ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR PROPOSED EXTENSION OF INLAND WATERWAY FROM MAHE TO VALAPATTANAM

Proposed Terms of Reference

1. Introduction

Water transport has environmental and economic advantages over other modes of transportations like roads and railways. As an alternative mode of transport, with better fuel efficiency, waterways help in dealing many short falls of the roadways including air pollution, traffic congestion and accidents. Also with respect to freight rates, waterways have been always cheaper. Under these considerations, transformation of inland waterways into a regular mode of transportation is a great opportunity for any developing countries where cargo transits are key players in economic developments.

India has about 14500 km of navigable waterways through the extensive network of rivers, canals, creek and back waters. It is with the clear understanding on the potential and advantageous of the inland waterways development for the country, that Inland Waterways Authority of (IWAI) was set up in October 1986 vide IWAI Act 1985 under the Ministry of Shipping and is coordinating the task of developing, monitoring and administering Indian waterways. Kottapuram – Kollam stretch forming part of West Coast canal (WCC) along with Champakkara and Udyogamandal canals is declared as National Waterway (NW 3) in 1993 which is further extended up to Kozhikode in 2016 envisioning futuristic development potential for this sector.

In harmony with the central government, an initiative to enhance the potential of waterways both in cargo transit and tourism potentials associated with it, Government of has come for integration of the NW-3 by extending the southern stretch upto from Kollam and northern stretch up to Kasaragod from Kozhikode.

Kerala Waterways & Infrastructures Ltd. (KWIL), a special purpose vehicle, was constituted jointly by Government of Kerala and Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL), with an objective to facilitate the development of an Inland waterway from Kovalam to Kasaragod.

Objective of the present study is to understand and analyze the Environmentasl and Social Impacts associated with the proposed integrated connectivity development between the various water bodies across the proposed waterway alignment from Mahe to Valapattanam, which is a part of the nothern stretch. The location map of the proposed alignment is given as Figure 1.0.

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Figure 1.0. Location map of the proposed Alignment

2. Description of Inland waterway from Mahe to Valapattanam

The Mahe -Valapattanam stretch is the missing link and a major obstacle to the inland navigation potential of the region. Difficulty in acquisition of land, mostly homestead and garden land, is a major obstacle to developing the navigational route in the stretch. The inter connectivity requirements has been falling in 3 stretches given in Table 1.0 below.

Table 1.0. Inter connectivity requirements for the Proposed Alignment Sections Description

Section I Portions of Mahe river including regulators etc, and the first artificial canal (9.20 kms) starting from Mahe river to Eranjoli river

Section II Portions of Eranjoli river including regulators etc. second artificial canal (850 m) and portions of Dharmadom and Anjarakandy rivers including regulators

Section III Portions of Anjarakandy river, third artificial cut (15 kms) and portions of Valapattanam river including regulators etc.

Note: The length of alignment are approximate only.

The proposed length of our project of Inland waterway from Mahe to Valapattanam is 51 km with 60 m right of way. Of this about 26 km is the river portion falling in Mahe river, Eranjoli river, Dharmadom/ Anjarakandy river and Valapatnam river and the remaining 25 km is the

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missing link where artificial canal is to be constructed to connect these rivers. The canal will be 40 m wide and service roads are proposed on either sides. The proposed depth will be 1.5 m in Phase-I and 2.2 m in Phase-II so as to enable large scale movements of the cargo vessels through the waterway. Proposed Alignment (Mahe – Valapattanam) along with rivers and cuts marked is shown as Figure 2.0 below.

Figure 2.0. Proposed Alignment (Mahe – Valapattanam)

The first cut starts at Kurulikavu Thekethalakal road, cutting across Keezhmadam - Kallikandy road, Nawaz Masjid road, Kanamvelly street road, SH 38, and Thalassery- Panoor road and finally ending the first cut at Eranjoly river near Chandalapuzha weir. Then along Eranjoly river, it reaches the second cut – cutting across Kolassery road and Thalassery – Irikur road. The second cut (0.7 km) is then ending at Dharmadom river. From Dharmadom river, the proposed alignment is along Anjarakandy river and reaches the third cut (15 km) – cutting across Kulam Mammakunnu road, Edakkad- Kadachira road, SH 38, Chovya road and Kannur Mattanur road. From third cut the inland waterway is aligned to Valapattanam river.

