manual for Public Involvement in the EIA Process of Hydropower Projects; and • Manual for Prediction, Ranking and Determination of Significant Impacts in EIA of Hydropower Projects. The manuals are helpful in preparing EIA scoping documents, Terms of Reference, EIA/IEE reports and environmental management and monitoring plans, and were reviewed during the preparation of this lEE. 4.2.4.4 National Health Care and Waste Management Guidelines National Health Care and Waste Management Guidelines 2002 has been developed by National Health Research Council (NHRC) in assistance of World Bank .The guideline aims to develop sound health care waste management system in health care institutions. The guideline is helpful to sensitize the government, health care institutions, policy maker, planners and environmentalist of Nepal. The Guideline provides a minimum standard for safe and efficient waste management for health care institution in Nepal. The guidelines mainly focus on protection of public health and safety, safer working environment, minimization of waste generation and environmental impacts of waste treatment/disposal. 4.2.4.5 Forest Produce Collection, Sales and Distribution Guideline, 2000 The guidelines clauses 3 to 10 have specified various procedure and formats for getting approvals for vegetation clearance, delineation of lands for vegetation clearance, evaluation of the wood volume etc, and government offices and officials responsible for the approval. These provisions have a direct relevance to the development of the projects and need compliance to these provisions. Environment and Social Studies Department 4-8 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhnbi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report 4.2.4.6 Environmental Management Guideline (Road), 1997 This guideline has been prepared by Geo- Environment Unit of Department of Road(DoR) to ensure that environmental consideration are integrated in project design, tender document, contract document, project supervision and monitoring. The guideline clearly defines the environmental mitigation measures to be incorporated into DoR Projects, procedure for public participation and socioeconomic considerations. 1be environmental mitigation measures are basically selection of alignment by avoiding landslide prone area, geologically unstable areas, large scale cutting, implementation of suitable drainage and bioengineering measures. The public participation suggests method for determining how and when the public should be included in the environmental analysis_ For socioeconomic impact strategies are proposed for reducing or avoiding the potential negative impacts and for maximizing the beneficial impact to local residents. Regarding the socioeconomic impact land acquisition and compensation, economic impacts and cultural heritage are the prime area to be considered for the study. 4.2.5 Convention 4.2.5.1 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora Nepal is a party to the CITES that aims to control the trade of certain wildlife species to prevent further endangering of their survival. CITES classifies species according to the following criteria: I species threatened with extinction, II - species which could become endangered, III species that are protected (CITES 1983. As Nepal is party to the Conventions related to species conservation attention should be given to evaluate the impacts of the project activities on meeting their obligations. 4.2.5.2 ILO Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, 1989 (No.169) Nepal ratified ILO Convention No. 169 on September 14, 2007. In 2007 the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly. The declaration reaffirms the importance of the principles and approaches provided for under Convention No. 169 and its adoption therefore provide afresh impetus for promoting the ratification and implementation of Convention No. 169. ILO Convention No.169 highlights the need to recognize indigenous and tribal people's specific knowledge, skills and technologies as the basis for their traditional economies and self- determined development process. Article -1 of the convention provide definition of the tribal and indigenous people. Article -6 deals the consultation of the peoples concerned through appropriate procedure and in particular through Environment and Social Studies Department 4-9 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Draft lEE Report their representative institutions, whenever consideration is being given to legislative or administrative measures which may affect them directly. In Article 15 the rights of the peoples concerned to the natural resources pertaining to their lands shall be specifically safeguarded. These rights include the right of these people to participate in the use, management and conservation of these resources. The use of the term lands includes the concept of territories, which covers the total environment of the areas which the peoples concerned occupy or otherwise use. The peoples concerned shall wherever possible participate in the benefits of such activities and shall receive fair compensation for any damages which they may sustain as a result of such activities. Article 16 (2) clearly mention that where the relocation of these peoples is considered necessary as an exceptional measures such relocation shall take place only with their free and inform consent. Where their consent cannot be obtained, such relocation shall take place only following appropriate procedures established by national laws and regulations, including public inquiries where appropriate, which provide the opportunity for effective representation of the peoples concerned. Article 16 (3) mention that whenever possible these peoples shall have the right to return their traditional land as soon as the grounds for relocation cease to exist. Article 16(5) elaborated the persons thus relocated shall be fully compensated for any resulting loss or injury. Ancient Monument Act, 1956 This act has been enacted to provide protection and conservation of of cultural heritage and places of religious significance. Among its provisions is that except the one under private ownership, all archaeological objects found any where shall be under the custody of the Department of Archaeology. 4.3 World Bank Safeguard Policies World Bank has ten safeguard policies mainly environmental assessment, natural habitats, forest, pest management, safety of dams, involuntary resettlement, indigenous people, cultural property, projects involving international waters, projects in disputed area etc. The objectives of Safeguard policies are to integrate environmental and social issues in to decision making, to support Participatory approaches and transparency, to effective implementation of project for achieve sustainable development etc. The objective of these policies is to prevent and ffilugate undue harm to people and their environment in the development process. These policies provide guidelines for bank and borrower staffs in the identification, preparation, and implementation of programs and projects. Safeguard policies have often provided a platform for the participation of stakeholders in project design, and have been an important instrument for building ownership among local populations. Environment and Social Studies Department 4-10 NEA Hetauda- Dhn.lkebar-Duhn.bi 400 4.3.1 Environmental Assessment The main objectives of Environmental Assessment (EA) is to support integration of environmental and social aspects of projects in to the decision making process. It has cover to analyses the potential environmental and social risks and impacts in project area of influences .It has also examines project alternatives and develops Environmental Management Plans(EMP) The Bank requires environmental assessment (EA) of projects proposed for Bank financing to help ensure that they are environmentally sound and sustainable, and thus to improve decision making. The Bank classifies the project into 4 sub categories, depending on the type, location, sensitivity, and scale of the project and the nature and magnitude of its potential environmental impacts. 4.3.2 Indigenous Peoples W orId Bank defines Indigenous Peoples, as the people, who have self identification, collective attachment to ancestral lands, customary culture, economic, social, political institution and indigenous language. The Bank recognizes that the identities and cultures of Indigenous Peoples are inextricably linked to the lands on which they live and the natural resources on which they depend. These distinct circumstances expose Indigenous Peoples to different types of risks and levels of impacts from development projects, including loss of identity, culture, and customary livelihoods, as well as exposure to disease. As social groups with identities that are often distinct from dominant groups in their national societies, Indigenous Peoples are frequently among the most marginalized and vulnerable segments of the population. As a result, their economic, social, and legal status often limits their capacity to defend their interests in and rights to lands, territories, and other productive resources, and/or restricts their ability to participate in and benefit from development. At the same time, the Bank recognizes that Indigenous Peoples play a vital role in sustainable development and that their rights are increasingly being addressed under both domestic and international law. 4.3.3 Natural Habitats Natural Habitats seeks to ensure that World Bank-supported infrastructure and other development projects take into account the conservation of biodiversity, as well as the numerous environmental services and products which natural habitats provide to human society. The policy strictly limits the circumstances under which any Bank-supported project can damage natural habitats Oand and water areas where most of the native plant and animal species are still present). Specifically, the policy prohibits Bank support for projects which would lead to the significant Environment and Social Studies Department 4-11 NEA Hetauda- Dhnlkebar-Du.hnbi 400 k v TIL Project Draft lEE Report loss or degradation of any Critical Natural Habitats, whose definition includes those natural habitats which are either, legally officially proposed for protection, or protected, unprotected but of known high conservation value etc. Enmronment and Social Stu.dies Department 4-12 NEA Hetauda- 4.3.4 Forest The Bank's current forests policy rums to reduce deforestation, enhance the environmental contribution of forested areas, promote forestation, reduce poverty, and encourage economic development. Combating deforestation and promoting sustainable forest conservation and management have been high on the international agenda for two decades. However, little has been achieved so far and the world's forests and forest dependent people continue to experience unacceptably high rates of forest loss and degradation. The Bank is therefore currently finalizing a revised approach to forestry issues, in recognition of the fact that forests play an increasingly important role in poverty alleviation, economic development, and for providing local as well as global environmental services. The new proposed Strategy suggests three equally important and interdependent pillars to guide future Bank involvement with forests are harnessing the potential of forests to reduce poverty, integrating forests in sustainable economic development, and protecting vital local and global environmental services and forest values. 4.3.5 Involuntary Resettlement Involuntary resettlement may cause severe long-term hardship, impoverishment, and environmental damage unless appropriate measures are carefully planned and carried out. The basic principle of Involuntary Resettlement are; avoid, minimize and mitigate involuntary resettlement impacts, payment of compensation before taking possession of the property, commensuration at replacement cost and carry out consultation from beginning to end of the project. For these reasons, the overall objectives of the Bank's policy on involuntary resettlement are the following: (a) Involuntary resettlement should be avoided where feasible, or minimized, exploring all viable alternative project designs. (b) \X'here it is not feasible to avoid resettlement, resettlement activities should be conceived and executed as sustainable development programs, providing sufficient investment resources to enable the persons displaced by the project to share in project benefits. c. Displaced persons should be meaningfully consulted and should have opportunities to participate in planning and implementing resettlement programs. (d) Displaced persons should be assisted in their efforts to improve their livelihoods and standards of living or at least to .restore them, in real terms, to pre-displacement levels or to levels prevailing prior to the beginning of project implementation, whichever is higher To address the impacts covered of this policy, the borrower must prepare a resettlement plan or Environment and Social Studies Department 4-13 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report a resettlement policy framework. The framework shall include consultation process, alternatives, compensation at full replacement cost for losses of asset, assistance (such as moving allowances) during relocation, residential housing, or housing sites, or, as required, agricultural sites, offered support after displacement for a transition period to restore their livelihood and standards of living and provide with development assistance such as land preparation, credit facilities, training, or job opportunities in addition to compensation measures. Physical Cultural Resources OP4.11 The Bank Policy on Physical Cultrual Resources is geared to the preservation, and where possible improvements to cultural resources. These would also include locally important community properties, and resources of religious and cultural importance. It would require the project to take actions necessary to conserve these, and where possible to improve local people's acces or use of the same. 4.4 Summary of Policies and Legislative Review The policies, legislative mechanisms, guidelines and standards of the Government of Nepal conform with the World Bank's safeguard guidelines for the natural environment. In fact many of the provisions of the government of Nepal are even stringent than the World Bank's safeguard policies such as forest guideline 2006. The policies and legal provisions of the Government of Nepal on the social and cultural safeguard, however, are not adequate to meet the provisions of the \Vorld Bank. The Land Acquistion Act, has unclear provisions for the compensation and rehabilitation of the project affected people. Similarly, there are no specific provisions on the loss of cultural resources. Environment and Social Studies Department 4-14 NEA Hetauda· Dhalkebar·Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report 5. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ---~~------5.0 General The following chapter outlines the baseline conditions of the physical, biological and socio economic & cultural environment of the project area. 5.1 Physical Environment 5.1.1 Watershed Conditions The proposed linear project traverses through the two physiographic regions mainly the Siwalik and Terai (LRlv1P, 1986). The line traverses through the Siwalik and Terai Region, Siwalik is fragile in nature due to its geomorphic and geological makeup whereas T erai is plain and flat with risks of monsoon floods in active alluvial plains. The watershed of the proposed transmission route including the substations proposed at Hetauda and Inaruwa is on the flat land and stable. The alignment traverse across the watersheds of Saptakoshi, Bagmati and Rapti and other major tributaries like Trijuga, Lakhandehi, Ratu and Balan. Rivers draining the alignment namely Saptakoshi, Bagmati, Rapti, Trijuga, Lakhandehi, Ratu and Balan flows due south. Most of the minor tributaries draining the alignment areas originate from the Siwaliks. The rivers Rapti Nadi, Bakaiya Khola, Chadi Khola, Bagmati Nadi, Dhansar Nadi, Lakhandehi Khola and Ratu Nadi drains 132 km long Hetauda- Dhalkebar stretch of the proposed transmission line. While, the 153.2 km long latter section from Dhaklebar to Duhabi is drained Site for AP48 and AP50 located on top of hillocks with possibility of sheet and gully erosion (Dhalkebar-Duhabi Stretch) by rivers like Kamala Nadi, Khuti Nadi, Balan Nadi, Devdhar Nadi, Dumarjo Nadi, Mahuli Nadi and Koshi Naill. The rivers hydrology is influenced by monsoon rains and flash floods are very common along the riverine belts. Wide sand beaches in T erai plain, with large boulders in the Environment and Social Studies Department 5-1 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft IEE Report Siwalik section along with river bank erosion are some of the evidences of the riverine activities that can be observed along transmission line river crossings. Although most of the angle tower positions are relatively intact along the alignment the site proposed for the erection of few angle towers is susceptible to erosion and instabilities. The table below lists the type of instabilities encountered during the field survey. Table- 5.1: List of Critical Angle Points S.No Hetauda -Dhalkebar Stretch Type of instabilities 1 AI'7 Located on flood plain, Siwalik region 2 AP13A Located on flood plain of Bakiava Khola 3 AP20 Near the river bank of Chadi Khola, wide river crossing 4 AI'51 Near Khahare Khola , Siwalik region :5 AP52 Near Khahare Khola , Siwalik region 6 AI'57 Located at the ridge prone to landslides Dhalkebac- Duhabi Stretch I 1 AP2 Near the river flood plains of Aurahi khola 2 A1'3 Near the river flood plains 1 A1'46 Gullv erosion, located near kholsi 11 ;\1'48 Located at hillocks with red clay, possibility : , of gully, sheet erosion 5 ;\1'50 Red soil with conglomerates, erosion III AI' 51 Located on the flood plains of Koshi river, Possibility of water logging 1 AI' 52 Located on the flood plains of Koshi river, Possibility of water logging 5.1.2 Topography and Landuse The alignment runs through several topographic features comprising of flat alluvial lands of Terai plains dominantly agricultural or forest covered for a approximate distance of 243.2 km of the alignment. In the remaining section of the Siwaliks, the line traverses through sections of hillocks with steep to mild slope, flat agricultural land, small valleys and foot slopes the adjoining hills. The Dun valley floors are characterized by alluvial tars at 2 to 3 levels, and flanked upslope by steep to gently sloping hilly terrain. Owing to the gentler aspect of the north facing siwalik toe slopes it is the loci of human settlements and agriculture, particularly in the Dun valley ofHetauda. Landuse along the Hetauda-Dhalkebar Stretch The altitudinal variation of the initial stretch from Hetauda to Dhalkebar substation ranges between 125 masl-550 masi. The transmission line starts at an elevation of 436m from Hetauda Environment and Social Studies Department 5-2 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report substation located in Hetauda Municipality and it gradually ascends to the highest elevation of 550 masl at AP-5 located at Hurnamadi VDC and then gradually descends to the lower elevation at AP -13 B at Nijgadh. Between the stretch AP16-AP18, AP21-AP25 , AP37-AP39 and AP40- AP49 the proposed line runs parallel to the existing 132 kV line. The stretch between Dhalkebar-Duhabi mainly passes through Physiographic Region of Terai almost parallel to north of East-West Highway avoiding setdement and core forest area etc. The altitudinal elevation along this stretch is not much and ranges from 90masl to 300 mast at this stretch. At stretches like AP11-AP15, AP21-AP27 the line deviates to the further northern direction to avoid settlement area like Bandipur, Lahan bazaar etc. Similarly from AP40 the route has been deviated towards the north which crosses the Koshi river at Mahendranagar and then moves towards the south-east crossing the embankment along the left bank of Koshi river to avoid the Koshi Tappu \Vildlife Reserve and the dense forest of Ramdhuni. The route of the right-of-way of this stretch is dominated by flat cultivated plains. The land use of the alignment consists mainly of cultivated fields and forest, road crossings, canal crossings, rivets, sand beaches and batten land. Much of the land within the Right-of-way is currendy used for agriculture. Typical Landuse along the Dhalkebar-Duhabi Stretch However, the landuse adjacent to the RoW varies along the route, with setdements along the highways, degraded forest and more open agricultural land in the interior part, north of highway. The landuse of the proposed substation at Hetauda which has been already acquired by NEA consists of grassland whereas the proposed substation at Inaruwa consist of agricultural land. The existing substation at Dhalkebar is proposed for extension. The area proposed for extension on the north-western side consists of flat agricultural land. The land use of 16.25 ha area of substation sites is cultivated land. ---... ---... ------Environment and Social Studies Department 5-3 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report The field investigations reveal that the land use of initial stretch between Hetauda-Dhalkebar consists of 27.30 % of cultivated land, 64.92 % is forest and 7.77 % consists of river, road crossings and barren land etc. The main land use in the latter stretch Dhalkebar-Duhabi section of the transmission corridor consists of cultivated land which covers 72.39 % of the alignment. Approximately 17.60 % of the transmission line alignment passes along the fringe of forest land and 10.01 % barren and other land utilities. The totallanduse along the Hetauda to Duhabi stretch consists of mainly cultivated fields which covers 51.52 % of the alignment. The forest area covers 39.50 % and rest 8.98 % of the transmissior: line covers barren land, ford, road and river crossings. The detail of land use of between the Angle Tower is presented in Appendix 4a. Table- 5.2: Landuse Along the Proposed Alignment S. Component Distance Land Uses ( Ha) Total No. Km Cultivated Forest Others Land Land including Grass land and Shrub land 1 Substation 1.1 Dhalkebar 6.77 0 0 6.77 1.2 Bokraha (New 9.48 0 0 9.48 Duhabi\ i Sub-Total 16.25 0 0 16.25 2 Right of Way (RoW) 2.1 Hctauda- Dhalkcbar 132 165.78 394.22 47.20 607.20 2.2 Dhalkebar- Duhabi 153.2 510.14 124.02 70.56 704.72 Sub-Total 285.2 675.92 518.24 .76 1311.92 % 51.52 39.50 8.98 Total 692.17 i 518.24 117.76 -. SoJtm: held SJtn~y 2010 5.1.3 Climate The entire project area may be described as sub-tropical to tropical area. The project area experiences strong seasonal variations, with wet monsoons from June to September and dry weather from October to May. Environment and. Social Studies Department 5-4 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report The annual average minimum and maximum temperature ranges from 7.2i C to 46.11° C in Saptari district and from 16.6.° C to 30.3· C in Makwanpur district (District Profile of concerned district). The average annual rainfall of Makwanpur and Sunsan districts is 2535 mm and 1143 mm respectively (Table 5.3). The table below lists the climatological data of the Project affected districts. Table- 5.3: Climatological data of the Project Affected Area S. District Climatic . Av. max. Av. min. I Av. annual source : no zone temp.,oc temp.,oc rainfall, mm I 1 Makwanpur tropical 30,3 16.6 i 2535 District agriculture I proftle, Makwanpur- 2066 ! j 2 Bara sub-tropical, 31,3 18 1760 District proftle, Bara- tropical 2060 3 Rautahat sub-tropical, 31.5 19,6 na District proftle, 1 tropical Rautahat 4 Sarlahi tropical 31 20 1699 electronic copy of District profile, i Sarlahi 5 Mahottari sub-tropical, 40 5.6 1841 district profile, tropical Mahotta.ri-2060 6 Dhanusha sub-tropical, 29,7 10.7 1479 District profIle, tropical Dhanusha-2059 7 Siraha sub-tropical, 40 20 1513 District proftle, tropical Siraha-2056 8 Saptari tropical 46.11 7.22 ! 1842 District proflle, Saptari-2060 9 Udaypur s ub-tropical, 41 16 2152 District proftle, 1 tropical LJdaypur -2065 Sumari tropical 38 10 1143 District proflle, jlO Sunsari-2065 5.1.4 Geomorphology and Geology 5.1.4.1 Structural Setting Physiographic ally, the proposed Hetauda-Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400kV Transmission Line Project area falls under the Terai and the Sub-Himalaya (the Siwaliks or the Churiya Hills) of the Central and the Eastern Development Region of Nepal. The only Dun vallry, (lies \vithin the Siwalik region) that encounters along the transmission line route is the East Rapti River Valley, which includes Chitwan and Hetauda area. The transmission line corridor crosses the one but the most active and the youngest tectonic line of the Nepal Himalaya - the Himalqyan Frontal Thrust (HFT) that separates the Sub-Himalaya from the Term Zone. In this area, the Siwalik has been subdivided into inner and outer zones separated by the Intra-Churia Thrust (also called Central Churiya Thrust, CCI) that passes through near Hetauda Bazaar. These thrusts are characterized by abrupt change Environment and Social Studies Department 5-5 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report in topography and steep escarpments together with some eroslon scars here and there. The corridor specific geomorpholigical and geological features are presented in Appendix 4a. 5.1.4.2 Geomorphology and Geology of the Terai Geomorphologically land system of the T erai can be divided into the flood plains of the rivers, and recent and older terrace deposits. The Bhabhar Zone is basically a northern Terai and mostly covered by subtropical forest and is composed of a thick sediment zone characterized by boulders, pebbles, cobbles and course sands derived mainly from the rocks of the Siwaliks. Marked change in elevation has caused the development of springs, natural ponds and marshy land in this zone. The Terai plain in the south is generally flat with minor relief caused by river channel shifting, meandering, oxbow lakes and of the river basins. Tbe Terai is characterized mainly by pebbly and sandy sediments with abundant finer sediments (silt and clay). The bed rocks in the Terai region including the Bhabhar zone are generally deep-seated covered by thick alluvial and colluvial deposits .. Most of the Terai region is widely cultivated and densely populated. 5.1.4.3 Geomorphology and Geology of the Siwalik Range Tbe Siwaliks in the north of the Bhabhar Zone exhibits a rugged topography and deeply dissected gullies and steep slopes. They form continuous east-west ranges all along the length of the country with steep escarpment towards the south. Due to its fragile nature, a vast amount of sediment is contributed to the rivers originating from the Siwaliks. The hills of the Siwaliks are characterized by badlands, with thin sandy soil covers. Since the last few decades, the Siwaliks are encroached by more number of peoples resulting in the degraded forest, overgrazed pasture lands, and badlands. \~'hereas, the Dun Valleys are filled up by the alluvial and fan deposits. These valleys are widely cultivated and densely populated same as that of Terai region. Geologically, the Sub-Himalaya (Siwaliks) is characterized by the sedimentary rocks of Middle Miocene to Early Pleistocene age, deposited in a fining upward sequence and are generally dipping towards north. The Sub-Himalaya is bounded on the south by the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFI) and on the north by the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT). From bottom to top Siwalik is divided into three fold classification of the units; these as the follows i) Lower Siwalik ii) Middle Siwalik iii) Upper Siwalik.The Lower Siwaliks consists of finely laminated, siltstone, sandstone, and mudstone. The Middle Siwaliks are comprised of medium to coarse-grained sandstones. The Upper Siwaliks are comprised of conglomerate and boulder beds. 5.1.4.4 Erosion and Sedimentation The Sub-Himalaya (Siwaliks or the Churiya Hills) being the youngest mountain range in the Himalyan Region, it is highly fragile and prone to landslides and erosion. Deeply dissected gullies Environment and Social Studies Department 5-6 NEA Hetauda- 400 and steep escarpments exhibits abundant erosion scars all along the Churiya range. Thus, every year a vast amount of sediment is contributed to the rivers originating from the Siwaliks. The abundant rill erosion, gulley erosion and sheet erosion are prominent throughout the Siwalik range. Ihe Rapti River, the Lal Bakaiya Khola, the Bagmati River, the Ratu Khola, the Kamala River, the Trijuga River, etc., and the Koshi are the best examples of highly sediment laden rivers/streams that encounters along the 400kV transmission line corridor. Several other tributaries to the major Rivers and Kholas are equally important contributers of sediments in this zone. It is obvious that the Terai region is main sediment deposition zone of the country. The eroded sediments from the Himalayan region are directly contributed to the Terai through the major rivers. The rivers originating mainly from the Mahabharat range and the Siwaliks contributes a vast amount sediments ftrst to the Bhabhar Zone and then to the mainland Terai. Recent activities of sediment mining from the foot hill of Siwaliks along the Bhabhar Zone, the areas being extensively desertifYing. The excavation of sediments is also spreading highly in the mainland Terai throughout the country. Though there is several erosion scars met along the transmission line route while crossing the Churiya range nearby Hurnamadi and Shreepur Chhatiwan VDCs in the Makawanpur District, such places is already avoided. In case some, where the tower foundation was laid on such erosion scars, a small change was made in the angle points or short span of the alignment to overcome the problem. Beyond the Churiya range, there is almost constant topographic as well as geomorphic terrain throughout the TRL alignment except over the crossing of major rivers/Kholas until it reaches near the Koshi River crossing, where the line encounters some marshy land and a wide zone of sedimentation. Special type of tower foundation, preferably mat foundation, is required around the wide river crossings, e.g. The Koshi River. After crossing the Koshi River and its periphery, the TRL alignment runs in gentle plain of midland Terai where there is no major zone of sedimentation, except the possible outburst of the eastern embankment of the Koshi River until it reaches Bhokraha substation. 5.1.4.5 Stability ofTRL Tower Foundation Ihe chosen tower foundations, especially the angle towers, are placed over the more or less stable ground, except those located above the Siwalik range and over the wide river crossings. Though there is several erosion scars along the transmission line route while crossing the Siwalik, such places has already been avoided. Beyond the Siwalik, there is almost constant and uniform topographic as well as geomorphic Environment and Social Studies Department 5-7 NEA Hetauda- Dlu1Jkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft fEE Report terrain throughout the TRL alignment except over the crossing of major rivers/Kholas, especially the Kamala and the Koshi River crossing, where the transmission line encounters some marshy land and a wide zone of sedimentation. The overall ground condition of the TRL tower foundations are more or less stable. 5.1.5 Air and Noise Quality As the proposed transmission line passes mainly through of the Siwalik, and Terai close to the highway and feeder roads the ambient air and noise pollution can be considered low to moderate. During the field observation it was observed that at locations where the line crosses feeder road and earthen road dust generated by moving vehicle was high and a nuisance to the settlements nearby. Most of the Settlements in the project affected VDCs are connected by gravel and earthen roads. But transportation density and frequency along these feeder road is low. Whereas, at area with more economic activities near to the proposed alignment like Hetauda, Dhalkebar, Lahan, Birendra bazaar, Nijhgadh, Lalbandi, Odraha, Bandipur, Mirchaiya, Bastipur, Mahendranagar , Itaharawa Killauni and Dumraha exposure to moderate air and noise pollution was observed. The sources of air pollution in these areas are mainly from vehicular emissions, fugitive dust particles related to vehicular movement and industrial emissions. 5.1.6 Water Quality This linear project crosses several rivers like Rapti and Bagmati, Kamala, Trijuga, Saptakoshi and smaller tributaries like Bakiya, Agra, Balan, Trijuga and Sunasri etc. Open defecation, dumping of household waste near the river was observed during the field survey. People residing along the banks of the river are using river water for household purposes. These water bodies around the settlement area have high potential of microbiological contamination due to the local practice of open defecation.!t was also observed that the water quality of the river and rivulets are also polluted from soil erosion from near by cultivated land, bank erosion and disposal of dead bodies of animal in the river channeL Since river channels are wide and dry season flow is limited to only 15-20 % of the total river (for perennial river and no flow in the Khahare khola) in the midland terai region the uncontrolled human activities such as extraction of sand, temporary roads and cultivation along the bank also causes river pollution. 5.1.7 Crossings of Other Utilities The Hetauda to Dhalkebar section of the alignment crosses the compound of Hetauda Cement Factory; existing132 kV transmission line once, 66 kV transmission line once; rivers 4 times and roads 34 times. It crosses Tribhuvan Highway once, Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bhittamod road between Environment and Social Studies Department 5-8 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 the Hetauda-Dhalkebar stretch. The Dhalkebar-Duhabi section of the alignment crosses the existing roads 113 times; rivers 38 times; 33 kV transmission line once and several major canals in Sunsari and and Saptari District. At this stretch it crosses the Koshi Nadi. The line also crosses ivfirchaiya- Katari-Gaighat and Kadamchok to Bhediyatar black top road once. The summary of the crossings is provided in table 5.4 below details are given in Appendix 4a. Table 5.4 Crossing of River, Road and Other Utilities Number and Utilities I Transmission Line Stretch Remarks I of Crossings I Hetauda- Dhalkebar- I Total Dhalkebar Duhabl : ! Road 34 113 147 Dulikehl-Sindhuli-Bardibash, Mirchaiya- Katari road, Saptakoshi road .'vlajor Rivers 24 35 59 I Rapti, Juniya Khola, Bakiya Khola, Lamaha, Chadi, I Thulo Hardiya Khola, Bagmati, Lakhender Khola, . : i Ratu, T rijuga and Saptakoshi : Transmission Line 2 1 3 66kV,132 Kv, Other Structures 0 3 3 I : Total 60 152 212 The tranStnlSS10n lines affect nearby telecommunlcauon CltCUlts by causlng electucallnterference and induced voltage, which may occur to the nearby telecom circuit; suggested necessary protection measures will need to be adopted. This may require measures like rerouting of the telecom circuits, conversion of overhead telecom circuits into cables, etc. to minimize the interference. However, as the line crosses the existing lines only at few places with sufficient clearance the impact is considered to be low and long termed in duration. 5.2 Biological Environment The transmission alignment has avoided the Core and Buffer Zone of the Kosi Tappu \Vildlife Reserve and is located about 1.8 km away in the nearest section from the Reserve boundary. The general distance in other sections is greater than 5 km. Parsha Wildlife Reserve is more than 10 km to the west of the alignment corridor. \X'hile crossing the forested areas, the corridor follows the forest fringe or border areas with the agriculturllands and avoid crossing from the forest core areas to minimise forest fragmentation and disturbance to prime ecological area for wildlife habitats (AP50 to AP57 -Dhaleke to Duhabi section and AP 37 to AP 41 - Hetauda to Dhalkebar section). Apart from this, the alignment is running parallel and often co-sharing the ROW of the existing 132 kV transmission Environment and Social Studies Department 5-9 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Draft lEE Report line and Mahendra Highway in sections where it passes through the core forest area (AP 14 to AP 18, AP 22 to AP 24, AP 41 to AP 50 Hetauda to Dhalkebar section). 'X'hile crossing the Siwalik Hills, the corridor passess along the river valley with high human encroachment in the forested areas (refer Figure 2.3). 5.2.1 Vegetation/Forest Resources The forests of Nepal are classified into National Forests and Private Forests. Any forest, excluding private forests, whether marked or unmarked within a forest boundary, is a National Forest in Nepal. The category includes wastelands, uncultivated lands and unregistered lands surrounded by or adjoining forests, as well as paths, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams and riverine lands within forests. According to the Forest Act 1993, there are five sub-categories of National Forest namely Government managed forest. Community forest, leasehold forest, religious forest and protected forest. In addition Government of Nepal started collaborative forest in Terai area to provide benefits to wide range of people. 