Ukf E- 265 fuz VOL. 1 THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA MINISTRY OF WORKS,HOUSING AND COMMUNICATIONS Public Disclosure Authorized ROAD SECTOR INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT (RSISTAP) Public Disclosure Authorized REVIEWAND UPDATE OF THE FEASIBIUTYSTUDY AND DETAILEDENGINEERING DESIGN OF BUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized ENVIRONMENTALIMPACT ASSESSMENT Vol.. 6 FEASIBILITYSTUDY FINALREPORT BUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOILMAROAD UPGRADINGPROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1.0 BACKGROUNDINFORMATION 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.2 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE EIA STUDY I 1.3 PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THIS ASSESSMENT 1 1.4 METHODOLOGY 2 2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK 3 2.1 HISTORICALPERSPECTIVE 3 2.2 CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 4 2.3 RESPONSIBILITIES AND PRACTICAL PROBLEMS IN ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT 4 2.4 SUMMARY OF RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND GUIDELINES 5 2.5 WORLD BANK REQUIREMENTS 6 3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 8 3.1 THE PROJECT ROAD 8 3.2 DETAILS OF ROAD WORKS . 8 4.0 CURRENT STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE PROJECT AREA - 9 4.1 INTRODUCTION 9 4.2 TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY AND SOILS 9 4.3 CLIMATE AND DRAINAGE 9 4.4 LAND USE AND LAND COVER 9 4.5 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS 9 4.5.1 Settlement and housing 10 4.5.2 Energy 10 4.5.3 Transport and communication 11 4.5.4 Health 11 4.5.5 Education and literacy I 1 4.5.6 Local Economy 12 5.0 EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS INCLUDING RESETTLEMENT ISSUES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT kSSESSMENT r USU3XB~AHO~ ROAD UGRADING PROJEC PAGE 5.1 INTRODUCTION 13 5.2 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT 13 5.3 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT 15 5.4 SOCIO-ECONOMICAND CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 16 5.5 OTHER COMMUNITY EFFECTS 18 5.6 RESETTLEMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT 20 5.7 A SUMMARY OF POSITIVE IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH UPGRADING BKH ROAD 20 6.0 PROPOSEDMITIGATION MEASURES 23 6.1 INTRODUCTION 23 6.2 CONSTRUCTION PHASE 23 6.3 OPERATIONAL PHASE 23 6.4 MITIGATION PLAN FOR THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE IMPACTS 24 6.5 MITIGATION PLAN FOR OPERATION PHASE IM- PACTS 25 7.0 ANALYSISOF ALTERNATIVES 26 7.1 INTRODUCTION 26 7.2 ALTERNATIVES 26 7.2.1 The "no action" alternative 26 7.2.2 Route alternative 26 7.3 CHOICE OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNICS 26 7.4 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 27 8.0 IMPLEMENTATIONOF MITIGATION MEASURES AND COSTS 28 8.1 INTRODUCTION 28 8.2 MONITORING TEAM COMPOSITION 28 8.3 SCOPE OF WORK 29 8.4 COST OF MITIGATION AND MONITORING 29 8.4.1 Major areas of expenditure 29 8.4.2 Land take and loss of crops and other property 29 8.4.3 Road safety education and awareness 29 8.4.4 Compensatory tree planting 30 8.4.5 Other costs 30 8.4.6 Monitoring Costs 30 8.4.7 Summary of Costs 31 rtlsJ(fl'4fVNT \I T\TP s T v CF"9SMFNT BUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT 1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1.1 INTRODUCTION Plans are underway to upgrade the existing Busunju - Kiboga - Hoima (BKH) road from its current status to that of bitumen standard by the Ministryof Works Housing and Communication(MoWHC). Accordingto the Engineering plans, the proposed improvementsto this road will closely follow the existing alignment with only a few cases where the new road course may be some metres away from the old one to maintain the required horizontal and vertical aligrunent. Integral to this proposed project is environmental impact assessment (EIA) through which beneficial and detrimental environmental consequences arising from the upgraded road are identified. This identification is done with the main aim of recommending appropriate actions for mitigation of any adverse impacts on the physical biological and human environment. The main oojective of this EIA, therefore, is to bring into focus both the possible negative and positive impacts on the environment at an early stage in the planning process of the proposed project. 1.2 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE EIA STUDY EIA has become generally accepted world-wide as an essential procedure in initiating development projects and implementationof policies. In recognition of this, the National Environment Statute (NES), 1995 gives a list of alvprojects which require EIA before they are implemented. Listed under transportation in the Third Schedule of this statute, all major roads and all roads in scenic, wooded or mountainous areas are subject to EIA. BKH is a major road passing through three districts and connecting Uganda to the Democratic Republic of Zaire. It also traverses a vast stretch of woodland,crosses a number of rivers and wetlands. It is, therefore, imperative that an EIA is conducted on BKH road in consideration of the proposed improvements by MoWHC. 