E2008 V3

China

Public Disclosure Authorized -Gangzhou Railway Project Environmental Impact Assessment Executive Summary October, 2008

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Guiyang- Railway Project Environmental Impact Assessment Executive Summary

INTRODUCTION

Background

This document summarizes the environment impact assessment of the Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Project in , highlighting the main issues and conclusions of the environment impact assessment and environment management plan of the project.

According to both Chinese Environmental Assessment laws and regulations and the World Bank’s Operational Policy 4.01 Environmental Assessment, the proposed project is Category A for environmental assessment purposes, due to the scale and significance of potential environmental and social impacts and the sensitivity of the project areas. Therefore, a full environmental assessment report was required.

The Ministry of Railways (MOR) retained China Railway Second Survey and Design Institute (SSDI) and China Railway Fourth Survey and Design Institute (FSDI) for EA preparation. Both institutes hold Class A environmental impact assessment accreditation from the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP). SSDI is responsible for the section Guiyang to section (K0+000-K597+650), and FSDI is responsible for the section Hezhou to Guangzhou section (K567+200-K823+513). Accordingly, two separate EIA reports were prepared following relevant provisions specified in Chinese EA laws/regulations and technical guidelines, as well as World Bank safeguard policies. A Consolidated EA and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) 1 in English were prepared by SSDI to synthesize the two separate EIA reports. This Executive Summary is based on these reports, as well as feasibility studies carried out for the project, and karstic cave assessment and cultural resources surveys.

The EA reports and EMP were submitted to the World Bank for review and they conform fully to Bank policy guidelines regarding environmental and social issues. All above reports have been made available in China and in the Public Information Center (INFOSHOP) of the World Bank. The Chinese EA reports were approved by Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) on May 14, 2008.

As designed, the project (i) incorporated effective analysis of alternatives and engineering measures (76% of the line as tunnels and bridges) to maximize project benefits and eliminate significant grade impacts that would have occurred; (ii) will not adversely affect or convert critical natural habitats; (ii) will not adversely affect resources of high cultural value; (iii) will not negatively affect ethnic minorities but rather provide opportunities for their own development; (iv) will have minimized the need for resettlement and will provide adequate and just compensation and income restoration for affected peoples; and (v) includes a framework for addressing environmental and social issues during construction and operation of the project.

Project Objectives

The Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line (GRL) will be an important interregional railway corridor, passing through three provinces (Guizhou, and ). The line is part of the MOR’s network

1 New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line Project, Environmental Impact Report, Environmental Management Program; China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Go., Ltd., GHPZ JZ No.3210, China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd., GHPZ JZ No.2605, June 2008. expansion plan. This line will provide a short and direct linkage of the relatively less-developed provinces of northwestern China with the region, one of the most developed areas in China. It will access Sichuan Province, and northwest China via the Sichuan-Guizhou Railway Line and -Chongqing Railway Line to the north; link to Yunnan Province via the Guiyang- Railway Line in the west; stretch to Pearl River Delta, the developed areas of Hong Kong and Macao, as well as the Economic Zone in Fujian and Taiwan, via the Guangzhou--Hong Kong Passenger Dedicated Railway Line and the Coastal Express Rail Link in the south; and reach the coastal areas of Guangxi and Hainan via the Hengyang- Railway Line and Litang- Railway Line. It will be a high standard inter-regional trunk railway line for both passenger and freight transportation, with passenger transportation as a priority.

Environmental Assessment Process and Legal Framework

A full Environmental Assessment (EA) was carried out following terms of reference agreed with the World Bank. The terms of reference were discussed in public meetings. The project triggered the following World Bank policies: Environmental Assessment; Natural Habitats; Indigenous Peoples; Involuntary Resettlement; and Physical Cultural Resources. Compliance with these policies, and the World Bank’s disclosure of information policy, is summarized in Table 1. The project is also in full compliance with environmental policies and regulations in China, summarized in Table 2.

Table 1 - Compliance World Bank Safeguards Policies Safeguard Policies Actions Environmental Assessment - Category A project. Full EIA and EMP have been prepared. (OP/BP 4.01) Natural Habitats - Alignment alternatives to avoid natural habitats (OP/BP 4.04) - Adequate assessment of impacted protected areas and mitigation measures incorporated in EMP Physical Cultural - Archeological survey conducted along alignment Resources - Alignment alternatives to avoid cultural relics sites (OP/BP 4.11) - Chance procedures developed in EMP Involuntary Resettlement - Resettlement Action Plan has been prepared (OP/BP 4.12) Indigenous Peoples - Social Assessment has been conducted (OP/BP 4.10) - Ethnic Minority Indigenous Plan has been developed Consultation - A combination of opinion surveys and public meetings were held in the township government, village committee and affected villagers’ homes during preparation of the EIA and Resettlement Action Plan and Ethnic Minority Plan

Project Description

When completed, the GRL will comprise a new 857 km double track railway line from Guiyang in the Guizhou Province, passing through the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and ending in the City of Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province in South China. The total investment is expected to be near RMB 80 million Yuan (US$ 11.8 billion), including a World Bank loan of US$ 300 million. The construction period is expected to be six years, starting in late 2008 and expected commissioning by early 2015The location, alignment and main technical characteristics of the railway line are presented in Figure 1.