5.2.1.1 Vegetation/Forest Cover in Project Districts The proposed project is located in the subtropical to tropical vegetation zone in central and eastern Nepal. Out of 6 project districts of Central Development Region Makwanpur district has highest forest area (40.57%) whereas Dhanusha district has less forest area (21.02%). In Eastern Development Region the forest area of the Siraha, Udayapur, Saptari and Sunsari districts are 22.93%,68.38% 25.15% and 19.11% of the total land area of the project districts respectively ( Table 5.5). Table- 5.5: Forest Status in Project Districts S.N. District Total Forest Forest Total No. Community Community Area Area Area of Forests in Forests (ha) (ha) (%) Community the affected along the Forests in VDCs of TL I the District the District Alignment I 1. Makawanpur 242600 65856.28 27.15 383 66 17 2. Bara 129563 52559 40.57 21 8 5 3. Rautahat 112600 29400 26.11 32 30 6 4. Sarlahi 125948 29362 23.31 65 22 9 5. Mahottari 100200 23455 23.41 70 36 5 "7 6. Dhanusha 118000 24800 21.02 33 32 I 7. Siraha 122797 28155 22.93 84 40 2 8. Udaypur 203169 138917 68.38 273 89 2 9. Saptari 135928.8 34189.21 25.15 ~ 22 10 Environment and Social Studies Department 5-10 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report Dhalkebar I Collaborative 70 48.19 13173 4138 10173 8567 28666.2 22362937.1 Dhalkebar to Kanchanpur i Community 85 58.88 4341 3800 16135 4246 14005.2 11290027.0 36.34 Kanchanpur I . to Bhokraha Communitv 70 9289 2238 11962 2877 13203.6 ! 11117570.3 Total I 477.94 146646 55690 172249.4 137137734.7 5.2.1.3 Community Forest The community forests have been able to supply the basic needs of local people particularly fuel wood, timber and fodder. Grazing of domestic animals in most of the community forest land has been prohibited by the concerned Forest Users Group. Member of user groups have been extracting timber, fodder and fuel wood from their own community forest as per the management plan. Altogether 2,04,865.98 ha community forest has been handed over to 1154 Forest Users Group in ten project districts (fable 5.1). Out of that 348 numbers of community forests is found in project area. The survey conducted by the forest expert reveals that transmission line alignment passes through sixty seven community forest of 10 project districts. Out of this 49 community forests are found in Hetauda- Dhalkebra stretch of the alignment whereas 19 are found in Dhalkebar - new Duhabi section (Appendix 4b-). The details of the vegetation pattern in community forests found in 5 different stretch of transmission line is presented in section below. Hetauda to Nijgadh Stretch (Hetauda Substation-AP 13B) The forest found in this stretch under RoW is community forests. Altogether seventeen community forests are crossed by transmission line in this section. The major forest types are Sal, Sal mixed Pine and Riverine. Sal (Shorea robusta) is dominant species \vith density 445.6/ha, basal area is 25.53 m2/ha, IVr value 158.2 (Appendix 4d). The Seedlings and saplings of Sal are 1751/ha and 649/ha, respectively. Similarly, total numbers of pole class and tree class trees of Sal are 12950and 3401, respectively. Saj (Terminalia alata) having density 35.3/ha, basal area 5.33 m2/ha and IVI value is 36.1 (Appendix 4.d). Barro( Terminalia be//iritu),Harro( T fhebula), Sallo( Pinus roxbu'l,hii), Chilauni (Schima wallit-hii) are the main associated species found in this stretch. Eupatorium odoratum, Cleodendron indicum, Osbeckia stcllata, Lantana camara are major shrubs species and Ageratum fO'!Yzoides, Phyllanthus urinaria, Diosforea bulbifera, Eragostris nigra, Curculigo orchioides, Urena lobata, Cyanodon dactylon etc are major herb species occurred in this stretch of alignment area. Nijgadh to Bagmati Stretch (AP14-AP27) Altogether eleven community forests falls under RoW in this section of transmission line. The major forest types are; Sal, Sal mixed and Riverine. Environment and Social Studies Department 5-13 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report The dominant species is Saj (Terminalia alata) in this section with density 4O.6/ha, basal area 7.37 m 2/ha, IVI value 45.6 (Appendix 4b). The Seedlings and saplings value of Saj are 713/ha and 166/ha. The total numbers of pole class and tree class trees of Saj are 1043 and 802, respectively. The density of Sindure(Mallo/us phillippensis) is 53.1/ha, basal area is 1.89 m2/ha and IVI value is 37.6 (Appendix 4b). But the seedlings, saplings and pole class trees of Sal is found higher than the other species (2138/ha, 285/ha and 1998 respectively). Other associated tree species are; Barro(Terminalia bellirica), Karam (Adina cordijolia), Bot dhamero (Lagmtroemia parviflora), Sindure (Mallotus phifippensis), Sale Shorea robusta),Khayar (Acacia catechu) etc. Eupatorium odoratum, Murrya koenigii, Osbeckia stelata, Cferodendmm indimm, Actinidia callosa, Psidium guqjava, Lantana camara etc are major shrubs species and Dioscorea bulbifera, Dioscorea deltoidea, Bidem pilosa, Oxalir comimiata, T~yanoiaema maxima, Commelina benghalensis, Ageratum cO,!),zoides, Pfryllan/hus urinaria, Dioscorea bulbifera, EragoJtris nigra, Cun'Uligo orchioides, Urena lobata, Cyanodon dacryfon etc are major herb species occurred in this stretch of transmission line alignment. Bagmati to Dhalkebar Stretch (AP28-Dhalkebar Substation) Altogether 21 community forests are crossed by transmission line in this section. The major forest types are; Sal, Sal mixed and Riverine. Sal is the dominant species (Shorea robusla) with density 251.0/ha, basal area 11.47 m2/ha, IVI value is 118.3 . The Seedlings and saplings value of Sal in this stretch are 2185/ha and 934/ha, respectively. The total number of pole class and tree class of Sal are 32224 and 5815, respectively. Sa; (Terminafia alala) is co-dominant tree species having density 18.8/ha, basal area 5.06 m 2/ha and IVI value is 30.0 (Appendix 4b). Other associated tree species are Karam (Adina cordifolia), Bot. dhamero (Lagmtroemia parviflora), Sindure( Mallotus philippensis), Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo), Masala (Euca!JpIUJ sp.), Khayar (Acacia catechu), Tik (fectonagrandir) etc. Eupatorium odoratum, Murrya koenigii, Cferodendmm indimm, Jatropa mr:caJ, l'fyctanthes arbortrisJtris, Xeromphis spinosa, Phoenix -!yvestrisis etc are major shrubs species and Dioscorea bulbifera, Dioscorea deltoidea, Bidem piiosa,Bracharia sp., Elephantopus scaber, Cypems sp., Oxalis comimlata, Tfryanolaema maxima, Pf!yllanthllJ urinaria, Eragostris nigra, Cun'Uligo orchioides, Qyanodon dacrylon, Persicaria barbata, Typha angustijolia are major herb species occurred in this stretch of transmission line alignment. Dhalkebar to Kanchanpur Stretch (Dhalkebar Substation-AP45) ,!\ll the forests found in this section under RoW are community forests. Altogether 12 community forests are crossed by the alignment. The major forest types are Sal, Sal mixed and Riverine. Sal (Shorea robusta) is the dominant species with density 206.7/ha, basal area11.17 m2/ha, IVI Environment and Social Studies Department 5-14 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV value 131.0 (Appendix 3.6). The seedlings and saplings value of Sal in this site are 1842/ha and 1169/ha, respectively. The numbers of pole and tree class Sal are 7303 and 1826, respectively. Sissoo (Dalber:gia sissoo) having density 40A/ha, basal area 2.14m2/ha and IVI value is 31.7 (Appendix 4.6) is the other major species found in this stretch. Other associated species are; Botdhamero( Lagerstromia parvtflora),Simal ( Bombax ?"elba). Kusum( Schleichera oleosa), Khayar (Acacia catechu) etc. Colebrookea oppositifolia, Eupatorium odoratum, C/eodendron indicum A1elastoma normale, Zizipus mauritiana, Bauhhinia vahlii, WoorijordiafrutitY)sa, Murnya Koienii Lantana camara, Phoenix syvestrisis are major shrubs species found in this stretch. The herb species includes Crisium verutum, Pofygonum barbatum, Cassia tora, Euphorbia hirta, Oxalis comiculata, Smilax ovalifolia Ageratum cO'!Yzoides, Phyllanthus urinaria, Dioscorea bulbifera, Curculigo orchioides, Urena lobata, yanodon dat!ylon, Sacc'harum spontaneum and Thysolaena maxima. Kanchanpur to Bhokraha Stretch(AP 45- Bhokraha Substation) Altogether 6 community forests are crossed by transmission line along this section. The major forest types are Sal, Sal mixed and Riverine. Sal (Shorea robusta) is dominant species with density 356.9/ha, basal area 22.82 m2/ha, IVI value 214.3 . The seedlings and saplings value of Sal in this site are 7178/ha and 886/ha, respectively. Total numbers of pole and tree class Sal are 9676 and 1908, respectively. Saj (Terminalia alata) having density 23.6/ha, basal area 2A7 m2/ha and IVI value is 22.6 (Appendix 4.7) is the other major species found in this stretch. The other associated species are Bot.dhamero (Lagerstromia parviflora), Hallude (Lannea coromandica), Bhalayo (Semecarpus anacardium) etc. . Clebrookea oppositifolia, Eupatorium odoratum, Cleodendron indicum, Woo4[ordia fruticosa, Murnya Koienii Lontana camara, Phoenix syvestrisis are major shrubs species found in this stretch. The herb species includes Pofygonum barbatum, Cassia tora, S miiIL,,( ovaltfoiia, Ageratum cO'!Yzoides, Phyllanthus urinaria, Dioscorea bulbifera, Curculigo orchioides, Urena lobata, Cyanodon dactylon etc. Environment and Social Studies Department 5-15 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 5.2.1.4 Collaborative Forest Nijgadh to Bagmati (APl4-AP27) The major forest type is Mixed Sal forest. Sal (Shorea robusta) is dominant species with density 187.5/ha, basal area 13.84 m2/ha and IVI value is 112 . The Seedlings and saplings value of Sal in this stretch are 10007/ha and 887/ha, respectively. Similarly total numbers of pole class and tree class Sal are 5213 and 2118, respectively. Sa; (Terminalia alata) is co-dominant species hav-ing density 41.7/ha, basal area 6.24 m2/ha and IVI value is 46.9 (Appendix 4b). Other associated tree species are; Barro (Terminalia bellirifa), Karam (Adina fordifOlia),Bot. dhamero (Lagerstroemia pat7Jif/ora), Sindure (Mallolus philippcflJis), Khayar (At'aria catefhu) etc. The major shrub and herb species are Eupatorium odoratum & Murrya koenigi, and Dioscorea bulbifera, Oxalif mrniculata, Sacchamm spontaneum & Mimosa pudit'a (Appendix 5.3 and 6.3). Bagmati to Dhalkebar Stretch (AP28-Dbalkebar Substation) The major forest type is only Mixed Sal forest. In this stretch the dominant species is Sal (S horea robusta) with density 119.4 fha, basal area 13.74 m2/ha and IVI value is 68.6. The seedlings and saplings of Sal in this stretch are 4391/ha and 296/ha, respectively. Similarly, numbers of pole and tree class of Sal are 2925 and 2543, respectively. Saj (Terminalia alala) is co-dominant species having density 38.9/ha, basal area 12.94 m2/ha and IVI value is 44.9 (Appendix 4.d). Botdhamero (Lagerstroemia pat7Jif/ora) having density 61.1/ha, basal area 6.74 m2/ha and IVI value is 40.5 is other major species in this stretch. The other associated tree species are; Barro (Terminalia bellirit'a), Karam (Adina cordifolia), Sindure (Mallolus philippensis), Khayar (Aauia t'atechu), Madesi kino (Holarrhena pubemms) etc. The herb and shrub species found in this stretch area Eupatorium odoratum, l'{yctanthes arbortristis, Wooc!fordia fmricosa and Arisaema sp., Cassia tora,Cirsium vcratum, Imperata rylindrifa, lvlentha sp., Saccharum spontaneum respectively Appendix 5.5 and 6.5). 5.2.1.5 Rare, Endangered and Protected Species of Plants Sal (Shorca robusta), Simal (Bombax ceiba) and Khayar are protected species found in the project area. These species are banned for felling, transportation and export for commercial purpose as per section 70 (Ka) of the Forest Act 1993. Simal is also classified under threatened category of IUCN. Tarol (Discorea deltoidea) is a climber, which is commercially threatened species of IUCN list commonly found in RoWand throughout the Term and Siwalik. forests. Similarly ,Sarpagandha(Rauvogta setpentine), endangered species by IUCN and CITES II category is present as scattered form in Sal forest of Rautahat, Saptari and Sunsari section of transmission line, Environment and Social Studies Department 5-16 NEA Heta:uda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 which is also present in the adjoining forest of the area. Chattiwan (Alstonia scholaris) classified as rare species in IUCN list is present in scattered population in Makwanpur section of transmission line. Khayar( Acacia catechu) is commercially threatened and under CITES II category is found in most of the section of alignment as well as in adjoining forest. Similarly Satisal (Dalbergia latifolia), is listed in vulnerable species in mCN is scattered in distribution in Saptari, Siraha, Mahotari, Udyapur, Sunsm stretch of the line (Table 5.9). T a ble- 59: S~pecles 0f conservation SlgDl lcance lD t hRWe 0 . ! Species Forest Location Distribution mCN CITES, I Gon Type Conservation 1995 Category Significance Acacia Catechu Riverine Makwanpur, Bara, i Common Commercially Protected (Kh'!YtJr) I Rautahat etc. threatened I Alstonia scho/aris Sal, riverine Makawanpur Common Rare (Chhatiwan) Da/bergia latift/ia Sal, Riverin e Saptari, Siraha, I Scattered Vulnerable (.'iatisa~ Mahhotari, Udyapur, Sunsari Discorta deltoidea Sal, Riverine ;l.1akawanpur, Common Commercially II (Ttl17/~ Rautahat, threatened Mahhotari, Sarlahl, Siraha, ! Cdyapur, Sunsari i Rauvolfta serpentina Sal Rauthat, Saptari, Scattered Endangered II (Satpagandha) Udyapur ! : Shorea robusta (S a~ Sal Throughout the Common Protected i alignmnct Bombax ceiba (Sima/) Threatened Protected CITES Status Categories. Appendix II: Species not yet threatened, but which could become endangered if trade is not controlled. Environment and Social Studies Department 5-17 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 5.2.1.7 Ethnobotany / Plant resource use pattern All the people interviewed during field survey reported that they use plant resources from local forests. In total, 27 plant species are used by the people of the 'villages adjoining the transmission line route, with several of these species having multiple use value. Ten species were preferred for timber, 11 species for f:trewood, 5 for fodder, 17 medicinal herbs, 7 edibles, 1 spices/oil and 10 species for handicrafts and other uses (Table 5.10). Table -5.10: Plant Species Uses by Residents along the Transmission Line Route Uses in different category S.N Species 01 ... ..c: '0 ~ E Go> ;a '"Go> 'Z ...... Go> ... ;a 0 Eo- to: "". I: 0 fi: ~ 's. ~ i tI'l "" I == 1 Acacia catechu + + + + + 2 Asparagus racemosus + + 3 Bauhinia purpurea + + + ! 4 Bauhinia vahlii + + I i. 5 Bombax ceiba + 6 ! Cassia fistula + 7 Cleistocafyx opercu/ala + + + + + 8 Costus speciosus + 9 Curculago orchioides + 10 DalbeTJ!,w sissoo + 11 Dioscorea deltoidea + + I 12 Imperata rylindrical + + 13 Mallbtus philippensis + + + 14 . IHuTTqya koinigii + + 15 l'Vlyrsine semiScTTata + 16 PIfy/lanthus emb/ica + + + + 17 Pinus roxbuTJ!,hii + + + + 18 Pogostemom benghalensis + 19 Rauvoljia serpentine + 20 Shorea robusta + + + + + + I 21 . S wertia sp. + + 122 Sy'Vgium cumini + + + + + i 23 Tectona grandis + 124 Terminalia alata + + + 25 Terminalia belerica + + + + 26 Terminafia chebula + + + 27 ZyiJPhus maurittana + + + Environment and Social Studies Department 5-18 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 5.2.1.8 Ecological Status of the Corridor Forest The location of the corridor along the forest border line in most of the sections close to the agricultural area with high human encroachment has considerably degraded the forest ecological status. There are big trees but have limited ground flora. With the handover of the forest to the community forest user groups and collaborative forest user groups, there has been some improvement in the forest ecological status in the recent years. However, human disturbances, and movement of vehicles in the highway has driven away most of the fauna even in areas where the forest ecological status is considered good as in (AP41 to AP 50 Hetauda Dhalkebar Section). 5.2.2 Wild Life The proposed transmission line route and adjoining areas have distinct ecological and vegetation characteristics associated with Siwalik and Terai which are suitable for diverse natural habitats and range of wildlife species recorded in the Terai and Siwalik Region. The wildlife habitats consisting of forests, shrub land, grassland and riverine features are crossed by the transmission corridor. Such type of habitat is common in Siwalik and Terai region. Since the widelife has ",-ider habitat coverage the corridor alignment represent only small segement of the total habitat and this section should be understood in this context. Altogether 27 species of mammals, 113 Species of birds, 18 species of reptiles (Appendix 4c) and 15 species of fishes are recorded in the project area during the field survey. Out of 27 mammal species 5 were observed during the field survey (MamttJ mulatto, Semnopithceus het:tor, Sus sen/a, Pteropus giganteus & Bosplaphus tragocamelus), 3 were identified through indirect evidences and 19 species were identified in consultation with local people and existing literatures. The species identified through indirect evidences include Canis aureus (Call heard at Swarswotikhel) Elephas maximus (foot print and droppings in Tapeshwori forest) and Hystrix indica (Carcasses observed near Kamala) 5.2.2.1 Mammals Hetauda- Nijgadh Section (Hetauda Suhstation-AP 13B) (Makwanpur & Bara District) The most area of this section comprises of Siwalik fragile land "vith sparse vegetation. The proposed alignment passes through edge of forest and near to the settlement areas hence this is not the core region for wild mammals. Although Parsa \Vildlife Reserve lies more than 10 km away from the route, minimal migration of mammals is reported from the protected area. Altogether 20 species of mammals. are recorded in this stretch. The common mammal species are Rhesus Macaque (Macca muhtta), Jackal (Canis aureus), Spotted deer (Axis axis), Wild boar (Sus scoifa), Barking deer (Muntiaeus muntjak), Northern Palm Squirrel (Funambalus pennanti) etc. Bats (Preropus spp) were seen flying in the evening rime. Rhesus Macaque and Wild boar were observed during the field visit and the calls of jackal were heard. Remaining species were identified based on local information supplemented by indirect evidence and literature reviews. Environment and Socia! Studies Department 5-19 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Nijgadh-Kanchanpur Section AP14- AP4S{ Bara, Rautahat, SarJahl; Mahottari, Dhanusa, Siraha, Saptari District) This section consists majority of Sal dominated forest and ~1ixed broad leaved forest. The density of the forest is medium with grass land which is a suitable habitat area for spotted deer and barking deer. Since this section of alignment is close to East-West Highway and the forest area is facing high human disturbance, the frequency of wild mammals is found to be low. The common species reported in this section are Rhesus Macaque (A1acca mulatta), Terai Langur (Semnopithecus hector), Spotted Deer (Axis axis), Wild boar (Sus scoifa), Porcupine (HyJtrix indi('YJ), Small Indian Civet (Viverricula indica) etc. Locals informed that they have seen herd of Nilgai (BoJe/aphuJ tragocame/uJ) few kilometres away from the proposed transmission route. Similarly, CFUGs members of Sarlahi district told that they have seen One horned rhino (RhinocerouJ uniforniJ) in their community forests a year back. A transboundary herd of wild elephants moves from India to Nepal and reach up to Nijgadh section from Southern part of Chitwan National Park. (\X'CN 2007). These elephant comes in area close to settlement for raiding crops. According to local people the movement of wild elephant is only seen in croping season .The elephant comes to the area crossing exiting East-west highway, 132 kV Transmission Line and other open areas along their way. Kanchanpur - Duhabi section AP46- Bhokraha Substation{Udaypur, Saptari & Sunsan' Districts) Altogether 16 species of mammals are reported in this section. The common mammal species Environment and Social Studies Department 5-20 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft fEE Report are Spotted deer (Axis axis), Barking Deer (Muntiaeus mun!fak), Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica), Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta), Eurasian Wild Boar (Sus sm!la) etc. Locals reported that there is frequent visit of wild mammals from the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) in the Tapeshwor area although the reserve is located about 1.8 km south of the proposed transmission line route. During the field visit pugmarks, scratches on trees and scats of Asian wild elephant (Elephas maximus) are observed in the forest of Tapeshwari VDC, Udaypur. These elephant comes in area close to settlement for raiding crops. According to local people the movement of wild elephant is most common in croping season and in other period the occurance of elephant is rarely seen. 5.2.2.2 Birds Mixed hardwood forests, bamboo grove, agricultural fields, villages, rivers, streams, along the proposed route provide a variety of habitats for different bird species. Kanchanpur-Duhabi section is the potential site for birds as it includes vicinity of KTWR and Koshi Barrage. Out of 113 bird species reported in the entire project area, most prefer forest and bushes and the remaining prefer wetland habitats. Areas considered to have high habitat value for birds were not identified in the RoW, however some important birds habitats occur in the locality. These include KT\VR, Koshi barrage, Kamala River Barrage and their wetland areas. Hetauda- Nijgadh Section Hetauda Substation -AP13B(Makwanpur &Bara Districts) Although 32 species of birds are recorded in this section, the number may vary considering that the nearby Parsa Wildlife Reserve has got more than 259 different bird species representing 51 families (Chaudhary, RD.20(6). The common species reported are Red Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cifer), House Sparrow (Passer domestieus), Spotted Dove (Stretopelia sengegalensis), Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and Cattle Egret (Bubuk:us ibis). Among the list, 13 species were observed at field and rest were identified on the basis of local information and literature. Nijgadh-Kanchanpur Section APl4-AP45(Rhauthat,Sarlahi,Mahhotari,Dhanusa,Shirha Saptan Districts) This section holds a long distance and is suitable for a variety of habitats for different bird species. The major habitat areas are Broad leaved Sal dominated forest, Riverine, mixed hardwood forests, bamboo groves, agricultural fields, village area and rivers & streams. Kamala barrage and its wetland area is the major habitat for wet land birds in the section. The common bird species reported are Common Kingfisher (Alcedo athis,), Northem Pintail (Anas aeuta), Mallard (Anas platyrynchos), Cattle Egret (Bubuleus ibis), House Crow (Corvus splendens), Woodpecker (Dendwmps macei), House Sparrow (Passer domestieus) and Rose Ringed Parakeet (psittamla krameri). Seven species of birds were directly observed and rests were reported by locals and from Environment and Social Studies Department 5-21 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report literature. As per information provided by security staffs (Mr. Ganesh Paswan and Mr. Binod Paswan) of Kamala barrage, the density and diversity of birds are very high during winter season due to migratory birds coming from different areas including KTWR. Kanchanpur -Duhabi section AP45- Bhokraha Substation( Udyapur, Saptari & Sunsari district) This section includes the crossing across Kosi River north of KTWR and the bird population in the corridor section has some degree of influence of the KTWR particularly during migration periods. The common bird species are Kingfisher CAicedo athis), Northern Pintail (,4nas a,.,.ta), Mallard (Anas platyrynchos), Cattle Egret (Bubulms ibis), House Crow (Corvus splendens), Woodpecker (Dendrocops macei), House Sparrow (Passer domesti,.,.s), Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops) and Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grqyit). Bird Migration Several bird species visit Nepalese wedands, seasonally coming from different parts like India, Arab, China, Tibet, Russia and Northern Himalayas to escape from scorching heat and chilling cold. These birds again return to their homeland when the climate is favourable. These migratory birds are mainly water birds. It is said that about 150 bird species migrate to Nepal from the northern side during summer (Giri, 1999) and about 148 species visit Nepal in during winter (Inskipp & Inskipp, 1991). Birds follow a certain migratory routes usually following a river system like Koshi in the east, Bagmati and Narayani in the central and Karnali in the western part of Nepal. l\1igration of birds starts in late December, reaches peak between mid February and mid March. Koshi River in the eastern Nepal, Bagmati River and Kamala river in the central Nepal are the major bird migratory routes of the project area (Nepali, 1980) across the proposed transmission corridor 5.2.2.3 Reptiles The subtropical climate in the proposed route provides a favourable condition for reptiles. A total of 18 reptile species are recorded in the project area in which 9 species are found to prefer forest habitats and the remaining 9 prefer rivers and river banks. Swamp places, grass lands, forests and agricultural land provide a good habitat for reptiles. The presence of reptiles in different stretch of transmission line is given below: Hetauda- Nijgadh section Hetauda Substation -AP13B (Makwanpur &Bara District) Among 18 species of reptiles, 11 species are reported in this section. The common species reported are Buff-striped Keelback (!1mphiesma sto/alum), Common Karait (Bungams cacm/eus), Banded Krait (Bungams fasciatus), Common Garden Lizard (Ca/otes versicolor) Bengal Monitor (Varanus benga/ensis), House Gecko ( Hemidactyius spp), White Lipped Pit Viper (frimeres-ums Enuironment and Social Studies Department 5-22 NEA Hetauda- albolabris) and Golden Momtor (Varanus Jlavescens). Nijgadh - Kanchanpur Section AP14- AP45( Bara, Rautahat, 5arlahi, Mahottari, Dhanusa, 5iraha, 5aptan District) This stretch of transmission line especially the Gauribas area provides habiat for reptiles preferring underground habitat. Since lots of burrow were observed which is considered good for snake hibernation. Among 18 reported species of reptiles, 11 species are found in this section. The dead specimen of Burmese Rock Python (Iython molums) was observed in the Bardibas - Sindhuli Highway, nearby the proposed route. The common species reported in this stretch are Buff-striped Keelback (Amphiesma sto/alum), Common Karait (Bungams caem/eus). Banded Krait (Bungams Jasciatus), Common Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor), Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis), House Gecko (Hemidaqylus spp,. VC'hite Lipped Pit Viper (frimeresurus albolabris) and Golden Momtor lizard (Varanusflavescens). Kanchanpur -Duhabi section AP46- Bhokraha 5uhstation(Udaypur, 5aptan & 5unsan Districts) At this section, proposed transmission line route crosses the Koshi River. This area is the suitable habitat for water dependent reptiles. In addition, the Sal forest at the base of Siwalik provides a good habitat for other reptiles too. The common reptiles reported are Common Karait (Bungarus caem/eus), Banded Krait (Bungarus Jasciatus), Common Garden Lizard (Ca/otes vmicolor),Bengal Momtor (Varanus bengalensis) and House Gecko ( Hemidacrylus spp).The other species found in this stretch are White Lipped Pit Viper (frimeresums albolabris), Golden Momtor (Varanusflavescens), Turtles (Melanochefys spp.) and (Pangshurajlaviventer). 5.2.2.4 Fishes The proposed transmission line crosses many rivers and rivulets. Among them the three major rivers Bagmati, Kamala, and Koshi provide a major habitat for fIshes. Tbe common fishes observed in the project areas are Fresh water shark (Wal/ago attu), Jalkapoor (Clupisoma spps.), Pothi (Puntius spps.), Catla (Catala catala), Rohu (LAbeo rohita) and Raj Bam (Anguilla benga/ensis). 5.2.2.5 Endangered, Rare, Threatened and Protected Faunal Species Mammals Out of 27 mammal species recorded in the project area, 15 fall under different conservation status. Six species are legally protected under National Park and \Vildlife Conservation Act. 'These species include Gaur (Bos gaurus), wild water Buffalo (Bubalus arnee), Asian \Vild Elephant (Elephas maximus), Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadaqyla), Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista lpngetica), One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinocerus unicornis). These species are reported to be the rare visitors in the project area. Environment and SC!cial Studies Department 5-23 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Twelve species falls under CITES list of different appendices and 7 species fall under different IUCN threatened category. Although classified under CITES and IUCN categories, these species are common and widely distributed throughout Nepal. Birds Out of 113 bird species recorded in the project area, 22 species fall under different conservation status. Four species are legally protected under NPWCA. These species include Great Hornbill (Buceros bicomis), Sarus Crane (Grus antigone), Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis) and Lesser Florican (J.ypheotides indica). Nineteen species falls under CITES list of different appendices and 6 species fall under different categories of IUCN. Reptiles Among 18 reptile species recorded in project area, 7 fall under different category of conservation status. Among them 3 species are legally protected under the NPWCA, 7 fall under different Appendix of CITES and 4 fall under different category of IUCN. Burmese Rock Python (python molurus), Golden Monitor (Varanus jlavescens), Gharial (Gavialis gangetieus) are the NPWCA protected species. 5.3 Socio-economic and Cultural Environment 5.3.1 Socio-economic Features of the Project Districts The Hetauda- Dhalkebar -Duhabi 400 KV Transmission Line Project covers six districts of Central Development Region (rvlakwanpur, Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Dhanusha and Mahottrai) and four districts of Eastern Development region (Siraha, Udayapur, Saptari and Sunsari) of Nepal respectively. The total area of ten districts is 14054 Sq. km. According to National Population census 2001, the total population of the ten project districts is 51, 34,106 with 26, 31,807 male and 25, 02,299 female. It is 22.85 % of the total population of the country. The average population density of the project districts is 429.85 persons/sq. km. There are 9, 42,751 households and the average household size is 5.68. Similarly, the average literacy rate of the (population of six years and above) ten project districts is 47.29%. The average annual population growth rate is 2.45% and male and female sex ratio is 104.9 (Appendix -4d). 5.3.2 Socio-economic features of the Project VDCs/Municipalities 5.3.2.1 Project Districts and VDCs The proposed alignment traverses through the ten districts, two municipalities and seventy seven VDCs of Central and Western Development Region of Nepal. District wise project VDCs and Municipalities are as follows:- The detail ofVDC level information is presented in Appendix 4d. Makwanpur : Hetauda Municipality and Churiyamai, Hatiya, Humamadi ,Shreepur Chatiwan and Dhiyal VDC Bara : Nijgadh and Bharatgang VDCs Environment and Social Studies Department 5-24 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Drnft lEE Report Rautahat: Chandranigahapur, Kakanpur, Rangapur, Judibela and Paurai VDCs Sarlahi : Kannaiya, Dhungrekhola, Hariaon, Atrouli, Pattharkot, Lalbandi, Kalinjor, Ranigunj, Bhilktipur and Gourishankar VDCs Mahottari : Khayannara, Gauribas and Maistan VDCs Dhanusha : Tulsichauda, Begadawar, Dhalkebar, Naktajhijh, Hariharpur, Puspalpur, Umaprempur, Yagyabhurni, Bharatpur and Godar VDCs Siraha : Rarnnagar Mircharya, Fulbariya, Badharamal, Karjanha, Rampurbirta, Chandrodayapur, Chandralalpur, Jamdaha Lalpur, Ayodhyanagar, Asanpur, Dhangadhi, Bstipur, Padariya Tharotole, Govindpur Taregana and Bhadayia VDCs and Lahan Municipality Saptari : Madhupatti, Daulatpur, Kushaha, Khojpur, Pansera, Kalyanpur, Bhangaha, Khoksar Parbaha, Rayapur, Terahota, Sitapur, Prasabani, Jandaul, Bakdhauwa, Theliya, Dharampur, Rupnagar, Dhodhanpur, Kamalpur, and Fatepur VDCs Udayapur: Thoksila and Tapeswari VDCs Sunsari : Mahendranagar, Singiya, Dumraha, and Bhokraha VDCs 5.3.2.2 Demography According to the National Population Census 2001, the total population of the project VDCs/Municipalities is 7, 48,215 with 3, 79,832 male (50.77%) and 3, 68,383 female (49.23%). This implies that the population of the project VDCs/Municipalities covers 14.57% of the total population of the project districts. Out of the total population 54.68% are economically active. The total number of household is 137475 with average household size 5.44. The average population density of the project VDCs/Municipalities is 363 (persons sq. km) which is higher than the average population density 347 .24(persons / sq. km) of the project districts. (CBS, 2002). 5.3.2.3 Settlement Pattern Dense settlements are found in the project area. Houses are mostly thatched roofed together with slate particularly in the village areas. A few RCC buildings are also found in each settlement basically in the market area. The major settlements near the transmission line route are given in Appendix -4d. 5.3.2.4 Caste and Ethnicity The project area is a heterogeneous mixture of different origins, cultures, language and ethnicity. Altogether 62 castes/ethnic groups are found in the project area. The Major caste/ethnic groups of the project area are Brahmin Hill and Terai (11.70%),Tamang (11.46%),Chettri (9.96%),Tharu(9.18%), Muslim (4.87%),Koiri(5. 25%) ,Yadav(4. 94%) , Magar«4.74%), Dalits (Kami,Damai,Sarki-4.04%), Teli(2.81%), Newar(4.05%), Baniya(1.05%), Rai(2.12%), Danuwar (0.53%) and others 23.29%. The other category includes Haluwai, Barae, Gharti/Bhujel, Kewat, Kayastha Sanyasi, Kalwar, Musahar, Hajam/Thakur, Dhobi, Sherpa/Bhote, Chepang, and Dhanuk (CBS 2002). Government of Nepal categorized 59 castes into indigenous group. About 32.08% of the total Environment and Social Studies Department 5-25 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report population of the project VDCs/Municipalities falls under the category of Indigenous and Tribal people which occupies 4.68% of the total population of the project districts. 5.3.2.5 Mother Tongue Nepali (35.60%) is the main language widely spoken for communication in the project area. Besides Nepali, the second most spoken language in the project area is Maitheli (31.65%) followed by Tharu (10.87%), Tamang (9.89%), Urdu (0.78%), Bhojpuri(1.36%), Newari (1.73%), Gurung (1.45%), Danuwar (0.20%), Hindi(0.46%) and others (6.00%) (CBS, 2002). 5.3.2.6 Religion Hinduism (80.09%) is the dominant religion in the project area. Buddhism (13.74%), Islam (4.64%), Kirat (0.76%), Jain (0.004%), Christianity (0.35%) and Sikha (0.01%), are the other religions practiced in the project area (CBS 2002). 5.3.2.7 Festivals, Cultural and Religious Practices The major festivals of the project area are Vijaya Dashami, Tihar, Maghe Sankranti, Hob. Ram Nawami, and Tee; in both hill and Tern. Lhosar is the major festival of the Sherpa, Tamang, Gurung and Magar communities. Likewise led and Ra',!jan are the major festivals of Muslim communities. Popular cultural activities in the area are Teej mela (fair), Bhailo and Deushi (singing and dancing activities) in Tihar, Holi (colour festival), Bhajan Kirtan in Ram Nawami and Kirshnajanmastami (praying by singing), cultural programs in Shripancharni and Dhami and Jhankri Naach (dance performed during various religious activities and festivals). Other religious activities in the project area are Pasni (rice feeding ceremony for newly born babies), Bratabandha (thread wearing ceremony of teenage boys), marriage and Sharaadha (worship for the soul of the dead people) etc. 5.3.2.8 Education and Literacy According to 2001census, the total population (6 years and above) of the project area is 642322 with Male 50.73% and Female 49.27. Out of which about 45.40% population can't read and write, 5.42% can read only and 48.57% population can read and write. The average literacy rate of the project area is 48.57% consisting 59.62% male and 37.20% female literacy (CBS 2002). 5.3.2.9 Migration Due to presence of infrastructures, better facilities, fertile cultivated land the in-migration from nearby hilly districts like, Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Solukhumbu and Sindhuli is common in the project area. The out- migration specially the young generation migrate to neighboring country and abroad seeking for employment is also common. India, Malaysia, Qatar Environment and Social Studies Department 5-26 NEA Hetauda- 400kV and Dubai are the main destination in abroad to most of the migrant. Migration to the cities such as Janakpur, Jaleshwor, Bardibas, Hetauda, Nijgadh, Lalbandi, Kilthmandu etc for various purposes like business, employment, study and medical services is also common in the project area. 5.3.2.10 Occupation Agricultural is the main occupation (75%) of people in the project area. The remaining 25% people are engaged in business, service, labor, small scale industries, transportation and foreign employment. 