World Bank Document

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'A_w.'.',"_~~~C s. ~~~~iO C - "''"""S.ra Public Disclosure Authorized r'';'.'a F-_ - .paM- "'N '(si ', F- .it |;2 rt -J F:' - - -nvt,Ke, ,,~~~~~~~~~~ -,r4EU O '',; S*~ wC Public Disclosure Authorized ' t i 3 #w . - Q Q - F U o2\ ? t N !,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 ; f 5 g 9 ' ' ym ' " ' >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~v^>E :.ty~~~~~~~FI Public Disclosure Authorized SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT of the GUIGANG MULTI-PURPOSE NAVIGATION PROJECT GUANGXI, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Prepared Under the Supervisionof the ?--)Communications Department and Compiledin English by EnvironomicsConsultants Co. Ltd. Beijing April 1994 A. INTRODUCITON The original Chinese EIA for the Guigang Multi-PurposeNavigation Project (GMPN)was prepared by the GuangxiElectric IndustryDesigning Institute (GEIDI) between 1990 and 1991 as part of the Feasibility and Preliminary Design Report. The EIA was reviewed and conditionallyapproved by the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) in December 1991. A supplementalreport was produced in early 1992 to-meet the additional NEPA conditions,thus meeting all the Chinese EIA requirements. The Guangxi CommunicationsDepartment (GCD) engaged the services of Environomicsin mid-1993to assist in the preparation of the project English languageEIA report for submissionto the World Bank. The Environomicsscope of work included review of the Chinese EIA documents,compilation and re-assessmentof available backgrounddata and information, and drafting of the English EIA report. Due to time and resource constraints, the English EIA is based only on data collected during the original EIA and Feasibility Study. Environomicshas attempted to validate available information with the original field data when feasible, and has sought clarification and amplificationof material from GEIDI to meet as closely as possible Bank EIA requirements. In addition to the main EIA report, Environomics has prepared an EnvironmentalAction Plan (EAP) and an EnvironmentalMonitoring Plan (EMP) under the direction of the Guangxi CommunicationsDepartment. The latter two documents provide a rationalprogram and schedulefor mitigatingand monitoringpotential project environmental impacts within the technicaland resource constraints of the project proponents. A.1. Regulatory Framework In August 1987, Guangxi Autonomous Region Construction Committee submitted Document No. 85 to the Ministry of Communicationsproposing the GMPN project. The Ministry approved the location for the project and authorized the expedited completion of the preliminary project design. In January 1990, Guangxi Communications DepartmentDocument No. 008 assignedthe responsibilityfor performing the EIA to GEIDI which completed the report in 1991. A.2. EIA Report Preparation The ChineseEIA was prepared with referenceto the followingregulations and standards: a. EnvironmentalProtection of Law of P.R.C. b. Water Pollution PreventionLaw of P.R.C. c. Fishing Law of P.R.C. d. Water Law of P.R.C. e. Surface Water EnvironmentalQuality Standard. f. Air-EnvironmentalQuality Standard. g. Urban EnvironmentalNoise Standard. h. EiA Standard of Hydropower from Ministry of Electricity and Hydrology. 1 The English language EIA was prepared to meet as closely as possible the requirementsof the World Bank "EnvironmentalAssessment SourceJBook". B. PROJECT DESCRTION B.1. Objectives The primary objective of the proposed GMPN project is to improve the navigabilityof the Yujiang river between the Xijin dam and Guigangcity. The project will ensure a minimum navigable water depth during dry seasons, thus guaranteeing an uninterruptedflow of shipping and the reclassificationof the river to a 3rd Class waterway accessible to 1000 ton barges. The upgradingwill make the Yujiangriver the backbone of the Xijiang river system transportationstrategy and thus facilitateeconomic developmentin Guangxiand the adjacent provinces. Additional benefits of the proposed GMPN project include hydropower generationand increasedavailability of irrigation water. Guigangcity and to a lesser extent the upstream Hengxian county are currently constrained in their development due to a shortageof electricpower. The project will have the capacity to generate 120 MW of hydro- electric power to supplementarea supplies. A minimumcapacity of approximately36 MW is guaranteedduring the dry season which amounts to an average 590 GW.h annual power generatiorn.It is also anticipatedthat several thousandhectares of mediumproductivity land