The GRL will have 35 stations, including 5 main passenger stations, 15 intermediate stations and 15 by-pass stations. Eight stations expand existing stations, and 27 stations will be newly built. Table 2 - Compliance with Chinese Regulations China Laws and Regulations Project Compliance Environmental Protection Law EIA is prepared according to relevant laws/regulations and technical guidelines Mitigation measures are developed in EMP and incorporated into project design, and are to be implemented and supervised during construction Final acceptance inspection will be carried out before commissioning. Environmental Impact Assessment Full EIA report is prepared, and approved by Ministry of Environmental Protection Law A dedicated Water and Soil Conservation Plan is developed and approved by water resources authorities Notice on Strengthening EIA EIA and EMP are prepared in compliance with World Bank OP4.01. Management for Construction Projects Funded by Loans from International Financial Institutions Environmental Protection Mitigation measures are developed in EMP and incorporated into project design, and Management Regulations for are to be implemented and supervised during construction. Transport Project Final acceptance inspection will be carried out by MEP before commissioning. Solid Waste Pollution Prevention A Water and Soil Conservation Plan is developed, and incorporated into EMP and and Control Law contracts for implementation All waste spoils will be reused or properly disposed of in preselected and approved disposal sites with re-vegetation plan Water Pollution Prevention and Mitigation measures are built into EMP Control Law The alignment is carefully chosen to avoid drinking water resource protection areas Forestry Law The alignment is designed with tunnel-bridge-tunnel scheme to minimize occupation of forestry land Legal procedures will be followed for land acquisition and compensation for restoration Wildlife Protection Law Alignment is carefully chosen to avoid protected natural habitats Tunnel-bridge-tunnel scheme is adopted to minimize segmentation impact Potential impact is thoroughly addressed in EIA, and necessary mitigation measures developed in EMP Wild Plants Protection Regulations Alignment is carefully chosen to avoid protected natural reserves Protected wild plants are identified and protection measures developed Nature Reserve Protection Alignment is carefully chosen to avoid protected natural reserves Regulations For un-avoidable reserves, alignment is arranged in Experimental Zone using tunnel scheme to minimize impact Other necessary measures are developed in EMP Scenic Area Management Alignment is carefully chosen to avoid scenic areas as much as possible Regulations For un-avoidable scenic areas, alignment is arranged to avoid main scenic spots Greening plan and special design of stations are developed to be harmonious with the landscape Water and Soil Conservation Law A Water and Soil Conservation Plan is developed, and incorporated into EMP and contracts for implementation Urban Old and Famous Trees Alternative alignment is studied to avoid old and famous trees to the extent possible Management Method Un-avoidable trees will be relocated following applicable legal procedures Notice on Strengthening National Extensive greening plan is designed along the railway line following relevant technical Green Corridor Construction by guidelines State Council Cultural Property Law Cultural property survey along the whole line has been conducted by licensed archeological institutes. Alignment is fine-tuned to avoid existing cultural relics sites Chance-find procedure will be strictly followed. Notice on Strengthening Noise Noise impact is thoroughly assessed following EIA technical guidelines Pollution Control of Railway Noise mitigation measures (noise barriers, sound-insulation windows, seamless rail, noise damping system etc.) are designed to mitigate noise impact Figure 1. Alignment. With the start Main technical Specifications of the Guiguang Railway point at Guiyang North Railway Length: 857.300km Station in Guiyang, it extends Embankment: 218 km; northwards to Duyun by passing Bridges: 191 Km; through Doupeng Mountain via Tunnels: 476 Km. Longli, travels from Sandu to Distance in center line of two tracks: 4.6m Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Minimum curve radius: 3,500 m. On difficult locations sharper Region along Duliu River, Rongjiang curves shall be tolerated. River and Congjiang River. Then it Maximum grade: 18 in 1000, between Guiyang and Hezhou and 9 enters into the territory of Guangdong in 1000 between Hezhou and Guangzhou. via Rongjiang River, Jiaozuo- Effective length of departure traK: 850m for freight and 650m for Railway, Sanjiang county of passenger trains. Liuzhou city, Taiping Mountain Traction: Electric 25kV 50 Hz Tunnel, Lijiang River at , Train type: Electric Multiple Units for 200 km/h trains and electric Gongcheng and Hezhou. The railway locomotives for slower passenger trains and freight trains finally reaches the railway terminal in Train operation control: Automatic Traffic management control: Guangzhou, Guangzhou New Centralized Traffic Control Railway Station, via Huaiji, Beijiang Minimum headway between trains: 4 minutes for passenger trains River, Zhaoqing, Sanshui and Fosha. and 5 minutes for freight trains. Axle load: 25 tons Rail: New 60 kg/m rails of 100m length, continuous welded (CWR)

Guiyang Guangzhou

Guangzhou ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES

Regional Corridors

The feasibility study analyzed alternative alignments for the railway line, location of terminals, and approaches to urban areas. Three regional corridors were studied: A Northern line scheme via Huaihua and partially follows the existing Zhuzhou-Liupanshui railway and the -Guangzhou Railway; a Central line scheme via Guilin and Hezhou; and a Southern line via Liuzhou and Wuzho, which partially follows the existing Guiyang –Liuzhou railway. Alternative corridors are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 –Alternative Regional Corridors

Northern Line Central Line

Southern Line

A comparative analysis of these three corridors was carried out taking into consideration the current situation and development planning of the regional railways. At this stage, the main factors considered were regional economic and social development, poverty alleviation impacts, and potential tourism development as well as financial and technical considerations. Site specific environmental concerns could not be meaningfully examined at this macro-scale analysis.

The Central line scheme was selected as the most efficient express passage connecting the southwest and northwest of China and Pearl River delta areas. It can effectively expand the scale of the regional railway network, and will bring about the largest potential benefits of poverty alleviation, local economic development, tourism development which is highly consistent with the spirit of MOR and the provinces.

Alternative Alignment for Sections

The process of alignment selection has been perhaps the most important environmental tool for this project. Alternative alignments for various sections have been extensively studied to choose the optimal scheme in terms of environmental and social impact, technical feasibility and financial and economic benefits. Consultation with local governments and relevant authorities in charge of environmental sensitive areas were conducted and fully incorporated into the alternative selection process. An important restriction for the selection of the alignment has been the need for connecting economic hubs along the railway line. These include Guiyang, Duyun, Rongjiang, Congjiang, Sanjiang, Guilin, Gongcheng, Zhongshan and Hezhou, with comparatively long distance between each other (40-50km in average). As stations are needed in each economic hub, it was a challenge to reach an optimal compatibility of route selection and location of stations.

6 Based on the special geographical location, geological conditions and functional/technical standards of the railway, the concept of environmental protection was the most important limitation in alignment location during the pre-feasibility and feasibility study stages. Considerable effort has been made to avoid ecologically sensitive areas, geologically unstable areas, floodplains and wetlands, relocation of houses, cultivated lands, and cultural resources in order to ensure the environmental and social feasibility of the alignment. The final alignment thus minimizes environmental and social impacts, avoids natural hazards, and connects the economic hubs in the region.

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING

A necessary and important element of the EA was the baseline research that describes the physical, ecological, and social characteristics of the project area. The project area is rather complex, particularly from the socio-economic and ecological perspectives. A detailed environmental baseline was needed to highlight locations of highest potential impact. The Guiguang Railway line will traverse a wide variety of ecosystems and landscapes from the flood plains of major rivers to steep and strikingly beautiful mountains. The line will traverse heavily populated (megacities) areas mainly at both ends of the line, as well as rural areas with dispersed populations and ethnic minority communities. These widespread variations of urban, rural and natural landscapes and social situations will require careful planning and supervision during construction and operation.

Physical Setting

Landforms: The line will traverse five geological landform ranging from alluvial plains of the Pearl River, plateaus and low tectonic mountains, karst low mountains, and middle and low mountains, and hilly areas

Karst and Karst caves: China has 5 karst World Heritage properties. The South China Karts was inscribed in 2007 and includes three sites (Wulong in Chongqing, Shillin in Yunnan, and Libo.2 However, the most iconic sites-the lower karst landscape near the between Guiling and Yangshuo, are not included in the serial World Heritage list nomination.3 The line will cross important karst formation mainly in the sections of Guiyang – Sandu and Wutong – Hezhou where tunnel construction may have interaction with groundwater. The line will traverse neither the sites nor the Guiling-Yangshuo areas. Karst caves in the area along the line are mostly distributed at Guiyang-Sandu and Wutong-Hezhou Sections, with 68 karst caves within 300m from both sides of the railway line. The area between Guiyang and Sandu is a middle and low mountainous area of plateau denudation and solution, while the area between Wutong and Hezhou is a middle denudation mountains, low karst mountains and hilly areas in northeast of Guangxi.

2 IUCN: “World Heritage Caves and Karst” a Thematic Study, IUCN World heritage Studies, Number 2, 2008. 3 The Guiling-Yangshuo landcape is featured in traditional art and even in bank notes in China. 7 Water Systems: The railway line crosses two major river systems: the Yangtze River and Pearl River basins. Divided by Miaoling Mountain, the area in the north belongs to the Yangtze River Water System, where the railway line crosses the Qingshuihe and the Qingshui rivers. The area in the south of Miaoling Mountain belongs to the Pearl River Water System, where the railway line mainly crosses the Duliu River, Rongjiang River, Lijiang River, Hejiang River, Beijiang River. In total, the alignment will cross 52 rivers and canals. Natural Hazards: Unfavorable geological conditions along the railway line include a wide variety of hazards such as rock and landslides, active mining areas, dangerous rock formations, soft soils, red and liquefiable foundation soils. The line also crosses floodplains of major rivers. The project has either avoided these areas or designed adequate engineering structures and measures to cross them.