5.3.2.11 Cultivated Land and Average Landholding The average land holding of the project VDCs/Municipalities is 0.64ha/hh which is lower than the average land holding (0.71ha/HH) of the project districts. The average landholding of Makwanpur, Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi and Mahottrai districts are 0.58 0.8, 0.75, 0.76 and 0.71 ha per household respectively. Likewise the average land holding of Dhanusha, Siraha, Udayapur, Saptari and Sunsan districts are 0.65, 0.74,0.6,0.79,0.68 ha per household respectively (Districts Agricultural Profile, 2063/64). 5.3.2.12 Agricultural Production and Livestock Practice Paddy wheat and millet are the major food crops grown in the project area. The cash crops grown in the project area are sugarcane, tobacco, Jute, maize, pulses, vegetables, and potato and oil seeds. The average production of paddy, wheat, sugarcane, maize, millet, pulses, and oilseed are 3.62, 2.58, 30.06, 2.73, 1.08, 0.97, and 0.91 mt/ha respectively (District Agriculture Profile 2063/064). Irrigation canal, deep tube well, shallow tube well, ponds, private wells and boring are the major irrigation facilities in project area. Goats, cows, bulls, buffaloes, sheep, pigs and poultry are the domesticated livestock found in the p~oiect area. These livestock are sold at local market for supplementary income of the household. About 25% households in project area have agricultural land, livestock and poultry where as 31 % have agricultural land and livestock and 11 % have agricultural land only (CBS 2002). 5.3.2.13 Public Health and Sanitation Open defecation along rivers or in open fields is a common practice in the villages and only some houses in each settlement have toilet facilities. However toilet facilities are found in major market centers of the project area. Hand pipe, well and tube well are the major source of Environ.ment and Social Studies Department 5-27 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft IEE Report drinking water in Terai area whereas springs and rivulets are used in hill section of the alignment. Tap water facility is also available in some of the setdements. Firewood is the major source of cooking followed by cow dung cake. However, improved stoves, LP gas and kerosene are also being used by some households in the market area. The in house sanitation facilities in most of the houses are not good. Health posts and sub- health posts are providing health services in the project area. The health posts! sub-health posts are mosdy located more than 5 km distance from the proposed transmission line alignment. The entire population depends upon the facilities available in the District Hospitals of the concerned districts. Regional level hospitals are available in Hetauda, Lahan and Rajbiraj respectively. Medical shops are available in the market area like Hetauda, Nijgadh, Chandranighaipur, Lalbandi, Harion, Bardibas, Dhalkebar, Janakpur, Jaleswor, Mirchaiya, Lahan, Birendra Bazaar and Kanchanpur . Diarrhea, skin disease, acute respiratory infection, chronic bronchitis, gastntlS, diabetes, abdominal pain, KaJazar and eye ear problems are the common diseases reported from the project area. Environment and Social Studies Department 5-28 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV 5.3.2.14 Infrastructure Transportation East-West Highway is the main road access to the project area. The district and village road also provide access to the proposed line. Hetauda-Hatiya- Rai Gaun road (Makwanpnr district), .Mirchaya- Katan- Okhaldhunga (Siddhicharan highway-Siraha and Udayapur district), Inaruwa Bhokraha-Prakaspur road (Sunsari) are the few major road Access to the transmission line alignment. Daily bus services in the main highway are available throughout year. The nearest airports from the project area are Janakpur, Sirnara and Biratnagar. Communication Communication services such as mobile, CDMA and landline phone facilities are available in most of the VDCs /Municipalities. Modern communication facilities like television, cable network, e-mail, internet and fax are available in the market areas. Accesses of some local and national newspapers are also available in the district head quarters, settlement close to east-west high way and Market areas. Electricity Out of 77 project VDCs and 2 municipalities 54 VDCs and two Municipalities are fully electrified where as 23 VDCs are partially electrified through the national grid. The rural electrification program has been gradually increasing in the remaining parts of the project area. Others Heatuda Nijgadh, Chandranighaipur, Harion, Lalbandi, Bardibas, Dhalkebar, Mirchaya, Lahan, Gaighat, Birendra Bazaar, Kanchanpur and Bharadha are the major market and trade centers of the project area. These market and trade centers are located about 500m to more than 15 km distance from the proposed transmission line. 1be other service facilities available in and around the project area includes sub-health post, health post, health care centers, agriculture service centre, veterinary center, postal service, educational institutions, police office, cooperative office and banking service. Industrial Activities Heatuda (Makwanpur district), Sirnara (Bara district) Duhabi, Sonapnr (Sunran district) are the major industrial area of the project districts. Heatuda cement factory (Makwanpur) is located within 100m from the proposed transmission line and remaining others industrial area are far from the proposed alignment. 5.3.2.15 Religious, Historical and Archaeological Sites Shiva Mandir, Devi Mandir, Ram Janaki Mandir are the main temples found in project area. The Shiva Mandir of ward no 1 Paurai VDC, Mane Gumba of Atrauli VDC ward no 7 and Daijelling Environment and Social Studies Department 5-29 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft fEE Report Gumba of Chandradayapur VDC ward no 6 of are located within 500 m of the proposed transmission line alignment. Similarly, Gram Dewata Dewhar Than located at ward no 5 Badaramal VDC may fall in Right of Way (R-o-\X~. 5.3.2.16 Gender Status About 49.27% of the total populations of the project area are women. The literacy status of women in the project area is low (37.20%) as compared with the male literacy status (59.62%). Most of the women in the project area are engaged in the household works as well as labor in agriculture and other sector. Preparation of cow dung cake, cooking, washing, food processing, household maintenance, hygiene and sanitation activities, bearing, rearing and caring of children and taking care of the sick, elderly and other members of the family are daily activities of the women. The decision making process on economic activities is mostly exercised by the males. Land and property holding is dominated by the males. School enrolment is higher in boys as compared to girls. 5.3.2.17 Law and Order Situation Law and order situation in project area is comparatively improved after smooth landing of peace process. The District Police Office and Ilaka Police Office are maintaining the law and order situation of the project area. The local traditional head also plays an important role in maintaining law and order situation in the rural parts of the project areas. However unrest is still exist in Terai project districts due to activities of different groups. 5.3.2.18 INGOs and NGOs Activities A number of INGOs, NGOs and Clubs are working in project area in the field of water supply, sanitation, sports, women awareness infrastructure development and income generating activities to support the socioeconomic status of local people. The major NGOs and INGOs working in the project area are Decentralized Local Government Support Program Supported by UNDP, Rural Community Infrastructure Works Program (DFID), Decentralized Action for Children and Women (UNICEF), Rural Access Improvement and Decentralization project (IDA), Agricultural Perspective Plan Program (DFID) , I\.1icro Enterprise Development Program (UNDP), Plan International, Action Aid Nepal, United !\.fission to Nepal, USAID,Rural Reconstruction Nepal, UNHABITATA, Maiti Nepal, AMDA-Nepal, Merry Stops International, World Vision International, National Development Volunteer service (National Planning Commission) etc. These NGOs and INGOs are supporting local people to improve their Socio economic status. ---~~-~--~------..--- Environment and Social Studies Department 5-30 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV 5.3.3 Socio-economic Profile of the project Affected Families 'lne family losing their land, structure and other private property are defined as Project Affected Families (PAFs). As mentioned in Chapter-3, 130 households will be affected by the project due to acquisition of land and residential structures and out of which 108 households were surveyed to collect socio-economic information. 'lne household survey was carried out in six districts like Dhanusha, Makwanpur, Saptari, Sarlahi, Siraha and Sunsari where the private cultivated land is mostly affected by the project. In other districts the alignment passes through forest area and other land uses and private land will not be affected by the Angle Towers and residential structures are not found ",,-ithin the RoW. 5.3.3.1 Population and Households The total population of 108 surveyed households is 721 with male 380 (52.70%) and female 341 (47.30%). The average male and female sex ratio ofPAFs is 1.11 and the average household size is 6.6 people. This is higher than the average household size of project VDCs (5.44) and the project districts (5.68) respectively (Table 5.11). Table - 5.11: Distribution of Households and Population of PAFs Population Households Male Female Total Sex Ratio Total Average I Districts HHSize Dhanusa 98 109 207 0,89 31 6.7 Nlakwanpur 21 15 36 1.4 6 6 Saptari 75 67 142 1.12 19 7.5 I Sarlahi 21 18 39 1.17 7 5,6 , Siraha 71 62 133 1.15 22 6 I Sunsari 94 70 164 1.34 23 7.1 Total/Ave. 380 341 721 1.11 108 6.6 I Percentage 52.7 47.3 100 - - - Soum: Household Semy, 2010 5.3.3.2 Distribution of Population by Age Groups The total population of the Surveyed household is 721 out of which the dependent population (population 0-14 years of age) is 26.6%. The population between 15-59 age group and above 60 years are 66.1 % and 7.3% respectively. The data shows that majority of the population are economically active and independent (Table 5.12). Environment and Social Studies Department 5-31 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Table - 5.12: Distribution of Surveyed Population by Broad Age Groups Broad Age Groups Total Population Districts 0-14 Years 15-59 Yeats 60 Years and I Above Dhanusa 58 135 14 207 • Makwanpur 9 25 2 36 Saptari 35 91 16 142 i Sarlahi 10 26 3 39 : Siraha 35 93 5 133 Sutlsari 45 106 13 164 Total/Ave. 192 476 53 721 Percentage 26.6 66.1 7.3 100 SOU,,?: Household Sun!'j, 2010 5.3.3.3 Type of Family Nuclear family is common in the core project area. The field study shows that among the project affected families 53.70 % are nuclear families and 46.30% are Joint families (rable 5.13). Table -5.13: Family T 'Pes ofPAFs Family Type ! Districts Nuclear Joint Total Households Dhanusa 15 16 31 Makwanpur 4 2 6 I Saptari 9 10 19 Sarlahi 3 4 7 Siraha 13 9 22 Sunsari 14 9 23 Total 58 50 108 Percent 53.70 46.30 100 Jourc" Housebold Sumy, 2010 5.3.3.4 Caste/Ethnicity The ethnic composition differs in different part of the alignment. Tharu (13.89%), Yadav (11.11 %), Chhettri (8.33%), Tamang (8.33%), MandaI (8.33%) and Sundi (9.26%) are the major castelethnic group found in project area crable 5.14 ). 1be other castelethnic group includes Brahamin (5.56%), Newar (3.70%) and Dalits (5.56% Kami, Damai, Sarki, Mushar, and Charnar) About 32.41 % of surveyed households fall under the category of indigenous and tribal people listed by the Government of Nepal. The listed indigenous people found among the PAFs are Newar, Magar, Tamang, Bhujel, Tharu, Danuwar and Majhi. The percentage of indigenous and tribal people of .PAFs is relatively similar as compared with the percentage of project affected VDCs IMunicipalities. Environment and Social Studies Department 5-32 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Dmft lEE Report Table - 5.14: Caste/Ethnicity Caste/Ethnicitv No. of Households Percentage Brahmin 6 5.56 Chhetri 9 8.33 Newar 4 3.70 Thakuri 1 0.93 Magar 3 2.78 • Tamang/Lama 9 8.33 • Bhujel 1 0.93 Teli 4 3.70 Sundi 10 9.26 • Koiri 5 4.63 Kusaha 2 1.85 Thakur 1 0.93 Yadav 12 11.11 Mandal 9 8.33 Tharu 15 13.89 Danuwar 2 1.85 Kalwar 1 0.93 Mujhi 1 0.93 Baruya 1 0.93 Muslim 2 1.85 . Dalits(Kami,Damai,Sarki,l'vluhsahr) 6 5.56 : Others 4 3.70 Total 108 100 Jotlm: Household SunYrj, 2010 5.3.3.5 Religion According to household survey, Hinduism (89.81%) is the dominant religion among the affected households (fable 5.15). The other religions practiced by the PAFs are Buddhism (8.33%) and Islam (2%). Table - 5.15: Distribution ofPAFs by Religion Islam Districts No. No. % Total Households Dhanusa 29 31 Makwanpur 3 6 Saptari 19 19 Sarlahi 6 7 Siraha 18 5 22 Sun sari 22 4 23 Total 97 2 2 108 SOt/,re: HouJehold JunYrj, 2010 Environment and Social Studies Department 5-33 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 5.3.3.6 Language Maitheli (49%) and Nepali (29.63%) are the major language spoken by the PAFs (fable 5.16). The other languages are Tamang (6.48%) and Tharu (14.81 %). Table -5.16: Distribution oCPAPs by Language Langulll e Nepali Tamang Maithali Tharu Total Districts No. % No. % No. % No. % Households Dhanusa 8 25.81 - - 23 74 - - 31 ; Makwanpur 3 50 3 50 - - - 6 Saptari 4 21.05 - 5 26 10 52.63 19 Sarlahi 5 71.43 1 14.3 1 14 - - 7 Siraha 6 27.27 3 13.6 7 32 6 27.27 22 Sunsari 6 26.09 - 0 17 74 - - 23 Total 32 29.63 7 6.48 53 49 16 14.81 108 SOlln-e: HOllsebold SlIn~y. 2010 5.3.3.7 Education and Literacy According to households survey, the total population of PAF ( 6 years and above) is 649 with male 339(52.23%) and female 310(47.77%). The average literacy status of the PAF is 84.75%, which is comparatively higher than the average literacy rate of the project VDCs/Municipalities (48.72%) and the project districts (47.29%). According to the' findings 15.25% of population is illiterate. Similarly, the average male and female literacy status of P AFs is 94.1 % and 77.1 % respectively (fable 5.17). Table -5.17: Literacy Status - 6 Years and Above oCthe PAPs. Male Female Total Literacy Status No. % No. % No. % Illiterate 20 5.8 79 22.9 99 15.25 Literate 319 94.1 231 77.1 550 84.75 Total 339 100.00 310 100.00 649 100.00 SOll"~: HOII.fe/mld Sliney. 2010 Among the literate population 14.73 % are able to read and write. People with primary, lower secondary, secondary and SLC level of education are 20.73%, 14%, 12.36% and 14.36% respectively. Similarly, about 10.18% of affected population are having the bachelor's level and above of education (fable 5.18). The educational status of the project affected population is quite good as compared with the educational status of the project VDCs/Municipalities. ------_ .. _------Environment and Social Studies Department 5-34 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Table -5.18: Educational Attainment among the Literate Population of the PAFs. Male Female Total I Educational Attainment No. °/. No. °/0 No. % Literate only 27 8.46 54 23.38 81 14.73 Primary level 65 20.38 49 21.21 114 20.73 Lower secondary 49 15.36 28 12.12 77 14.00 SecondarY 46 14.42 22 9.52 68 12.36 SLC 51 15.99 28 12.12 79 14.36 Intermediate 40 12.54 35 15.15 75 13.64 Bachelor's and above 41 12.85 15 6.49 56 10.18 Total (Literate) 319 100.00 231 100.00 550 100.00 Soum: Household Sun-ey, 2010 5.3.3.8 Gender Status According to households' survey, about 47.3% of the total population are women. The average literacy status of women among the surveyed population is 77.1 % which is relatively lower as compared with the average literacy of Male (94.1%). About 11.34% of the total surveyed households are women headed and 7.58ha land is belonged to them. About 44.98% women have been involved in household works among the surveyed population. The role of women in agricultural sector is 48.03%. Comparatively; women have over workload in the surveyed household. 5.3.3.9 Occupational Composition Agriculture is predominant occupation in project area followed by business and small industries, labors inside and outside country and services. According to household survey data 67.26% of the project affected population is economically active (population of 14-59 Years of age). Among the project affected families 54.02% of population responded that their primary occupation is agriculture. About 23.09% of the affected population is reported that their occupation is household work (fable 5.19). Share of labor and wages inside and outside the country is 2.68% and 4.12% respectively. Environment and Social Studies Department 5-35 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report Table 5.19: Occupational Composition of PAFs (14 to 59 Years) of the Project Area Male Female Total Main Occupation No. % No. % No. % Agriculture 152 59.38 110 48.03 262 54.02 Business and small industry 21 8.2 1 0.44 22 4.54 Labor/Wage (In Country) 11 4.3 2 0.87 13 2.68 Labor/Wage (Outside Country) 18 7.03 2 0.87 20 4.12 Service (Inside Country; 33 12.89 11 I 4.8 44 9.07 Service (Other Country) 11 4.3 - - 11 2.27 Household Works 9 3.52 103 44.98 112 23.09 Unable to work 1 0.39 - - 1 0.21 Total 256 100.01 229 100 485 100.00 Sourte: Housebold Sumy, 201(; 5.3.3.10 Landholdings of the P AFs by Type of Land The total area of the surveyed households is 184.11 ha (including Irrigated, unirrigated Khet, BaLi and Ghadeti). Out of which 21.71 % is irrigated Khet (Cultivated land), 67.52% is non irrigated Khet, 7.14% is Ban and 3.63 is Ghaderi. (Lind for house plots). The average land holding size of PAFs is 1.7ha/HH (fable 5.20) which is comparatively higher than the average land holding size of the households of project VDCs/Municipalities (0. 64ha/hh) and the project districts (0.71ha/hh). Table-5.20: Landholdings ofthe PAFs by Type of Land Districts HH Irrigated Unirrigated Bari(Ha) Ghade.ti(Ha) Total Ha/HH Khet(Ha) Khet(Ha) 62.98 Dhanusa 31 1.49 56.35 3.12 2.03 2.03 Makwanpur 1.83 6 0.78 0.31 0.74 0 0.31 . Saptari 19 5.49 31.51 4.27 1.7 42.97 2.26 Sarlahi 7 0.68 0.88 1.21 0.51 3.28 0.47 5iraha 22 13.07 15.72 2.57 0.98 32.34 1.47 Sunsari 40.71 23' 18.46 19.54 1.25 1.46 1.77 Total 184.11 /Average 108 39.97 124.31 13.16 6.68 1.7 Percentage 108 1.71 67.52 7.14 3.63 100 1.7 .loum: [ [ousehold Su,,~y. 2010 5.3.3.11 Land holding Size of Households by the type of Ownership The project area is dominated by unirrigagated cultivated land. The most common land tenure system in the project area is Raika.r. Among 108 affected households, 53.71 % are small fanners Environment and Social Studies Department 5-36 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TI L Project Draft IEE Report ( 0.5h to 2.0 ha landholding) and 29.63% are marginal fanners (up to 0.5 ha landholding). Similarly, 10.19% are medium size fanners (2.0 to 4ha landholding) and 6.48% households are large fanners (>4.0ha landholding). The land holding of marginal, small, medium and large size fanners are 5.33%, 34.36%, 16.90% and 43.41 % respectively (Table 5.21). Most of the land along the corridor is owned by Brahmin, Chettri, Newar, Tamang, Yadav MandaI, Dalits, Tharu, Sundi and Danuwar. Table -5.21: Distribution of Households by Landholding Size by the Type of Ownership Landholding Categories* Households Total Landholding Cate~ory Size of HoIdine: (ha) No. °/0 Area (ha) °/. :\1arginal Up to 0.5 32 29.63 9.82 5.33 0.5 - 1.0 28 25.93 21.94 11.92 1.0 - 1.5 19 17.59 22.79 12.38 Small 1.5 - 2.0 11 10.19 18.52 10.06 Medium 2.0 - 4.0 11 10.19 31.12 16.90 Large > 4.0 ha. 7 6.48 79.92 43.41 Total 108 100.0 184.11 100.0 Source: Houl,hold Jun,,)!, 2010. "'Landholding cate,,oneJ based on Rural C"dit Remw Study 1991/92, Nepal Ruslra Bank (Central Bank of Nepal),1993. 5.3.3.12 Major Crops Area and Agricultural Production Tbe project area lies in the Terai and inner Terai region, so most of the land has no irrigation facilities and monsoon based farming is mostly adopted by fanners. Paddy, wheat, maize, millet, potatoes, vegetable and sugarcane are the major food crops and cash crops grown by the PAFs. Paddy is the main crop (49.66% of cultivated land) grown in the area for earning and feeding. The percentage composition of land occupied by different crops and vegetable like wheat, maize, millet, potato, sugarcane and vegetable is 12.72%, 6.61 %, 0.46%, 1.82%,24.03%, and 1.89% respectively. Potato and sugarcane are the major cash crops grown in the area. The average production of the major crops like paddy, wheat, maize, millet, sugarcane, potato and vegetable are 2.55, 1.32, 1.05, 1.26, 12, 1.82 and 1. 89MT/ha respectively (Table 5.22). Environment and Social Studies Department 5-37 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Table 5.22: Major Crop Mea Coverage, Production and Yield in the Project Mea Major Crops Description Paddy Wheat Maize Millet Sugarcane Potato Vegetables Total area cropped . (B~ha) 135.65 34.75 18.05 8.95 65.65 4.97 5.15 Khet (Bigha) 128.4 34.75 13.65 7.6 41.55 3.55 3.65 i Bari (Bigha) 7.25 0 4.4 1.35 24.1 1.42 1.5 . Total production (Mf) 231.1 30.5 12.7 7.5 525.3 7.7 19.1 Yield (MT /Bigha) 1.7 0.88 0.7 0.84 8 1.55 3.71 Yield (!\IT /ha) 2.55 1.32 1.05 1.26 12 2.33 5.57 Percentage 49.66 12.72 6.61 0.46 24.03 1.82 1.89 Sou,-,.: lIoti.rehold Sun'ry. 2010 5.3.3.13 Livestock About 54.02 % of the total surveyed households are engaged in agriculture and most of the fanners apply traditional techniques in fanning. The household survey shows that 21.19 % of livestock are cattle, 42.8% are goat/sheep and 35.3% are buffaloes (fable 5.23). The livestock supports the household income of the rural society. Table- 5.23: Livestock Domesticated by P AFS I Type of Livestock Districts Cattle Buffalo Goat/sheep Total Average per HH Poultry , Dhanusa 24 33 40 97 3.12 7 Makwanpur 5 9 13 27 4.50 16 Saptari 33 48 46 127 6.68 34 SarIahi 5 9 21 35 5.00 16 Siraha 10 34 52 96 4.36 29 Sunsari 29 38 35 102 4.43 12 Total 106 171 207 484 - 114 Percentage 21.9 35.3 42.8 100.00 - - Source: HOJlJehold Jun!y, 2010. 5.3.3.14 Food Sufficiency Status ofPAFs Due to the lack of irrigation facilities, the average food grain production of the project area is low and affected households are facing difficulty to produce food grain for the whole year. Of the surveyed households 62.96 % have food deficit since their production is not able to meet the year round food requirement of their family (fable 5.24). The food deficit households buy food out of income derived from outside the agriculture business. Among surveyed household's 37.04% have sufficient food from their own production for the year. Environment and Social Studies Department 5-38 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TI L Project Draft lEE Report T a ble- 5 24 : F 00 d S u ffilClency - Status 0 fPAFs Sufficiency Districts Yes No Total No. ofHHs Dhanusa 2 29 31 Makwanpur 3 3 6 Saptari 11 8 19 Sarlahi 0 7 7 Siraha 10 12 22 Sumari 14 9 23 Total 40 68 108 percentage 37.04 62.96 100 Source: Household Survey, 2010. 5.3.3.15 Annual income of Households The average annual income of the surveyed households is NRs. 152,668 which consist 39.07% from agriculture, 3.75%from livestock and 57.55 % from non agricultural sources (Table 5.25). The non agricultural source includes income from business/trade, service and labors/wage (both inside and outside the country), small scale and cottage industries, and pension etc. Table - 5.25: Annual Average Income ofPAFs Districts Annual Average Income from Different Sources Agriculture Livestock Non-Agriculture Total NRs '1. NRs °jo NRS~ % NRs OJ. Dhanusa 50,050 30.72 4,774 2.93 108,096 66.35 162,920 100 Makwanpur 17,985 14.84 14,333 11.82 88,897 73.34 121,215 100 Saptari 80,840 45.62 6211 3.51 90,152 50.87 177,203 100 . Sarlahi 25,857 22.87 9,487 8.39 77,736 68.74 113,080 100 i Siraha 67,575 43.4 2,753 1.77 i 85,383 54.83 155,711 100 i Sunsm 68,695 44.26 4,782 3.08 81,714 52.65 155,191 100 Average 59,652 5,150 I 87,866 152,668 I Percentage 39.07 3.37 57.55 100 Soum: Hou.reho!d Sumy, 2010 5.3.3.16 Annual Expenditure of Households The average annual expenditure of the surveyed households is NRs 104,691 (Table 5.26). Food (50.51) is the major area of expenditure followed by clothing (13.07%) and education (19.06%). The other areas of household expenses are fuel (6.84 %), transportation (4.67 %), communication (3.52%) and water/electricity (2.00%). Environment and Social Studies Department 5-39 NEA Hetauda- DhaIkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Table- 5.26: Average Annual Expenditure of the Surveyed Households in the Project Area Total Expenditure Headings (%) Expenditure Food Conunu Warer/ Districts Items Clothing Education Fuel nication Electricitv T ransportaUon (NRs) , Dhanusa 54.87 11.98 14.81 6.4 3.5 2.9 5.54 111,586 I Makwanpur 50.47 7.56 22.72 5.93 3.09 2.62 7.61 97,211 Saptari 46.79 16.76 18.82 8.00 4.96 1.71 2.96 106,906 Sarlahi 62.5~ 17.74 9.14 4.54 1.60 1.15 3.27 89,058 Siraha 50.4 14.55 18.88 5.93 3.72 2.00 4.46 93,159 Sunsari 43.71 15.65 20.06 10.37 3.71 2.04 4.46 109,011 Percentage/ Averae;e 50.21 13.70 19.06 6.84 3.52 2.00 4.67 104,691 Soun:e: Houlehold Sumey, 201() 5.3.3.17 Energy Requirement and Supply According to household survey, about 85.18% of the surveyed households have been using firewood, 3.7% using kerosene and 11.12% using LPG for cooking purpose (fable 5.27). Table - 5.27: Energy Requirement and Supply for Cooking Purpose Source Districts Fuel wood Kerosene LPG N % N % N % Dhanusa 26 83.87 - - 5 16.13 I 6 100 - 'Makwanpur - SaIJtari 17 89.47 1 5.26 1 5.26 Sarlahi 7 100 - - Siraha 19 86,36 i 2 9.09 1 4.55 Sunsari 17 73.91 1 4.35 5 21.74 Total 92 85.18 ' 4 3.7 12 11.12 Soum: HouJebold Suney, 2010 The major sources of firewood are community forest (26.09%), government forest (14.13%) and private forest (6.52%). Similarly 53.26% of the surveyed households' purchase firewood from the local market to fulfill their requirement (fable 5.28). Environment and Social Studies Department 5-40 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Table -5.28: Source of Fuel wood Districts Source Com. Forest Govt. Forest Private Forest Purchase N % N % N % N % Dhanusa 1 3.85 7 26.921 1 3.85 17 65.38 i i Makwanpur 3 50.0 1 16.67 - - 2 33.33 Saptari 10 58.82 - - -- 7 41.18 Sarlaru 2 28.57 2 28.57 1 14.29 2 28.57 . 2 i Siraha 5 26.32 i 10.53 1 5.26 111 57.89 Sunsari 3 17.65 1 5.88 3 17.65 10 58.82 . Total 24 26.09 13 14.13 6 6.52 49 53.26 Source: Household Sumy, 20/0 Electricity is the main sources of energy (89.82%) for lighting purpose followed by kerosene lamp (10.18%) Crable 5.29). T a ble -529. : Source 0 fEnergy Iior IiIgI h tmg . propose Source Districts Electricity Kerosene lamp I N 0/. N 0/. i Dhanusa 30 96.7 1 3.3 I . Makwanpur 6 100 0 Saptari 16 84.21 3 15.79 i Sarlaru 3 42.86 4 57.14 i Siraha 20 90.91 2 9.09 Sunsari 22 95.65 1 4.35 I Total 97 89.82 11 10.18 Source: HouseholdSumy, 2010 5.3.3.18 Health and Sanitation Toilet facilities are found with 47.22% of the surveyed households. The data shows that 33.33% households go for toilet in open fields, 15.7% in river side and 3.7% go for toilet in forest area crable 5.30). Abdominal pain, asthma, diabetes, gastric, typhoid, stone, pneumonia and epilepsy are the major diseases reported during the household survey. Methods of treatment indicate that in most cases patients consult health post, private clinics and pharmacy. Environment and Social Studies Department 5·41 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Table -5.30: Location for Defecation of tbe Surveyed HHs Location Districts Own Toilet Open Field RiverSide Forest Area N % N % N % N % Dhanusa 14 45.16 10 32.25 7 22.5 - - Makwanpur 4 66.67 - 0 1 16.67 1 16.67 , Saptari 10 52.63 9 47.37 - 0 - Sarlahi 1 14.29 1 14.29 2 28.57 3 42.86 Sinha 9 4091 11 50 2 9.09 - - Sunsari 13 56.52 5 21.74 5 21.74 - - Total 51 47.22 36 33.33 17 15.7 4 3.7 Source: Hou.rehold Sun'l!}, 2010 5.3.3.19 Source of Drinking Water Tube well (62.96%) followed by public tap (27.78%) is the major source of drinking water of PAFs. The field survey shows that only 9.26% of surveyed households have piped water supply in their houses (fable 5.31). Table - 5.31: Source of Drinking Water Sources Districts Piped Water Tube Well Public Tap N % N % N % Dhanusa 5 16.13 20 64.52 6 19.35 16.67 2 33.33 3 50 Makwanpur 1 Saptari 19 100 - - Sarlahi 1 14.29 6 85.71 , Siraha 1 4.55 1 4.55 20 90.91 2' Sunsari I 8.7 20 86.96 1 4.35 Total 10 9.26 68 62.96 30 27.78 Soum: Household Sun'!!y, 2010 5.3.3.20 Expectation of Local People from the Project Majority (35.19%) of the surveyed households have expressed their desire for employment opportunities whereas 33.33% emphasized on good compensation. Altogether 18.52% of households demanded for local development (fable 5.32). Environment and Social Studies Department 5-42 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report Table - 5.32: Expectations of Local people from the Project S.N Expectations Households Percentage 1 Good Compensation 36 33.33 2 Emplovment 38 35.19 3 Electricity Facility 14 F12.96 4 Local Development 20 1852 Total 108 100 SOlm~: HouJeiJold Junry, 2010 5.3.3.21 Attitude and Knowledge Regarding the Project The field survey shows that 46.30% affected households have already got the infonnation regarding the proposed transmission line project through the NEA officials, surveyors and their neighbours', while 53.70% expressed that they do not have any knowledge about the project (fable 5.33). Table - 5.33: Knowledge Regarding the Project I S.N. I Knowledge Households Percentage 1 ; Yes 50 46,30 I 2 I No 58 53,70 I I Total 108 100 Soum: Hou.rehold Junry, 2010 Household survey reported that about 86.11 % of surveyed households have expressed their positive attitude regarding the project while 4.63% households have expressed negative attitude and 1.85% have neutral opinion. Similarly, about 7.41% of surveyed households have expressed that they do not know detail infonnation regarding the proposed project (fable 5.34). Regarding query of the reason of negative attitude 3HHs out of 5HHs express their doubt on payment of appropriate compensation for acquisition of their property, 1 HII is uu\'lilling to leave the current place and 1 HH does not want to make the construction of Angle Tower in his land. T a ble- 534: A ttltu . d e R ellard' lDll t h e P rOlect . I S.N Attitude Households Percentiilge I 1 Positive 93 86.11 i 2 Negative 5 4.63 3 Neutral 2 1.85 I 4 No detail Information 8 7.41 I Total 108 100.00 Saum: Househo/dJunry, 2010 Environment and Social Studies Department 5-43 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report 6. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Environmental impacts of the proposed project have been identified for the transmission line and substation covering the physical, biological and socioeconomic & cultural environments. The beneficial impacts are given in 6.1 and adverse impacts are mentioned in 6.2. The impact assessment and mitigation measures matrix is given in Table 6.1. 6.1 Beneficial Impacts 6.1.1 Construction Phase 6.1.1.1 Local Employment One of the major positive impacts of the project during the construction stage is the creation of employment opportunity. Altogether 600 people will be deployed during the construction of the project, which includes 400 unskilled, 150 semi skilled and 50 skilled manpower. Besides this some manpower will also be required for the operation and maintenance of the line. This will also provide short-term employment opportunity to the local people. The availability of employment opportunity will increase the income level of the people and thus improve the living conditions. The availability of employment opportunity in rural area will also minimize the out migration in search of job to Indian cities. The magnitude of impact is considered to be moderate, extent is local and duration is long term. 6.1.1.2 Increase in Local Skills For the construction of the project. highly skilled technical people will gather in the project sites for the efficient execution of the construction works. Local people who will work with these skilled people will get opportunities to learn from them. With the skill learned during the construction of the project. local people will be able to get employment in similar projects elsewhere in Nepal. Such skills will be obtained, particularly in erection of towers, stringing of line, driving and transportation of equipment. The magnitude of impact is considered to be moderate, extent is local and duration is long term. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-1 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 6.1.1.3 Increase in Economic Opportunity The employment opportunity, income from shops, house rental, increase demand for fresh vegetable, meat and other local products and rental/lease of land are the areas of income during construction period. Furthermore local contractor will be deployed for different kinds of works which is considered positive impacts for the local economy. As a result of increased trade and business, significant amount of cash will be channeled in to local economy. The increase in trade and business will enhance the economic status of local people. The magnitude of impact is considered to be moderate, extent is local and duration is short term. 6.1.2 Operation Phase 6.1.2.1 Local Economic Activities The demand of electricity is high in eastern region especially in Duhabi and Biratngar area since this is one of the main industrial area of Nepal. Hetuada is other major industrial area lies close to the proposed line. The availability of the electricity in these industrial areas will provide opportunity for the expansion of the local trade and business which leads employment and other benefits to local people and area. The magnitude of impact is considered to be high, extent is national and duration is long term. 6.1.2.2 Enhance Power Exchange The severe imbalance in demand and supply of electricity in the country has led to unprecedented load shedding since the last 2 to 3 years and is expected to continue this situation in coming years. To overcome this energy crisis in the shortest possible time, NEA plans to import power from India through the proposed cross border transmission line (Dhalkebar-Bhittamod- Mujafurpur). The power so imported shall be transmitted to Duhabi in the east and Hetauda in the center of Nepal. Moreover, after commissioning of HEPs of higher capacity in this region there will be a requirement of a transmission back bone to transmit power from center to east and vise versa. This line will be also useful to transmit excess power to Dhalkebar for export to India via the planned cross border transmission line. In that regard, the proposed line will playa vital role for the supply of bulk power to load centers as well as to the Indian border. The magnitude of impact is considered to be high, extent is national and duration is long term. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-2 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report 6.1.2.3 Rural Electrification The proposed transmission line will open the door for expansion of distribution network through substation to be constructed at Dhalkebar and Bokhraha (New Duhabi) . It helps to expand the rural electrification and local people will be benefited from the electricity. The magnitude of impact is considered to be high, extent is local and duration is long term. 6.1.2.4 Low Potential of Lightening The availability of high voltage electric power and earth wire will reduce possibilities of lightening in near by areas. The magnitude of impact is considered high, extent is local and of long duration. 