EIA for the New City of Rawabi
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Palestinian National Authority Environmental Quality Authority Environmental Impact Assessment For The New City of Rawabi Prepared by Projects Unit (ANUPU) An‐Najah National University Nablus ‐ Palestine January 2010 List of Abbreviations ANU An‐Najah National University ANUPU An‐Najah National University Projects Unit BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand COD Chemical Oxygen Demand dB Dimension Decibel DST Dead Sea Transform DN Deutsche (German) Norm EA Environmental Assessments EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan EMMP Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan EHS Environment Health and Safety ES Environmental Screening ESSEC Earth Sciences and Seismic Engineering Center EEM Environmental Evaluation Matrix EI Environmental Index EO Environmental Officer EQA Environmental Quality Authority GDP Gross Domestic Product GMTC Geotechnical and Material Testing Center HV High Voltage HWE House for Water and Environment IBC International Building Code IEE Initial Environmental Evaluation IFC International Finance Cooperation ISO International Organization of Standardization JDECO Jerusalem District Electricity Company JWU Jerusalem Water Undertaking LRTF Low Rate Trickling Filter ML Local Magnitude (Richter Magnitude Scale) MMS Modified Mercally Scale MoPWH Ministry of Public Works and Housing MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoJ Ministry of Justice MoL Ministry of Labor MoT Ministry of Transportation MoTA Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities MoLG Ministry of Local Government MBR Membrane Bioreactor NFPA National fire Protection Association OD Oxidation Ditch OP/BP Operational Policy/Bank Procedures OPIC Overseas Private Investment Cooperation PA Palestinian Authority PCBS Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics PEL Palestinian Environmental Law PGA Peak Ground Acceleration PHPC Palestinian Higher Planning Council PM Pest Management PMDC Palestinian Meteorological Data Center PPA Palestinian Power Authority PWA Palestinian Water Authority RMPR Rawabi Master Plan Report RDC Rawabi Development Committee TOR Terms of Reference TSS Total Suspended Solids UBC Uniform Building Code WBWD West Bank Water Department WHO World Health Organization WWTP Wastewater Treatment Plant Z Seismic Zone Factor 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 9 1.1 Background 9 1.2 EIA Objectives 10 1.3 EIA Scoping 10 1.4 EIA Methodology 11 1.5 Public Consultation 12 1.5.1 Palestinian Ministries and Authorities 12 1.5.2 Other Consultations 15 2. LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK 16 2.1 Administrative and Institutional Framework 16 2.2 Environmental Legislation and Regulations 18 2.2.1 Palestinian Environmental Law 18 2.2.2 Palestinian Environmental Assessment Policy 18 2.2.3 World Bank IFC Project Categories 20 2.2.4 World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguards Policies 21 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 27 3.1 Rawabi – Great Expectations 27 3.2 Project Site 29 3.3 Project Construction 30 3.4 Construction Materials 31 3.5 Life and Fire Safety Design Considerations 31 3.6 Rawabi Zoning 32 3.7 Rawabi Infrastructure and Utility Systems 33 3.7.1 Road Network 33 3.7.2 Water Supply System 34 3.7.3 Sewerage System 36 3.7.4 Solid Waste Collection and Disposal System 37 3.7.5 Power Supply System 38 3.8 Energy Efficiency Design Requirements 39 4. BASELINE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA 40 4.1 Topography 40 4.2 Climate and Weather 41 4.3 Hydro‐geological Environment 42 4.4 Surface Water 43 4.5 Soils 44 4.6 Biological Environment 45 4.6.1 Flora 45 4.6.2 Fauna 47 4.7 Historical and Archaeological Sites 47 4.8 Local Geology and Seismic site Effect 47 4.9 Geopolitical Aspects and Land Use 49 5. POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 51 5.1 Analysis of the Project Alternatives 51 5.1.1 Water Supply System 51 5.1.2 Wastewater Treatment plant 52 5.1.3 Wastewater Treatment and Reuse 53 5.1.4 Solid Waste Management 54 5.2 Environmental Impacts during Construction 56 5.2.1 General 56 5.2.2 Impacts on Noise 57 5.2.3 Impacts on Air Quality 58 5.2.4 Impacts on Agricultural Resources and Soil 58 5.2.5 Impacts on Water Drainage 59 5.2.6 Impacts on Cultural and Historical Resources 60 5.2.7 Impacts on the Socio‐Economic Conditions 60 5.2.8 Occupational Health and Safety 62 5.3 Environmental Impacts Post Development 62 5.3.1 Impacts on Air Quality 63 5.3.2 Impacts on Noise 63 5.3.3 Impacts on Socio‐Economic Conditions 64 5.3.4 Rawabi private and public transport 65 5.4 Other Environmental Impacts 66 5.4.1 Impact on vegetation 66 5.4.2 Impact on Flora and Fauna 66 5.4.3 Visual Impacts and Aesthetic 67 5.4.4 Slope Stability Impacts 67 5.5 Cumulative Impact Assessment 67 5.5.1 Cumulative Impacts on Noise 68 5.5.2 Cumulative Impacts on Groundwater 68 5.5.3 Cumulative Impacts on Soils 68 5.5.4 Cumulative Impacts on Surface Water 69 5.5.5 Cumulative Impacts on Vegetation and Wildlife 69 5.5.6 Cumulative Impacts on Aesthetics 69 5.5.7 Cumulative Impacts on Air Quality 69 5.5.8 Cumulative Impacts on Grazing 69 5.5.9 Cumulative Impacts on Hazardous Materials 70 5.5.10 Cumulative Impacts on Socio‐Economic Conditions 70 5.5.11 Cumulative Impacts on Cultural and Historical Resources 70 5.6 Environmental Evaluation Matrix 70 6. MITIGATION MEASURES 72 6.1 During Construction 72 6.2 Post Development 72 6.3 Vegetation Plan 73 7. ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING PLAN 82 7.1 Environmental Management Framework 82 7.2 Institutional Requirements and Environmental Training 82 7.3 Management of the Wastewater Treatment Plant 83 7.4 Environmental Standards 83 7.5 Waste Disposal 84 8. CONCLUSION AND OVERALL ASSESSMENT 85 5 9. EIA REPORT PREPARERS 86 10. REFERENCES 87 11. ANNEXES 88 Annex I: Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (During Construction) 89 Annex II: Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (Post Construction) 95 Annex III‐A: EQA Terms of Reference (TOR) 100 Annex III‐B: Scope of Services 109 Annex IV: Sample letters between Bayti and neighborhood villages 115 Annex V: Letter sent to the Palestinian Authorities 119 Annex VI: Letter of MoT and Reply 120 Annex VII: Field Surveys 121 Annex VIII: EQA comments and ANUPU replies 126 Annex IX: Maps 137 6 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 ‐1: Geographic setting of Rawabi in the West Bank (Source: www.rawabi.ps) ........... 9 Figure 3 ‐1: The envisioned integrated model of Rawabi (Source: www.rawabi.ps) ............... 28 Figure 3 ‐2: Regional location of Rawabi (Source: www.rawabi.ps) ........................................ 29 Figure 3 ‐3: Site characteristics of Rawabi City ......................................................................... 29 Figure 3 ‐4: Rawabi and its surrounding villages (Source: RMPR) ............................................ 30 Figure 3 ‐5: Rawabi 1 planned road network (Source: RMPR) ................................................. 34 Figure 3 ‐6: Schematic of water infrastructure (Source: ANUPU) ............................................ 35 Figure 3 ‐7: Depiction of the location of the WWTP (Source: RMPR) ...................................... 36 Figure 4 ‐1: The topographic features of Rawabi (Source: ANUPU) ......................................... 40 Figure 4 ‐2: Surface hydrogeology of the area and the groundwater divide (Source: ANUPU) .......................................................................................................................................... 42 Figure 4 ‐3: Vulnerability Map of Ramallah District (Source: HWE) ......................................... 43 Figure 4 ‐4: Surface water drainage system in the mid‐western part of the West Bank with Rawabi location highlighted (Source: ANUPU) ..................................................... 43 Figure 4 ‐5: Soil classifications in the district of Ramallah and Al‐Bireh (Source: ANUPU) ...... 45 Figure 4 ‐6: General view of the area with Crataegus Aroni which is one of the endangered trees in Palestine ................................................................................................... 46 Figure 4 ‐7: The prevailing plant Sarcopoterium Spinosum with a Ceratonia Siliqua tree ...... 46 Figure 4 ‐8: Seismic Hazard Map and Seismic Zone Factor for Building Code (source: ESSEC) 48 Figure 5 ‐1: Cultivated olive trees in the neighborhood of Rawabi site ................................... 59 7 LIST OF TABLES Table 2‐1: Milestones of Rawabi development (Source: Rawabi brochure) ............................. 17 Table 3‐1: Geographical information of the surrounding communities (Source: RMPR) ......... 30 Table 3‐2: Proposed land use classes for Rawabi ...................................................................... 32 Table 4‐1: Average monthly climate parameters for Rawabi neighborhood based on data for 2000‐2008 (Source: PMDC) ................................................................................ 41 Table 4‐2: Soil description at seven different locations in the study area (Source: GMTC) ...... 45 Table 5‐1: Project Construction activities and potential impacts .............................................. 57 Table 5 ‐2: Maximum admissible noise levels for urban areas (Source: DN) ............................. 64 Table 5‐3: Environmental Evaluation Matrix comparing “No Build” versus “Build” options .... 71 Table 6‐1: Mitigation measures during construction and corresponding ranking as per each identified element ................................................................................................... 74 Table 6‐2: Post development mitigation measures and corresponding ranking as per each identified element ..................................................................................................