Sensitive Ecosystems

Reserves, Parks, Scenic Areas., Water Sources, and Cultural Resources. Field surveys were conducted along the corridor to identify environmental sensitive. Although extensive effort has been made for alternative alignment selection in order to avoid environmental, social and cultural sensitive areas, the proposed final alignment will inevitably pass some nature reserves, forest parks, scenic area, drinking water resource protection area, as well as urban areas. According to Chinese laws and regulations, the definition of these terms and the restrictions for infrastructure construction are presented in Table 3.

Table 3 - Definition of Sensitive Sites in China Protected Area Description and Restrictions Nature Reserve - Nature Reserve is legally protected land, surface water body or sea area which features typical natural ecological system, natural concentrated habitats for rare or endangered wildlife, or natural relics with special meaning.” - Nature reserves are classified into three zones: Core Zone, Buffer Zone, and Experimental Zone. No one is allowed to enter the Core Zone without approval. For the Buffer Zone, only scientific research and observation activities are allowed. The periphery of the Buffer Zone is an Experimental Zone. Scientific experiments, teaching training, visit and observation, tourism and taming and breeding rare and endangered wild animals and plants and other activities are allowed. -Road and railway projects within Experimental Zone are allowed, subject to approval of the nature reserve management authority. Forest Park - Forest park is an area with beautiful forest view, concentrated natural view and human cultural landscape designed for the purpose of tourism, rest, or science, cultural or education activities.” - There are three levels of forest park, i.e. national, provincial and city/county level, whose establishment shall be approved by national, provincial and municipal forest bureau respectively. - Railway project is allowed, subject to agreement of forest park management authority and approval of corresponding level of government. Scenic Area - Scenic area is an area with view, cultural or scientific value, features concentrated natural or human landscape and beautiful environment, and serves the purpose of tourism, scientific or cultural activities.” - Construction projects within scenic area should be consistent with area planning and compatible with landscape. Railways are allowed subject to approval of the scenic area management authority. Water Resource -Water resource protection area is a certain area of water body and land designated for prevention Protection Area of pollution on drinking water sources and protection of environmental quality of the area.” - Surface water resource protection area normally includes Class 1 protection area and Class2 protection area. The boundary of the protection areas is determined by local governments. The general guideline is, for water intake in normal rivers, Class 1 protection area includes river section between at least 1000m upstream and 100 m downstream, and river bank within no less than 50 m; Class 2 protection area include river section extending 2000m upstream and 200 m downstream from the border of Class 1 area. A semi-protection area can be determined outside the Class 2 protection boundary. - Railway project is allowed in Class 2 protection area and semi-protection area.

8 Rare Plants and Fauna Species of Concern. Plant species in the project alignment are mostly common species of sub-tropical region, with no stenok plants (specifically endemic species) found within the assessment area. Ancient and old trees are under special protection in China. There are two types of national class II protected plants, i.e. camphortree (17 trees) and Cibotium barometz (50 trees) found in Datian, Qingchi, Dayuan Power Plant and Shoucheng Natural Reserve within the land acquisition requirements of the project. In addition, there are 10 old tress (banyan, sweetgum, Castanopsis hystrix, Michelia foveolata var.cinerascens and Schima Su-perba Gardn.et Champ) found in Chaolidong and nearby Rongjiangyue Village. These trees have been identified and referenced along the alignment. Fauna resources were analyzed based on existing data from research institutes, nature reserve management authorities and other relevant local governments, as well as consultation with local villagers, forest guards, animal protection organizations and herb medicine collectors during field surveys. There are 27 species of rare and endangered animals under protection, among which 5 species are large mammals and 22 species are birds, along the Guiyang-Hezhou section corridor. These protected animals include some National Class I protected animals such as Moschus berezovskii, Syrmaticus ellioti, Tragopan caboti, and National Class II protected animals, like the macaque, Macaca thibetana, Viverricula indica, Prionodon pardicolor spotted linsang, Glaucidium brodiei, Glaucidium cuculoides, Falco tinnunculus common kestrel, Aviceda leuphotes syama, Accipiter nisus, Greater Coucal, Lesser Coucal, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Greater Coucal, and Asio flammeus.. The main habitats for these protected animals are core zones of Longjiashan National Forest Park and Shoucheng Natural Reserve. However, they are found occasionally in other places along the alignment. The Hezhou-Guangzhou section presents even a more reduced number of rare and endangered species with only 6 species of rare animals under protection, including two national Class II protected animals, i.e. tiger frog and rasse, and four protected animals at the provincial level in Guangzhou: Chinese Pond-Heron, aigrette, porcupine and ocelot. These animals are rarely found in the assessment area given the scarcity of adequate habitats for these species along the railway corridor. Socioeconomic Setting

The project will be constructed in the economically underdeveloped regions of Guizhou and Guangxi, where the traffic by waterways, highways and airlines is comparatively lagging. The project areas are mainly rural and poor, and experiences serous unbalance of social and economic development whose eastern part in Guangdong is much developed, with a GDP per capita 69286 yuan and 3277 yuan per capita in Qiannan Prefecture in the western section in Guizhou and Guangxi. Although the alignment goes primarily through rural areas; it will also cross megacities such as Guangzhou, Fushan, Guilin and Guiyang.

The project corridor also presents a rich cultural diversity. There are six ethnic minority groups (Buyi, Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong, and Shui) with a total population of more than 125 thousands minority people in the project counties. There are three minority townships, four minority autonomy counties, two minority autonomy prefectures and one minority autonomy regions affected by the project. There are 1600 ethnic minority households that will be affected by the project.

ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS AND MITIGATION

As all transportation projects, the GRL will have the potential to cause direct, indirect, or cumulative impacts to the social and natural environments. The Railway Line is anticipated to have beneficial impacts related to increased mobility and promote economic development in impoverished regions of southern China. Manageable adverse impacts are primarily related to (i) crossing sensitive sites such as nature reserves and forest parks, areas of cultural value, and scenic areas; (ii) community impacts such as resettlement in urban and rural areas, community severance, impacts on ethnic minorities, and noise and vibration; and (iii) induced and scenic impacts; and (iv) impacts during construction.

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The project has implemented a three-fold approach to minimize environmental and social impacts:

(1) Avoidance: Alternative analysis has been regarded as one of the most important mitigation measures to minimize potential adverse environmental and social impact.

(2) Sound Engineering: The project has been designed with state-of-the art engineering. Using tunnel-bridge-tunnel schemes will avoid most sensitive issues. Close to 76% of the line comprise tunnels and bridges as shown below. This will avoid most impacts at grade, that otherwise would have resulted without this extensive use of tunnels and bridges.

Infrastructure Length % of length Embankment 218 km 24% Bridges and 342 bridges (191.6 km total length), including 71 extra long 20% viaducts bridges (126.7 km length). Longest bridge is 1651m long. 988 culverts (total 34.3 km length) would be constructed. Tunnels 240 tunnels totaling 476.6 km, 40 tunnels are over 3 km long.. 56% Longest tunnels: Gelaoshen 14.8 km and Yanshan 14.7 km.