6.2 Adverse Impacts 6.2.1 Physical 6.2.1.1 Construction Phase 6.2.1.1.1 Flood and Natural Drainage Approximately 22 km of the total alignment traverses through sandy beach and flood plain area. The flood plains of Koshi, Trijuga, Bagmati, Kamala, Bakiya, Chadi, Lakhendehi etc are very wide often exceeding more than kilometres. As the span between two towers is usually about 350m, will AP Proposed near the Khahare Khola with Possibility of Drainage Interference require establishment of towers in the flood plain area itself.. Construction of these towers may interfere with the natural drainage systems and modify flow of surface water, and these changes can contribute to soil erosion, downstream scouring and sedimentation in streams. Given the generally flat nature of the flood plains and limted area disturbances for the tower foundation, the impact on drainage and soil erosion is envisioned to be low. The extent is local and duration is long term. 6.2.1.1.2 T opog raphy The land interference during construction of the transmission line Environment and Social Studies Department Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report 2 is related to the tower foundation excavation limited to less than 225m . In the Siwalik hill section, some benching may be required for the tower foundation. But all of these activities will bring minor changes in site specific areas topography which may not be noticed even on local scale. The visualised impact on topographic changes is considered to be low. 6.2.1.1.3 Land Take and Land Use The project will require 1336.17 ha land for the placement of tower pads, sUbstations and RoW of the transmission line and temporary facilities. Out of this 29.93 ha land will be permanently acquired and 1298.24 ha will be restricted for controlled land use. Out of total land affected due to land use restriction 669.03 ha consists of cultivated land 518.94 ha forest and the rest 116.27 ha consist of river crossings, barren land and road crossings (Table 6.2). The angle towers and suspension towers will typically require an area of 15m x 15 m. Considering this area, the foundation of both type of towers, (485 suspension and 123 angle towers) a total of 13.68 ha will be acquired permanently for tower pads construction. In Row the land use pattern of cultivated land will not be changed since cultivation is allowed. The land use will also change in 16.25 ha area occupied by the substation. The magnitude of impact is considered to be low,extent is site specific and the duration is long term. Ta ble- 62. :C ompone nt' -wise Lan dl1ka ean dL an dU se Pttea rn S. Component Land Uses ( Ha) Total Restricted Permanent No. Land for land (Ha) Cultivated Forest Others (Ha) use (Ha) Land including Grass land i and Shrub I land 1 Substation 1.1 Dhalkebar 6.77 0 0 6.77 0 6.77 : 1.2 Bokraha (New 9.48 0 0 9.48 0 9.48 DuhabO I Sub-Total 16.25 0 0 16.25 0 16.25 2 Transmission I line Environment and Sodal Studies Department 6-4 NEA Hetauda· Dhalkebar·Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Dmft lEE Report , 2.1 Right of Way 669.03 512.94 116.2711298.24 1298.24 0 (RoW) 2.2 Tower Pads 6.89 5.30 1.49 13.68 0 13.68 i 2.3 Temporary 5.00 0.00 3.00 8.00 0 camps and I storage area • Sub-Total 680.92 518.24 120.76 1319.92 1298.24 13.68 Total 697.17 518.24 120.76 1336.17 1298.24 29.93 6.2.1.1.4 Air Quality The construction activities involved in the transmission line project consists of site clearance, excavation for the tower, concreting, , erection all relating to fugitive dust emissions. Apart from this movement of transporting vehicles carrying the construction materials along the gravel roads might generate fugitive as well as combustion emissions. Since the construction activities are limted to small area of tower foundation and vehicular movment and frequency is low, the envisaged impacts on the ambient air quality is low. Nevertheless, settlement like AP1 ( near Hetauda cement factory), Dahidamar (AP7), Sabedanda (AP59) , AP60 (Dhalkebar) along the Hetauda-Dhalkebar stretch will be affected by dust and changes in air quality during the construction. Similarly, settlements like Dhalkebar substation (AP1), Birendra Bazar (AP34), Artajohara (AP 58), along the Dhalkebar- Duhabi stretch are likely to be exposed to fugitive dust emissions during the construction period where the tower pads are close to the settlements and roads. Since the construction activities will be limited to few 10s of days in one location, the magnitude of impact is expected to be low, extent is site specific and of short duration. 6.2.1.1.5 Noise Levels During the construction phase, the major sources of noise pollution are movement of vehicles transporting the construction material and equipment to the site. Most of the angle points are close to gravel and earthen roads along the alignment. The major work of the construction will be carried out during the day time. The noise produced during the construction will have negligible impact on residents as the predominant land use along most part of the alignment is cultivated. There will be very limited presence of population being exposed to noise generated during the construction phase. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-5 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Although the settlements close to the tower pad and gravel roads will feel the deterioration in noise quality due to vehicular movement and construction activities for a short while but such changes will be temporary and will not be significantly different from the prevailing condition. 6.2.1.1.6 Water Quality During the construction period, water will be used from nearby streams and irrigation canals and tube wells for construction, and other purposes. Soil disturbances associated with construction activities of tower pads, the improper disposal of solid wastes and chemicals such as cement slurry, construction materials and Suman khola crossing with possibility of water pollution human wastes may deteriorate the water quality of river and kholas and where the tower pads are situated close to the rivers, irrigation canals and streams. There may be increase in the turbidity levels temporarily where the proposed tower foundations located on the river flood plains and if the surface runoff during construction meets the river. The vulnerable sections where water quality contamination can be anticipated are APO-SS, AP12-AP13, AP27-AP28 and AP43-AP44 of Hetauda-Dhalkebar stretch and AP11-AP12, AP45-AP46, AP52-AP53 of Dhalkebar-Duhabi stretch. Proposed activities will create temporary impacts to the existing water quality of irrigation canals, natural flow paths. The impact is expected to be low in magnitude, site specific and for a short duration. 6.2.1.1.7 Waste Disposal The improper disposal of solid waste like cement bags, iron bar and other left -over construction materials, kitchen waste and waste generated by the temporary labor camp might cause adverse impact to the environment. The spoil generated due to the excavation of tower pad will also detoriate near by land and water quality of the area. The magnitude of impact is considered to be low, extent is site specific and duration is short term. 6.2.1.1.8 Spoil Disposal The excavation works for tower pad and substation site will generate spoil material. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-6 NEA 400 Out of this more than 90% of the volume of excavated material will be back filled at the tower base and remaining 10% will be disposed in near by land. Since this volume is negligible the magnitude of impact is not considered to be significant. 6.2.1.1.9 Storage of Construction Material and Camps The project will store construction material in private land at centrally located place. Such land will be taken on lease and fenced properly. The quality of the land may degrade due to storage of different kind of material. Likewise the permanent camp will be located in private house which will be taken on rent so no impact is expected. The temporary camp may disturb private land for short period which will have short term site specific impacts of low magnitude. 6.2.1.1.10 Land Degradation, Landlside and Soilerosion The land taken for the temporary facilities such as temporary camps and storage area may be polluted due to leakage of oil and other materials. The construction of foundations for transmission line towers can potentially exacerbate soil erosion. Disruption of natural drainage lines and soil erosion can be anticipated while constructing the tower pads at AP7, AP13A, AP20 and AP 57 of Hetauda-Dhalkebar stretch which are located near the stream and flood plains. Similarly, AP2, AP3, AP46, AP 48, AP50, AP 51, AP52 of Hetauda-Duhabi stretch which are located in area prone to gully erosion and water logging. Approximately 225 m2 of land will be disturbed for each tower pad construction. The earthwork associated with tower construction will be limited to concrete footings; soil disturbances will be confined to tower bases. The nearby area of the tower pads will be affected due to compaction during the construction and transportation of materials. Besides the clearance of forest areas might involve erosion and siltation to the near by water bodies, particularly in Siwalik Region. Though there is several erosion scars met along the transmission line route while crossing the Churiya range nearby Hurnamadi and Shreepur Chhatiwan VDCs in the Makawanpur District, such places are out side the proposed alignment, however, in some sections (AP 5 to AP 13 B) chosen tower foundations, especially the angle towers are suceptible to erosion in the event of uncontrolled construction activities. Beyond the Churiya range, there is almost constant topographic as well as geomorphic terrain throughout the TRL alignment except over the crossing of major riverslKholas until it reaches near the Koshi River crossing, where the line encounters some marshy land and a wide zone of sedimentation. After crossing the Environment and Social Studies Department 6-7 NEA Hetauda- Dhnlkebar-Duhnbi 400 kV Koshi River and its periphery, the TRL alignment runs in gentle plain of midland Terai where there is no major zone of sedimentation, except the possible outburst of the eastern embankment of the Koshi River until it reaches Bhokraha substation. the magnitude of impact is considered to be low, extent is site specific and duration is short term. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-8 NEA Hetauda- DhaIkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report Table- 6.3: Angle Towers Located in Unstable Areas Angle Major River Geological Region Factor Causing Instabilities Towers Basin Hetauda- Dhalkebar Stretch Located very close to the Thati Khahare, a tributary of the Lal Bakaiya River Lal Bakaiya Khola, near Shreepur Village at the southern AP7 Siwaliks basin hill slope of Siwalik. Tower foundation may be damaged by debries flow during flash flood. Located very close to the Bhawara Khola at its right Lal Bakaiya River bank, near Purbatol Village in Nijgadh VDC. Tower AP13A Bhawarzone basin foundation may be damaged by debries flow during flash flood. Located at the right bank flood plain of the Chadi Khola, Bagmati River AP20 Bhawarzone near Chandranigahpur Village. The tower footings may Basin be hampered bv bank undercutting. Zone between Located very close to the right bank of Bhabsi Khola, a Bagmati and tributary of the Ratu Khola, near Galtar Village (Bardibas AP51 Bhawar zone Kamala River Area). Tower foundation may be damaged by debries Basin flow during flash flood. Zone between Located at the hill-slope of Siwalik near a narrow Kholsi, Bag mati and close to the Galtar Village (Bardibas Area). Tower AP52 Siwaliks Kamala River footings may face sliding of the soil mass in combination Basin with sheet rill and gully erosion during monsoon season. Intermediate zone Ratu Khola in Located at the small ridge made up of quatemery between the AP57 Kamala River sediments dose to a Kholsi near Lalgadh Village. The Siwaliks and the Basin ridge is prone to sliding and mass movement. Bhawar zone Dhalkebar- Duhabi Stretch Located very close to the right bank (flood plain) of a Kamala River major tributary of the Aurahi Khola, near Kemalipur AP2 Bhawarzone Basin Village (Dhalkebar Area), The tower footings may be hampered by bank undercutting, Environment and Social Studies Department 6-9 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV I Located at the flood plain of the Jalad Khola about 2 km I Kamala River from the Mahendra Highway at Puspalalpur. The tower AP3 Bhawar zone Basin footings may be hampered by bank undercutting and possibility of inundation. Located very close to a Kholsi near the Trijuga Nadi Intermediate zone Zone between nearby Bhalmanti Village at Tapeshwari VDC in between the Trijuga Nadi and AP46 Udayapur District. Tower footings may face sliding of the Siwaliks and the the Koshi River soil mass in combination with sheet, rill and gully erosion Bhawar zone Basin during monsoon season. Located at the hillocks made up of quatemery sediments Intermediate zone Zone between consisting of residual red soil and a gravel bed AP48 and between the Trijuga Nadi and underneath (Conglomerate ), near Galphariya Village at AP50 Siwaliks and the the Koshi River Tapeshwari VDC in Udayapur District. Tower footings Bhawarzone Basin may face sliding of the soil mass in combination with sheet, rill and gully erosion during monsoon season. Intermediate zone Located at the western flood plain of the Koshi River at AP51 and between the Bhawar Tapeshwari VDC in Udayapur District. The tower Koshi River Basin AP52 zone and the footings may be hampered by bank collapsing and Midland Terai possibility of inundation. • 6.2.1.1 Crossing of Other Utilities The proposed transmission line alignment crosses the compound of Hetauda Cement Factory; existing132 kV and 66 kV transmission line major rivers and roads (147 times). Tribhuvan Highway, Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bhittamod road and Mirchaiya Katari-Gaighat road are the major road crosses by the line. Since transmission line is deSigned with sufficient clearance no significant impact is expected during construction of line. 6.2.1.2 Operation Phase 6.2.1.2.1 Topography and Land Use No Significant impact on topography is expected during operation and maintenance of T fL. The land use of the area occupied by the tower pad and substation will be permanently changed. The land use for the RoW will be restricted for the construction of structures plantation of trees of more than Sm height. 6.2.1.2.2 Air Quality Corona discharges from the transmission lines generate minute quantities of the Environment and Social Studies Department 6-10 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report ozone (03), nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (N02). Corona is an inherent phenomenon of HV transmission lines, the effects of which will increase with the voltage level. It is substantial in the Extra High Voltage range (Le., above 400 kV). Moreover, the Corona effects will be more pronounced during foul weather conditions, such as rain or fog, in comparison with the fair weather conditions. In general, the effects of Corona also include the production of Ozone gas surrounding the transmission line conductors. However, researches have revealed that the ground level Ozone concentrations due to EHV lines are indistinguishable from the ambient Ozone concentrations. Typically, ground level concentrations for 4000 kV or lower voltage transmission lines during heavy rain have been found significantly less than the most sensitive instruments can measure (which is about one ppb), and thousands of times less than ambient levels. Investigations show that, typically, the overall average ratio of corona loss to ozone production is about 0.52 kWh/g, which results about 100 gm of Ozone per km of transmission line during 24 hours. The very small amount of ozone produced is far too low to have any harmful effect on people, animals or plants. NO, N02 production is 1/1Oth that of ozone. These very low levels have no environmental significance. 6.2.1.2.3 Noise and Vibration The corona audible noise level (AN) of a transmission line is usually that measured at the edge of the RoW i.e. some 10 meters approximate from the outer conductors. Corona noise levels decrease rapidly with distance from the line and in the presence of trees or buildings. According to available information line voltage of 400 kV, corona AN levels is of little or no significance. Experience has shown that 400 kV double circuit transmission line may produced AN level of up to 53-dB (A). This is about the same noise level as a refrigerator indoors which is not considered significant. Some noise is also expected in the substation area but will be within the permissible limit. The overall magnitude of impact is not considered Significant. 6.2.1.2.4 Crossing of other Utilities and Interference Most of the tower pads are located in the cultivated land. Thus the operation of the proposed project will not cause any interference to road traffic even it crosses different roads about 134 times including highways (Tribhuvan Highway.) and other Environment and Social Studies Department 6-11 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report major roads (Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bhittamod road Mirchaiya- Katari-Gaighat and Kadamchok to Bhediyatar black top road) but no disruption to traffic will occur as 9 m vertical clearance (minimum) will be provided between the road surface and conductors. Similarly, all crossings of existing 132 kV and 66 kV transmission and distribution lines will be designed with standard safe vertical and horizontal clearances for 400 kV lines. Likewise the nearest distance from the transmission line alignment to Janakpur airport is more than 25 km and hence no obstruction is expected with regards to flying path. Radio interference can disrupt television and AM (amplitude modulated) radio reception close to a line. Interference can some time be noticed at a distance of 150 meter away. By contrast, FM (frequency modulated) system is affected very little by interference. Interference varies according to the position of the transmission line between transmitter and receiver. In some cases receiving conditions can be improved due to the reflections caused by a transmission line. Since transmission line mostly passes more than 500-meter distance from most of the settlement areas the magnitude of the impact is considered to be insignificant. 6.2.1.2.5 Use of Coo lent Oil in the Transformer Coolent oil is used in the transformer to maintain the temperature. Prior to 1995 PCBs were used as coolent oil in the transformer in Nepal. Now, PCBs are legally prohibited in Nepal. However, there are chances of its use or contamination of the transformer oils by PCBs. In such cases, there is potential of health related problems to the operational workers and communities located close to the substation sites. The other issue related to the oil use in transformer is the leakage of the oils and contamination of the land and receiving surface and sub-surface water bodies. Though the substations are provisioned to limit the oil leakages in the design , observations in the Nepalese SUb-stations have revealed such leakage occurring in many areas, which is not properly attainded. The envisaged impact is of moderate significance. 6.2.2 Biological Environment and Social Studies Department 6-12 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 6.2.2.1 Vegetation/Forest Resources 6.2.2.1.1 Construction Phase I. Forest Land Out of 285.2 km transmission length, about 112.66 km of its stretch passes through the forestland. By assuming 46 m RoW, the total affected forestland will be 518.24 ha (512.94 RoWand 5.30 ha Towers). It includes 477.94 ha forest area (Tree and Shrub land) and 40.30 ha grass land. This area includes 0.11 % forest area of the project districts. Out of the total forest area falls in the RoW minimum loss is found in Siraha district (0.01%) and maximum is from Rautahat district (0.39%). Table 6.4 District Wise Forest Area within the RoW ! District Total District I Forest % District Forest Forest Area within RoW within RoW I (Ha) (Ha) • Makawanpur 65856.28 61.2 0.09 Bara 52559 41.3 0.08 Rautahat 29400 115.6 0.39 Sarlahi 29362 73.9 0.25 Mahottari 23455 71.1 0.30 Dhanusha 24800 27.4 0.11 . Siraha I 28155 4 0.01 Udaypur 138917 36.7 0.03 Sa pta ri 34189.2 23.5 0.07 I Sunsari 24865.4 23.2 0.09 Total 451558.9 477.9 0.11 The transmission line RoW contains 477.94 ha forest. Out of this 390.92 ha will be cleared considering the factors like deep valley, slope or steepness, road inside forest, river, ridge etc along the alignment. Government managed forest is not found along the alignment and the major forest area is from community forest followed by collaborative forest. Although registered private forest land is not found in area but private trees of fodder, timber and fruit species are found in farm land. Out of total community forest area falls in the RoW 78.34% will be cleared whereas 97.24% of the collaborative forest will have to be cleared. In average 76.02% forest will have to be cleared with maximum clearance in Nijgadh to Bagmati section of the alignment and minimum clearance in Hetauda- Njjgadh Environment and Social Studies Deparl:ment 6-13 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV section (Table 6.5). The forest data filled in the prescribed forest format is presented in Appendix 6 and the findings are summarized below. Since the forest area to be cleared is a marginal borderline area of the forest, it is not envisaged to impinge seriously on the forest ecology and habitatln addition the clearance will not further fragment the forest area. Considering the above parameters and the line length of the proposed transmission line, the magnitude of impact is considered to be moderate, extent is Local and of Long Duration. Table -6.5: Forest Area within the RoWand Area to be cleared Transmission Forest Land Falls in RoW (Ha) I Forest Area to be Cleared (Ha) I Line Stretch I Community Collaborative Private Total Community Collaborative Private Total 1 61.18 61.18 18.35 18.35 2 57.04 39.10 96.14 51.34 39.10 90.44 I 3 177.21 48.19 225.4 159.49 45.78 205.27 I 4 58.88 58.88 44.16 44.16 5 36.34 36.34 32.71 32.71 I • I Total 390.65 87.29 477.94 306.04 84.88 390.92 i Note: 1- Hetauda- NIJgadh.. section, 2- NIJgadh-.. Bagmatl, 3- Bagmatl- Dhalkbar, 4- Dhalkebar- Kanchanpur and 5- Kanchanpur- Bhokraha section II. Tree Clearance During the construction period the trees that lie within the right of way of transmission line will be cleared for the construction and erection of transmission tower, stringing and tensioning of conductor. Altogether 1, 58,022 standing trees of various species and sizes (>10 cm dbh) will be felled for the right of way clearance. Among them, pole size (10 - 30 cm dbh) and matured tree (> 30 cm dbh) are 1,12,625 and 45,397 respectively (Table 6.6). The total estimated loss of wood volume is 4835484.13 cft. The estimated loss of fuelwood Chatta is 4835.48 and loss of biomass for standing tree is 108345881.11 kg. Table- 6.6: Loss of Standing Trees along with Wood Volume and Biomass Environment and Social Studies Department 6-14 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report LOSS OF VEGETATION BIOMASS FOR I STANDING WOOD STANDING AREA VOLUME I LOSS OF LOSS OF TREE TREE Section (ha.) REGENERATION (number) (kg) Seedlings . Saplings Pole Tree Timber Fuelwood (per ha.) (per ha.) class Class (eft.) (Chatta) 1. Govt. ------2. Community 306.045 6262 3040 93347 32208 3494124.18 3494.124 78450847.98 . 3. Religious ------4. Leasehold ------5. Private ------6. Collaborative 84.8805 14313 3684 19277 13189 1341359.96 1341.36 29895033.13 Total: 390.65 20575 6724 112624 45397 4835484.13 4835.484 108345881.11 Out of the total trees to be felled 79.45% will be from community forest and 20.55% will be from collaborative forest. The loss of tree is minimum (7.41%) in Hetauda Nijgadh stretch of line since alignment passes through hill area and the tower pads are located on ridges. The forest clearance is high in Bagmati -Dhalkebar (55.84%) stretch as alignment passes through flat area ofTerai (Table 6.7). Environment and Social Studies Department 6-15 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV Table- 6.7: Loss of Standing Trees in different stretch of Transmission Line along with Wood Volume I Transmission Number of Trees to be Felled Affected Wood Volume (eFT) Line Stretch , , Community Collaborative i Private i Total Community Collaborative Private Total 1 11714 11714 327938.3 327938.31 ! 2 I 14759 14663 29422 864447.7 379222 1243670 3 70441 17804 88245 1510801 962137.9 2472938 4 15286 15286 371103.7 ' 371103.71 5 13355 13355 419833.9 419833.9 Total 125556 32466 158022 3494124 i 1341360 4835484 Out of the total trees to be felled by the proposed line maximum loss will be from Rauthat district (24.19%) both in terms number of trees to be felled and area as well. The contribution of Sarlahi, Mahottari and Sara are 15.46%, 14_88% and 8.64% respectively (Table 6.8)_ The magnitude of impact is high, extent is local and of long duration. Table- 6.8: Loss of Standing Trees in different Project Districts ! District No of Trees To be Felled Percentage I Makawanpur 20236 12.81 j Sara 13656 8.64 1 Rautahat 38224 24.19 I I i Sarlahi 24436 15.46 I . Mahottari 23510 14.88 I Dhanusha 9060 5.73 Siraha 1323 0.84 i • Udaypur 12135 7.68 1 Saptari 7770 4.92 I Sunsari 7672 4.85 I i Total 158022 100.00 I III. Floral Diversity Environment and Social Studies Department 6-16 NEA Dhnlkebar-Duhabi 400 kV Altogether 47 species of trees will be felled down for the placement tower pads and for RoW clearance. Among them, Sal is the highly affected species contributing 52.94% (83,664 nos) of the total tree loss, followed by Saj 6.46% (10203 nos) and Botdhairo 6% (9483 nos). The other species to be felled are Karam (4.85%), Sisso (4.68%), Sindure (4.48%), Bel (3.01%) and Masala (2.34%). Rest 15.24% will be felled by 31 species and most of them will contribute less than 1% of the total loss (Table 6.9). Since species affected by the transmission line is common in project area and major tree removal will be from single species (Sal) the felling of trees will have low impact in terms of plant diversity. The extent is local and of long duration. Table- 6.9: Forest Loss in terms of Plant Species I Botanical Name Local Loss of vegetation Standing Wood Vol Biomass I Name for Stand ing Tree (Kg) Loss of R~ eneration Loss of Tree (Nos) Seedlings Saplings Pole Tree Timber Fuelwood , (per ha.) (er ha.) class Class (eft.) (Chatta) '--" Acacia catechu Khayar 185 178 5663 1996 100564.05 100.564 2106351.48 Adina corditolia Karam 162 78 1272 3487 323693.72 323.694 6779885.49 Aegle marmelos Bel 23 14 170 - 1401.8 1.402 29361.18 Albizia lebbeck Siris 11 9 - 85 6294.88 6.295 131848.61 I ! Alblzia sp. Chamre 139 108 212 80 1712.53 1.713 35869.56 , Alstonia scholaris Chhatiwan 0 0 54 - 76.48 0.076 1601.83 I Anogeissus /atifo/ius Banghi 14 7 170 160 38913.23 38.913 815052.07 Artocarpus /akoocha Badhar 0 6 - - - - I , Bauhinia purpurea Tanki 6 4 213 - 453.43 0.453 9497.25 Bauhinia vahlii Bhorla 0 0 43 - 138.62 0.139 2903.35 Berchemia edaeworthii Anoeri 27 24 - - .. i r----, Bombax celba Simal 17 19 127 1483 301320.49 301.32 6311269.87 Bfidelia retusa Gayo 0 2 .. - - - - ! i Careya a rborea 0 0 - 42 3179.59 3.18 66597.59 i Cassia fistula Raibriksya I 378 313 1740 80 7599.68 7.6 159178.12 , Celtis australis Khan 2 8 - - - - - I l.,geistocatvx ooerculatus Kvamuna 16 10 81 0 473.9 0.474 9926.1 i Dalbergia lalifo/ia Satisal 80 47 382 170 6963.94 6.964 145862.27 Dalberaia sissoo I Sisso 55 41 6008 1383 93134.71 93.135 1950741.27 Environment and Social Studies Department 6-17 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report Derris elliptica Den 75 47 444 0 1406< 15 1.406 29452.42 Dillenia J:)entaovna Tatari 14 3 - 241 50505.46 50<505 1057855<7 i ! Ervthrina s tricta Phaledo 0 0 161 - 771 <87 0.772 16167<01 i : Eucalyptus sP< Masala 7 120 3577 123 31965:22 31 <965 669523.46 I : EUJ:)horbia hisoida Tote 0 4 86 - 258<67 0<259 5418<04 ! Garuaa oinnata Dabdabe 0 0 0 203 9879<62 9<88 206932<37 Madesi ! Holarrhena J:)ubescens khirro 1056 421 2581 166 15529.45 I 15<529 325270< 18 Hymenodictyon I I ! excelsum Bhurkul 0 0 0 283 128929<25 128<929 2700471.13 Bot Laaerslroemia J:)arviflora dhayaro 158 111 5157 4326 333217<71 333<218 6979368<9 : Lannea coromandelica Hallunde 15 0 123 1097 104186<93 104< 187 218223409 Litsea monopelata Kutmero 0 2 - - - - - Lyonia ovalifolia Angeri 7 5 333 - 1865<24 I 1<865 39068< 16 Mallolus J:)hiliJ:)J:)ensis I Sindure 749 395 I 6385 700 68192<37 1428314<54 Manaifera indica Aamp 0 0 297 0 1383<16 1<383 28970<72 Melia azederach Bakaina 17 10 - - - Myrsine sem iserrata Kalikath 88 37 1633 166 10726.43 10<726 224669< 13 Phyllanthus emblica Amala 46 30 367 80 3963.47 3<963 83016<28 Pinus roxburghii Rani sallo 0 0 513 189 20107<25 20<107 421153<78 Premna integrifolia Gidari 4 0 86 - 257.9 0<258 5401<92 I Schima wallichi! Chilaune 32 16 379 - 1892<04 1<892 36951 <89 Schleichera oleosa Kusum 27 18 294 505 102719<1 102<719 2151489<74 Semecarpus anacardium Bhalayo 207 I 97 1236 935 56730.47 56<73 1188240<76 ! Shorea robusta Sal 4213 727 66952 16712 1763545<2 1783<545 44424561<3 Syzygium cumin! Jamun 93 35 27 821 6984589 69<846 1462948< 1 Teelona grand!s Teak 25 11 997 831 78653<22 78<653 1647420<96 i Terminalia alata Sai 509 195 3445 6758 914508.77 914<509 19154726< 65 Terminalia bellirica Barro 99 49 1026 1809 137753<37 137.753 2885295<56 i Terminalia chebula Harro 2 14 397 485 20768<9 20<769 435012<31 Total 112635 45397 4835484.1 4835.484 108345881.1 IV. Community Forest Sixty five community forest of 10 districts will be affected by the forest clearance. Out Environment and Social Studies Department 6-18 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report of this 16 will be affected in Hetauda- Nijgadh section, 12 in Nijgadh -Bagmati, 13 in Bagmati- Dhalkebar, 18 in Dhalkebar to Kanchanpur section. Six community forest will be affected in Kanchanpur to Bokraha section. Altogether 125,556 trees (tree and pole class) will be felled for the implementation of the project. The loss of tree class is not unifom in all the community forest affected. Some community forest has low impact while some has high impact. Overall impact is envisaged is moderate to low, extent is Site Specific and of Long Duration. V. Collaborative Forest The implementation of the proposed project will affect collaborative fores. Out of the total tree loss 20.55% (32466 nos) will be from the collaboraive forest. Collaborative forest will be affected in Nijgadh to Bagmati and Bagmati to Dhalkebar stretch of transmission line. In total 4 Cpllaborative forests will be affected. The affect of the forest clearance in terms of the loss of standing tree and pole class plants is different in different Collaborative Forest. Overall magnitude of impact is Low, extent is Site Specific and of Long Duration in comparision to the loss in the community forest. VI. Exploitation of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) During the time of construction, workers will have little time for the collection and sale of NTFPs. However, family member of workers living in the makeshift camp may harvest NTFPs illegally which may threaten the sustainable growth of such products. This might be one of the causes for social conflict. However, such collected species are common within the project area and are equally common in similar climatic regions of the country. The problem is thus more socio-economic issue than it is a bio-diversity issue. Therefore, these impacts are considered as low in magnitude, site specific in extent and for a short duration. The plants that are adversely affected by uncontrolled harvesting are those plants whose underground parts (root, rhizome, tubes) and bark are collected. Examples include the drastic depletion of once abundantly available Sarpagandha from Churia region and Kurilo mainly from Terai region. VII. Rare, Endangered and Protected Species Five species of trees listed under different conservation status will be affected by the project. Altogether 93539 trees will be felled by the implementation of the project Environment and Social Studies Department 6-19 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV which consist 89.44% Sal trees and 8.19% Khair. The remaining 2.37% are Chhatiwan, Satisal and Simal. Except for Chhatiwan and Satisal other species are the most common species. The impact to Chhatiwan and Satisal species are considered to be high in magnitude, extent is local and of long term. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-20 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Table- 6. g. . Loss of Protected Tree SDecies to be Felled bv the Proiect Botanical Local I Loss of vegetation Standing Wood Vol Biomass for I Name Name Standing Loss of Tree (Kg) Regeneration Loss ofTree (Nos) i . AcaCia catechu Khayar 185 178 5663 1996 100564.05 100.564 2106351.48 Alstonia Chhatiwa scholaris n 0 0 54 - 76.48 0.076 1601.83 i Bombax ceiba Simal 17 19 127 1483 301320.49 301.32 6311269.87 Dalbergia laUfolia Satisal 80 47 382 170 6963.94 6.964 145862.27 i i Shorea I robusta Sal 4213 727 66952 16712 1783545.2 1783.545 i 44424561.3 2192470. 2192.46 52989646.7 I Total 73178 20361 1 9 5 VIII. Increase in Demand of Fuel Wood and Timber Skilled, unskilled and semiskilled labor will be involved in the construction of the project The labor force and their dependents may use firewood from local forest for cooking their meal and timber for making their sheds in different location. Similarly, while moving workforce from one place to another they may sell the timber to the local people. The likely increase in pressure to the forest resources has potential to create adverse impact on local forest. Since all the forest close to the transmission line makeshift camps are either community or collaborative forests being constantly supervised by the usergroups likelihood of illegal harvesting of the forest is remote. Hence, the magnitude of impact is considered to be low, extent is local and duration is short term. 6.2.2.1.2 Operation Phase I. RoW Vegetation The vegetation of the right of way will maintain compatible clearance with safe operation. The vegetation, particularly high growing trees will be trimmed in every 3, 4 years to maintain these clearances. Since RoW is cleared during construction phase the trimming of trees or felling of few trees within the RoW will have low impact with respect to forest loss and ethnobotanical use of plant resources. The extent is local and of long duration. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-21 NEA Hetau.da- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Dmft lEE Report II. Plant Biodiversity RoW clearance will not alter the ecological conditions of the cleared areas, however, invasion by new species such as weeds is very likely with implication on the existing floral diversity. The impact is expected to be comparatively high in slow growing species compared to fast growing species. Overall impact is envisaged to be low, site specific and of long tern nature. III. Increased Access to Forest The clearance of 46-meter RoW of the forestland may provide easy access for the local people for the encroachment of forestland. In Terai region of the alignment, it has been observed that the cleared RoW in the forest land has a potential of encroachment by land less families. The magnitude of impact is low because the forest in the project area is either community forest, or collaborative forest which is managed by local people themselves. Furthermore strict rules and regulation and monitoring· by the users group also restrict the unnecessary encroachment. The extent is site specific and duration is long term. 6.2.2.2 Wildlife 6.2.2.2.1 Construction Phase I. Loss of Habitat Transmission line construction will involve the felling of trees and poles in 390.92 ha forest land from the RoW, with the conversion of this area to low growing trees (less than 3 m height), shrubland and grassland. The removal of vegetation though have limited fragmentation of the core forest habitat, nervertheless will reduce the habitat area available to mammals and birds. The loss of tall trees will adversely impact monkeys and Langurs as they prefer continuous forest canopy for easy movement. On the other hand, clearance of the forest also provide new niche area for a number of prey species. A number of mature trees will be cleared from the ROW, since such mature trees are abundant in the adjacent ROW area the impact on dependent birds like Hornbills will not have to bear the pressure offorest clearance. All mammals identified in the project area are mobile, and have a natural range far greater than RoW area. Furthermore none of the sites are identified as core region for the wild fauna along the route. Considering the location of the forest habitat that the transmission line will cross and the limited extent of RoW clearance (up to 390. 92 ha along a total of 112.6 km of forest), the magnitude of the impact on wildlife caused by habitat loss is considered low. The excavation works for the tower pad might affect the underground habitat of reptiles. This impact is relatively high in Nijgadh to Kanchanpur stretch as lots of burrow were found along the alignment and Environment and Social Studies Department 6-22 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report nearby areas. Since the pad foundation area is limited to small area, the invisaged impacts are low, and site specific. II.Wildlife Movement, Feeding and Other Activities Proposed transmission line route lies in the wondering area near the migration route of Asian Wild Elephant (Elephas maximus). As per the information provided during the field visit from local people the wild elephant seasonally wonder to Njjgadh, area while migrating from India to Nepal across Chitwan national Park for crop raiding. Similarly in the Tapeshwari and Goghanpur the small herd of elephant of the KTVVR woner in the nearby forest areas and agricultural lands specially in the rice and sugarcane harvesting season (August thro~gh December). The reduction in forest area, though will reduce the available forest habitat in these regions along the forestland boarders, is not envisaged to impact the on going wondering of the elephants in the region. It is therefore, the magnitude of impact is considered to be Low, The existence of the 132 kV transmission line , the highway and the feeder road since 1985 has not hindered such wondering till date and is expected not to interfere the activities even after the establishment of the transmission line. III. Construction Disturbances The construction activity will spread over approximately 112.66 km of the alignment through forest area of ten districts. The transportation of construction material, erection· of tower and stringing of line require manpower. The movement and activity of human beings may disturb free movement of wild fauna. Since the impacted forest stretch is mostly located along the forest boarder line, the magnitude of impact is considered to be low. Further more the disturbance area is small compare to total available habitat and widely spread and construction at one site will be short lived. The extent is site specific and duration is short term. IV. Hunting and Poaching by Labour Force While working in the forest area the workers may be tempted to hunt birds like pheasants, partridges, ducks; mammals like deer and wild boar. The magnitude of impact is considered to be low because the forest area likely to be affected by the project is managed by community forest users group and collaborative forest user groups managed under strict rule and regulation; movement of people is restricted beyond the permitted area (RoW). Furthermore the number of workers at each construction site is limited (15-20) and duration of construction at particular place is short (10-15 days) which also minimize the likely impacts. Magnitude of impact is considered to be low, extent is site specific and duration is short term. - ..