3. Reconnaissance Visit and Collection and Review of Literature

With the project components availed in detail, a reconnaissance visit along the project area and its immediate influencing areas will be executed towards a preliminary understanding of the environmental profile of region. This will be continued with the collection and review of literature from various published resources towards assessing the critical environmental features associated with the project.

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4. Delineating the study area

As per the guideline, the study area for the proposed EIA Study falls in areal distance of 15km along the project region. While the essential primary data will be collected for the 500m from the center line of proposed waterway, the secondary data will be collected for the wider stretch of 15km around the project area. This is to essentially understand the induced impacts if any in the project region, due to the project intervention. The study area will be primarily delineated in a satellite imagery of high resolution with respect to land, water bodies, settlements and other cultural features. This will be followed by a detailed site visit for preparation of an environmental inventory.

5. Establishing Baseline Environmental Profile of the Project Area

The impacts of the proposed waterway development components fall in to three phases of project including

 Pre-construction phase  Construction phase  Operation phase.

In order to understand the changes induced by a project and to ensure that the proposed developments does not exceed the environmental standard set forth, it is essential that the baseline environmental profile of the project region has to be established in detail. This will essentially lead to analyses the impacts due to the project interventions towards deriving the most appropriate mitigation measures and will act as a benchmark to ensure environmental safeguard during the course of the implementation and operation of the proposed project.

Baseline environmental profile of project region will be established through the various environmental attributes such as land, water, soil, biological, and Noise and Socio Economic (SE) environment and a brief methodology for establishing the baseline profile is as follows:

5.1 Land Environment

The land use pattern of the project location and its neighboring areas shall be established through developing a land use map using the Google Earth image, the primary baseline data will be collected in the right of way as well as the area falling within 500 meters on either side of right of way and secondary data will be collected within 15 km aerial distance as specifically mentioned at para 9 (iii) of Form I of EIA Notification, 2006 and validation through secondary data and reconnaissance surveys. The land availability for the project activities will be checked and confirmed.

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5.1.1 Topography

Topography of the area will be assessed through the bathymetric charts available for the river portion and the photogrametry survey (drone survey) conducted for the uncut portion. For right of way as well as the area falling within 500 meters on the either side of the right of way one from the project areas, the topographical profile of the project area including terrain features such as relief and slope, land use pattern, habitation, cropping pattern and forest cover will be established through the district planning maps available for the project areas and also confirmed through reconnaissance surveys and previous studies on the project areas.

5.1.2 Geology

Geological profile of the project area will be established through the secondary data available for the project area including the earlier studies. Seismic setting of the project area will be presented as given in the seismic zone map of India. Information on the various mineral resources of the project area will be established through published records.

5.1.3 Soil

Soil profile of the project area covering right of way as well as the area falling within 500 meters on the either side of the right of way, for the immediate vicinity will be established through the soil survey maps published by Directorate of Soil Survey, Government of Kerala.The site for the excavated soil from the proposed site will be identified and reserved for reuse.

The excavted good quality soil will be reused for various purpose such as landscaping.The soil samples will be collectes from various locations and its quality will be moniterd.

5.2 Water Environment

Water quality form a critical part of a project like this where water quality variation is critical when a new canal is built for this purpose. The salinity migration may have impact on the settlements along the way and also the activities along the agricultural area. The water quality profile of the project region will be established through a scientifically designed water quality monitoring network covering the various water bodies along the way i.e., which is having/devoid of tidal influence, paddy and wetland areas. While the availability of water will be established along with technical feasibility studies, the resultant variation in quality and quantity would be addressed as part to the study and suitable intervention required to curb the impact due to mixing of water will be presented as mitigation measure in the study.