(3) Comprehensive Mitigation plans: detailed environmental design plans (green corridors and landscaping) environmental management plans, construction management, resettlement action plans, and ethnic minority plans have been prepared in order to minimize unavoidable impacts from the project.

Crossing Sensitive Areas

Perhaps the most environmentally and socially sensitive component of the proposed project will be the construction and operation of the railway line through environmentally and socially sensitive areas. There are 48 environmental sensitive sites identified along the project corridor. Various alternatives were studied and the final proposed alignment successfully avoided 40 environmental sensitive areas. However, due to the distribution of economic hubs and special natural conditions along the line, there remain around 8 environmentally sensitive areas that would be impacted.These include: (1) Longjiashan National Forest Park, (2) Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area, provincial level, (3) Congjiang Scenic Area, provincial level, (4) Liping Dongxiang National Scenic Area in Guizhou, (5) Shoucheng Nature Reserve, autonomous region level, (6) Yangshuo National Forest Park, (7) Gongcheng class I source water protection area, and (8) Lianhua-Gulou Cultural Relics Protection Unit, county level, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Nature Reserves. There are 8 nature reserves of various levels in the project corridor (Table 4). The alignment has been carefully shifted to avoid these sensitive sites to the extent possible. The final alignment avoided 7 reserves by at least 300 m. but has to cross the Shoucheng Nature Reserve (provincial level) through a tunnel. This crossing has received special attention during project design.

Forest Parks: There are 4 national level forest parks (Table 5). The alignment has been carefully shifted to avoid 2 parks, but it will pass through the Longjiashan Park and the Yangshuo Park.

Special aspects of the crossings of this nature reserve and parks are presented in Box 1.

10 Box 1 - Special Considerations in Crossing Nature Reserves and Parks Crossing theShoucheng Nature Reserve: The railway will cross the Shoucheng Natural Crossing Longjiashan National Forest Park. The length of railway within the park boundary Reserves mainly by tunnels (15.264km) and only 1036 meters will be exposed between the will be 5.72 km but tunnel and bridges will account for 70%. The total land occupation will exit of Tiaopingshan Tunnel and the entrance to the Jiangjiashan Tunnel, joined by 4 be only 9.8 ha, including 1.3 ha of dry land, 0.1 ha of rice field and 7.7 ha of planted forest. bridges (668.4m long total), with the height from the rail foot in the bridges to the tunnel The rural road network within the park can be used as access roads. Construction camps, bottom of more than 8.5m with a maximum of 23m, to ensure free passages of animals. No material storage yards and spoil disposal sites will be located outside the park. The irreversible impacts will be generated on habitats over the tunnels, and the proposed alignment is more than 3 km away from the park’s scenic areas. railway line will not fragment habitats in the reserve.

Camp sites outside the park Existing rural road as access road Portal of Tianpingshan Pingtu No.2 Bridge tunel

Spoil disposal sites outside the park Spoil disposal sites outside the park Existing access road Tingjiang creek in the (K45+40) (K49+90)

The total land occupation by all infrastructures in the Soucheng Nature Reserve will be 4.6 ha. The natural vegetation around and under bridges, subgrade and construction access roads are mostly common plants species, like Castanopsis carlesii, Castanopsis fargesii, Yangshuo National Forest Park. The railway alignment will pass through the edge Castanopsis fabri, Castanopsis eyrei, moso bamboo, sweetgum forest, Mallotus japonicus of the Park, with total length within the boundary of Park of only 587.m, of which forest, slash pine forest and rice paddy. About 50 Cibotium barometzs plants (National 574 m is tunnel and 13 m is bridge. The area of this 13 m section is orchard land. Grade II protected plant) will be affected. These plants will be relocated as required by Chinese law, thus the impact on vegetation will be further mitigated. Existing roads can be used as access after being strengthened but the entrance portal of the Tianpingshan Tunnel will need a 5km access road. Spoils from tunnel will be used for embankment and disposal sites will be located outside the protected area.

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Table 4 - Nature Reserves in Project Corridor Name of natural reverse Area Main protection object Location relation with the (ha) railway line Arha Reservoir Natural 19000 Water resources 1.5 km Reserve(City level) Duyun Doupengshan water Water conservation forest and rare conservation forest Natural 4233 2 km wild animals and plants Reserve(County level) Guiding Doupengshan water Subtropical evergreen broad-leaved conservation forest Natural 2038 deciduous forest and rare animals and 2 km Reserve (County level) plants Duyun Luosike water conservation forest Natural 4500 Water conservation forest 1km Reserve(county level) Huaping Natural Reserve Silver fir and typical evergreen broad- 17400 1km (national level) leaved forest ecological system Haiyangshan Natural Monsoon evergreen broad-leaved 90400 300m Reserve(provincial level) forest, water conservation forest Shoucheng Natural Reserve K366+800-K383+100 will Monsoon evergreen broad-leaved (provincial level) 75900 pass through by tunnels, forest, water conservation forest subgrade and bridges Yindianshan Natural Reserve 48000 Monsoon evergreen broad-leaved Railway line is out of reserve (provincial level) forest, water conservation forest boundary, and agreed with reserve authority.

.Table 5 - Forest Parks in the Railway Corridor Name of Area General situation and main scenic araes Location relation with the railway line Forest Park (Ha) Changpoling 1075 Five scenic areass; Yinghua lake, woods and 100m Forest Park grassland, Duxi Wood Yard; two ethnic villages. Longjiashan The park is composed of three view scenic areas, K37524.68-K41+000 section crosses Forest Park 2031 Longjiashan, Houzigou and Xiangshuihe Longjiashan scenic area and K45+850- K48+100 section crosses Xiangshuihe scenic area Qingyunfu The park covers Qingyunhu scenic spot, 2 km Forest Park 2980 Shimenhu scenic spot and Luosike scenic spot Yangshuo There are more than 10 gorges, 26 brooks and 19 K475+416-K476+153.05 section crosses National 3391 waterfalls of different sizes in the park the southwestern edge of the forest park Forest Park

All crossings of reserves and parks were consulted and agreed with management authorities. For instance, a report requested by the Guanxi Forestry Bureau on the impacts on the reserve was completed in March 2008. Based on this study, reviewed by a panel of experts organized by the Bureau, the Bureau agreed with the selected alignment and requested additional mitigation measures, all complied with, such as: • 50 affected Cibotium barometzs shall be transplanted in nearby similar environment • Spoils will be disposed of in pre-identified disposal sites outside the reserve, a retaining wall shall be constructed to fence the spoil area, and trees shall be planted for reclamation • Native species (fir, moso bamboo, Castanopsis carlesii, Castanopsis eyrei, etc.) shall be selected to restore vegetation along the construction access roads • Full enclosure will be adopted on bridges (581.8m) and subgrade (413.18m) sections within the natural reserves to minimize noise impacts 12 • Strengthen publicity and education on protection of wild animals to prevent construction personnel from killing wild animals, and to protect habitats.

Scenic Areas. There are 7 scenic areas (Table 6) of various levels in the corridor. The final alignment will pass only through the three of them: Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area, Congjiang Scenic Area and the Liping Scenic Area.. Special aspects of the crossings of these three scenic areas are presented in Box 2 a, b, and c.