-----.------Environment and Social Studies Department 6-23 NEA Hetauda- The workers may involve in fishing while working or living in near by river areas. Such impact is not considered to be significant. V. Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve The proposed transmission line passes close to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) and the nearest distance of the proposed line to reserve is 1.8 km at Tapeshwori VDC of Udayapur district and farthest distance is 9.4 km at Bokraha of Sunsari district. KTWR is the smallest reserve but has a great potential for wildlife. The Reserve hosts habitat for different species of mammals with specific habitat for Arna (Buba/us buba/is). This reserve is also known as important habitat area for birds and hosts more than 280 species. Since transmission line alignment is not passing through reserve and its buffer zone area no significant impact is expected on the conservation efforts of the reserve and wildlife found in the reserve area. 6.2.2.2.2 Operation Phase I. Impacts to Mammals ,Birds and Reptiles Movements The transmission line cables may affect bats and arboreal mammals. Recorded study on the affect of the charged transmission line cables across Nepalese transmission line is not available, however, international literatures (Hellad-Hansen, 1995) reveals the potential of impacts on the wildlife. Mortality and mobidity affects of the charged transmission line is highly likely to Bats, raptors and arboreal mammals such as monkeys, and Langurs. paSSing across the transmission line corridors. Since, high voltage transmission line since 1985 has not deterred the elephants to wonder across the transmission line, impacts to the wondering elephants from the nearby migration routes across the proposed transmission line parallel to the existing transmission line is considered low. The operation of 400 kV transmission line and sub-station may affect birds through the presence of the conductors (wires). The principal problem is the earth wire which being at the highest point and being thin, is harder for birds to detect and avoid. Birds, which do not see the wire or which notice them too late may suffer injury and die from collisions. This type of impact is expected to be high in low visibility condition especially in bad weather and nighttime. Nocturnally active avifauna is reported to be more frequently involved in wire strikes .. Similarly, medium to large waterfowl are susceptible to wire strikes as they often lack manoeuvre and have a high incidence of low level flight activity. Wire strikes are likely to be in the bird migration routes such as adjacent areas of Koshi River, Bagmati River and Kamala Environment and Social Studies Department 6·24 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft fEE Report River. The likely rate of bird collision is difficult to quantify, although studies in Europe have identified significant numbers of avifauna may be killed, especially in areas rich in wetland bird habitats. The magnitude of expected impact is moderate, extent is site specific and duration is long term. No significant impact is expected on reptiles and fish due to operation of the transmission line. II. Changes in Habitat The vegetation of the right of way will maintain a conductor clearance compatible with safe operation. The vegetation clearance will be carried out manually and clearing crew themselves have a minor disturbance effect on wildlife. The forest clearance will change 390.92 ha forest area into shrub land and open areas. The magnitude of impact is moderate, extent is local and of long duration. 6.2.3 Socio-economic and Cultural Environment 6.2.3.1 Construction Phase 6.2.3.1.1 Acquisition of Land The project will acquire 29.93 ha land for the placement of tower pads and substations. Out of this 23.14 ha is private cultivated land. This includes 6.89 ha for tower pads ( 63 angle towers and 243 suspension towers located in private cultivated land) and 16.25 ha for substations (6.10). Table 6.10: Acquisition of cultivated land for different project components I S.N Project Total Land {hal Cultivated Percentage i Components Land Permannet I Acquis~ion 1 Angle Towers 2.77 1.42 6.14 (123) 2 Suspension 10.91 5.47 23.64 Towers (485) Environment and Social Studies Department 6-25 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 3 New 9.48 9.48 40.97 Duhabi I I Substation 4 Extension of 6.77 6.77 29.26 Dhalkebar Substation 29.93 23.14 100.00 I Lease Land 1 Temporary camps 8 5 I and storage area Total 29.93 23.14 The field survey shows that out of total 63 Angle Towers, 11 are located in the urban area, 25 in semi-urban area and 27 in rural area. Similarly out of 243 supporting towers, 42 are proposed in the urban area, 96 semi-urban area and 105 in the rural area respectively. Out of the total 6.89 ha land acquired for the towers pads 17.42% (1.2 ha) will be from urban area, 39.48% (2.72ha) from semi urban area and 43.11 %( 2.97ha) from rural area. The land proposed for Dhalkebar Substation is located in urban areas whereas the proposed new Duhabi (Bhokhra) is located in semi urban area (Table 6.11). The magnitude of impact is considered to be medium, extent is site specific and of long term. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-26 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Table -6.11: Acquisition of Land as per Land Category based on Location Project Componerts Cultivated Land Urban Area(ha) Semi-Urban Rural Area(ha) Area{ha) • Angle Towers (123) 1.42 0.25 0.56 0.61 I Supporting Towers (485) 5.47 0.95 2.16 2.36 New Duhabi Substation 9.48 0 9.48 0 I i Extension of Dhalkebar 6.77 6.77 0 0 I Substation i ! . Sub-total 23.14 7.97 12.2 2.97 i Lease Land i Temporary camps and I 5 0 0 5 storage area Total 28.14 7.97 12.2 7.97 6.2.3.1.2 Impacts on Project Affected Families The permanent acquisition of land for the Angle Towers and substation area will affect 130 households for the acquisition of 17.96 ha private cultivated land and houses. Out of 130 households 108 households were surveyed and the data presented below provide details of the surveyed households. Out of the total affected household 59.3 % loose less than 10% of their total land whereas 23.1 % household loose 10 to 50% their land and 17.6% bousehold loose more than 50% of their land. Since majority of the affected household lose less than 10% of their total land this impact is considered moderate. Table- 6.12: Acquisition of Land in Different Land Holding Category % Loss of Total Angle Points Substation Total Landholding No. (%) No. (%) No. I (%) r<10% 59 88.06 5 12.20 64 I 59.26 10-25% 5 7.46 13 31.71 18 I 16.67 25-50% 2 2.99 5 12.20 7 I 6.48 >50% 1 1.49 18 43.90 19 I 17.59 I Total 67 100.00 41 100.00 108 I 100.00 I Environment and Social Studies Department 6-27 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft IEE Report 6.2.3.1.3 1 Loss of Homesteads and Associated Structures Five families will lose their homesteads with associated structures such as cowsheds, toilets, and hand-pumps for drinking water etc. Out of this four houses are Kachhichi type and one Pakki house. The project will also affect one cowshed. These five families will have to be resettled by the project proponent. The affected houses and associated structures are belonged to Yadav, Tamang, Newar and Brahmin castes (Table 6.13). The magnitude of impact is considered to be high, extent is local and duration is long term. Table 6.13: Acquisition of Homesteads and Associated Structures Caste/Ethnic Affected Houses Cowsheds Total Group Kachchi Pakki Yadav 2 2 Tamang 1 i 1 I Newar 1 1 Brahmin 1 1 i 2 I Total: 4 1 1 6 Source: Field Study, 2010 The maximum and minimum area of the affected houses and associated structure is 200 to 1400 sq.fit and the length and breadth is 20 to 40 and 10 to 20 sq.fit respectively. Out of five houses 3are single story and two are double storey (Table 6.14). Table - 6.14: Area of Affected Houses/Structures Area in Sq.ft Type of Structures No. of I Length Breadth Area Floor House I 22 15 1 330 I 22 I 15 1 330 I Kachchi 35 20 2 1400 I 20 15 1 300 I i Pakki 40 15 2 1200 I Cowshed 20 10 1 i 200 I Source: Field Study, 2010 Environment and Social Studies Department 6-28 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 6.2.3.1.4 Loss of Agriculture Income The project affected land is mostly cultivated land (Khet).The average land holding size of the PAFs is 1.70halHH. The field survey shows that agriculture input contribute 39.07% of the total income of the affected households and is the main source of their livelihood. The field survey shows that 71.3% household will lose less than 10% of their total agriculture income due to the land acquisition. Similarly, 10.19% households will lose 10 to 25% of their agriculture income while 15.73% households will lose above 50% of their agriculture income (Table 6.15). The impact is considered to be Low in magnitude, extent is Site Specific and of Long term in duration. Table - 6.15 Loss of Income due 10 Land Acquisition ~ .. % Loss of Total Angle Points Substation I Total Income i I No. I (%) No. (%) No. (%) i <10% 62 98.41 15 33.33 77 ! 71.3 r--10 - 25% 1 1.59 10 22.22 11 10.19 25-50% 3 6.67 3 2.78 i >50% 17 37.78 17 15.73 Total 63 100 45 100 108 100 Source: Field Study, 2010 6.2.3.1.5 Impact on Community Resources and Infrastructures The proposed Transmission line alignment passes through the community forest and collaborative forest as well as cultivated land. The implementation of the proposed project will affect 306.04 ha community forest from 67 community forest of ten project districts. The project will also affect 84.88 ha collaborative forest. In addition to permanent acquisition of 23.14 ha (6.89 tower pads and 16.25 ha substation) private land the project will also impose land use restriction on 669.03 ha land falls in RoW. Since only few area of the community forest will be affected by this project the impact on use of firewood and fodder is low. The extent is local and long term. Although a significant increase in population during the construction phase of the project is not expected there might be some stress on the local water supply and the health services. This may create conflicts among local users and dissatisfaction among traditional users. A primary Government school (Yuba Barsha Primary School) will be affected at new Environment and Social Studies Department 6-29 NEA Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV Duhabi substation which needs to be relocated. The impact is considered to be Medium in magnitude, extent is local and of long term in duration. 6.2.3.1.6 Relocation of Temple The Hunman Mandir located at Dhalkebar VDC of Dhanusha district will be affected due to the extension of Dhalkebar sUbstation which needs to be relocated. Gram Dewata Dewhar Than located at Badarmal VDC of Sirhah district falls in the RoW and it is also needs to be relocated. The magnitude of impact is considered low, extent is site specific and duration is long term. 6.2.3.1.7 Loss of Standing Crops The construction of transmission line will be carried out during lean season so that standing crops will not damage or minimum damaged due to construction related activities. However it is not completely ignored during construction and area close to tower pads and RoW may disturb due to movement of contractor machines, construction materials, labor force for line pulling and other construction activities. Normally the winter crops will be affected as construction will be curtailed or even closed down completely during the monsoon. This impact is considered more at Dhalkebar to Duhabi section because the transmission line alignment passes along the cultivated land. About 669.03 ha cultivated land falls in RoW. However, the construction activities will not affect the whole RoW area. Assuming 5 m area of RoW 73.74 ha would be the potential impact zone. Paddy, Maize, Millet, Wheat and sugarcane are the major crops and cash crops likely grown in the project affect area and these crops are likely to be affected by the land acquisition. The magnitude of impact is considered to be low, extent is site specific and duration is long term. 6.2.3.1.8 Health and Sanitation Manpower will be deployed for concreting of tower foundation, excavation, stringing of line and construction of substation. The excavation and concreting work for particular site will be carried out at 7-10 days interval. Hence maximum number of people for particular area at a time will be 40 -50 for 5 to 7 days. The lack of proper sanitary measures in temporary camps will affects the health condition of the workers. The lack of proper sanitary measures and increase in waste and water pollution can lead to an outbreak of epidemics and diseases such as Jaundice, Typhoid, etc. Considering the manpower involved at duration of stay the magnitude of impact is considered to be low, extent is site specific and duration is short term. Furthermore recruitment of local people will also minimize this impact. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-30 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report 6.2.3.1.9 Occupational, Health and Safety Hazards Construction related accidents are common in Nepal, primarily because of unsafe construction practices. Construction activities such as working in the hilly areas, river sides, cliff areas, erection of towers and stringing of line may cause accidents and injuries. Work related injuries and vehicle accidents are the likely impact expected due to implementation of the proposed project. The magnitude of impact is moderate, extent is site specific and duration is short term. 6.2.3.1.10 Gender and Vulnerable Group About 47.3% of the total population are women and women literacy rate is low (77.11%) as compared with male literacy rate (94.9%).About 44.98% women have involved in household works and the role of women in income generation activities is very low in comparison with male population. Therefore, female has greater workload than male and role of women in decision making is limited. Household survey indicates that 11 households are women headed and 6 households are Dalits (Kami, Damai, Sarki, Chamar, and Musahar etc). During project construction daily wages labor will be deployed for excavation, transportation of construction materials and other construction related works. The contractor, especially the sub contractors, may discriminate the women and vulnerable group while hiring the workers. Despite GoN ban on child labor, it remains a potential temptation in an economically poor region such as the proposed project area for children to be exploited to pursue menial jobs. It is assumed that most of the labor force required for the construction of the transmission line will be farmers and land less people from the vicinity of the actual work place moving around the alignment as the construction proceeds. Considering the nature of construction work and manpower deployed the magnitude of impact is considered low, extent is site specific and duration is short term. 6.2.3.1. 11 Life Style The interaction among different people and ethnic group may attract the rural people towards more advanced society. Experience with other project indicates that sudden cash flow in project area and cash earning of workers is spend unproductively by some households. The availability of cash and alcohol may divert some workers towards gambling and more alcohol consumption. The concentration of a labour force may encourage prostitution, which could lead to the spread of HIVIAIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. A particular risk group is long distance Truck Environment and Social Studies Department 6·31 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report drivers who are often responsible for disease transmission. The magnitude of impact is low, extent is site specific and duration is short term. 6.2.3.1.12 Increase in Economic Activities Due to increase in economic activity there might be increase in prices of local. consumable goods. Since transmission line is linear facility and construction work is spread over 285.2 km, the magnitude of impact is considered to be insignificant. 6.2.3.1.13 Law and Order During the construction of the transmission line labor from different places with different religion and faiths will be employed by the contractor and possibilities of conflict of interest exists and law and order situation may be affected. The past experiences reveal that local people in many cases manhandle the employer's and contractor's staffs thereby posing threats to law and order situation. Considering the nature of project the magnitude of impact is considered to be low, extent is site specific and duration is short term. Enuironment and Social Studies Department 6-32 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report 6.2.3.1.14 Peoples Safety Local people moving in and around the construction areas may be accidentally affected due to construction related incidents. Accidents may also happen during the line charging process while testing and commissioning of the transmission line. The magnitude of impact is low, extent is site specific and duration is short term. 6.2.3.1.15 Livelihoods About 39.50% of the proposed alignment passes through the forest. The existing forest covered in the project area is large enough to support the demand of forest resources such as firewood and timber to the dependent households. Therefore, even cutting down a large number of standing trees is of little significance to the livelihood of the local people. Similarly, about 51.52% of the transmission line alignment passes through the cultivated land and 23.14 ha private land will be acquired permanently due to the implementation of the project. Crop farming, livestock farming and labour migration are the main sources of livelihood of affected households. Of the surveyed households 62.96 % have food deficit since their production is not able to meet the year round food requirement of their family. The acquisition of land will reduce 42.35 Mt and 113.76 Mt food crops and cash crop respectively. This will add further pressure on the majority of the PAFs household already faCing food deficit problem. This impact is more for the household loosing 50% of their land and or 50% of their agriculture income. Since only 16% household will lose more than 50% of agriculture income due to land acquisition and their major source of household income is other than agriculture the impact on livelihood due to land acquisition is considered to be moderate. The extent is local and duration is long term. 6.2.3.1.16 Loss of Agriculture Production There will be loss of 42.35MT food grain and 113.76MT cash crop during construction phase due to permanent acquisition of land. Besides this agriculture loss will also takes place in RoW which is approximately 113 MT considering 5m disturbed zone in cultivated area. The impact is considered to be Medium in magnitude, extent is local and Long Term in duration. 6.2.3.1.17 Hetauda Cement Factory Heatuda Cement Factory is on of the major Cement industries of Nepal, which provide about 50 to 60 percent demand of cement in the country. The factory is located in Lamsure Dhap ward no 9 of Hetauda Municipality. It was established by Environment and Social Studies Department 6-33 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Du.habi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft fEE Report the financial assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB). The proposed Transmission line passes close to the factory and AP 1proposed at Lamsure Dhap is located within 100m from the factory. During the construction there will be minor disturbances to the manpower working in the factory due to movement of vehicle, transportation of materials and stringing of line. The magnitude of impact is low, extent is site specific and duration is short term. 6.2.3.1.18 Impacts on Aesthetics Power lines are visually intrusive in aesthetically sensitive landscapes such as pristine areas, river valleys and wilderness areas. The proposed transmission line traverses north south in first stretch and east to west in second stretch almost parallel to the existing Mahendra Highway and wherever possible to the existing 132 kV lines, the line. The line runs close to Nunthar Park of Rauthat district where the line pass from ridge to ridge and park is located in deep valleys. The visitors coming in the park area may be disturbed for the time being due to construction activities. Since alignment is passes through ridge to ridge and construction activity at each tower will be short the magnitude of impact is low, extent is local and for long term. 6.2.3.2 Operation Phase 6.2.3.2.1 Loss of Agricultural Production and Agriculture Income The proposed project will acquire 23.14 ha private cultivated land permanently for erection towers, extension of Dhalkebar substation and construction of new Duhabi substation respectively. Paddy, Maize, VVheat and Millet are the major food grains grown in the CUltivated land. The new Duhabi substation will be constructed at Hanif tole of Bhokraha VDC of Sunsari District. Sugarcane is grown in the proposed New Duhabi substation area. As per the data collected from household survey the average production of food grains like paddy, maize, millet and wheat is 2.55,1.05, 1.26 and 1.32 MTlha respectively. Therefore, the average production (1.55MT/ha) of all these food grains and cash crop (12 MT/ha) was taken for the calculation of annual loss. The annual permanent loss of agricultural production (food crops) and cash crops of acquired land is calculated to be to be 42.35MT (Including two seasonal crops) and 113.76MT respectively. The income of these crops is calculated to be NRs 7, 62,300 and 5, 11,920 respectively. Therefore, the annual permanent loss of income from the project affected land is NRs 12, 74,220. Environment and Social Studies Depar1:ment 6-34 NEA Hetauda· Dhalkebar·Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report Table - 6.16: Loss of Agriculture Income due to Land Acquisition S.N Type of Land and Crops Total ! Total two Price/MT Monetary Land(ha) seasonal Crops Value I loss (MT) 1 Cultivated Land- food 13.66 I 42.35 18000 762300 Crops i 2 Cultivated Land- Cash 9.48 113.76 4500 511920 Crops, one season only Total 23.14 I 1274220 According to market survey, 2010, the price of the major food crops like paddy, wheat, maize and millet is Rs.18.28, 20.76, 16.56 and 16.03 per kilogram respectively. The average price of all these food grain is 17.91 RslKg whereas the average price of sugarcane is NRs 4.5/kg. The magnitude of this impact is considered to be low, extent is site specific and duration is long term. 6.2.3.2.2 Land Use Restrictions 146.94 km agricultural land falls within the RoW covering an RoW of 669.03 ha. Out of this 7.38 %( 49.4ha) falls in urban area, 29;16% (195.08) ha in semiurban area and 63.46% (424.55) in rural area. Due to the safety reason, houses and other permanent structures are not allowed to construct within the RoW as per the Electricity Regulation. As the land will not be applicable for construction of house, the value of land especially in urban and semiurban area which is about 37% of the total area will be highly affected. It is difficult to quantify the level of impact on the pricing of the land because there are other factors too that would play the significant role. Thus, the overall magnitude of impact is moderate, extent is site specific and duration is long term. 6.2.3.2.3 Land Fragmentation and Farming Hindrance The placement of one tower will occupy 0.023 ha (15mx15m) of land. The towers constructed in cultivated area, especially those erected in the middle of land parcels pose hindrance while ploughing the agro- field. The field may be cultivated by using human labor that will increase the cost of agriculture production. This impact is expected only at few tower located in middle of the cultivated land. The overall magnitude of impact is considered to be low since such number of tower will be Environment and Social Studies Department 6-35 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 minimum and scattered, extent is site specific and duration is long term. 6.2.3.2.4 Electricity Hazards and Electromagnetic Impact Electrocution Electrocution can occur from contact with live conductors, flashover from a conductor to a tower or trees, and conductor breakage. Contact with live conductors or flashover to a person or object near a live line is highly unlikely as a minimum vertical clearance of 7.5 m between the conductors and ground level will be established. The accidental failure of the transmission line involving a conductor breaking is also highly unlikely to cause electrocution. Very sensitive and 100% redundant transmission line protection will be adopted for the line. This protection will detect any fault, including the conductor snapping, and cause the line to be de energised within three cycles (i.e. 60 milliseconds), thus largely avoiding the potential for electrocution from a breakage. Electromagnetic Fields The high voltage and current carried by the proposed 400 kV transmission line will create electric and magnetic fields that will dissipate rapidly with increasing distance from the source. Transmission line tower heights and corresponding conductor heights above ground level, as well as the RoW width, are selected and designed to limit the electromagnetic radiation levels at ground level and at RoW edges to acceptable levels. Although specific biological responses to the electromagnetic fields (EMF) associated with current-carrying conductors is still unknown, evidence suggests that health hazards may exist due to EMF. As such, the transmission of electrical energy through the conductors of the proposed line may pose risks and hazards to the surrounding environment and nearby residents. The overall magnitude of impact is considered to be low, extent is site specific and duration is long term. Field strengths of EMFs for the 400 kV line set within a 46 m wide RoW are estimated in Table - 6.15 and compared with international health guidelines (National Health and Medical Research Council, 1989). Field strengths have been estimated for worse case conditions, where the line is at its lowest point (maximum sag) and in hot weather, for a location at the edge of the RoWand directly under the line. Table - 6.17: MagnetiC and Electric Field Strength Estimates and Recommended Maximum Exposure Levels Environment and Social Studies Department 6-36 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft IEE Report .------Magnetic Field Strength I Electric Field Estimate/Standard (magnetic flux density, Strength (kV/m) micro Tesla (J.l.T» Estimated maximum field strength at the edge of 7.92 2.78 46 m RoW (midspan, 400 kV line) • Estimated maximum field strength at the centre of 11 3.2 RoW (midspan, 400 kV line) Recommended maximum level for 24 hours/dai 100 5 (continuous exposure for the general pubuc) Recommended maximum level for 10 hours/day1 500 10 (occupational exposure) .. 1 International Non-Ionlzmg Radiation Committee of the InternatIOnal Radiation Protection ASSOCiatiOn. The magnetic field strength at the edge of the RoW is a maximum of 7.92 J.!T, and11 J.!T at the centre. This is very low compared with the recommended maximum exposure of 100 J.!T for 24 hours/day exposure and 500 J.!T for 10 hours/day exposure. The electric field strength at the edge of the RoW is a maximum of 2.78 kV/m, and 3.2 kV/m at the centre. This is also low compared with the recommended maximum exposure of 100 kV/m for 24 hours/day exposure and 500 kV/m for 10 hours/day exposure. Accordingly, long-term exposure of local residents living immediately outside the RoW will be well within an acceptably safe level while people working in the RoW will be unaffected. Altogether 30 settlements are located within 100m of the proposed transmission line alignment whereas 58 settlements are found within 100 to 500m. Similarly, two schools and three temples are located within 100m. Like wise eight schools and nine temples are located within 100 to 500m of the transmission line. The Hetauda cement factory is also located within 100m of the proposed transmission line alignment. The details of the settlement and infrastructures located within 100 to 500m from the RoW is presented in Table 6.18 Table 6.18 Name of the Settlements and Infrastructures Located close to T ransmlsSlon L'me AI"Ignment VDCslMunicipal ity I Settlements within 100m Settlements 100 to 500m Infrastructures I Dhalkebar-Duhabi Section Dhalkebar I 8ijuli Tole Kantipur Tole,Kami Gaun . Environment and Social Studies Department 6-37 NEA Hetauda- DhalkebarDuhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Yaghyabhumi - Mudgiya Basti, Quarter Diwar Mandir (More than 100 m.) Tole I Bharatpur Chhaghariya Tole Chcayahater Bigha Tole Janachetan Secondary School(More than 100m) Godar Aailani Tole Badaramal Bairban Tole, Chhaghara Bandipur Tole, Danda Tole Gram Debata Deeha bar Than,(l OOM), Tole, Jhulkae Basti, Janata Lowe r Secondary School(More Bairban Tole than 100M) Karjanhaa Manaharua Tole . 132 K. v Transmission Hne(100m) i Chandarayapur Dharampur Bastl Daljelling Gumba(100m) Folbariya Mahulbana Bastl · Lalpur Gurdham Bastl Aayodhayanagar . JogiyaTtole Hanuman Mandlr(More than 100m) Paderiya Tharu Tole Bhotoya Tole, Janata Prl m ary School(More than 100m) Bastlpur Gudl Gaun Pldarbani Gaun - Bhadaya - Bhadaya Tole Hanuman Mandir(Morethan 100m) Daulatpur - Laxmipur Gaun · i Kushsa - Kushsa Gaun Pensera Aamaha Tole 33Kv Transmission line(100m), Rameshowari Mandir (More than 10 am) Bhangaha Barahari Basti Sarbiya Damabati, - Bhaghatpur Gaun Terahota Magar Tole Birendra Bazer · I Jandaul - Mohanpur and Jandol Maulee Bridge(More than 100m) Basti Bakdhauwa, Bhujel Tole i Theliya Basantapur and B aksha Damber Devi Bhagabati Primary Bastl School(More thanl00m) Dhodhanpur - Sawaneepur and Bastipur Tole Dumaraha Arta Tole · Bhokraha HanifTole, Bhokraha Tole Sunsari Khola (More than 100m) 132 KV Transmission line, Hetauda·Dhalkebar Section Hetauda Municipality Sukambasi Tole, Pashu pati Nagar, Ch hitar Triveni Lower Secondary School(More Chhaudha Ghare Tole, Pani Bastl thanl00m),Hetauda Cement Lamsure Dhap Factory(100m) Chhuriyamai Gaurl Tar Gaun Goraksha High School(more than Harnamadi - Goath Damar 100m) Shreepur Chhatlwan Sa no Suda Gaun, Raj Damar, Pawas Shree Prabhat High school(More than Mahlmachha Bastl 100m), Karmapraptl High School(100m) i Bharatgung Dhlpal Tole, Shraswati Tole Bhamara Basti, Yojana Gaun I Chandranlghapur i Takan Tole - Environment and Social Studies Department 6·38 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report ! Judibela Banlole, Chhemani Tole Judibela Gaun - I Paurai Gauri Gaun, Gopa Kuti Tole Nunthar Tole, Shiva Mandir,Nunthar Park (100m) i Aaptar Basti, Pashupati I Karmaiya Chamumber Tole Tole I i Dhungrekhola Sailunee Danda . Kerabari Primary School(More than I Tole,Chaudiya Tole, ' 100m) - Kerabari Basti, Atrauli Chhan Danda, Lalbhhatee i Palharcoat Aulee Tole Hira Pur Chowoak, Dapkali Narayan Janata Sec. School(100m), I Tole Ram and Shiva Mandir (More than 100m) Lalbandi - Lalbandi Basti - i Ranijung Ranijung Tole - i , Bhaktipu - Bayalbas Basti - ! Khayarmara Lakshmineea Chowk, Kharrnar a Gaun i - I i Maisthan Thutashwor , Gausala i Hanuman Mandir, Maistan Mandir(Mo re Chowk , Bhabsi Tole - i than 100m) ! Gauribas Galtale Tole, Gauridanda Tole - i I I Taulshi- Chaunda Jeere Danda Tole, Dadkhola,Dhapsar Basti - i : Dhalkebar BijuliTole Akelebas Gaun - I 6.2.3.2.5 Occupation Hazards and Safety During operation phase, the flow of current and the operation of substation make the people, in the immediate vicinity of the line, vulnerable to electrical hazards such as fire and electrical shocks. Furthermore lack of training, operation and maintenance skill and unavailability of the necessary safety equipment may add further risk with safety regards, The public can be affected principally through their own acts, such as children climbing towers, high vehicles attempting to pass beneath the lines, surveyors using metal leveling staffs under the conductors etc. These risks have a low probability of occurrences, but a very high (terminal) significance to the individuals involved. The overall magnitude of impact is considered to be low, extent is site specific and duration is long term. 6.2.3.2.6 Withdrawal of Economic Opportunity Construction of the project induced economic opportunities, which will benefit the local peoples, economy and the project area as a whole. At the end of project construction these opportunities will be closed. Worker will loose the job and salary. Demand for local agricultural production by construction workers will be minimized. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-39 NEA Hetauda- Community and local commodity transactions will be reduced. The withdrawal or decrease in economic activity during operation and maintenance may affect the life style of the local people. Local people are habitual for more expenses due to the increased earnings of construction phase. They will face difficulty to mange the lifestyle once the economic activities will reduce and earning will drastically decline. However, due to the linear nature of the project, the local labours will be hired at the different locations only for the short duration of time. Thus, the magnitude of impact is considered to be low because the economic activities are limited and are spread throughout the settlements of the alignment. The extent is site specific and duration is of long term. 6.2.3.2.7 Livelihood The project will acquire 23.14 ha private land for the placement of towers and substation. The average annual income of the surveyed households is NRs. 152,668 which consist 39.07% from agriculture and 3.75%from livestock. The field survey shows that 71.3% household will lose less than 10% of their total agriculture income due to. the land acquisition. Similarly, 10.19% households will lose 10 to 25% of their agriculture income while 15.73% households will lose above 50% of their agriculture income. The reduction in agriculture income will affect the livelihood of the PAFs. Of the surveyed households 62.96 % have food deficit since their production is not able to meet the year round food requirement of their family. The acquisition of land will reduce 42.35 Mt and 113.76 Mt food crops and cash crop respectively. The loss of production will reduce income of local people and further increase the food deficit problem thus affecting livelihood. The magnitude of impact is moderate, extent is local and of long ~uration. 6.2.3.2.8 Hetauda Cement Factory The alignment is passes from the corner of the factory where no any machinery plants, office and quarter are located. Only some planted sisso trees are found in this area and major activity site is far from the proposed line. Since the nearest distance is 100m from the compound wall of factory no significant impact is expected on the workers and operation of the factory. 