will be brought under cultivation following project completion due to the increased availabilityof high quality irrigation water. B.2. Description The proposed GMPN project is an integral part of the GuangxiAutonomous Region's economicdevelopment strategy which includesimprovement of its railway, highway and waterway transportation infrastructure. Guangxi is located in central south western China and is bordered by Vietnam to the south; and Guangdong, HIunan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces to the south east, east, north and west respectively. By virtue of its location, Guangxiis a transitroute for goods and commerce within southwestem China, and an important link for the region's internationaltrade. The Guangxi road and rail network is currently poorly developed and lacks the capacity to efficiently transport goods to potential markets. Traditionally, waterways have been a major mode of transportationin Guangxi and are currently used for shipment of bulk commoditiesand raw materialsbetween the interior and coastalareas. The proposed GMPN project is designed to increasethe transportationcapacity of the Yujiangriver which flows approximatelywest to east in southernGuangxi and is a major transportationroute for the entire region. The Yujiang river is part of the Xijiang river system which drains an approximate area of 90,800 km2 and dischargesinto the Pearl river delta in the east. The river system is a major route for the transportationof raw materialsand manufacturedgoods from as far inland as Sichuan, and thus occupies a vital position in the economy of the region. The improvementof this waterway, combined with other proposed infrastructure 2 projects shall provide the transportation network required to meet the anticipated demands of increasing trade between Guangxi, adjacent provinces, Vietnam and the ports of Hong Kong and Macau. The proposed GMPN projectconsists of a low head concreteimpoundment and .ock system planned for the mid to lower reaches of the Yujiang river, approximately six kilometers upstream of Guigang City (Figure 1). The area is in the historic flood plain of the meandering Yujiang river, characterized by flat topography with occasional limestone outcrops, and deep, fertile fluvial soils. The project site is located in a straight length of the river which follows a wide turn and continues along the same course through Guigang city. The Yujiang river is approximately400 meters wide at this location and is confined within an eroded channel by unstable earth banks which are marked with drainage gullies and show evidence of erosion and slumping. The Yujiang river is presently regulated by the low head concrete Xijin dam, approximately 104 kilometers upstream of the project site, and at 110 kilometersdownstream by the Guiping dam. The dams were constructedin the 1960's and the 1980's respectively to enhance the navigabilityof the river, provide hydro-power and to improve irrigation and fisheries. The river is currently designated a 6th Class waterway (Table 1), navigable for 100 ton barges. While there is capacity for larger barge traffic during the wet season, the river flow between Xijin dam and the proposed project site is reduced significantlyduring the dry season, exposing some 22 shallow and rocky areas which hinder navigation and increase the hazard to shipping. (i) Infrastructure The land transportationsystem in the project area consists of a network of dirt and gravel roads interlacing the countrysideand connecting with paved two lane Class II or Class III highways. National Road 209 located on the northern plane of the Yujiang river is the major trunk road in the project vicinity. This road which is poorly maintainedand very congested carries the bulk of the highway passenger and goods traffic in the region. The railway system in the Yujiang river area is relatively undeveloped; its main function is for hauling bulk materials to small loading facilities along the river which transfer the materials to barges for transportationto downstreamlocations. The Xijin damnis the major source of electric power for Hengxian County. Several low-head dams along the tributaries of the Yujiang river also provide power to isolated communities or commercial operations. Guigang City receives its power from the regional electricity grid which is networked to both thermal and hydro-power plants. Cunrently, the Yujiang river area is constrained in its development due to a lack of electricity. This is particularly true of Guigang City, which suffers from acute power shortages, requiring major industries to generate

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