Table 6 - Scenic Areas in Railway Corridor Area Name of scenic area General situation and scenic spot Location relation with the railway line (ha) Doupengshan- 6180 It is a virgin forest, with ridges and peaks, 1 km Jianjiang (National gorges, solution cavities, brooks and level) waterfalls Luobeihe A natural ecological paradise on the 1 km (Provincial level) banks of Luobei River Duliujiang A natural ecological paradise on the 100 m (Provincial level) banks of Duliu River, with steep and green mountains Rongjiang Gurong 22000 There are hundreds of ancient banyans K 213+900-K219+300 crosses Sanbao (Provincial level) planted during Qianlong Period in the 1000-household Dong Village Scenic spot scenic area, which forms a dike-dam K220+860-K230+450 crosses Zaidang Dong Village Dage Scenic spot Congjiang 12200 Basha scenic spot, Yintan scenic spot, K 272+500-K276+700 section crosses (Provincial level) Xiaohuang scenic spot, Zengchong scenic Longtu Scenic Spot area Liping 45000 There mainly are Zhaoxing and Diping K276+280-K283+200 section crosses scenic spots Zhaoxing-Diping scenic spot Guilin-Lijiang 6767 Lijiang River landscape, Xiangbi hill, Railway line is outside the Guilin-Lijiang Diecai hill, Fubo hill, Duxiu peak, Ludi Scenic Area according to the amended plan, Cave, Qixing Cave etc. and is in consistency with planning requirements of Guilin city. Karst Areas and Caves A special study to assess potential impacts on karst caves was commissioned.4 Of a total of 68 caves within 300 meters of the railway alignment, the project will pass through only one cave (Longshan Cave, K560+520m). Two other caves were may receive wastewater from construction though the caves themselves will not be physically affected. A biological survey was carried out for ten caves, including the caves mentioned above; the other caves will not be directly affected by the construction. The Longshan cave (Box 3) is full of water and will be divided into two sections by the tunnel and the water will be redirected so that one side of the cave will remain dry. There are no protected or unknown species in this cave. In a regional context, partial loss of water ecology in this cave will not have impact on regional aquatic biodiversity. Furthermore, the GRL will not result in obvious impact on karst cave biodiversity in the region. It is estimated that around 10,000 to 20,000 caves can be found in the Guizhou and Guangxi area with similar ecological environment. The project will affect one cave with no special biodiversity, cultural or aesthetic value. In spite of this, additional biodiversity investigations will be carried out before construction. Special measures for cave protection during construction have been designed and will be strictly enforced (Box 4).

4 “Environmental Assessment Report About Effects Of The Overseas Loaned Railway-Building From Guiyang to Guangzho: An Investigating Report About Caves”; School of Geography and Biological Science, Guizhou Normal Universit - China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd. August, 2008

13 Box 2a. Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area. The railway line will pass through the Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village sub-area (56 6km2) and Zaidang Dongzhai Dage sub-area (50 km2). These two areas feature important Dong village buildings and Dong cultural activities, as well as old banyan trees. The alignment section within this area is 5.7 km, including the Gaoxing Tunnel, Guiyuanhe Bridge, Yuezhai Tunnel, Zhaihaohe Bridge, Rongjiang Station, and the entrance port of Yanshan Tunnel. The alignment within Zaidang Dongzhai Dage sub-area is 9.59 km long, mainly through the Yanshan Tunnel. Although the alignment falls into the boundary of the scenic area, it avoids the key scenic areas in the area with distance s between 1 and 3 km, except in the Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village sub-area, where the alignment has been shifted 50m away from the old banyan trees on the river bank. The relation between the railway and the scenic area is shown on the right.

Location of Rongjiang Station Old Banyan Trees Dong Architecture

Box 2b. Congjiang Scenic Area. The area is located within Congjiang County in the Box 2c. Liping Dongxiang Scenic Area. The Liping Dongxiang Scenic 2 14 Southeast Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou Province. It has an area of 122 km2, with 23 Area was listed by the State Council as one of the 5th batch of national key villages and four scenic sub-areas (Zengchong Gulou, Yantan-Xiaohuang Dong Village, scenic areas in January 2004. With a total of 153 km2, the scenic area is Longtu, and Duliujiang). The key features are Dong ethnic minority buildings, cultural divided into the four scenic sites of Zhaoxing-Diping, Bazhai-Jiuchao, tradition and landscape which are suitable for cultural and eco-tourism as well as research Yandong-Koujiang and Tianshengqiao-Bazhouhe, plus the scenic on ethnic culture. community of Liping Qiaojie, Ancient Building Structures and two The line (K272+500-K276+700) will cross the Longtu sub-area by bridges, culverts, and independent scenic areas of Shangzhong and Hongzhou. The main features tunnels, and the Congjiang Station will be constructed within the scenic area. The crossing of the Scenic Area are well-preserved Dong ethnic minority villages, length in the scenic area will be about 4.2 km, among which the ground sections are 2.66 cultures and historical heritages and natural environment. km long, accounting for 63.3% in the total length through the scenic area. The Longtu sub- area has a total area of 19 km2, with 12 scenic areas of old buildings, karst caves and The railway line will cross this area by the 12030 m long Luoxiang Tunnel. cultural activities. The railway alignment avoids all these scenic areas, with distance of The entrance to the tunnel will be located outside the scenic area, and the over 1 km. The nearest scenic spot, i.e. Liangweigan Tomb, is 236m away from the crossing length of the railway line within the scenic area will be 6.4km railway alignment. (K276+280-K283+200). No tunnel shaft or spoil area will be sited within the The proposed location for the Congjiang Station comprises agricultural farmlands with scenic area. intensive human activities and a convenient road network for connections to the terminal. The location was selected through consultation with local government and is in line with the overall master tourism plan of the area.

Location of Congjiang Station

Dong villages and relation with Luoxiang Tunnel

15 Box 3 The Longshan Cave: The cave is located in Shengping Village of , Guangxi province. It is a cave with much water and a stream going through. The first opening is a culvert through which the stream flows into the cave. The culvert is too narrow for people to get in. The second opening faces 10o northwest. The cave is situated at the foot of Long Mountain, with its branch opening 3m high, 8m wide and an arc in shape. Its elevation is 145m. Non-material cultural heritage like cave frescos or Paleozoic fossils has not been found

The first and second openings

The exit opening Box 4- Measures for Protecting Karst Caves during the Construction Period If any previously unidentified karst cave is detected in the process of construction of the railway, the construction unit must stop its work immediately to protect the scene, report it in time to the local Administrative Department of National Land along with other departments, entrust the professional personnel to conduct an animal diversity investigation and geological survey, and cannot proceed with construction until adoption of certain protective measures. Efforts are to be made in terms of education. Prior to construction of the railway, an education activity on environmental protection is to be carried out for the building personnel and simultaneously, education on laws and regulations on protection of wildlife such as the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife is to be conducted for the local communities. Impact of human activities on the wildlife is to be reduced. Strict construction routes and areas are to be established to reduce disturbance and damage to the environment as far as possible. Illegal wildlife trade activities are to be severely penalized to reduce damage to the population resources of some national Animals under Key Protection. For protection of the species, it shall be strictly prohibited to illegally hunt, catch and kill those species protected by the State or provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions. Those people in violation of the stipulations shall be prosecuted. During the project construction period, management and education shall be particularly strengthened for construction personnel to reduce or put an end to the artificial catching and killing activities in the process of animal migration due to the project activities. Protection of habitats: One of the most powerful measures for protection of the wildlife is to protect habitats of the wildlife. In a sense, protection of habitats is equal to protection of the wildlife. The construction personnel shall be prohibited from entering those karst caves fairly near to the construction site but not crossed by the railway line, so as to avoid impact on the habitat environment of animals in the karst caves.