6.2.3.2.9 Loss of Firewood and Fodder from Community Forest The implementation of the proposed project will affect 306.04 ha community forest from 67 community forest of ten project districts. Out of total 47 species affected by the project 5 are fodder species and 11 are firewood species. Since only few area Environment and Social Studies Department 6-40 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report of the community forest will be affected by this project and most of the community forest will be intact the impact on use of firewood and fodder is low. The extent is local and long term. 6.2.3.2.10 Impacts on Aesthetics Impacts to visual resources are examined in terms of changes between the existing landscape character and proposed actions, sensitivity of viewing points available to the general public, their viewing distances and visibility of proposed changes. However, the line does not run through or in close proximity to sensitive areas except Nunthar Park at Rautahat district. The line pass from riqge to ridge and park is located in deep valleys hence no significant impact is expected regarding the natural beauty of the park. Environment and Social Studies Department 6-41 NEA Hetauda- 7. ALTERNATIVE ANALYSIS 7.1 General As such, a number of alternatives were considered during this lEE study of proposed Hetauda- Dhalkebar- Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line. Several subjective judgments like line length, project cost, Koshi Tappu Willdife Reserve and relocation/resettlement were taken while choosing the best alternative. Some of the major alternatives considered during this lEE study were: • Route alternatives; • Design alternative; • Construction alternatives in terms of technology, procedures, schedule and raw materials to be used; • No action alternative; and • Operation procedure 7.2 Route Alternative Alternative A Alternative A route was considered during the alignment survey conducted by NEA. The alignment was marked in 1: 25000 topo map in Kathmandu The alternative "A"proposed in desk study passes mostly through core forest area and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. It was approximately 235 km long. Nearly 75 percent of the alignment passing through the forested area while only 25 percent was on the agricultural land and settlments. Alternative B This alternative route was recommended by World Bank Review team which avo ides the Koshi Tappu Willdife Reserve and Buffer Zone. The total line length of this alignment is 285.2 km which is approximately 50 km more in length than Alternative A. The forest area in this alternative is less than 40 percent of Alternative A. Although nearly 60 percent of this alternative passes through the agricultural land; large settlements, historical sites of cultural & religious Significance and institutional areas have been avoided The alternative B as recommended by the joint team of the World Bank consultant and NEA staff along the fringe area of the forest avoiding dense forest and settlments was selected based on the environmental and social grounds. Apart from this as the alignment is runs parallel to the existing 132 kV transmission line and the road, the co-sharing of the ROW with the exising transmission line will minimise the forest clearance and will reduce forest fragmentation and wildlife habitat disturbances (Ref Fig 2 sheet 1-14). Despite longer transmission line length by approximately 50 km, the alternative B was selected as it not only avoides critical natural habitat of Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve but also has minimum impact on the wildlife habitat in the forest areas outside the wildlife reserves. Environment and Social Studies Department 7-1 NEA Hetauda- DhaIkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 7.3 Location Alternative for Substation Hetauda substation will be expanded within the pre occupied land hence no impact is expected with respect to land acquisition, forest loss etc. Dhalkebar substation is small and it is not possible to install the required facilities within the compound of existing substation. The north and west part of existing substation is cultivated land which is proposed for the construction of new substation. The land near by the substation is of equal quality hence the likely impacts are equal. Furthermore settlement is found at north east side of the existing substation hence to avoid construction disturbances the proposed site is environmentally and socially good. Duhabi, Inaruwa and Kushaha are the three sites studied for substation location. These sites were compared in terms of land availability, land cost, infrastructure development, future load growth, possible extension of 400 kV line and impact on near by settlement due to construction disturbances. Table 7.1: Alternative of Substation Sites . Parameters Proposed Sites Duhabi Inaruwa Kushaha Land availability Difficult to get land Easy to get land as More easy to get land since land 1S the area 1S private since land 1S un commercial cultivated irrigated irrigated important for house land plots Land Acquisition High Less cost/Moderate Cheap i cost Safety Safe Safe Not safe i Infras tructure Exist Infrastructure could Infrastructure be developed with development cost 1S minimum cost high Future Load Growth Going to be Near to the Far from load center saturated developing area. I Growing load center Possibility of 400 kV Not possible Good Possible but line line extension shall travel area with high risk Construction Disturbance to near Less disturbance No disturbance since Environment and Sacial Studies Department 7-2 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 disturbance . by settlement Since since village is far' settlement is not site is close to from the proposed found in nearby I settlement area location areas. The project prqposes to use SF6 GIS configuration for the 400 kV Dhalkebar sub-station. If a conventional air insulated station were constructed, the land requirement would have been about 40 acres. C sing this more safe, and reliable technology, while the costs have increased, the safety of personnel, reliability of the system, as well as adverse social impacts have been reduced substantially. Since NEA is already using this technology in its other regular operations, no additional impacts are currently envisaged due to this choice. Environment and Social Studies Department 7-3 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 7.4 Design Alternatives In order to choose the better alternative from the design stand point of view as well as the environmental impact for the said transmission line the following aspects are considered. 7.4.1 Tower Structure Lattice tower is preferred to guyed tower. Although the later type is economical the terrain and conditions of Nepal are not suitable for guyed towers. They require large and level space for ground assembly at tower site and access for mobile crane for erection. Even in plain areas this would be difficult since vehicular traffic is very limited due to numerous streams and ridges for containment of water in cultivated fields. As such, use of guyed towers involve more disturbances to land and thus affect more to standing crops. Hence the guyed type is rule out. The option such as assembling towers at remote level spaces and helicopter carrying and erection would be highly costlier. 7.4.2 Ruling Span The design of the tower and foundation design are very much dependent on the selection of ruling span. In this project it is considered that an economical number of towers are arrived at by adopting optimum standard ruling span. This way unnecessary land and environmental disturbances is kept at minimum. By increasing the rnling span, the number of tower will be minimized, but, that leads to heavier and higher tower structures to maintain the necessary ground clearances. This will eventually require more land, thus need more land acquisition. On the other hand, a shorter ruling span means increased number of towers which will further lead to increase in the more land acquisition. 7.4.3 Polymer Insulator Polymer insulators are costlier than the glass/porcelain type hence polymer insulators are not to be used. 7.4.4 Foundation and its Protection In the rocky area along the route alignment, rock bolt foundation is preferred to normal concrete foundation due to its less excavation, drilling advantage and low environmental impact. Environment and Social Studies Department 7-4 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV 7.5 Construction Method Alternative 7.5.1 Excavation Excavation will be done manually which provides more opportunity for the local employment, will have less impact on topography, low disturbance to surrounding areas and requires no access road. Alternatively, this could be done by machines. But because of difficult access, transportation and operation of such machines causes more impact to environment. The use of machines will also increase noise pollution in the areas and may destroy the existing trails. Hence mechanical excavation shall not be adopted. 7.5.2 Concreting As far as possible, i.e., based upon the transportation possibility, mixer shall be employed since manual mixing is time taking and will be of low quality. 7.5.3 Erection Erection will be done manually. Helicopter stringing is an alternative. But such method would be highly costlier. Moreover use of helicopter will create noise pollution and may disturb the fauna of the area. 7.5.4 Technology Internationally accepted standard technology will be applied for the installation and procurement of the goods and equipment. One of the major factors for it is to ensure the minimal environmental impact on the project area. Further, to expedite the work the possibilities of using helicopter will also be explored. 7.6 Construction Materials 7.6.1 Tower Self supporting galvanized lattice steel towers will be used. Alternatively, wooden poles could be used. But, strong and durable poles for such line requires tremendous amount of forest to be cut. Such type of poles will have to be imported. This will create environmental problem in the global sense, if not in NepaL Hence, not proposed to be used in this project. Enuironment and Social Studies Department 7-5 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 7.6.2 Conductor Anchoring Instead of disc insulator units of glass or porcelain, polymer type insulators could be used. However, they are costlier hence not to be used. 7.6.3 Conductor ACSR/ AACSR twin bundle conductor shall be used. Alternatively, Copper could be employed. Copper is very much expensive and not to be used. 7.6.4 Foundation Mostly, conventional pad and chimney type concrete foundation shall be employed. However, in Terai or in the flat areas in river valleys the ground water level is normally high and the areas are subjected to seasonal floods. In such areas foundations must often be designed for submerged conditions and should always be RCC pad and chimney type. Moreover, Grillage types normally have shorted life span and are sensitive to corrosion. 7.7 Construction Schedule 7.7.1 Rainy Season Construction of the transmission line in rainy season will cause soil erosion problem, blockage of drain and difficulty to crossing of River and excavation of tower foundation. The construction in rainy season will also delay the project progress due to other disturbances. The indoor works of substation may be carried out in rainy season. 7.7.2 Dry Season The construction activity shall be planned in off-season to minimize the un- necessary damage and disturbances. This will reduce the project impact on physical, biological and socioeconomic resources of the area. The construction of transmission line work will be conducted in dry season and major inland transportation work will be conducted in dry season. The stringing work shall be conducted just after harvest of crop in dry season. 7.8 Operation Procedure Manual patrolling twice a year shall be conducted and necessary maintenance will be done. For this purpose existing facilities and manpower of NEA will be used. Alternatively, helicopter patrolling of line route could also be used. This will be very costlier and also will create noise pollution thereby disturbing the wildlife of the area. Environment and Social Studies Department 7-6 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV 7.9 No Action Alternative 7.9.1 Without Project If the proposed project is not implemented then there will be no project induced loss/effects on vegetation, cultivated area and other project induced environmental and socio-economic impacts. No action alternative would result in heavy deficit of power and energy in eastern part of the country where major industries are located. It will also affect adversely to the power exchange ",':!th India since this line is proposed to transmit the imported power to central and eastern part of the country and thus causes adverse impact on economy. This would result in significant losses to the production sector like industry, commerce apart from inconvenience to the customers in terms of blackouts and voltage drop. No action alternative shall also pose problems like continuation of power shedding due to lack of higher capacities transmission line. 7.9.2 With Project The second option seems more suitable. The role of proposed Project is very important in Integrated Power System of Nepal (INPS) and for the transmission of power in eastern and central part of the country. The implementation of proposed project \\Iill support the power purchase with India and also provide reliable power to the load centers of Nepal. The construction of the proposed project will also reduce system loss. This project will also be helpful for the expansion of rural electrification program. The likely increase in electricity supply to local people will help to switch energy consumption trend and pressure on local vegetation will be minimum. Socio-economic conditions of the local people are likely to be increased through employment opportunities and income generation activities. There will also be possibilities of establishment of small-scale industries, different level of Government and Non Government offices etc. Besides pOSlt1ve impacts the implementation of the project will also bring some negative changes. Changes in land use pattern, loss of 1,58,022 trees, acquisition 23.14 ha of private cultivated land, relocation of 5 house and reduction in 42.35l\1T food grain and 113.76MT cash crop production are the few adverse impacts likely to occur due to implementation of the project. Taking into consideration of the environmental impacts of alternative such as do nothing and implementation of the project, the project should be implemented. Environment and Social Studies Department 7-7 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Draft lEE Report 8. MmGATION AND ENHANCEMENT MEASURES 8.1 Enhancement Measures and Social Support Program The project proponent will implement the proposed enhancement measures as a prime responsibility. Besides this the proponent will also implement social support program as mention in the document. 8.1.1 Priority to the Local Employment As much as possible and as per their qualification and skill they possesses, the project will emphasize to hire the local people for the construction work. Due priority will be given to project affected families, disadvantage people and women. Altogether 600 people will be deployed during the construction of the project, which includes 400 unskilled, 150 semi skilled and 50 skilled manpower. The unskilled and semiskilled manpower will be recruited from local. The following priority for the recruitment is proposed: .. Project Affected Families .. Project Affected VDCs .. Project districts _ Nepal .. Other countries This will be assured by putting clauses in tender document made for the contractor and supervising consultant and proper monitoring by the environmental monitoring unit. 8.1.2 Rural Electrification It is strong demand of local people to electrify the affected VDCs. The field survey shows that almost all VDCs affected by the project are partially electrified with remaining few wards. Since ~EA is also in electrification business locals are expecting electrification in their area since they are loosing their land and houses. The project will provide necessary fund to concern district offices of Distribution and Consumer Services to expedite the electrification program in the affected VDCs. 8.1.3 Community/Social Support Program .J\lthough these programs are not directly related to the project development but it has indirect consequences with regards to project construction. Since large scale transmission line project is going to be implemented in their area local people have certain expectation regarding the assistance in some of the development works. Health post support program, school support program, small scale drinking water and irrigation assistance and assistance for the renovation and development of religious and recreational places. The major religious places proposed for Environment and Social Studies Department 8-1 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/L Project Draft lEE Report assistance are Kushmandap Sarobar - Chaudhaghare, Hetauda municipality, ward no 9 Nunthar Mahadev Paurahi VDC, Rautahat. Kailashpuri Mahadev, Harion, Sarlahi and Harihar Chhetra, Karmaiya, Sarlahi. In addition capacity building program for local institution (VDCs, NGOs, CBOs and clubs) working in community will also be conducted. 8.2 Mitigation Measures Ibe project proponent will implement the proposed mitigation measures as a prime responsibility. The adverse impacts that are not identified during the study, if later discovered during the construction and operation phases will be mitigated by the proponent at its own cost. The project will compensate for the loss of life and properties due to activities taken during construction and operation of the project. 8.2.1 Physical 8.2.1.1 Construction 8.2.1.1.1 Flood and Natural Drainage Special foundation design like matt and pile foundation (or combined footing type of foundation) '-v'ill be made for the towers located in flood plains and geological fragile areas. Such type of tower pads is proposed at AP 51 & AP52 and intermediate towers located in the flood plains of Koshi River. The towers will be placed so as to leave a protection zone of 15 m when crossing rivers and streams with the span ranging of 10-15 m, and 5 m when crossing any drainage channels. Adequate drainage around all the towers will be provided. Likewise drainage system will be provided in substation sites. 8.2.1.1.2 Topography Ibe natural slope disturbances will be minimized during the construction of tower pads. Erection of tower foundation in the unstable land and!or in steep slopes will be avoided. Revegetation and slope maintenance will be carried out in the disturbed areas to avoid erosion. Proper land scaping will be done at each tower site. Environment and Social Studies Department 8-2 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/L Project Draft lEE Report 8.2.1.1.3 Land Use and Land Take Land for temporary facilities will be rehabilitated to original status to minimize the land use impacts. The camp sites are proposed mostly in barren land to minimize the impact on land use pattern of cultivated land. The private land required for the project will be compensated through rental in agreement with the land and property owners .. 8.2.1.1.4 Air Quality . Vehicle utilized for construction shall comply with GoN mass emissions standards. Regular checkup and up keeping and maintenance of the equipment will be carried out as per the manufacturer's specifications to meet the emission standards. Air mask will be provided to labor force working in areas susceptible to dust pollution. Due care will be taken through regular water sprinkling while working in APO-AP1, AP59-AP60 of Hetauda-Dhalkebar stretch and APO-AP2, AP36-AP38, AP53-AP54, AP58-AP59, of Dhalkebar-Duhabi stretch. 8.2.1.1.5 Noise Quality Regular maintenance will be done for all equipment and vehicles as per the Manufacturer's Specification .Construction work shall be schedule in day hours. Working hours will be limited in more environmentally sensitive areas for e.g. near settlements. 8.2.1.1.6 Water Quality The waste generated from the mi:xlng concrete will be disposed in pits and filled with soil. Such pits will be made in barren land at approximately 500 meter distance from the water bodies. Dykes are proposed around the storage tanks to avoid water pollution. Toilets will be made in temporary camps at the rate of approximately 10 people in each toilet. Accidental spillages are cleaned up promptly. Care will be taken to locate the temporary construction worker sheds away from the water bodies. Garbage and solid wastes generated by the workforce will be dumped safely away from water bodies. The Contractor will implement awareness program for the project workers to prevent the water pollution from project related activities. Such awareness program shall be conducted in 5 places) covering labor camp and other construction area once during initial stage of construction. The program shall cover the impacts of water pollution and benefits of conservation, existing acts and rules with regards to water quality and aquatic animal protection etc. This will be ensured by putting appropriate clause in tender document. 8.2.1.1.7 Waste Disposal The domestic waste will primarily consist of organic food waste. Because this is easily biodegradable and non-hazardous it will be managed by burying in pits at reasonable distance Environment and Social Studies Department 8-3 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft IEE Report from water bodies and subsequently covering with soil. Pit toilets will be made in temporary camps at the rate of approximately 10 people in each toilet. Such toilet pits will be filled with s~il after completion of work at the particular site. Waste generated from construction activities are usually inert material which are non biodegradable e.g. empty cement bags and containers, rejected material, plastic, wooden planks. These waste materials will be stored out and kept separated instead of throwing haphazardly elsewhere. Some of these items (cement bag, plastic drum etc.) can be sold in Hetauda, Dhalkebar, Lahan and Duhabi markets in order to be re-used or recycled. To implement the provisions listed above the contractor will be responsible for the establishment of the waste management system at the construction and camp areas. 8.2.1.1.8 Storage of Construction Material Eight storage yards at the distance of about 30-40 km each are proposed at Hetauda, Nijgadh, Dhalkebar, Lahan, Inaruwa, Chandranijhapur, Fattepur and Kanchanpur for storage yards. The area proposed for storage will be taken on lease at the prevailing market price based on the production loss. The temporary yards will be fenced properly. Cement will be stored in private storage facilities taken on rent. The other materials will be stored properly at the designated storage site. 8.2.1.1.9 Land Degradation, Landslide and Soil erosion rille temporary land degraded due to project activities such as storage area, temporary camp etc will be return to its original stage before handing over to the concerned land owner. Top soil around the tower pad construction area will be stockpiled and reused for site restoration. The proiect proponent will construct slope protection structures such as revetment walls and retaining structures. Appropriate drainage system is proposed to avoid the slope failure. The bearing capacity of tower foundation will be investigated besides other laboratory test of the soil. Bioengineering measures are proposed to stabilize unstable slopes. It includes construction of gabion walls, plantation of Amliso, Napier etc on unstable tower pad areas. The site selection and proper tower foundation design will be done considering the geological conditions and seismicity of the area. The following Angle Towers needs especial care due to the present geological condition of the site. T a hI e- 81: An19Je I T owers N ee d s P rotectton W orks Angle Towers Proposed Program Hetauda- Dhalkebar Stretch AP7 Pile foundation with extended footings is proposed Environment and Social Studies Department 8-4 NEA Hetauda- DlU11kebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report AP13A Pile foundation with extended footings is PWfM3"d AP20 The angle point is proposed to shift s\4l:hdy eastward with increased tower he4:>;ht. AP51 The angle point is proposed for slight shifting eastward. The angle point is proposed for slight shifting in southward and the ordinary i AP52 foundation with extended footings. II AP57 Nonnal foundation with extended footings. ! Dhalkebar- Duhabi stretch I AP2 Pile foundation with wide footings and increased tower height is proposed Ap3 Pile foundation with ~ride footings and increased tower height is proposed • ;\P46 Nonna] foundation with extended footings is proposed AP48 and Ordinary foundation with extended tooting is proposed. ;\P50 AP51 and Mat foundation 'with increased tower height is proposed ;\P52 8.2.1.2 Operation 8.2.1.2.1 Use of Coolent Oil in the Transformer Prior to 1995 PCB as a coolant in the transfonner were used in Nepal. Since 1995 this type of oil is now prohibited legally in Nepal. 'The transfonner oil used in Nepal now confonns to the international standards. However, to ensure that the PCBs are not used as the coolant oil in transfonner a chemical certificate of the oil used will be prov'ided by the supplier of the transfonner prior to the installation of the transfonner from an internationally accredited laboratory. To avoid leakage of oil from the substation, a prov'ision of oil filter on the drainage oudet of the substation will be installed. 8.2.2 Biological 8.2.2.1 Vegetation/Forest Resources 8.2.2.1.1 Construction I. Forest Land The 518.42 ha forest area falls in RoW ~W be taken on lease as per the Rules of Government of NepaL A lease agreement will be signed with Department of Forest. II. Minimizing the Forest Clearance Selective felling of trees in right of way of the transmission line will be done to minimize the Environment and Social Studies Department 8-5 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Droft lEE Report forest loss. Similarly, the trees in the gully and valley will be avoided from felling as far as possible. In such area, it is proposed that the minimum forest clearance that are needed for the laying and stringing of conductor will be conducted and remaining trees of the right of way will be kept intact. 1bis will not only minimize the forest loss but also indirectly contribute to conserve the biodiversity of the project area. Ro\V vegetation clearance will be carried out manually and herbicides will not be used at all in any case. It is proposed that like Angle Towers, Suspension Towers will also be placed in ridges to avoid the forest clearance to the extent possible. RoW sharing with the existing 132 kV transmission line is proposed to minimse the forest land take as well as to reduce the number of trees to be felled. Further, it will avoid additional forest land fragmentation. The existing RoW of 132 kV is 18m which consist 9m on either site. About 4.5 meter RoW is proposed for sharing from AP 14 located at Nijgadh to AP 18 at Chandranigahapur, AP 21 to AP 25 and AP 38 at Lalbandi to AP 49 at Mahottari. The RoW sharing will save 96.6 km forest length having an area of 43.53 ha. This will reduce 18429 numbers of poles and trees to be felled . .III. Compensatory Plantation The compensatory plantation is proposed considering the reduction in number of forest loss due to sharing of RoW with existing 132 kV. As a compensatory measure for the loss of trees due to the site clearance, plantation in 1 :25 ratio will be carried out in the area provided by the concerned Community Forest Users Group and District Forest Office. Out of total affected 1, 58,022 tree (pole and tree) compensatory plantation will be conducted for 139592 trees after deducting the numbers of trees due to ROW co-sharing as proposed apbove. A total of 3489806 saplings of different species of plants will be planted in 1396 ha land. In the community forest, 2773000 saplings will be planted in 1109 ha area at the rate of 2500 saplings/ ha. While in collaborative forest 716806, saplings will be planted in 287 ha area. As per Procedural Guideline for the Use of Forest Land 2063 plantation shall be conducted in the land designated by the District Forest Offices of the concerned district. The plantation sites ""rill be fmalized after discussion \\lith the members of concerned community forest users group and District Forest Office. The proponent will request to concern District Forest Office to locate the land for plantation at early stages of project construction. The initial discussion made with District Forest Offices of project districts and concerned community forest users group shows that such a large area is not available in near by the alignment. The plantation work shall be conducted in small piece of land at different sites. According to available information plantation sites are available within project districts but such areas are far from the alignment. The proposed plantation works requires huge number of saplings; hence it is needed to have a separate nursery in the project site itself to meet the sapling requirement. The purpose of a Environment and Social Studies Department 8-6 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report nursery is to supply good quality, healthy plants of the required species in specified time and at a reasonable cost. The proper location of the nursery will be flnalized in consultation with the concerhed stakeholders. Private land will be taken on lease for the placement of nursery. For this due consultation will be made with Community Forest Users Group and lease agreement will be signed with concerned owner. Since project cover 285.2 km stretch of 10 districts at least 10 plant nurseries will be established covering different stretch of the transmission line. As per the Procedural Guideline for the Use of Forest Land 2063 the plantation site shall be managed by the proponent for five years or required cost for such management must be paid to Department of Forest. The proponent -will manage the plantation site for one year of project operation and after that it will be handed over to concerned Forest Users Group for community forest and District Forest for collaborative forest. The proponent ",>ill develop a management plan for each plantation area with the cooperation of the DFO of the concerned districts and Forest Users Group. The cost required for the management of 4 years will be paid by the project. Harvesting Costs The cost of harvesting, logging and transporting of the forest products in community or collaborative forest will be provided as per the district norms to the concerned agency following the provision made in Article 65 of Forest Regulations 2051. The harvesting costs for each community forest will be deposited in Bank account of the concerned CFUG in consultation with the concerned community forest. The compensation cost for the harvesting, logging and transportation of forest is part of construction work and included in construction cOst hence not estimated separate. Compensation Cost for Private Forest The trees removed from the private land will be compensated as per prevailing rates. Due consultation will be made with the District Forest Off1ce and concern stakeholders while determining the rate. Utilization ofForest Products Trees that are likely to be removed will be counted, marked and harvested with the proper forest techniques by involving technical staffs from the District Forest Office of the concerned district. \Vood and other forest products extracted as part of the site clearance from the forest will be utilized as per the Forestry Regulations. For the RoW clearance in community forest, concerned CFUG will be mobilized rather than labors from outside which indirectly helps for the conservation of forestland. The project proponent will adopt methodology to minimize loss of saplings during construction to the extent possible. IV. Plant Diversity Due attention will be paid to plant local species, species affected by the project, preferred by the local communities, income generating and those species which contribute to the improvement ------Environment and Social Studies Department 8·7 NEA of habitats for locally available birds and mammals. Plantation designs for each specific sites identified by the related community living in the area ",,111 be developed after consultation and interaction with the concerned stakeholders. Due emphasis will be given for the plantation of species of conservation significance such as Khayar, Chatiwan, Satisal and Simal. V. Assistance to Community Forest Users Group Training and other assistance program will be provided to the community forest affected by the project. The program basically includes capacity building training, forest management training etc. Like wise assistance will be also given to collaborative forest affected by the project. VI.Non Timber Forest Products The project proponent will prohibit project workers for the collection of non-timber forest products. Informative and warning sign at each construction sites located in and around the forest area will be placed. Training for cultivation of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP) especially medicinal aromatic plants and other herbs and condiments and agro forestry will be given to two members of each CFUGC. Appropriate agro-forestry models using suitable NTF species will be developed for different land types in consultation with the concerned communities. In total 134 people will be trained from the community forest affected by the project. The detail of training program will be developed with due consideration of the needs of the local communities in consultation with DFO. The modalities of the training will be delivery of lecture by experts, visual shows, posters, reading material and discussion. A two days field observation program will also be conducted to give first hand knowledge to the participants. The duration of the program will be 7 days which include 5 days class. A total of 20 classes of 90 minutes each will be conducted in each training. After implementation of training approximately 67,000 saplings at the rate of 1000 saplings of NTF species will be planted in the cleared RoW in the area of each community forest. The communities after receiving the training will be capable to implement the agro-forestry models on their own. They will be aware about the various NTFPs, their cultivation practices, harvesting techniques, storage method, processing and marketing. VII. Supply of Alternative Fuel The project proponent will provide kerosene to the project workers to minimize the loss of forest. VIII Awareness for Forest Conservation The project proponent will implement awareness program to aware local people and member of forest users group of the project area about the importance of forest conservation, plantation Environment and Social Studies Department 8-8 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report and econ01lliC importance of forest and its role in rural society. Such programs will be implemented in 10 places of the project area, which include 1 in each district. Organization of lectures, distribution of pamphlets, audiovisuals, posters and mobilization of local NGOs will be the methods to be utilized for awareness program. 8.2.2.1.2 Operation Phase I. Management of the Plantation Sites The plantation sites will be managed by the concerned Forest User's Group in community forest plantation area and representative of collaborative forest for the plantation in collaborative forest area. Replacement plantation will be conducted after one year based on the survival result and four years operation cost for such sites will be born by the Project. II. Clearance of Vegetation Herbicides will not be used for vegetation clearance. Tree which is, considered critical for the operation and maintenance of transmission line will be removed manually. The saplings, which will grow, more than 3 meters height will be trimmed for the safe operation of the line. The saplings below 3 meters will be kept intact since plants below such height will have no impact on operation and maintenance of line. III. Increased Access to Forest The Row will be maintained as per electricity regulation. Forest Conservation Awareness program will be implemented to minimize the likely impact. The program will be implemented at 5 places along the alignment during first year of project operation. Organization of lectures, distribution of pamphlets, audiov1.sual shows and distribution of posters will be used for the implementation of program. 8.2.2.2 Wildlife 8.2.2.2.1 Construction I. Habitat Loss Considering the compaensatory afforestation in the area in 1 :25 ratio of the lost tree and poles, total land area to be afforested is around 1396 ha. The actual loss of the forested land is 477.9 ha. This means forest habitat will be developed in more than three fold land area within 20 years. Hence the loss of habitat is a temporary only, provided the comensatory afforestation is observed strictly as per spirit of compensatory afforestation. No additional masure is required for the mitigation of the habitat loss. Enuironment and Social Studies Department 8-9 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV II. Construction Disturbances As far as possible construction work will be labor based. The project proponent will be responsible to avoid the unnecessary machinery disrurbances and lighting. III. Restrict Hunting and Poaching The project workers will be strictly banned for hunting and poaching and any other kind of illegal activities related to hunting and poaching. The construction work in collaborative and community forest area will be coordinated through DFO, authority of collaborative forest management and Community Forest Users Group (CFUGc) respectively. Informative and warning sign ",1.11 be placed at each construction site. IV. Migration Activities Due emphasis ~ be given for the plantation of saplings in elephant migration area to make a continuous habitat. The towers falls in this area shall be fenced and marked properly to avoid any damages. V. Awareness for WildJife Conservation Awareness for wildlife conservation will be implemented to minimize the adverse impacts on local wild fauna. The conservation awareness training will be given to project labors and representative of Community Forest Users Group. The conservation program include about the importance of ~rildlife conservation, wildlife occurrence in the project area, existing rules and regulation with respect to wildlife and benefits associated with the wildlife conservation. The awareness program shall also include awareness for elephant migration, role of local people for the conservation of the wild animals etc. The program will be implanted in close coordination with local NGOs, CBOs, District Forest Office and other concerned government organizations. This program will be implemented in 10 places of the project area which include at least one in each district. Organization of lectures, distribution of pamphlets, audiovisuals, posters and mobilization of relevant experts will be the methods to be adopted for conducting awareness program. 8.2.2.2 Operation I. Habitat Changes The mitigation measures applied in construction phase will be also applicable for this impact. II. Avian Hazards Measures to minimize bird injury and death associated with the transmission line will be considered in line design. Markers such as colored balls will be attached to \vires to improve line visibility for birds. Silhouettes of birds of prey will be attached to conductors to frighten birds. Markers are proposed Koshi River, (AP50-AP53 of Dhalkebar-Duhabi stretch), Bagmati River Environment and Social Studies Department 8-10 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhahi 400 kV T/ L Project Dmjt IEE Report AP27-AP28 of Hetauda-Dhalkebar section) and Kamala(AP10A-AP11 of Dhalkebar-Duhabi Substation) rivers. and near by areas and transmission line stretch lies within lOkm of reserve. III. Wildlife Movement Due emphasis will be given for the plantation work in elephant migration area. The towers falling in this area will be fenced. 