5.2.1 Ground Water

Baseline data for the ground water quality along the project region will be established through ground water quality data already available or through sampling and analysis by a NABL

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accredited agency. The water samples will be collected from selected monitoring locations in and out the project vicinity.

Further the general ground water profile of the project region will be presented through the published reports available with the various agencies.

5.2.2 Surface Water

The surface water quality of the project region will be established through water sampling and analysis at different stations with in 5 km of the project site.

5.2.3 Coastal Hydrology

The available data on tide, currents and waves will be compiled and presented. The bathymetric chart prepared for the project area will be presented.Acoording to the bathymetric survey conducted, the total average quantity of dredging was estimated to be 90963.166 m3 for a proposed draft of 1.5 m.The quantity of dredging for each river is given in the Table 2.0 below.

Table 2.0. Dredging Quantity requirements Sl No. River Quantity of Dredging required(m3) 1 Mahe river 2934.5 2 Dharmadon river 257924.6 3 Valappattanm river 12030.4

Total Average Quantity 90963.166

5.3 Meteorology

The climatological data of the study area consisting of wind speed, wind direction, temperature cloud cover humidity and rainfall shall be collected from the nearby IMD station. The historical data on climate conditions such as wind pattern, history of storm surge, cyclones, earthquake etc. for the last 25 years shall be collected from the secondary data available with the various line departments. The onsite monitoring of the meteorological aspects would be made only at a representative site for 1 week.

5.4 Ambient Air Quality (AAQ)

AAQ will be monitored by choosing locations to represent AAQ status of the project area as per CPCB guidelines so as to represent residential, commercial and other sensitive locations along the alignment and to compare the conformance with NAAQ standards. The parameters which will essentially form part of the monitoring include CO, PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NOX.

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Comparing with the environmental inventory made during the site visit indicating pollution sources if any that could have an impact on the AAQ of the project region, the inducing impacts if any during the construction and operation phase of the project will be analyzed in detail during the impact assessment.

However, as per the alignment under consideration, it is primafacia understood that, there is no major air polluting sources and is devoid of major industrial activities.

5.5 Nosie Environment

Baseline data of the ambient Nosie level of the project area shall be established through ambient noise monitoring network at various locations along the project region considering the various land use pattern of the project region in line with the Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules.

5.6 Biological Environment

This component will be studied in detail considering that the alignment fall along diverse ecological settings including human settlements, marshy lands including aquatic flora and fauna, paddy/wetland areas, salinity intruding areas and the proposal involves connecting water courses.

Both terrestrial and aquatic components along the project corridor would be recorded based on secondary data as well as sampling and analysis of primary data. In case of rivers or any other water bodies, the biological investigation will be complied through scientific monitoring and analysis of the aquatic flora and fauna along the region. Since there are areas where the salinity is migrating and mangroves are present associated flora and fauna will be recorded as part of the EIA Study. Appropriate mitigation measures or conservation measures would be integrated into the project design as part of the EIA Study.

In case of the areas where new canal to be constructed, tree inventory will be made with specification of species, height, girth and in order to compensate for the tree felling requirement compensatory plantation would be suggested as part of the study with selective species which are endemic to the project area.

5.7 Socio Economic Environment (SE)

Socio Economic environment can be established through census data and related official records for critical attributes such as population, employment and health status etc. The study will also include Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) along the project region to understand the perceptions of the public about the project and the extend of the social impact in the project region. Where the land acquisition is required, it is essential that the land acquisition has to follow the prevailing rules of The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RTFCTLARR Act 2013) and also the

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local rules which are prevailing under the state law. Since SIA and R&R are part of study the same would be integrated in the EIA Report.