16 Physical Cultural Resources. The project will not adversely affect any physical cultural resources. A cultural resources survey was conducted for all project sites, lead by local archeological institutes, combined with consultation with local cultural property management authorities and general public, and complemented by field surveys during EA preparation. A total of 10 cultural property sites were identified, and the alignment was shifted to avoid 9 of them (Table 7). The alignment will pass through the Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tombs Area. Table 7 - Cultural Properties along the Railway Line Name Protection Area Construction control Relation with railway boundary alignment Shengquan Spring / / 10m north out of the (Municipal level) construction control boundary Liangweigan Tomb The area from the centre Extension of 20m based on 236m north of control (County level) of the tomb until 30m outward the boundary of the protection boundary area Wutong Ancient Tomb Designated area within Same with the protection area 10m north out of the Forest Beijietouling of Wutong Town construction control area (Provincial level) Designated area within Niuling Same with the protection area 3km south out of the of Zhongyong Township construction control area Jingjiang King Within 25m from the outer Extension of 15m based on more than 200m away from Mausoleum boundary wall of the Mausoleum the boundary of the protection the construction control (national level) or 50m outward from the centre area area of the Mausoleum Gulou-Lianhua Ancient The area reaches Mailing and Extension of 5m based on the K556+100-K556+700 Tombs Area Huangjiang in the south, Sanlian boundary of the protection section cross by (County level) Village, Chiling in the north, area embankment within 5m of the boundary for sealing forest and cultivated land. Lianhua Theatrical Stage The area cover 10m outward Same with the protection area 110m north out of the (provincial level) from the boundary wall construction control area Longgui Temple of The area cover 10m outward Same with the protection area 110m north out of the Lianhua Village from the boundary wall construction control area (County level) Shaping Longgui Temple The area cover 10m outward Same with the protection area 75m north out of the (County level) from the boundary wall construction control area Huangtian Ancient Area reaches the eastern end of Other part rather than the 150m north out of the Theatrical Stage the boundary wall of Huangtian protection scope within the construction control area (Municipal level) Chemical Plant in the eastnd boundary wall of Huangtian southern side of the boundary Chemical Plant wall of Huangtian Chemical Plant in the south.

Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tombs Area. An embankment of 600 meters on the east side of the Siqin River will cross the protection area at K556+100-K556+700. The Cultural Relics Protection Unit is located at the west foot of the eastern mountain ridges stretching from Longyan Village of Honghua Township to Sanlian Village of Liang’an Township in Zhongshan County. It is composed of more than 200 tombs of local inhabitants from Han Dynasty to the period of six dynasties. It was ranked as a Cultural Relics Protection Unit at the county level in July 1980. Historical data implies that there should potentially be around 200 tombs of local inhabitants from the Han Dynasty to the period of six dynasties scattered around the terraces on both sides of Siqin River. However, field surveys did not find any ground evidence exists for these ancient tombs due to frequent human activities in the surrounding areas. 17 The Cultural Relic Bureau of Zhongshan County, the property’s management authority, issued an official document “Statement on Cultural Relics in the Section within Zhongshan County of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway”, confirming that: no known tombs will be impacted by the project and that the project will not have serious impact on the relics. However, the Bureau requested the following mitigation measures to be implemented to minimize the adverse impact. These measures have been incorporated in the EMP (Box 5) Box 5 – Mitigation Measures for the Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tombs Area

z A detailed investigation will be carried out prior to commencement of construction by Zhongshan County Cultural Relics Bureau, with funding from the project budget. Protection and preservation of any valuable relics found will be carried out if necessary following the conclusion of the professional investigation team. z Chance-find procedures in EMP will be enforced during construction, as required by China Cultural Property Law. z Construction workers will be provided education on cultural property protection and chance-find procedures.

Water Resources Protection Areas: There are over 30 water resources protection areas (drinking water intakes) along the corridor. The alignment has been shifted to avoid these areas as much as possible. As a result, the final alignment avoided most of the areas, and will pass through the protection area or semi- protection area of only four water protection areas: Gongcheng River Class I Source Beijiang River, Dongping Waterway, and Guangzhou. Water intakes in these areas are located upstream or at considerable distances from proposed railway bridges. Run-off and sediment control measures during construction will be strictly enforced. Community Impacts Community impacts are mainly related with (i) land acquisition, relocation of houses, and livelihood impacts; (ii) impacts on ethnic minorities; (iii) impacts on community infrastructure; (iv) noise and vibration impacts; and (v) safety and connectivity especially in rural areas; and (iv) nuisances from construction. Resettlement Impacts. Minimizing land acquisition and resettlement to the extent possible has also been a key criterion for alignment selection during the feasibility and EA studies. Considerable efforts have been made to achieve this objective, including adoption of tunnel and bridge schemes for about 75% of the line, and alternative analysis for several sections. In some areas, the final alignments have further reduced land acquisition by about 53 ha and resettlement of 40,000 m2 of housing. Locations for terminals, borrow pits, disposal sites were carefully studied to minimize potential land acquisition and resettlement. Despite efforts to minimize this impact, the final alignment will affect 226 villages in 87 townships of 26 counties in Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong. Total land acquisition will be 2,174 ha, including 1252 ha of cultivated land. In addition, about 1,606 ha of land will be temporarily occupied during construction. Around 7,916 households and 32,439 persons as well as a number of enterprises and shops will need to be relocated 18 (Table 8). The cities of Guilin and Foshan comprise close to 60% of all resettlement needs. Since all resettlement plans will be managed individually at the city level, complex or unmanageable situations are not expected to rise during resettlement implementation. For a linear project with the length of the Guiguang railway, the resettlement needs are only around 9 households per kilometer. Although the total number of affected households seems large, the resettlement in each city along is not considered highly significant. Table 8 - Distribution of Resettlement Impacts along the Railway Line

City Households affected Affected Persons

Guizhou Province 1602 7428 Guiyang 480 2493 Qiannan 654 2837 Qiandongnan 468 2098 Guangxi Province 3225 13514 Liuzhou 498 2117 Guilin 1863 7303 Hezhou 864 4094 Guangdong Province 3089 11497 Zhaoqin 945 4093 Foshan 1912 6633 Guangzhou 232 771 Total 7916 32439 An estimated total of 63,164 persons will lose land. Impacts from land acquisition and resettlement include loss of land, restriction to livelihood activities, temporary loss of agricultural production, loss of house or family/productive facilities, loss of quality of life during the transition period, loss of community ties and long-term restoration of livelihood. Land acquisition and resettlement impact can be substantial and have been adequately addressed through a Resettlement Plan (RP). As a result, those displaced by the project will be relocated and fully compensated so that no net loss of livelihood and income generating capabilities will result. The main components of the RP are: • Livelihood Development. The RP includes measures for livelihood restoration for the affected farmers and workers/business owners. The project will affected 63164 farmers for which two types of measures are designed. The first rests with cash compensation for the affected farmers who lose less than 10 percent of their farmland; the second goes to land redistribution and/or cash compensation for those who lose more land. Land compensation set in the RP will be disbursed to the affected villages prior to any land taking. All the measures can be decided by meeting by villager representatives in the land taking process. In addition, they also can receive job training from the township government. In addition to compensation for assets and relocation costs, the RP includes a transitional subsidy covering any lost wages or profits during relocation. These enterprises are expected to relocate in nearby industrial parks and the shops can reopen nearby with full compensation. All workers/business owners are expected to maintain their present employment with enterprises or shops. If any workers were to lose employment because of the relocation, they would be informed three months in advance. Structures, equipments, movement allowance and transition subsidies are paid according to commercial evaluation. • Household Relocation. The RP indicated that 7916 households in 226 villages/communities are to be relocated. They will be paid at replacement price defined in the RP to ensure their house rehabilitation on residential land provided with adequate public facilities by local governments. Urban households will purchase their new dwelling in a booming local real estate market, with their