8.2.3 Socioeconomic and Cultural 8.2.3.1 Construction 8.2.3.1.1 Compensation for the Acquisition of Land and Loss of Agriculture Income The private land acquired by the project will be compensated as per the rate fixed by the Compensation Fixation Committee. The committee will be formed under the chairmanship of Chief District Officer of the concerned district and includes chairman of affected VDCs, representative of affected people, representative of Land Revenue Office and Project. Land will be acquired according to Land Acquisition Act 2034. Considering the limitations of the Land Acquisition Act, 2034 (1977) improvements will be made to the principles of valuation in consultation with the local administration and stakeholders. The compensation determined by the CFC will be at replacement cost. To ensure this, the CFC will take account of prevailing rates in the local market and rate proposed in lEE report. Affected people were asked about the mode of compensation. About 75 % of the surveyed households of the project affected area expressed that they prefer to the cash compensation if they have to leave their place or property for the project. Similarly, 22.22% said that they want land for land compensation. Land for land compensation is not proposed in this project due to the small area of land to be permanently acquired from various affected families. It is impractical and tedious to allocate similar piece of agricultural land in the vicinity of the project. As mentioned in impact more than 59% household loose less than 10% of their total land whereas 23% household loose 50% above of their land and 18% households loose more than 50% land. The information of the land price was collected from PRA, discussion with local contractor, market survey, key informant and household survey. The average land price has been considered for the estimation purpose. Different rates have been considered for the tower pads and substation located in rural, semi urban and urban areas. Table -8.2: Compensation of Penn anent land Environment and Social Studies Department 8-11 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/L Project Draft lEE Report S.N Land Classification Total Land(ha) Average Price/ha Total Land Price 1 Urban Area 7.97 9000000 71730000 2 Semi-Urban Area 12.2 4500000 54900000 3 Rural Area 2.97 2500000 7425000 Total 23.14 - 134055000 In addition to compensation additional mitigation programs were proposed based on the degree of the land loss and loss of agriculture income. a. Household Losing less than 10% of their total land Cash compensation at replacement cost is proposed for the households falls under this category. Beside this due priority will be given to the concerned household for employment during construction. h. Household Losing 10-50% of their total land These households will be compensated for their land loss at replacement value as well as provided small scale of assistance. The HH falls under this category will receive compensation equivalent to the total loss of agriculture income from the acquired land for livelihood restoration for one year. Besides this one family member of each household will be provided livestock/ agriculture training and assistance based on their interest. This will include distribution of hybrid seed, small agriculture tools and livestock (goat/pig, poultry). In addition to this one family member of each household will be provided technical training in the areas of driving, plumbing, house wiring as per their interest. Similarly first priority will be given for employment in project construction. c. Household Losing more than 50% of their total land lhese households will be compensated for their land loss at replacement value as well as provided large scale assistance. The HH falls under this category will receive compensation equivalent to the total loss of agriculture income from the acquired land for livelihood restoration for one year. Similarly employment shall be provided one member of each affected household during the construction phase. Due emphasis will be given for employment opportunity during operation also to the extent possible. In addition repair and maintenance of mechanical and electrical equipment and advance house wiring training/motor rewinding training will be given to one member of each households falls under this category. Considering the nature of the project single payment will be made to individual household for the entire compensation money to avoid administrative problem. The project will take care and implement remedial measures if economic condition of any household affected by the project Environment and Social Studies Department 8-12 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report will be worse off than before due to project activities. The land used for temporary facilities will be taken on lease. A land lease agreement will be signed based on the annual production loss and payment will be given in advance for each calendar year. 8.2.3.1.2 Compensation for Acquisition of Structures Construction of the project will involve the removal of 5 houses and 1 cow-shed from 5 households (Table 8.3). 'The project proponent will provide compensation at replacement cost for the structures acquired by the project. 1bis will include compensation for land occupied by the structure and cost of the structure and other accessories (hand pump, well). Owners will have the right to use salvage materials from the affected buildings. The value of salvaged materials will not be deducted from the compensation amount. Table -8.3: Compensation for Acquisition of Structure ! I Type of I Length I Breadth No. of Area Rate Amount ~tructure , Feet : Feet Floor Sq.Feet (NRs.) (NRs) House I Kachchi 22 15 1 330 800 264000 22 15 1 330 800 264000 35 20 2 1400 800 1120000 20 15 1 300 800 240000 Pakki 40 15 2 1200 1500 i 1800000 CQl£!lhed 20 10 1 200 100 20000 I Cost for I LS 50000 i hand pymp ! and well I I Total 3758000 I A house rent allowances for 6 months will be paid to the concerned household at the rate of Rs. 2500/months assuming that a new house will be constructed within that period. Besides this a one time dislocation allowance Rs. 15000 and Rs. 10000 transportation allowance per household will be provided for transportation of goods and materials. These households shall also be eligible to receive compensation and other benefits as per the criteria of land and agriculture income loss. 8.2.3.1.3 Compensation for Loss of Standing Crop Environment and Social Studies Department 8-13 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report Construction work will be scheduled at best to avoid cropping season. People of the concerned land will be infonned in advance so that these disturbances can be minimized. Compensation is proposed for 73.74 ha area (113 MT food grain) in RoW considering 5 m impact zone. However such payment will be made for one crop by measuring the actual disturbances. 8.2.3.1.4 Livelihood Restoration Program The livelihood restoration program will include compensatory plantation to the nearby area to expand the forest cover as well as income of the concern community forest. Income generating species will be selected for plantation to increase income level of the forest users group. To restore the loss of agriculture income training program for agriculture extension, vegetable fanning and livestock support will be conducted. In addition different type of skill development training will be provided to the concerned households to restore their income from other sources. Due priority will be given in project employment which \\1111 also enrich their economic status. 8.2.3.1.5 Occupational Safety Measures The construction area will be declared as hard hat area and all the necessary precaution and warning sign will be placed at work site. This area will be restricted for the entry of unauthorised people. The project proponent will provide hard hat, eyeglass, safety boot, safety belt, fire fighting accessories, caution signals and other safety equipment as required at particular site and work area. First aid kits will be maintained, for preliminary treatment in emergencies. For serious injuries especial arrangement will be made to send the injured person to nearest hospitals and if required evacuation will be made to Kathmandu and or abroad. Safety training will be implemented and any loss of life or injury will also be compensated as per prevailing rules. The safety training for the project workers will be conducted at 5 places, covering two project districts in each. The training program will be of at least 3 days which will include practical classes, use of safety equipments, fIrst aid. Community safety awareness programs about the T /L and potential risks associated \vith T /L construction will too be implemented (at least one in each district). The project workers involved in construction work in each district will also be trained for health and occupational safety measures. 8.2.3.1.6 Awareness Program Awareness programs will be implemented by the proponent. The workers will be instructed to act in a responsible manner during and after the working hours, respecting the rights, property and practice of local people. The awareness program will incorporate the problem associated Environment and Social Studies Department 8·14 NEA Heta:uda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report with social and cultural disintegration and awareness against girls trafficking and sexually transmitted disease (SID) including Acquired Immurie Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The program also include awareness regarding proper use of compensation money, type of joh, available in project, importance of project with regards to local and national scenario etc. The water pollution awareness mention under the physical environment is also included under this heading. Organization of lectures, distribution of pamphlets, audiovisuals and posters will be the methods to be adopted for conducting awareness program. Such awareness program will be implemented at 20 places considering 2 places in each district. 8.2.3.1.7 Law and Order Due coordination will be made to the local and district level administrative units of GoN. The existing facilities of GoN will be used to maintain the law and order as required. The proposed awareness program will also minimize this impact to some extent. 8.2.3.1.8 Health and Sanitation Permanent camp will be made on rented house which include toilet, drinking water and other facilities to accommodate the project staff. Toilets will he made in temporary camps at the rate of approximately 10 people in each toilet. Health check-up of workers and documentation of health status will be made periodically. Priority will be given to the local people in project works to minimize the impacts on health and sanitation. Drinking water availahle for the camps will be tested and necessary treatment will be made to make safe drinking water. A two days health sanitation awareness program will be implemented for the project workers living in camps in coordination with local NGOs. 8.2.3.1.9 Reduction in Agriculture Production The land required for the placement of project structures will be acquired in advance and if there are crop during the time of acquisition payment will be made for the actual loss of sucb crop as per current market price. Compensation will also be paid to the affected landowner equivalent to loss of one crop in the affected land if compensation amount is not paid in due time and there will be loss of one seasonal crop. Likewise compensation is proposed for the loss of crop in RoW for 73.74 ha area (113 MT food grain) considering 5 m impact zone. 8.2.3.1.10 Community Infrastructure and Resources Compensatory plantation in nearby area to expand the forest cover as well as income of the concern community forest will minimize the impact for the loss of forest resources. Income generating species will be selected- for plantation to increase income level of the forest users group. The drinking water for the camp will be taken without affecting local water requirement. Environment and Social Studies Department 8-15 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report In addition small scale drinking water assistance will be provided to the area under community support program. Medicine will be given to the health post located close to construction area to avoid the additional pressure. The Yuva Barsha Primary school located at Hanif Tole of Bhrokraha VDC will be relocated in consultation with local people and school authority. The project will provide compensation at replacement cost for construction of school with better facilities. The estimated cost is (seven rooms with one toilet is) Rs 15, 00,000. In addition to this assistance will also provided to local schools under community support program.. 8.2.3.11 Relocation of Temple The Hunman Mandir of Dhalkebar VDC and Gram Dewata Dewhar Than of Badarmal VDC will be relocated in near by area in due consultation with the local people. All the cost required for land and temple construction will be provided by the proponent. 8.2.3.12 Hetauda Cement Factory The construction work close to Hetauda Cement Factory ""ill be coordinated through factory authority. 'The workers will be pre informed and all the necessary precaution and warning sign will be placed at work site. 8.2.3.13 Loss of Firewood and Fodder from Community Forest Compensatory plantation at the rate of 1:25 in nearby area will minimize the flrewood and fodder requirement of the concern Community Forest Users Group. 'The fast growing and fodder species suitable to the particular condition will be planted in due consultation with local people. 8.2.3.14 Aesthetic Value The construction work close to Nunethar Park area will be coordinated through park authority . .The visitors coming to Park will be pre informed through public notice and all the necessary precaution and warning sign ",ill be placed at work site. In addition assistance will be given for the enhancement of park under community support program. 8.2.3.1.5 Gender and Vulnerable Group The project will ensure not to discriminate the local people based on their gender, caste, color and place of origin. The priority to the job opportunity ",ill be provided to the vulnerable group (Dalit and women headed households) affected by the project area in order to raise their living standard. In addition entrepreneurship/skill development (tailoring, knitting/weaving, handicraft etc.) for women and distribution of weaving (stitching) machine to each woman headed household. Besides this, each household will be provided technical training in the areas of driving, plumbing, house wiring, care-taker as per their interest. The six Dalit household ",ill also receive technical training in the areas of driving, plumbing, house wiring as per their interest. Environment and Social Studies Department 8-16 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V TIL Project Draft lEE Report 8.2.3.2 Operation 8.2.3.2.1 Awareness Program Awareness program will be implemented to aware the people about the proper use of money, nature of job, project activity and its role in local economy etc. This program will be implemented once during the fIrst year of project operation in each project district. Organization of lectures, distribution of pamphlets, audiovisuals, and posters are the methods proposed for awareness program. The project proponent will give priority in keeping locals for the positions needed during operation phase. 8.2.3.2.2 Agriculture Assistance Program Agricultural assistance program will be implemented for the project affected families to minimize the production loss of food grain due to land acquisition. The basic objective of the program is to increase the agriculture production of the people affected by the land acquisition by providing them easy access of agricultural extension, services including training and improved verity of seeds. In addition to this training and other assistance program proposed for different land loss category will also minimize the impact of loss of food grain. 8.2.3.2.3 Land Use Restriction The private land falls in RoW will be compensated as per the rate fIxed by Compensation Fixation Committee headed by Chief District Off1cer. The committee will be formed as per Electricity Regulation 2050. The current practice for the compensation of Row is 10% of the amount of the affected area based on current market rate. The estimated compensation amount for the land under RoW is NRs. 241.38 (Table 8.4). Table- 8.4: Compensation for Land fall under RoW .. - Land I Land Total I Price/ha Total Land Compensation S.N Classification Land(ha) (NRs.) Price (NRs) Rate (NRs.) Remarks I 10% of the i 1 Urban Area 50.10 9000000 450877944.2 45087794.42 total cost 2 Semi-urban Area 195.84 4500000 881261436.4 88126143.64 3 Rural Area 423.10 I 2500000 1057741440 105774144 Total 669.03 I 2389880820 238988082 Enuironment and Social Studies Department 8-17 NEA Het/11l.da- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Draft lEE Report The land within RoW will be utilized as usual by the respective landholders except for tree plantation and construction of permanent structures. 8.2.3.2 .4 Land Fragmentation and Farming Hindrance The erection of towers/placement at center of farm land will be avoided to the e.xtent possible. If the remaining land in a parcel is not applicable or difficult for the cultivation the project will compensate the remaining land of the particular land parcel. The project will provide compensation for this land at prevailing market price. The ownership of such land will be transferred in the name of project. 8.2.3.2.5 Occupational Health and Safety Safety equipment required for the operation of the transmission line will be provided. During the maintenance major area will be restricted for entry of unauthorized person to avoid disturbances and risk. Hard hat, eye glass, safety boot, ear plugs, good electric light system, good earthling devices, fire fighting accessories, caution signals, safety belt and other safety equipment as required at particular site and work area will be provided. 46 meter RoW will be strictly maintained to minimize the likely risks of conductor breakage, induced voltages, etc. Appropriate protection system and equipment will be installed at the substation to ensure the automatic isolation of the line in case of abnormal conditions. A safety awareness program will be implemented at the beginning of project operation to inform the local people about the likely risk and safety measures to be applied. The awareness program also includes awareness regarding not to getting close to the transmission line especially those person who have pacemaker and other similar devices transplanted in their body. As mentioned in baseline the proposed route maintain reasonable distance to settlement and public places in most of the area except at few locations where it is unavoidable However during final survey and design it is proposed to consider these locations also to the extent possible. 8.2.3.2.6 Livelihood Support Program The livelihood support program proposed during construction will be continued for ftrst year of project operation. lbis program \.vill minimize the impact due to reduction in agriculture production and livelihood. 8.2.3.2.7 Electromagnetic Field The Right of Way shall be maintained as per Electricity Regulation_ Very sensitive and fully redundant transmission line protection will be adopted for the proposed line. A precautionary approach for reducing the effect of EMF will be adopted by following the guidelines for limits on magnetic field stipulated by the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA). No Environment and Social Studies Department 8-18 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft lEE Report houses or other buildings will be permitted within the RoW, with existing houses and other structures relocated outside the RoW. Awareness programs on safety will be conducted for project staff and local residents at key localities in the project area. Fencing of towers at some locations (e.g. near schools, highway crossings etc), warning signs and metal guard structures on the towers are proposed to dissuade people from climbing or tampering with towers. Phase split will be done in locations where the alignment passes within 100 m from the settlement. Besides this during final survey and design of the alignment it is proposed to rerouting the alignment at least the sites where alignment is within 100m from the settlement. 8.3 Mitigation and Enhancement Measures Cost The estimated mitigation measures, enhancement measures and social support program cost for the proposed Transmission Line Project is 620.06 Million NRs. and the details of which is presented in Table 8.5. This cost is 5.82 % of the total project cost. T a ble- 85M": ltiganon andE n h ancement M easures C ost Table -8.5: Miti )'ation and Enhancement Measures Cost S.No. Mitigation Program Unit/Rate Amount in Million NRs. Construction Operation Total Phase Phase 1 Biological Environment 1.1 Plantation of 34,89,806 50 139.59 34.9 174.4903 saplings and management of planted site Land lease cost of the forest 1200/ha 73.65 73.65 area (518.24 DO) for 30 increasing @oflO% years for 20 years Harvesting costs to 50000/00 19.5 19.5 community forest and collaborative forest (390.03 DO) 1.2 Technical support from 150000 per 1 0.5 1.5 concerned District forest district Offic<; in 10 districts (fA/DA to staff of forest offices, stationery, program design etc. in 3.5 years period ) 1.3 Non- timber forest program LS 2.5 0.5 3 training and program implementation 1.4 Forest Conservation 1$ 1 0.5 1.5 Awareness and Training Program 1.5 Placement of infotmative and L5 0.5 0 0.5 warning sign 1.6 Conservation awareness for L5 1 0 1 wildlife Environment and Social studies Department 8-19 NEA Hetauda- Dhn.lkebar-Duhn.bi 400 kV TIL Project Draft fEE Report Sub-total-l I 165.09 110.05 275.1403 2 Socio-economic and Cultural Environment 2.1 Compensation ofland Ref. Table 134.06 0 134.06 8.2 a Payment for 1 year crop loss LS 0.55 0 0.55 to 44 HH equivalent to their production in acquired land b Livestock and agriculture 25000 0625 0 0.625 training and assistance to 25 HH I c Driving training to 15 HH 10000 0.15 0 0.15 I d Plumbing training to 10 HH 35000 0.35 0 0.35 I c House wiring training to 15 30000 0.45 0 0.45 HH I f Repair and maintenance of 70000 1.33 0 1.33 mechanical and electrical I equipmcnts 19 lIH g i'.lotor rewinding training to 9 40000 0.36 0 0.36 HH h Advance house wiring 35000 0.35 0 0.35 training 10 lIH 2.2 Compensation for house Table 8.3 3.76 0 3.76 relocation a Dislocation allowance 15000 0.075 0 0.075 b Rental allowance for 6 2500 0.075 0 0.075 months c Transportation allowances 10000 0.05 0 0.05 2.3 Compensation for loss of 22000 2.486 0 2.486 standing crop of 113 Mt 2.4 Safety training to supetvisors LS 1 0.5 1.5 selected workers and other project staffs 2.5 Community safety awareness 100000 1 0 1 program at 10 places 2.6 Health and sanitation LS 1 0 1 awareness and health checkup 2.7 Social awareness program at 50000 1 0.5 1.5 20 places 2.8 Medicine support to health LS 1 0.5 1.5 post 2.9 Relocation of school LS 1.5 0 1.5 2.1 Relocation of 2 temples LS 0.5 0 0.5 2.11 Information and warning sign LS 0.1 0 0.1 1n Lunthar Park area and Hetauda cement factory area 2.12 Tailoring, knitting/weaving, 30000 0.33 0 0.33 handicraft training to 11 women headed households Environment and Social Studies Department 8-20 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Draft IEE Report 2.13 Land Use restriction for the Ref Table 0 238.99 238.99 669.03 hs og cultivated land 8.4 I falls in RoW Sub-Total-2 152.101 240.49 392.591 i 3 Enhancement Measures a Rural Electrification LS 5 5 10 Sub-Total-3 5 5 10 4 Cost for community Support Program a Health post support program, LS 10 10 20 school support program, small scale drinking water and irrigation assistance and assistance for the renovation and development of relif:,>1ous and recreational places and capacity building program for local institution Sub-Total-4 10 10 20 Grand Total 332.19 365.54 697.73 Besides this mitigation program proposed under physical environment are tied up with construction activities and these costs are included in total project. The other program included in technical cost are harvesting cost for the trees, supply of alternative fuel wood, occupational safety, lease land for storage and other temporary facilities, construction of temporary toilets and camps and drinking water facilities. The contractor will implement these programs on behalf of NEA. However the overall responsibilities for carrying out these mitigation measures lies with NEA. Environment and Social Studies Department 8-21 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Final Draft lEE Report 9. ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN ------ 9.1 Environment Management 9.1.1 Introduction The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been prepared as an integral part of Hetauda Dhalkebar- Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line Project to set out the procedural framework to ensure the implementation of mitigation measures and monitoring requirements. The plan specifies the environmental responsibilities of all parties involved in the project, and details the environmental management requirements of the project during the pre-construction, construction and operation phases. The plan also specifies the coordination mechanism with various line agencies, non-project participants and schedule. The monitoring component likewise defines the monitoring mechanism, reporting etc. NEA being the proponent has the prime responsibility for the implementation of environment management plan. 9.1.2 Objectives of EMP The EMP is an environmental operations manual for use by management and staff employed on the project, and will serve as an advisory document to regulatory authorities such as Ministry of Energy, J'vfinistry of Environment and Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation. The EMP has four primary objectives, namely to: • define environmental management principles and guidelines for the design, construction and operation of the project; • establish the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in project environmental management; • describe mitigation measures that shall be implemented to avoid or mitigate adverse environmental impacts; • formulate environmental management framework to ensure the implementation of mitigation measures and monitoring programs; and • establish a supervision and monitoring and reporting framework. 9.1.3 Implementation Approach and Mechanism The project proponent will be responsible for the implementation of the EMP. The plan will apply adaptive management to accommodate changes in project design during the time. The EMP will follow Plan- Do- Check and Act (PDCA) approach. The EMP will be updated prior to construction of the project to document likely changes in policy and regulatory mechanism and stakeholder concerns. Environment and Social Studies Department 9-1 NEA 400 Final A site based Hetauda- Dhalkebar Environment Management Unit will be established for day to day environment management of the project. The environmental management plan matrix is given in Table 9.1. 9.1.4 Institutional Arrangement 9.1.4.1 Institutional Arrangement and Responsibility The Director of 220 kV Transmission Line Departmnet/ Hetauda- Dhalkebar Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line Project will be responsible for incorporation of lEE recommendation into project design and tender documents. Environment and Social Studies Department will assit for the preparation of environmental and social tender clauses to the Project Manager and make sure that lEE recommendations are incorportaed. The copy of the environmental and social tender clauses will be sent to World Bank for review. The Project Manager will make sure that necessary budget is allocated for the implementation of environmental and social mitigation measures and monitoring plan. For the implementation of mitigation measures and enhancement program Environment and Social Management Unit will be established under the ESSD. Likewise local consulting fIrm will be assigned to conduct third party monitoring and make sure the monitoring program are implemented as specifIed in' the documents. ESSD together with Project Manager will take accountability and responsibility to makesure that environmental and social mitigation and monitoring programs are incorporated in the project documents and implemented properly. To makesure the monitoring and mitigation works are conducted as per approved documents and to makeaware the ESSD and Project staff are fully aware about the World Bank Safeguard Policies Institutional Strenghening Program is proposed. This includes capacity building of the staff by providing series of traing within and outside the country, observation tours and loges tic support. The following institutional arrangement has been proposed for the implementation, monitoring and supervision of environmental and social programs of the project. i) Project Manager Office The HDD Project Manager Offlce will be established under the organizational setup of NEA. The project manager will have overall responsibility regarding the implementation of EMP including others. He will be responsible for acquiring necessary permits for forest clearance from Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, land acquisition and compensation etc. The Project Manager will be responsible to make sure the incorporation of lEE recommendations in tender document and contract agreement and allocation of necessary budget for the implementation of EMP. He will be responsible for the overall coordination of the work and make fmal decision on environmental, social and public concern issues. The project Manager will have authority to issue instruction regarding stop of construction work or penalize the Contractor incase of noncompliance of the tender clauses. Under the Project Manager Offlce a Land Acquisition, Environment and Social Studies Department 9-2 NEA Heta:uda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV Final Compensation and Resettlement Unit (LARU) will be established. LARU will be responsible for the implementation of compensation and rehabilitation assistance program. The Unit will headed by Land Acquisition and Resettlement Expert. The Unit will have computerized database regarding the land acquisition, compensation and rehabilitation aspects and wil prepare quarterly progress report. The organization chart for environmental and social management of Hetauda Dhalkebar- Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line Project is given in Fig.9.1. ii) Environment and Social Studies Department ESSD is one of the three departments of Engineering Services of NEA and executes all the activities related to identifying, conducting and coordinating environmental aspects of project developed by NEA in all stages such as studies, design, construction and operation. This department shall be responsible for the overall control of Environmental Management Program of the project. This department will also be responsible for the coordination of work of the project at central level management of NEA and central line agencies. ESSD will implement environmental and social mitigation work proposed in the document and make coordination with concerned line agencies. The department will implement the task by placing an Environment and Social Management Unit at site (ES~1U). The Unit will implement mitigation and enhancement program by mobilizing, local contractor, NGOs and CBOs. The qualified Contractor and NGO will be selected by applying appropriate procedure as per law of land. The ESMU will makesure that environmental and social program proposed in the lEE and other safeguard reports are properly implemented. ESSD will supervise the work of ESMU for the technical assistance and quality control. ESMU will work in close coordination with the Project Manager and chief of the L,\RU. The unit will be responsible for the project information and coordination works which consit information dessirnination and coordination with local stakeholders. The following manpower will be deployed in ESMU. • Program Coordinator • Social Development/Resettlement Expert/Unit Chief • Forest Expert • Community Liaison Expert • Field Technician/Supervisors-4 • Support staff -2 This unit will be responsible for the preparation of pre construction environmental report prior to start Gust before start) of construction work. The report includes the changes in baseline situation and site condition prior to start of actual construction work. Environment and Social Studies Department 9-3 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Final Draft lEE Report iii) Hetauda- Dhalkebar Duhabi Environment and Social Monitoring Unit A consultant/Consulting fIrm will be hired for third party environmental and social monitoring of the project. The consultant will establish HDD Environment and Social Monitoring Unit at site for day to day compliance and impact monitoring of the project and prepare the quarterly, half yearly and yearly monitoring report. This Unit will be primarly responsible for supervision, monitoring and evaluation of the environmental and social programs. The work of the Unit will be supervised by the Joint Inspection Team and periodic monitoring conducted by the line ministries. The unit will have following fulltime staff. • Environmental Expert/Unit Chief • Team Leader • Civil Engineer • Botanist/Forest Expert • Socio-economist • Wildlife Expert • Field Technician/Supervisors-6 • Support staff -4 iv) Construction Management/Supervision Consultant The coordination of the compliance monitoring and mitigation program allocated under the contractor will be the responsibility of Consultant. Environment and Social Monitoring Unit of the project will work for the monitoring of compliance issues and report to the Project Manager. The project manager delivers the written message to the Consultant for prompt action. He will have authority to stop work fully or partially; delay in payment or other wise penalize contractors for of non-performance of environmental tender dauses. v) Construction Contractor The construction contractor will be responsible for implementation of mitigation measures specified in his part and compliance with the tender clauses. He will also be responsible for implementation of construction related mitigation measures such as occupational safety, bioengineering measures, water quality protection measures etc. Environment and Social studies Department 9-4 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Final Draft lEE Report vi) Joint Inspection Team A joint monitoring team which consists representative of District Forest Office, District Development Committee, VDCs representative and representative of CFUG will be formed. This team will be coordinated by coordinator of Environment and Social Management Unit. This joint team ",'ill visit the construction area, mitigation implementation sites fortnightly and make sure that environmental and social mitigation and enhancement programs and monitoring works are implemented as specified in the documents. The joint monitoring team will provide their comments and suggestion to both environmental and social monitoring and management unit. The proponent will made necessary arrangement and facilitation for the monitoring of joint team. vii) Line Agencies The district level line agencies such as District Forest Offices, District Soil Conservation Offices and District Plant Resources Office will be consulted during implementation of mitigation measures. The cost for the required technical input for the implementation of program will be born by the project. Besides, the central level line agencies such as Ministry of Energy, Department of Electricity Development and Ministry of Environment shall have responsibility for the monitoring of project activities with regards to Environmental and Social Management, :Nlitigation and Monitoring Plan. ESSD will coordinate with central level line agencies regarding the monitoring work. viii) Donor Agency Donor agency (s) will have specific responsible for the monitoring of compliance of loan agreement. The experts from donor agency will review the project plan and program, and make direct observation at site to make sure the implementation mechanism is going smoothly and public concerns are well considered. 