6. Analysis of Alternatives & EIA Study

It is essential that the various alternative alignments proposed for this present waterway is to be understood details on the merits and demerits on the environmental and SE profile. In due consideration of the various alternatives studied, the best alternative which will have least environmental, economic and social impact would be identified or suggested as part of the study as the most feasible option.

EIA will be executed through matrix method where environmental attributes and impacts on the environmental attributes will be cross analysed. Activities proposed during the pre- construction, construction and operation phase will be listed against the impact probability and for each stage the environmental impacts on the various environmental attributes will be marked as minimum medium or high and for which the environmental management plan (EMP) will specify the mitigation measures such as avoid, minimize, or mitigate.

7. Preparation of EMP & Environmental Monitoring Plan

For the most suitable option environment impact on various environmental attributes as discussed above due to the proposed activities shall be assessed in detail further to derive and effective EMP including Environmental Monitoring plan. Both block cost estimate for implementing EMP also will be worked out. The generic structure of EIA report proposed in guidance manual of MoEF&CC for EIA studies for ports, harbors, marine terminals breakwaters and dredging will be taken as reference with appropriate modification to suite the present project towards preparing the EIA report.

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Annexure I

Proposed Baseline Environmental Sampling Plan

Sl. Environmental Parameters to be analysed and Frequency of Monitoring No Attribute to be presented in Analysis Report Monitored 1 Ambient Air PM10 (µg/m3), PM 2.5 (µg/m3) One continuous sample for Quality 24 hr and as per CPCB guidelines @ 3 locations. 1.Sensitive areas 2.Residential areas 3.Industrial areas SO2 (µg/m3), NOX (µg/m3), CO Three 8-hourly samples for (mg/m3) 24 hours and as per CPCB guide lines @ 3 locations 1.Sensitive areas 2.Residential areas 3.Industrial areas 2 Ground Water pH, temperature, turbidity, magnesium Quality hardness, total alkalinity, chloride, sulphate, nitrate, fluoride, sodium, Surface Water potassium, salinity, total nitrogen , total Quality. phosphorous, DO, BOD, OD, Heavy metals, Total coliforms, faecal coliforms Marine Water Salinity , Temperature (°C), TSS (mg/l), Quality pH, BOD (mg/l),Nutrients, Heavy metal Three Sample @ One ( Mercury, Lead and Cadmium), Trace location. metal, DO, Colour and odour, Floating matter, Turbidity, Faecal coliform, Sludge deposits , solid refuse floating solids, oil grease and scum, Dissolved Iron (as Fe) (mg/l), Dissolved Manganese (as Mn) (mg/l), Biochemical oxygen demand (mg/l),petroleum hydrocarbons and phenols. 3 Biological Group of Sampling Measurement Frequency of Monitoring Parameters Organism Method Phytoplan Water Number One Sample @ Three kton sampling off/cells location Zooplankt Net Weight of One Sample @ Three on sampling collected location or water material and sampling number of individuals Bacteria water Aerobic viable One Sample @ Three sampling count location Sea weed Quadrant Weight One Sample @ Three sampling location Attached Quadrant Weight One Sample @ Three organism sampling species and location

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Sl. Environmental Parameters to be analysed and Frequency of Monitoring No Attribute to be presented in Analysis Report Monitored number of individuals Benthic Bottom Weight One Sample @ Three organisms sediment species and location sampling number of individuals 4 Sediment Quality Particle size Distribution, pH, Colour, One Sample @ One location Smell, Oil & grease, Organic material, Concentration of organic total nitrogen, Phosphorous, Sulphide, Heavy metal. 5 Noise Level - Noise Level (dB) in L10, L50, L90, Hourly samples for 24 hours Continuously for Leq, Leqday, Leqnight, Leqdn @Three location one day @one location 6 Soil Quality Colour, texture, water holding capacity, One sample @ one location porosity, permeability, Electrical conductivity, pH, Organic matter,Nitrogen,Phosphorous,Calcium,M agnesium,Pottasium,Sodium,Sodium Absorption Ratio(SAR)

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