19 house compensation based on commercial evaluation price. Both are also receiving movement allowance and transition subsidies. Vulnerable households are entitled to obtain additional assistance from local governments. • Restoration of Community Infrastructure. Community infrastructure such as roads, canals, power lines, telecommunication lines, television reception, etc. damaged during project construction will be restored. Restoration of large facilities, like power and telecommunication, will be paid to local sector authorities; simple facilities, like paths, small canals, will be restored by contractors. Individual facilities will be contracted to their owners. Budget for restoration has been integrated into the project costs and will be supervised under by the resettlement supervision and monitoring. Ethnic Minorities. The proposed railway line will significantly promote the economic development of ethnic minority areas by providing convenient accessibility to and from outside the regions, promoting mobility of both passenger and commodity, stimulating tourism, improving infrastructure and creating employment opportunities. There is broad support from all ethnic minority areas for the railway project, as the project is seen as a unique and indeed rare opportunity for much needed economic development. Despite these significant positive benefits, the project may also bring about potentially serious social and cultural impacts, including damage of culturally valuable buildings and landscape, worker activities in conflict with local cultural tradition, cultural impact from induced increase of tourists, etc. Introduction of large numbers of construction workers into the ethnic minority areas will have the potential to create social disturbance due to conflicts with cultural and social customs. If not well-managed, such impact may result in significant social issues in the local area and could potentially lead to a major delay in project construction. Alignment selection has avoided damage to local village buildings and special design of terminals and railway infrastructures will be consistent with ethnic minority culture and styles. Therefore, impacts on buildings and landscape will be insignificant, and, to some extent, even enhanced. Construction camps will adopt closed management approach, as commonly adopted in China, and workers will receive sensitivity training to respect and value ethnic minority cultures. Therefore, cultural conflict impacts from construction workers can be managed, and the impact will not be significant. Box 6 summarizes the recommended actions to mitigate the adverse impacts and enhance positive impacts on affected ethnic minority communities. Box 6 - Mitigation and Enhancement Actions for Ethnic Communities • Railway stations in their own counties: Local ethnic communities along the corridor have been lobbying hard to have terminals in their county, as they understand that such close proximity to a station will positively influence their local economic development. The alignment has been selected to provide a terminal to each minority county. • Careful resettlement planning and implementation: Resettlement planning engaged full participation from the affected minority communities and households on resettlement impacts, relocation schemes and compensation. Special measures have been developed for impacts on drinking water source and tombs of minority villages. • Consultation: continue the consultation process during project implementation and operation stage. The MPP covers a consultation plan. • Handling minority cultural concerns: their traditional culture and custom is respected throughout the project implementation phase. As an example, ancestral tombs, house styles, etc., are expected to be protected. • Building access to the railway: In addition to restoring damaged local roads by the project construction, local governments will coordinate with project management to build temporary construction roads with considering local road development programs, and to provide adequate access to the railway. • Tourism development in ethnic minority areas: county and township governments will obtain some funds to prepare/update tourism plan. Communities directly manage tourism activities by households in the village, especially guesthouses. Communities would select themselves those aspects of their culture that they wish to share with visitors. • Capacity building to strengthen community capacity for negotiation and management could be improved in the resettlement process and in the future development. • Training for minority communities: in addition to sensitivity training to local officials and workers, minority communities will also provided training, for instance, on tourism management and productive skills. 20 Noise and Vibration Impacts. The construction and operation of the GRL have the potential to increase noise and ground-borne vibration in nearby sensitive land uses. Such increases can cause undesirable effects on people, animals, and structures. The principal source of existing noise in urban areas is vehicular traffic. In most of the corridor, adjacent land uses are exposed to very low to moderate noise levels.

Chinese specified models (TJH 2006, No. 44 Document) for noise and vibration impact criteria were used to assess impacts at sensitive sites near the proposed alignments. The assessment identified 304 sensitive points, including 261 residential areas, 41 schools and 2 hospitals. Current noise level monitoring has been conducted for all sensitive sites. Noise and vibration pollution control measures (noise barriers, encasing bridges, strengthening of glass windows, etc.) have been identified in all critical sensitive points along the line. These measures will be complemented with Right-of-Way zoning restrictions which will be enforced by townships and cities. These measures have been incorporated in project design and budget. Under the basis of laying jointless tracks, the assessment report proposes to lay resilient sleepers at vibration sensitive point with vibration forecast value exceeding 80dB, which can reduce railway vibration more than 3dB. The forecast value of railway vibration at all sensitive point shall be kept less than 80dB. Safety and Community Severance. Urban master plans as well as environmental protection plans for all cities and counties were carefully studied to determine the railway alignment. For major cities such as Guiyang, Duyun, Guilin, Hezhou and Zhaoqing, alternatives were thoroughly compared in terms of compatibility with existing urban planning. In addition, intensive consultation with local governments was carried out thus the final selection and determination of alignment and station locations are fully compatible with urban planning and supported by local governments. Safety is a major concern for the operation of high-speed railway line. In this regards, the Gui-Guang railway line will be fully fenced to restrict random access of pedestrians, animals, or vehicles to the railway tracks. This will effectively minimize the potential accidents of random railway crossing. Impacts from a fully-fenced operation of the line -cross traffic and social severance- were fully considered during project design. All local road crossings are designed with interchanges. A total of 303 interchanges, 21 pedestrian overpasses and 15 underpasses, and more than 900 culverts are designed, in close consultation with local communities. With these designs, the impact on local traffic, community severance, and agricultural irrigation systems will be effectively minimized

Construction Impacts

Construction of the GRL will cause temporary impacts to the surrounding environment. Typical short-term construction impacts could include noise, vibration, air quality, and water quality. If properly planned, construction impacts to neighborhoods, businesses, and the natural environment can be minimized. Several aspects of construction have been received special attention such access roads, disposal of excess material from tunnel construction, and management of camps. Access Roads: Access roads will be required to provide access to the construction sites, tunnel entrances and exits, borrow pits, construction camps, waste disposal areas, mix plants, casting yards, etc. Existing rural road networks will be improved, particularly in sensitive areas. However, the need to accommodate large- sized machinery will entail around 1183 km of road rehabilitation. Therefore, access roads will require careful design and construction in order to avoid typical impacts of roads such as soil erosion, slope stability problems, pedestrian safety, among many others. The EA report includes an analysis of necessary access roads to key points such as tunnel portal shafts. The Design Institutes has developed design and construction specifications for such roads to ensure that they are

21 environmentally sound. These specifications will be part of the Construction Contract documents. Access roads in environmental sensitive areas are particularly assessed, as summarized in Table 9. Table 9 - Access Roads in Ecological Sensitive Areas