9.5 Reporting HDD- Environment and Social Monitoring Unit will be responsible for the preparation of the Environment and Social Monitoring Report. The report will be distributed through Project Managers office to the concerned agencies. The unit will prepare following reports. Construction Phase Environmental and Social Monitoring Report The construction phase environmental and social monitoring report will be prepared on quarterly, half yearly, and annual at the end of each calendar year. A final environmental and social report will be prepared after the completion of the construction work. Environment and Social Studies Department 9-5 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV Final The report will be distributed to Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Department of Electricity Development, district level line agencies and donor agency (s). Operation and Maintenance Phase Environmental and Social Monitoring Report Operation and maintenance phase environmental and social monitoring report will be prepared for the one year following the construction. HDD Environment and Social Monitoring Unit will prepare this report for project. The report will describe mitigation measures, problems and recommended solution. The report shall clearly identify where operational mitigation measures are not being met or where mitigation efforts are inadequate to protect natural and socioeconomic resources. Unanticipated deleterious impacts of the projects will be clearly identified. Measures to solve problem will be proposed and be funded by NEA. 9.1.6 Environment and Social Management Cost The total estimated environmental and social management cost for the proposed project is 724.504 million NRs, which is 6.80 % the total project cost. This cost is estimated for the implementation of mitigation and enhancement measures, community support program, institutional strengthening on environment and social safeguard and environmental monitoring during pre -construction, construction and operation phases of the project. The cost breakdown is as shown below and details are given in Table 8.5 in chapter -8 above & 9.4 below. Environment and Social Studies Department 9-6 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV Final 9.2 Environmental and Social Monitoring 9.2.1 General Monitoring is an essential aspect of environmental and social management. It consists of collection of data to measure environmental and social changes associated with construction and operation of the project. Ministry of Energy is the responsible organization for the environmental monitoring of water resources projects. Depending on the location or the month of the year certain construction activities may have greater or lesser impacts. NEA will have prime responsibility for implementation of monitoring program. Project Environment and Social Monitoring Unit, Consultant, Project Manager and Contractor are responsible for monitoring of different components. 9.2.2 Types of Monitoring Based on the study, type and size of the project and monitoring experience of other projects, daily quarterly and yearly monitoring, depending on the parameters, will be conducted throughout construction period. The monitoring program will be also conducted in operation phase of the project. 9.2.2.1 Baseline Monitoring Baseline monitoring will be conducted to update the baseline condition of the project area prior to construction of the project. Ine baseline will cover the major components of physical, biological and socioeconomic and cultural environment. 9.2.2.2 Impact Monitoring Impact monitoring is to be carried out to assess actual level of impact. The impact monitoring will be conducted during construction as well as operation phases of the project. The impact monitoring includes: • Monitoring of the impacts of the project on physical, biological socioeconomic and cultural environment of the area; • Monitoring of the accuracy of the predicted impacts; and • Monitoring of the effectiveness of mitigation measures 9.2.2.3 Compliance Monitoring The compliance monitoring v"ill be conducted to monitor the compliance of the proposed mitigation measures and monitoring activities. The compliance monitoring will mainly focus on: • Whether the mitigation and monitoring requirements associated with the contractor shall be duly incorporated in tender document and contract agreements; • Compliance of the tender clause; • Compliance of the mitigation measures; Environment and Social Studies Department 9-7 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Final Draft lEE Report • Conservation of the planted trees for 5 years; and • Wbether the allocation of adequate budget is made for the implementation of the mitigation measures and monitoring works. 9.3 Monitoring Parameters, Schedule and Agencies to be consulted Land use pattern, forest status, settlement, public health, infrastructure and compliance of the tender clauses are the few areas of monitoring. The schedule of monitoring will be daily, quarterly, half yearly and yearly depending on the parameters and type of monitoring. See details in Table 9.3 at the end of the chapter. 9.5 Monitoring Cost The estimated monitoring cost is 23.19 million NRs. including manpower, report production, transportation, rent for site office and others for pre construction, 36 months construction and 1 year operation phases (Table-9.4). This cost includes baseline monitoring during pre construction phase and compliance and impact monitoring during construction and operation and maintenance phase. T a ble 94EnVlronmenta . 1M orutonng c ost I S.No. Item Man- Rate/Month(NRs.) Amount i month (NRs.) I A. Pre-construction Phase 1 Manpower I Project Coordinator 2 30000 60000 Team Leader 3 25000 75000 Environmental Expert 2 25000 50000 Socio-economist 2 20000 40000 Support Staff 6 14000 84000 , Sub -total 309000 2 Out ofPocket Expenses TA/DA L8 100000 Field Assistant LS 100000 I i I Transportation 0.5 200000 100000 Report Production L8 25000 I Miscellaneous LS 25000 Sub -total 350000 I Environment and Social Studies Department 9-8 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 k V T/ L Project Final Draft lEE Report Total I I I 659000 I B. Construction Phase I 1 Manpower i i Project Coordinator 16 30000 .480000 Team Leader 25 25000 625000 Unit Chief 36 40000 1440000 ! Civil Engineer 12 25000 300000 Forest Expert 36 50000 1800000 i Socio-economist 20 25000 500000 Community Liaison El i Supervisorj Monitors -10 360 20000 7200000 I Support Staff site office -4 144 10000 1440000 i i ! Support Staff Kathmandu office-l 36 10000 360000 Cost for line agencies monitoring LS 200000 Joint monitoring team LS 200000 Sub -total 15045000 2 Out of Pocket Expenses i TA/DA LS 500000 I Transportation Vehicle purchase - 1 3000000 3000000 I Pickup I Motorcycle- 2 Nos 2 150000 300000 Fuel and maintenance LS 500000 I Report Production LS 150000 held Assistant LS 500000 I Office Rent ( site office) 36 10000 360000 i Computer and Printer LS 200000 Communitv Consultation LS 200000 I Office Accessories and operation cost( LS 500000 i site office) I Miscellaneous LS 500000 i i Sub-Total 6710000 i Total 21755000 Enuironment and Social Studies Department 9·9 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Final Draft IEE Report I C. Operation and Maintenance Phase i 1 Manpower I Project Coordinator 2 30000 60000 i Team Leader 4 25000 100000 Civil Engineer 3 20000 60000 Forest Expert 3 40000 120000 Socio-economist 3 25000 75000 Support Staff 4 15000 60000 Sub-Total 475000 I 2 Out ofPocket 1}xl!.enses I TA/DA LS 200000 Field Assistant LS 200000 , Transportation LS 200000 Report Production LS 50000 i Miscellaneous LS 50000 Sub-Total 700000 i Total 1175000 I Grand Total A+ B+ C 23589000 i ----~------.---.----'--- Environment and Social Studies Department 9-10 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kVT/L Project Final Draft lEE Report Environment and Social Studies Department 9-11 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Final Draft lEE Report Table -9.3 Monitoring Parameters, Indicators, Method, Schedule, Location and Agencies to be Consulted ------Types Parameters Indicators Method Schedule LoCation Agencies to be Consulted t------I 1. Baseline Monitoring --- 1------I--:------land Use Changes in land use pattern Site observation Once prior to RoWand neaar by construction areas Physical Environment Slopes Stability at tower pads Site observation Before and Possible un stable after rainy slopes suet as season Ap-7, 13, 2 51, 52,57 etc 1--:------Forest/Vegetation Changes in Forest/vegetation Site obServation S<- Once prior to Communitya nd I District Forest Office and pattern sampling 3 months of collaborativE CFUGC construction forest fallin~ in the RoW ---- Wildlife habitat Wildlife habitat and Site observation Once prior to RoWand Of ar by IDistrict Forest Office, Koshi Biological Environment occurance construction areas espcic Iy Tappu Willdife Reserve the crossing of Office and CFUGC Kamla river, sunkoshian area close to Kos hi Tappu Willd fe Reserve --- Migration of Asiatic Wild Number of elephant coming Site observation, Once prior to Nijgadh, Elephant in herd, migration range, discussion with local construction Tapeshwari and season, duration etc people and CFUgs Goghanpur rea Increase in Discussion with local Once prior to RoWand neear by Socioeconomic and cultural Settlement/infastructure settlements/infastructure people, VDCs and construction areas environment --=------observation Population/migration Structure and migration Discussion with local Once prior to Project affl'ected people, VDCs and construction VDCs observation ------'------ Environment and Social Studies Department 9-12 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Final Draft lEE Report Development activities Development activities in the Site observation Once prior to RoWand near by District/local development project area construction areas/Project office affected VDCs ~ .. Public health Types of disease and Meeting and discussion Once prior to Project affected District hospital and local incidence of disease in the with local health posts construction VDCs health posts project area and district hospitals Socio-economiC/ cultu ral Update socio- discussion with local Once prior to Project affected base line economic/cultural base line people and review construction areas information ----- 2. Impact Monitoring f--=---o------2.1 Construction Phase Slopes Degree of slopes, stability of Site observation Quarterly and Possible unstable slopes, changes from the before & after slopes such as baseline rainy season Ap-7, 13, 20, 51, 52,57 etc Physical Environment Waste disposal Unpleasant odor and visual Observation Weekly Temporary camps impact /Construction sites Loss of trees and shrubs Number of trees removed Observation and Daily Row District Forest Office and discussion FUGs Loss of trees and shrubs Number of trees removed Observation and Daily Row District Forest Office, VDC from private land discussion Biological Environment Wildlife Occurrence of wildlife species Observation and Quarterly Construction area District Forest Office, Koshi discussion Tappu Willdife Reserve Office and CFUGC Migration of Asiatic Wild Number of elephant coming Site observation, quarterly Nijgadh, Elephant in herd, migration range, discussion with local Tapeshwari and season, duration etc people and CFUgs Goghanpur area Socioeconomic and Water supply Chemical and bacteriological Sampling and laboratory 6 months Temporary camp Cultural Environment parameters such as E. Coli. analysis and near by hotels, settlement --- Environment and Social Studies Department 9-13 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV TIL Project Final Draft lEE Report etc. r------~ Public health Types of disease and Meeting and discussion Quarterly project affected District hospital and local incidence of disease in the with local health posts VDCs health posts prqject workers and local and district hospitals community ------Land Acquisition Acquisition of land, lease of Cross checking the list of Quarterly Tower pad, RoW Affected VDCs land and temporary compensation and leased area disturbances in land f------House Acquisition Relocation of house, Observation of new Quarterly Affected area and Afected VDC compensation, use of construction area, cross relocation sites construction material etc checking the list of r------colTlpensation etc. -- c-;- Crop Actual damage to standing Observation and Weekly Tower pad, RoW Afected VDC crop or loss of cropping discussion and leased area season for the particular area i-c------Social and Cultural practices Ukely disturbance in Observation and Quarterly Project affected Afected VDC traditional cultural ways discussion VDCs -- -- Economy Local employment, rental, Meeting and discussion Quarterly Project affected Affected VDCs sell of consumable goods with local communities area ~------2.2. Operation Phase ------PhysiCJJI Environment Slopes Stability at tower pads Site observation Before and- Possible unstable after rainy slopes such as season Ap-7, 13, 20, 51, 52 57 etc I Vegetation/Forest Survival ofthe plantation and Observation and Annual Plantation sites District Forest Office and RoW dearance, method of discussion and RoW FUGs clearance 1------J Wildlife Alteration of habitat Interview and discussion Annual RoWand near by District Forest Office, Koshi BiologiCJJI Environment areas Tappu Willdife Reserve Office and CFUGC I Environment and Social Studies Department 9-14 NEA Hetauda~ Dhalkebar~Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Final Draft lEE Report ~-~ Migration of Asiatic Wild Number of elephant coming Site observation, quarterly Nijgadh, Elephant in herd, migration range, discussion with local Tapeshwari and season, duration etc people and CFUgs Goghanpur area Socioeconomic & Cultural Local employment Priority for the local Cross checking the list of Annual Project site VDC i Environment employment employment I Economic status Changes in economic Interview and discussion Annual Project affected VDC condition of local people due families to withdrawal of economic . opportunity ----- 3. Compliance Monitoring Location i 3.1 Construction Phase Agencies to be Consulted Integration of mitigation Yes/No Review/cross-checking of Before the Kathmandu Office Project/TL Department measures in the design and tender and design start of tender document documents construction work Integration of the report as Yes/No Review During Kathmandu Office Project/TL Department a part of project approval ----- adminstration process Allocation of adequate Yes/No Review, enquiry and Pre- Kathmandu Office Project/TL Department i budget for the consultation construction implementation of the phase environment mitigation measures and monitoring works ~-~ Priority of employment Yes/No Record review, Monthly basis Site Office Project observation and enquiry t------~ ~ First Aid Avability of first Aid Observation and record Periodic as per Project site Project review construction schedule ! t----~ Losing of life and disability COmpensation to losing of life Interview/observation periodic Project site Project and disability Occupational safety Adequacy of occupational Interview/observation Periodic as per Project site Project i safety measures (helmets, construction boots, warning signs etc.) schedule '-----~~ ! Environment and Social Studies Department 9-15 NEA Hetauda- Dhalkebar-Duhabi 400 kV T/ L Project Final Draft lEE Report Trainings and trainees Num be r of trainings and IntelView/SulVey Periodic as per Project affected Project train 'e ; construction areas/VDCs schedule ------3.2 Operation Phase ------~ ConselVation of the planted SUIV 'al of the saplings ObselVation and Periodic Plantation sites Grid Operation trees for 5 years samplings Department/DFO/CFUGs ----- Priority of employment to Yes/No Record reView, Periodic Project site Grid Operation Department locals obselVation and enquiry Occupational safety Adeql ICY of occupational IntelView/obselVation As required Project area Grid Operation Department safet) neasures (helmets, boots warning signs etc.) 1------Disposal of construction Ched 19 up of the Site obselVation Once during Disposal site Grid Operation Department wasteS/spoils waste s, Ispoil produced from first year of constl Iction work project operation Losing of life and disability Comp'ensation to losing of life IntelView/obselVation Periodic Construction area Grid Operation Department and disability '------ Environment and Social Studies Department 9-16 NEA Table -9.1 Environmental Management Plan Matrix S.N. Issues Impacts ----- Mitigation/ Enhancement Measures Implementing Agencies to be Monitorin Item Agency Consulted gAgeney Proposed tender document A. Beneficial Impacts Project Mon1toring Tn be Unit incorportaed Employmwt opportunIty 600 111 tendt:r I Local employment Ipeople Due priority will be given to the local emplo\-mcnt document 2 Local skIll Increase in local skill particularly to Due pOODty WIll be given to the local employment. Project ~\'lonitoring erection of to\vcr, stringing of line) Unit driving etc. 3 Economic opportunity Increase in economic activity due to Project Will utilize local material and hou~es to the Project !\1oD1toring project construction extent practicable L;nit 4 Rural e1ectrificat.ion Open the door for expansion of Implement rural electrification program NEA/Project Monitoring distribution netv.:ork Unit B. Adverse Impacts B.l Physical B.l.l Construction Phase I Flood and Natural Drainage The construction of towen; may pose Special foundation de,ign like mati and pile foundatIOn Contractor Monitoring To be obstruction to natural drainage will be made for the towers located in flood plains and Unit/Consu 1flcorportaed geological fragile area,_ Itant in tender document 2 Topography topography will change Jue to Proper land scaring \vill be done at each tower site Contractor Monitoring do excavation and erection of to\vers, fill Unit/ Consu and cut for leveling the tower pad Itant area. 3 Land take and land usc The project Wl!l require. 1336.17 ha Reclaim the land affected by the temporary facilities. As Project/Contract Monitoring do land fo! the placement of tower pads, for as possible temporary facilities shall be placed in or Unit/Cnnsu substations and RoW of the barren land. Itant rnulsmisslon line. 4 Air quality The construction activity and Air mask win be provided to labor force working in Contractor Monitoring do movement of yehicle WIll generate alr areas susceptible to dust pollution. Due care wll1 be Unit/Consu which will .ffect air qualiry of the taken while workmg in APO-AP1, AP59-AP60 of Itant ncar by area l-Ietauda-Dhalkebar stretch and APO-AP2, AP36-AP38, AP53 AP54, AP58 AP59, of Dhalkebar-Duhabi stretch. 5 Water quality l.ikcly increase in pollution due to The waste gem.'rateu from the mixing concrete will be Contractor Monitoring do increase in sedimcntat10n ,cement disposed in pits and filled with soil. Awareness program Unit/ (:onsu washed out etc. will be implemented It.ot 6 Waste disposal The improper disposal of cement Left over construction material ,viii be sold in near by Contractur Monitoring do bags, !fon bar and otht" left -over market areas where as camp \vest will be disposed Unit/Consu construction materials, kitchen \vast<.~ properly. ltant and waste generated by the temporary labor camp will land and water quality ------~ ._-- 7 IStoragc of coostructt()O materials Production loss, changes in land use Area required for temporary facihties wlll he taken on Contractor Mon1toring do and camp pattero, degradation ofland quality lea,e and temporary yards will be fenced properly. Unit/Consu etc. Permanent camp will be made on rental houses. 1rant I 3 Land degradation landslide and soil Landslide and soil erosion problem Temporary land taken on lease shall be return to its Contractor District Soil Monitoring do crosion are e'pected at AP 7,31,20,57 ETC original stage Bioengtneering works shall be conducted Cooscnrattoo Unit/Consu to minimize landslide and soil erosion problem. Office Irant 8.1.2 Operation Phase 1 CoolentoiC legallyprohtbited in Ncpal. However, The transformer oil used in Nepal now conforms to the NEA Grid Dept Momtoring there are chances of its uge or tntemarional standards. Unit/Consu contamination of the trmsJonner uil:-J. by hant B.2 Biological B.2.1 Construction Phase 1 Vege tation I forest resources Clearance of 390.22 h. forest out of 1nc fore,t land falls in RoW wtll be taken on lease. rvlana&rement District Forest Monitoring 477.9 ha forest land falls in RoW Untt/Local Office. Forest Unit Nursery Users Group Contractor I 2 Loss of tree Removal of 1, 58, 022 trees which Altogether 34,89,806 sapling will be planted in ten l\fanageme.nt District Forest Monitoring include 112624 pole si>e and 45397 prolect districts @ rate of 1:25 as per the requirement of Unit/Local Office. Forest Un1t trees class from 67 community and 4 GoN. Selective felling will be done and forest ttl deep Nursery Users Group collaborative forest ''lIlleys will not be removed. RoW sharing With cxisting Contraclor 132 k V line IS proposed. ~ IFloral diversity Impact on 47 species of plants due to Duc attention wdl be paid to maintain the plant di"erStty Management District Forest Monitoring implementation of the project. and a combination of income gcner1l:t1ng, fodder and Unit/Local Office. Forest l:nit commerciall)' important species will be selected for Nursery Users Group plantation. Contractor I 4 Community forest Impact on 67 communtty forest due ImpIe,mentation pf training and assistance program for Management District lo'orest Monitoring to remo\'aJ of trees the CFUGs affected by the project Unit/NGOs Office. Forest Unit Jsers Grouo 5 Collaborative fi"':st Impact on 4 collaborative forest due implementation pf training and assistance program for 1vlanagemenr District Forest Monitoring to rcmoval of rrt..'Cs management group of coHaborattve forest Umt/NGOs Office. Forest Unit Users: Group 6 Rare endangered and protected Removal of 93,539 trees ha"ing Due emphasis will be ;,~\'t..'11 for the plantation of species Managemenr District Forcst Monitoring species consen;ation significance having conservation significance, Forest conse.rvation Unit/Lncal Office. Forest Unit a\varcness program will be implemented in project area Nurse!}' Users Group Contractor 7 Firewood and timber Incre.ase in pressure on local Common dining facility for group, use ofLI' gas or Contractor District Forest Monitoring do vegetation due to increase in demand kerosene for cooking and use of other construction Office. Forest Unit of firewood and timher material rather than wood is proposed. Users Group t--g NTH '11,. implementation of the project Implementation of NTFP training and distribution of Management District Forest Monitoring will affect NI'FP NT!' species to CFUGs Unit/Local Office. Forest Unit Nursery Users Group 9 Wildlife flabitat Reduction in available forest habitat The plantation in 1797 h. area will minimize this lmpact Management District Forest Monitoring dtle to removal of forcst from 390.92 Unit/Local Office. rarest Unil ha Nursery Users Group 10 Wildlife ffim'ement Impact on movement of Asian Wild Due emphasIs will be g1\Wcn for the plantation of sapling tvfanagement District Forest Monitoring elephant in Nijgadh, T apcshwari and m dL-phant migration area. Unit/Local Office. Forest Unit Goghanpur area due to Nurser), Users Group fragmentatIon of forest habitat Contractor ~ C~~~~tnl~iion dist1lrbanccs Moycmcnt and aCll,"ity of human Construction work shall be labor based and unnecessary Contractor Monitoring do beings may disturb free movement disturbances shall be avoided Unit and feeding of wild animals 12 Hunting and poaching Likely increase 1n hunting and A,vareness program is proposed t>.1anagcment Monitoring poaching Unit/NGOs Unit B.2.2 Operation Phase 1 Row clearance T'rees win be trimmed and Cut down Selecti,'e felling WIll be done and herbicIde \\,11 not be Grid Operation District Forest Mon1toring to make conductor clearance used Department Office, Forest UniL Users Group ~ J.ij;;"t 'biodlVersity J"ikely invasion of nt'w species in NTF species WIll be planted to usc RoWland and the Management Distnct Forest Monitoring cleared RoW trees below certain height will not be cleared. Unit/Local Office. Forest Unit Nursery Users (;roup Contractor 3 Access to fo-rest Increase access to forest Ro\l..' will be strictly managed and R\VarCllCSS program Grid Operation District Forest Momtoring will be Implemented Department Office. Forest Unit Users Group 4 Electrocution Electrocution to monkeys and bird Markers such as colored baH will be attached to wires to Grid Operation Monitoring Improye line visibility. Silhouettes of bird prey will be Department Unit attached to conductors to frighten birds. B.3 Socioeconomic and Cultural B.3.1 Construction Phase 1 Acquisition of Land The project will acquire 29.93 ha Compensation wiil be paid on current market rate, ~~t/LAR(.1 VDC,CFC Monitoring pemlanently and out "fwhlch 23.14 I .land required for temporary faciltttcs will be DAO Unit ha is private cultivated land affecting compensated based on produClion loss. 130 HH. 2 House Acquisition of 5 houses and 1 cow Houses wilt be compensated at replacement cost Project! LARU VDC,CFC Monitoring shed DAO Umt ---- 3 Agriculture income J A)SS of agriculture income due to Compensation will be paid equivalent to 1 year Project! LARU VDe Monitoring ael. u1sition of land lag"culture loss Unit 4 Community resources and Loss of community and coHaborative Plantation of income generating species, relocation of Management VDC Mo:t1itoring infrastructure forest, pressure 011 local water supply school, drinking water assistance etc Vnit/NGOs Unit and health services and relocatIon of 5 Temple Relocation of t(!rnple in ncar by area New temple \vill be constructed in ncar by areas with Ivlan"h'Cment VDe Monitoring: due consultation with local people Vnit/NCOs Unit 6 Crop Likely damage to standing crop in 74 Compensation \viU be paid for crop loss I-Ianagement VDe Monitoring ha arca Unit/NGOs Unit 7 Health and "nitation Likely impact on workers health due Adequate camplng. drinking water and loilet factlittes Contractor Monitoring do to poor sanitary situation in labor will be provided Unit camps 8 Occupational health and safety J jkdy increase in construction rdatl..'d 1 lard hat, eye glass. belts and caution sign at work site Contractor Monitoring do accidents and other safety devices will be proyidcd Cnit ------9 Law and order I.ikely increase in pressure to M~i~tain coordination with local administration if any t... !anagement ,'DC. Local Monitoring maintain the law and order situation problem occurS. Implement a~'arcncss prugram Unit/NGOs Administration Unit 10 Life slyle I.ikely changes in life style Implemt:nt awareness program Management \'DC Monitoring Unit/NGOs Unit 11 Peoples safety Likely accidents dunng line charging Implement awareness program Management mc Monitoring process while testing and Unit/NGOs Unit commissioning 12 Livelthood Impact on linlihood due to Implement livelihood restoration program Management ,'DC Monitoring acquisition ofland and house Unit/NGOs Unit 13 Gender and vulnerable group l~ikely discrimination while hiring Project Win not discriminate based on color. ongin cast Project/ VDC Monitoring do workers, compensation or oth<..~r etc, Due priorit)' will be gI,'en in employment to Contractor Unit project related benefits "lIoemble and poor people, 14 Agriculture production Loss of 42,35 MT food grain and Compensation will be paid tu the household losing Project/ LARU VDC Monitonng 113,76 ,!vi'!' cash crop due to more than 1Of) (l of their tota11and egu1\-alent to their Unit acquisition of land for permanent production lost for 1 year, structures 15 I Ietaucla Cement Factory Disturbances to the factory staff due Coordination Will be made "'Iitb factory authority, Management VDC, Local Monitoring to construction activities Information and waming sign will be placed at work Unit/NGOs Administration Unit site. c--"'------" ~~ ... ------"1'6 Aesthetic value Likely disturbances to visitors coming Coo~dinati~;;-~~Il ~;';'ade with park authority, Management VDC. Local Monitoring in Nunthar park Information and waming sign will be placed at work Unit/NGOs Administration Unit site, People will be pre informed through public notification. 18,3.2 Operation Phase 1 Agriculture production Loss of 42,35 MT food grain and lmplementatton of h\"elihood restoration and Management VDC Monitoring 113,76 MT cash crop due to agriculture assistance program Unit/NGOs Unit 2 Land Deduction of land "alue falls in Compensation has been proposed 1 O~" of the land Project/ LARU VDC Monitoring RoW especially in semi urban and value for the urban, semi urban and rural areas. Unit urban areas 3 Farming hindrance Placement of tower at center of field Project will acquire the remaining land also in such Project/ LARU VDC Monitoring • pose di fficulty for the culti"ation cases. Unit which further increase production cost 4 Electric and magnetic field Electromagnetic impact due to long Compensation for the RoW will be paid and awareness t\ianagcment VDC Monitoring term exposure program will be implemented, Construction of house Unit/NGOs \Jnit and plantation of trees of large size will be prohibited, 5 Withdrawal of economic activities Likely impact on local economy due A\varcness prot-,rram is pruposed Management Monitoring to withdrawa.l of economic acti\;ties Unit/NGOs Unit 6 Livelihood Impact on liyelihood due to Continuation of li\"'elihood support program Management Monitoring acqui~1tion of land and house Untt/N(iOs Unit 7 Occupational health and safety Likely :Increase in accidents Proper training to operation staff and all required safety Monitoring !(Cars will be, provided Grid Dev Dept Unit 8 Firewood and fodder Impact on 31J6.fJ4 ha community Compensatory plantation will minimize this. impact. Management Monitoring forest and Unit/NGOs Unit , - Note Magnitude Duration P AF= Project affected family L= Low LT= I..ong term 01'0= Distnct Forest Office M = Medium Mr= Medium term DADO= District Agriculture Office II = High ST= Short term DAO= Dtstrict Administration Office LARU- Land Acquisition and Resettlement Unit VDC- V!llage Development Committee REFERENCES • CBS (2065): Four-Monthly Statistical Bulletin, Central Bureau of Statistics,Kathmandu,2064/065 • CBS (2002): Population of Nepal Population Census 2001, Selected Tables, Central Development Region, Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal in Collaboration with UNFPA Nepal. June 2002. • CBS (2002): Population of Nepal Population Census 2001, Selected Tables on caste/Ethnicity, Mother tongue, and Religion, Central Development Region, Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal in Collaboration with UNFPA Nepal. November 2002. • CBS (2002): Population of Nepal Population Census 2001, Selected Tables, Eastern Development Region, Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal in Collaboration with UNFPA Nepal. June 2002. • CBS (2002): Population of Nepal Population Census 2001, Selected Tables on caste/Ethnicity, Mother tongue, and Religion, Eastern Development Region, Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal in Collaboration with UNFPA Nepal. November 2002. • DADO (2059): Annual District Agricultural Development program and Statistics, District Agricultural development office, Rautahat, 2058/059. • DADO (2062): Annual District Agricultural Development program and Statistics, District Agricultural development office, Sara, 2061/062. • DADO (2063): Annual District Agricultural Development program and Statistics, District Agricultural development office, Makwanpur, 2063/064. • DADO (2064): Annual District Agricultural Development program and StatistiCS, District Agricultural development office, Dhanusha, 2063/064. • DADO (2064): Annual District Agricultural Development program and Statistics, District Agricultural development office, Saptari, 2063/064. • DADO (2064): Annual District Agricultural Development program and Statistics, District Agricultural development office, Sunsari, 2063/064. • DADO (2065): Annual District Agricultural Development program and StatistiCS, District Agricultural development office, Siraha, 2064/065. • DADO (2066): Annual District Agricultural Development program and StatistiCS, District Agricultural development office, Sarlahai, 2065/066. • DADO (2066): Annual District Agricultural Development program and StatistiCS, District Agricultural development office, Mahottrai, 2065/066. • DADO (2066): Annual District Agricultural Development program and StatistiCS, District Agricultural development office, Udayapur, 2065/066. • DDC (2059): District Profile of Makwanpur District, District Development Committee, Makwanpurt 2058/059 • DDC (2059): District Profile of Siraha District, District Development Committee, Siraha, 2058/059. • DDC (2061): District Profile of Mahottrai District, District Development Committeet Mahottrai, 2060/061. • DDC (2065): District Profile of Dhanusha District, District Development Committee, Dhanushat 2064/065. • DDC (2065): District Profile of Rautahat District, District Development Committee, Rautahat, 2064/065 • DDC (2066): District Profile of Bara District, District Development Committee, Sara, 2065/066 • DDC (2066): District Profile of Saptari District, District Development Committee tSaptari 2065/066 • DDC (2066): District Profile of Sarlahai District, District Development Committee, Sarlahai, 2065/066 • DDC (2066): District Profile of Sunsari District, District Development Committee, Sunsari, 2065/066. • DDC (2066): District Profile of Udayapur District, District Development Committee Udayapur, 2065/066. • DFO (2008): Biodiversity Sector Programme for Siwaliks and Tarai [BISEP-ST]t Annual DFO (2008): Progress Report of 2008, District Forest Office, Bara • DFO (2062): Introduction on Forest of Saptari, District Forest Office Saptari 2061/62 • DFO (2063): Community Forest User Groups' Monitoring and Evaluation Report, District Forest Office, Sunsari 2062/63. • DFO (2064): Community Forest User Groups' Monitoring Report, District Forest Office, Dhanusha 2064 • DFO (2064, 2067): Forestry Work Plan (2063/64 to 2067/68), District Forest Office, Siraha • DFO (2066) Annual Progress Report of FY 2065/66, District Forest Office Mahottari 2066 • DFO (2066): Forestry Development Programme Progress Report of Sarlahi (2065/66), District Forest Office Sarlahi. • DFO (2066): VDC Level Forest Resource Details of Udaypur Disrict; District Forest Office, Udaypur 2066 • DNPWC (2003): Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and Proposed Buffer Zone - Resource Profile 2003, MoFSC, DNPWC, UNDP. • GoN (1997): Environment Protection Rule and amendments • NEA (2010) A Year in Review, Nepal Electricity Authority, Fiscal Year 2009/2010 • NPC (1993) National Environment Impact Assessment Guideline IUCN and NPC 1993 .' /' /; ; , / f (/ .I " I Ihhllt j J ------ii, It; I, II" ii, a~. ) s, I, I,' ~. .. fl, ". >I, I 11: , Iii, ~ J J A l, ..... ' Jill II t ht· ~' " ;-~!' i "';.', >- I .:. I, ! Il, hU!Ur II i ~. I ,C.. - IH ::II I >'t. ~, lih!lli ... j II -... -"" i :. - -- i .., iii i I :1 ii~ ... ~"" .... an hU UJ I Jllj Ii u!,!II ri JdlflUh I I f J I HlltH, :- .~ 1111" ,~~ 1-~ - ~-~-•• 1 • I / - " ~ ,,:~ ! J ~ t. i I ' '·1 a, Hlill t. . ,', .- '... ~, '8 fIl •._ J -, it ! lli· ! ' ~Ii, I'UU fJ , , I I ! .f 'i fH 1 : I t f "" i, I, \1 !1~hH! I "~" ~ "I i > I, .. IL'" "'I ih~- iJ . Z :]1 I I '"<> '" ~ • ::In e :s:"' i"'.l ~ '~ J II iN g z<§ 2/! Ii! I II.!, ; ~ .. i I I ,ill 8, .,:::J, i ;III i ,~--+ ~IH I I I I !! ~ _.. (01 _" -,,. ------ .,If ~; ".,.,1 '. ' .... =f : I .'... iii "j r =. i a~i r I i§ i~ ~ ~ .. i, 0 r; iii I I i . ~i •W '" N §'''''§ s! c ~ \.. - ""i :f" Ii·~ •j t~ / \t ' .... !.".- '\ -"-""', I t; "" ( ~ .. '" I of '!; 3 .1 . i,- I ! " II '" ... . - _'" ------ llilJ III j . .~,' I ------~. : 11.~: . {.-.. ~ j ------I ., r u" ill) IIi J I Iflld",! It h!J II I -II, 11 - ., " I ~\'~';i;;''' i~ ! f V:! ~:,.\ '" ~. t~. i;.. f't" -/,;". if....: ' \ •..I -r (' .":';:"1. ( /; .v::;~ .: , ~ ). { 1(':"" , '#-.' ';f ' .;. ,. ,t~~" ,~"..,.:...... l'~.' ,., .1 ~~ .~ -", 1 ,"'" j ~iJ .(;r:. ~., "",,~~,} ,\:-< .t' # - "1 ft ' ,.;... ~ •• f ... . :"' ...... flO. 2: ROUTE AUGNMENT MAP """'en aI 0.. '/"c...... ~~s,._"od~ ~ NEPAL E1.ECTRlCITV AUTHORrrV HETAUOA • OHAI.J(EBAR • DUHA81_ kV ..... l .... ~~...., ... tRANSMI.IION LINE ...... ,...(lIII1 ""'''~IIt''~''~ ~ --- -, 0IMt1tNll - *- CtfW:"'~It,s..w, ...... -- ~ ~LM'of 1IiiI __ I!NVlII_T N«I8OClAl AnJOIU OEI'IUtTIEMT o 05 -·voc~.------C-'l ...... '-t -- - .,.- f-..: laJO: f! t ' - stNJ.. _""""",'1\ • ..- A ,- --- ~~~t_~ .l<-..... fNotl -=-_1It,1DtO .A,....~""" ---- , ~tlCtitcA1,,' KllOmMflrt. ---t--.n-...-- --,------~ ~.lo..,..l ~o:o.v-" w{lil$O 44000'(1 '5i(lIlIjO G{lOQU ~~(l1)0i) fOoOOQ i'a (10 (I 0 811000* BU(lOO ~Oo~OO Fig 2.1: Project Location Map Hetauda - Dhalkebar - Duhabi 400 kV Transmission Line !: ~ CHINA Legend' INDIA - InternatioM Boundary ;: -- Regionol8oundory ~ -- District Boundory D Project Affected Di~rlcts ~ __ Proposed TL)ljignmnet ~ In_-(1' ",j.ct.d-} to Longitude 8 4 1-E) H(lO{lO 20OOQ,' ~~"OM $00(10(1 3~OOOO 4(l1)(l(lJ) ~QQOO '00000 ~~oo ~iI ~0(l900 UOO~I) f(l(lO~(I i'jOOO(l !&001)0 UO(lOO «(Iff!)!) "~l1(h) 11&UIlOQ lll(il.!!J1j: 73(10(10 10 i :: N A l I ~ J I 'L J":3dr':::FJ. _ '0,. Ljrlr -.. t-iIf< ~~legend ~ i-International Boundary '" -- Distnc! Boundary •~ ~C Boundary Proposed Tl.oJignmnet AlII!lctedVDCs I I ,,,01)60 Ii:!OO{t(l '400~iI "t(lI}(I ?I}OMO r~M.(I r40(tO(l 7UCOO 7Bl)l)ou 3&W(It) 120000 Lalltp'UJ( a,..epa iafH:ftolk SolukhumtH, 'j..., ~ Romeclhap S,nkhu"" •••• h .;"'h.' " ~)' , • ,' .. p"\. • ..,-, Ok.ald ..... ", .. j ,\ , J ,+ ;''! ~": ' ."ojput Khoun, Dhanlkut FIG. 3 : ROUTE AUGNMENT AND 1 ------J------Nl!I'IIIL I!LI!CTRlCIfV II.LrrHORITV ...... __ ..... e...... """"~...... N WlLOUFE tfA8lTAT AREA MAP 1= ..=...... ,...... ,.i!ll, _~... 0IcfI",...... ,... ~ .... ~ ...... c ...... A -_or0Ih0Iw-" -- ...... ,-- o.MI ... _- ~ a-ll...... ,...... e HETAUDA·DHMJ(:IBAR·DUHA8IMJOW .. 1--"'-"'..e.c .. ..,,..,,.., ~IOT ".,lOClAlaTUlllRIlENII'fMlOO' TRANiMISSIONUNE :., e...fr...... ,T_. ~ .....u,.w...... 1VUI =::...., =-- .... - a.-....-..., ,.,,...... ,..... f"I:'l ~-" ::::...... t.-....r~~-:.c.", _ ! .,'! ? :! ,;- •-~r;:;::::- ____::=:,"?:.~ ___.... _r=-_~. _, ___ I:::::.!..-;":.",:::::~_ ~ __ _