1.3 PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THIS ASSESSMENT This study is intended to present an assessmentof the reasonably foreseeable effects on the environment of upgrading BKH road. Its function is to provide an opportunity at this stage, to integrate environmentallysound practices into initial project design. This is because all projects to improve roads can have effects on the environment and respective communities. The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) which is the principle national agency for co-ordinating monitoring and supervising all activities in the field of environmnentonly provides general guidelines on EIA level because the EIA process is still a new concept in Uganda. For this reason, the EIA study team will work closely with MoWlHC and/or other organisations delegated by the ministry to develop and agree on thc details of assessment for BKH road. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT BUSUNJU-KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECr 1.4 METHODOLOGY Generally,a number of methods will be applied either singly or in combinationin order to adequately address all issues in the scope of this study. In summary,these methods include: * review of a number of existing appropriate literature on BKH road projects, MoWHCpolicies and environmentalmanagement; * expert consultations through which relevant persons in MoWHC, USAID, NEMA and others will be contacted to solicit their views and comments on BKH road project and the environment,and * field visits to conduct on-the-spot assessment, discussions with local communitiesand district officials with the ultirnate aim of including all views and informationin the whole EIA exercise. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT KIBOGA-HOIMA ROAD UPGRADING PROJECT 2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY. LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK 2.1 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Due to political upheavals that characterised the post independence period until 1986, no new policy or legislative instruments were put in place to promote sustainable development in Uganda. Specifically, environmental management issues had been relegated to the background on the pretext that Uganda is well endowed with abundant natural resources. For example, it was not until 1987 that a ministry in charge of environmentprotection was established. From then, a number of developmentshave taken place in the bid by the Governrmentof Uganda (GoU)to use and manage environmentalresources on a sustainablebasis. One such development has been the National Environment Action Plan (NEAP) which was embarked upon in 1990 with assistance from United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID). NEAP was given the mandate to recommend policy and legislative actions, institutional strengthening guidelines and potential investments with the main objective of putting in place a sustainable national development strategy. For instance, with NEAP's guidance the then Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) formulated a National Environment Management Policy. Strategies of this policy are intended to provide and assist decision makers and resource users in determiining priorities in the national context and also at the sectoral, private sector and individual levels. One of the strategies to assist in implementing this policy was the establishment of NEMA. NEMA is now the principal national agency to supervise and co-ordinate the management of the environmentin Uganda. This was achieved throughNES of 1995. The post-1986 era in Uganda has been associated with more development programs and an average economic growth rate of over 6% per year. This trend necessitated directing national development efforts to ensure that plans aimed at improving the standard and quality of life take due considerationof environmentalconcerns. First. it was the Ministry of Environrnent Protection in 1987, then the Directorate ot Environment Protection in 1993 and now, it is NEMA in charge. NEMA is under the general supervisionof the Minister of Lands, Water and Environment (until May 1998 it was the Ministry of Natural Resources) who is also a member of the committee which provides and co-ordinates environmental policy guidelines. NEMA is headed by an Executive Director who is also an ex-officiomember of the board that oversees the implementationand successful operations of the policy and functions of the Authority. NEMA is made up of four divisions one of which is the Information and Monitonng Division (IMD) whose primary purpose is to ensure adequate surveillance and control of the environment and any related areas of interest to it. Part of IvMD's mandate is to see that environmental regulations such as EIA are complied v, ith. environmentalstandards are set; and an environmentalmonitoring system is put in place. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 13USUNJU-KlBOGA-HOlMA ROAD UPGRADINGPROJECT 2.2 CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES At the national level, NEMA works with lead agencies. According to NES, a lead agency is "any ministry, department, parastatal agency, local government systemor public officer in which or whom any law vests function of control or managementof any segment of the environment." In each sectoral agency, there is supposed to be an environment desk known as an Environrnent Liaison Unit (ELU) to act as a contact point for NEMA. As with the districts, day-to-day activities of running ELUs are not the responsibilityof NEMA but respectivelead agencies. In line with the national programme on decentralisation, NES provides for the transfer of environmental management responsibilities to districts, municipalities and rural communities at the grass roots.