Sensitive Areas Access Road Status Longjiashan National Forest Existing rural roads in the Park can be used as the construction access road. Camp Park and disposal site will be located on land outside the Park, therefore, the project occupies temporarily a small amount of land of the Park. Rongjiang Gurong Provincial- Existing rural roads in the Park can be used as the construction access road. level Scenic Spot Congjiang Provincial-level Existing rural roads in the Park can be used as the construction access road. Scenic Area Shoucheng Natural Reserve The K381+775—K383+100 is interconnected through existing rural roads The Tianpingshan Tunnel Exit needs 5km new access road occupies 2.0hm2. Liping Dongxiang National- Existing rural roads around the Scenic Area can be used as the construction level Scenic Area access road. Yangshuo National-Forest Park Existing roads in the Park can be used as the construction access road. Cultural Relics Protection Unit Existing rural roads can be used as the construction access road. Gulou Lianhua Ancient Tombs

A framework for dealing with new access roads will be part of bidding documents and contracts. The framework includes procedures and decision making criteria regarding new access roads that are identified during construction. Basic elements of the framework include: • Contractors shall use existing roads as much as possible. Existing roads will be rehabilitated to meet MOR design standards, including erosion control, slope stabilization. • After construction, all roads will be rehabilitated for community use. No new access roads will be approved in or through protected areas. • Any new access road proposed by contractors will have to be reviewed and approved by the environmental supervision team of MOR.

Disposal Sites: The project will generate significant amounts of excess material from tunnel construction even after using portions for construction purposes (embankment, base and sub-base). Over 346 disposal sites have already identified. All sites were screened for environmental and social issues (not in protected areas, not in scenic areas, not on flood plains, unstable areas) and mitigation measures identified. These criteria will be strictly enforced during construction. All sites will be enclosed with retaining wall, proper drainage and re-vegetated.

Tunnel Works. 240 tunnels will be constructed. Construction of tunnels will entail destruction of vegetation due to excavation of tunnel portals, large amounts of spoils, tunnel dewatering, and lowering local groundwater table. The potential impact from each tunnel has been assessed and mitigation and monitoring programs have been designed, including prior forecast, sealing with limited discharge, provision of back-up water sources for relevant communities. Groundwater levels and water supply systems will be closely monitored and budget for remedial actions has been included in project costs.

Camps Locations and Management: The number and location of camps are not known yet. It will depend on Contractors’ plans to manage their contracts and construction. Criteria for camp location have been identified and will be strictly enforced (scenic areas, sensitive areas, near vulnerable minority groups). Camp specifications include the type of facilities (adequate accommodations, water supply and sanitation, cooking facilities.) and the need for education and sensitivity programs on natural habitats, ethnic minorities and health. 22

Induced and Aesthetic Impacts Induced Impacts. The railway will provide excellent opportunities for local development such as local business trade, transportation and construction, especially around the terminals. The project will also promote tourism in many counties with high potential because of Dong minority cultural and architecture values. Without planning, these changes could bring about congestion, increased waste and pollution, and threats to cultural resources. Impacts on large urban centers will be less significant since they will easily absorb these changes. MOR has maintained extensive dialogue with local governments. Alignment and location of terminals in urban and scenic areas meet restrictions and objectives of land use and scenic areas tourism plans. This dialogue will be maintained throughout the construction and operation periods. Aesthetic Impacts. The line will pass through three scenic areas and two forest parks with high aesthetic value. An ambitious reclamation plan has been designed (Soil Erosion Control Plan) for re-vegetation of embankment, cutting slopes, tunnel portals, borrow pits and disposal sites to restore ecological conditions. Aesthetic impacts and measures have been identified for all scenic areas including: (i) special design of terminals to ensure compatibility with local architecture and landscape; designs approved by local governments; and (ii) tunnel portals with re-vegetation plans to minimize visual impacts; bridges will also be designed with consideration to landscape which could turn them into new scenic areas. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

A detailed Environmental Management Plan (EMP) addressing all issues identified in the EIA (i) organizes all measures to mitigate environmental impacts during the construction and operation; and (ii) establishes an organizational structure, procedures, institutional responsibilities for implementation, and a budget and source of financing for each activity. The EMP also includes environmental monitoring and capacity building programs. Main components of the EMP are: • Environmental protection measures in design stage: mitigation measures have been incorporated in project design: slope stabilization, noise reduction, landscaping, and special design of terminals. • Environmental protection measures during construction: these include: additional surveys (cultural resources), environmental specifications for construction, camp management, restoration of affected areas, access roads and disposal sites • Environmental protection measures during operation: mainly monitoring programs.

Management Organization and Responsibilities. Environment management responsibilities have been defined. Environmental management during construction involves the Project Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation, Contractors and Environmental Supervision Engineers (Figure 3). During operation, environmental management responsibilities will rest with Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation.

Project Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation

Environmental Consultant (ES) Environmental Supervision Engineer Environmental (ESE) Monitoring Stations (EMS)

Contractors

Figure Environmental Management during Construction 23 Environmental Monitoring. Comprehensive environmental monitoring programs have been designed for both construction and operation phases. Monitoring includes water quality, noise, hydrology, construction dust and noise, as well as soil erosion and vegetation restoration. The Project Office will entrust environmental monitoring stations to carry out these plans. During operation, environmental monitoring will be carried out by provincial and prefecture (municipal) environmental protection bureaus, forestry bureaus, and water conservancy bureaus, which will be responsible for submitting the annual report on environmental management and for compiling the reports of environmental monitoring.

All personnel of the Project Office Environment Protection Section and construction workers will receive environmental training at least one time before commencement of construction. Key environmental administrative and monitoring personnel will also go through technical training provided by the project.

Environmental Supervision. During construction, environmental supervision shall be carried out by qualified supervision unit reporting to the Project Office of the Guiguang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation. Each Supervision Engineer company will be required by contract to assign one Environmental Supervision Engineer. The Environmental Supervision Engineers will: • Review and assess on behalf of the Project Office whether the construction design meets the requirements of the mitigation and management measures of the EIA and EMP, • Supervise site environmental management system of contractors including their performance, experience and handling of site environmental issues, and provide corrective instructions; • Review the EMP implementation by the contractors and subcontractors, verify and confirm environmental supervision procedures, parameters, monitoring locations, equipment and results; • Report EMP implementation status to Project Office and prepare the environmental supervision statement during the construction period; and • Approve invoices or payments.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND DISCLOSURE

A combination of opinion surveys and public meetings in the townships, village committee and affected villagers’ homes have been implemented during preparation of the EA and Resettlement Action Plan. Each mitigation measure was determined by suggestions from both experts and public. Most of the concerns have been incorporated either in project design or in the environmental management plan or resettlement plan. A brief edition of the EA for this project was made accessible on the website of China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (http://www.crssdi.com), to collect opinions, suggestions and concerns from communities along the line and public in general. Suggestions were provided via telephone, fax and e-mail. After the first draft of Environmental Impact Report was completed, a summary was published in the China Environment Newspaper from October 9 to 19 in 2007. The Environmental Impact Report has been reviewed by National Environment Protection Bureau in July of 2008, and this news was published in “China Environment Newspaper” on Aug.1, 2008. The content of the report is accessible to all interested parties in the Environment Evaluation Unit, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd., and the Environment Protection Bureaus of each province or city. The EA and EMP, as well as the Resettlement Action and the Ethnic Minority Development Plan, have also been sent formally to the World Bank’s INFOSHOP in Washington, DC.

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