Greater Mekong Subregion East-West Economic Corridor Agriculture
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Initial Environmental Examination May 2018 Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Greater Mekong Subregion East-West Economic Corridor Agriculture Infrastructure Sector Project Dong-Savang-Thong Subproject, Songkhon District, Savannakhet Province Prepared by the Department of Irrigation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Asian Development Bank. This initial environmental examination is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area Agriculture Infrastructure Sector Project Annex 6 Feasibility Study Dong-Savang-Thong Subproject Initial Environmental Examination ABBREVIATIONS and GLOSSARY ADB - Asian Development Bank AISP - Agriculture Infrastructure Sector Project AP - Affected People ASEAN - Association of South East Asian Nations CEMP - Contractor’s Environmental Management Plan DAFO - District Agriculture and Forestry Office DCO - District Coordination Office DMH - Department of Meteorology and Hydrology DOI - Department of Irrigation DOWR - Department of Water Resources DPRA’s - Development Project responsible Agency E&M - Electrical and Mechanical EA - Executing Agency EDL - Electricité du Laos EMP - Environmental Management Plan EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment EMMP - Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan EMMU - Environmental Management and Monitoring Unit EPL - Environmental Protection Law ESIA - Environment and Social Impact Assessment FWUGs - farmer water user groups GHG - Greenhouse Gases GMS-EWEC-AISP - Greater Mekong Sub-region East West Economic Corridor Agricultural Infrastructure Sector Project GWP - Global Warming Potential IA - Implementing Agency IEE - Initial Environmental Examination IFAD - International Fund for Agricultural Development GoL - Government of Lao PDR GRC - Grievance Redress Committee IMT - Irrigation Management and Transfer IWRM - Integrated Water Resources Management JICA - Japanese International Cooperation Agency LAC - Land Acquisition and Compensation MAF - Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry MASL - meters above mean sea level MEM - Ministry of Energy and Mines MONRE - Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment NBCA - National Biodiversity Conservation Areas NGO - Non-Government Organization NPA - National Protected Areas NPMO - National Project Management Office NSEDP - National Social and Economic Development Plan NT2 - Nam Theun 2 (Hydropower Project) NTFPs - Non-Timber Forest Products O&M - Operation and Maintenance PAFO - Provincial Department of Agriculture and Forestry PMO - Prime Minister’s Office PONRE - Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment PPMO - Provincial National Project Management Office PPTA - Project Preparation Technical Assistance RC - reinforced concrete SEDP - Socio-economic Development Plan 2010-2015 i Agriculture Infrastructure Sector Project Annex 6 Feasibility Study Dong-Savang-Thong Subproject Initial Environmental Examination SPGC - Project Grievance Committee STEA - Science Technology and Environment Agency USD - United States Dollars UXO - Unexploded Ordnance VMCs - Village Mediation Committees WREA - Water Resources and Environment Administration WUG - Water User Group ii Agriculture Infrastructure Sector Project Annex 6 Feasibility Study Dong-Savang-Thong Subproject Initial Environmental Examination EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction 1. The Greater Mekong Sub-region East West Economic Corridor Agricultural Infrastructure Sector Project (GMS-EWEC-AISP, or AISP in this document) will comprise improvements to agriculture infrastructure and provide technical and advisory support to beneficiary communities in formation and strengthening of water user groups, technical support and capacity building for extension services and support in post-harvest handling, product storage and marketing. It will provide project management support and capacity building for provincial and district level offices which will take a lead role in project implementation, in accordance with the Government’s decentralization policy of 2000. It is a sector project, with specific subprojects for the improvement of productive rural infrastructure in the two project provinces to be prepared and implemented. 2. This document is the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the Dong-Savang-Thong agriculture infrastructure subproject, which involves irrigation scheme rehabilitation and access road improvement. This subproject is one of twelve subprojects proposed for implementation under Phase II of the project. An Environment and Assessment Review Framework (EARF) 1 was prepared for the project setting out the procedures for screening and assessment of environmental impacts, reporting and management for subprojects in line with Government of Lao PDR (GOL, EIA Decree 2010) and ADB Safeguard Policy Statement (2009) requirements. 3. The Rapid Environmental Assessment (REA) checklist from the Projects (EARF) was used to screen the subproject based on a literature review, site visits and discussion with local beneficiaries. This subproject was classified as Environment Category B. This document is the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the Dong-Savang-Thong agriculture infrastructure subproject, which involves irrigation scheme rehabilitation and access road improvement. The IEE is prepared according to the ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement of June 2009 and the GOL EIA decree of April 2010. This IEE document was prepared in June 2016 and updated during the period March to May 2017 following comments from ADB and as additional data has been collected. Description of the Sub-project 4. The Project is located in Songkhon District of Savannakhet province and was originally constructed in 1987. It is a pumped scheme served by a station operating from a moored pontoon located beside the Nong Louang, a natural lake with a total water surface area 700ha and an average depth of 3m. The total existing irrigable area (command area) in Dong Savang village is in the order of 170ha. Improvements are to include an extension of 330ha. The improved scheme is designed to have a command area of 500ha, yielding a dry season crop, and serving 210 households including Dong Savang, Songkhon, Vixaisong, Paksong and Laha Nam village. Present Condition and Characteristics of the Subproject 5. The existing Scheme has deteriorated and suffers from inadequate Operation and Maintenance (O&M). The Scheme is laid out in a ‘herringbone’ formation with a central main canal running along the spine serving a series of secondary canals. Water is delivered via a conventional electrically powered pumping plant using a pair of centrifugal pumps mounted on a floating pontoon, a technique commonly used. Water is pumped into a stilling basin from 1 https://www.adb.org/projects/documents/gms-ewec-agriculture-infrastructure-sector-project-earf iii Agriculture Infrastructure Sector Project Annex 6 Feasibility Study Dong-Savang-Thong Subproject Initial Environmental Examination where it discharges by gravity into the lined main canal. Flow is then distributed by gravity through a set of secondary canals. The estimated total length of main, secondary and tertiary canals is 4,947m, 3,392m, and 5,349m respectively. Flows in the earth canals are unregulated and the scheme is free-running apart from where temporary measures are used to route flows into specific farm units from some secondary canals. As a consequence, scheme efficiency is low and therefore would incur a higher pumping cost per hectare than necessary. 6. The access roads related with Dong-Savang-Thong subproject are Road No.1 (Songkhon village to Vixaisong village) and Road No.2 (Dong-Savang-Thong village to Doneyanong). The Road No.1 with a width of 6m is paved with gravel and currently in moderate conditions. On the other hand, Road No.2, 4m width, an important connection between villages, is partially paved with gravel, however, it is seriously deteriorated and not passable particularly in the wet season. Irrigation service road is available along the canal; however, some roads are deteriorated and maintenance works cannot be effectively carried out. There are no permanent bridges across the canals, instead villagers constructed temporary bridges by locally available materials. 7. Currently, a natural stream in the in the command area from Nong Hee to Nong Ma Chork flowing into Ta Lieng stream is utilized as the main drain of the system. 8. The scheme has significantly deteriorated due to lack of funds for the construction of an effective water distribution system and subsequently inadequate operation and maintenance. Currently only one pump is operational delivering sufficient water to irrigate 87ha of crops cultivated in the dry season. Improvements 9. The rehabilitation plan is aimed at improving the whole of the existing irrigation and drainage network (170ha) and extending the network northwards and eastwards with an extension of the main canal bringing an additional area (330ha) into production. The rehabilitation of water distribution system will include two main canals, three secondary canals, eight tertiary mains, and 33 quaternary