Initial Environmental Examination July 2012 BAN: SASEC Road Connectivity Project Roads and Highways Department Headquarters Building Subproject Prepared by Roads and Highways Department, Ministry of Communication for the Asian Development Bank. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 11 July 2012) Currency unit – Taka (BDT) BDT1.00 = $0.0122226975 $1.00 = BDT81.815000 ABBREVIATIONS AE Assistant Engineer ADB Asian Development Bank As Arsenic AUST Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology BDWS Bangladesh Drinking Water standard BMD Bangladesh Meteorological Department BRTA Bangladesh Road Transport Authority BBS Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics BUET Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology BNBC Bangladesh National Building Code CE Chief Engineer CC RHD HQC Committee for Construction of New RHD HQC DSC Design and Supervision Consultant DF Department of Forest DCC Dhaka City Corporation DWASA Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority DG Director General DPDC Dhaka Power Distribution Company DOE Department of Environment DPHE Department of Public Health Engineering EA Environmental Assessment ECA Environmental Conservation Acts ECC Environmental Clearance Certificate ECR Environment Conservation Rules EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan EMT Environmental Management Team ERD Environment and Resettlement Division EE Executive Engineer FGD Focus Group Discussions Fe Iron Fc Faecal Coliform GOB Government of Bangladesh GRC Grievances Redress Committee GHGs Green House Gases IEE Initial Environmental Examination LGED Local Government Engineering Department LA Land Acquisition MSW Management Services Wing of RHD MP Environmental Monitoring Plan MOEF Ministry of Environment and Forest Mn Manganese NEMAP National Environment Management Action Plan iii NEQS National Environmental Quality Standards NGOs Nongovernment Organizations NOC No Objection Certificate NSC National Conservation Strategy PAPs Project Affected Persons PIU Project Implementation Unit PMU Project Management Unit PPE Personnel Protective Equipment PD Project Director PIA Project Influence Area PWD Public Works Datum RAP Resettlement Action Plan RCC Reinforcement Concrete RHD Roads and Highways Department RHD HQC Roads and Highways Department Headquarters Complex ROW Right of Way RAJUK Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakh (Capital City Development Authority) SPARSO Space Research and. Remote Sensing Organization SE Superintendent Engineer SDE Sub divisional Engineer SOB Survey of Bangladesh SIA Social Impact Assessment SRCP SASEC Road Connectivity Project TOR Terms of References WEIGHTS AND MEASURES dB (A) decibel (A-weighted) masl meters above sea level kl kiloliter km kilometer km/h kilometre per hour m meter m3 cubic meter MT metric ton sq. ft. square foot NOTE In this report, "$" refers to US dollars. This initial environmental examination is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. CONTENTS Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... vi I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 A. Background/Purpose of the Project ............................................................................. 1 B. Purpose of IEE Study ................................................................................................... 2 C. Objective ...................................................................................................................... 2 D. Scope of works............................................................................................................. 2 E. Methodology ................................................................................................................ 2 F. Data Collection ............................................................................................................. 3 II. POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK ................................................ 1 A. National and Local Legal and Institutional Framework.................................................. 1 B. Initial Environmental Examination ................................................................................ 4 C. Asian Development Bank Policies ................................................................................ 5 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBPROJECT ............................................................................ 6 A. Subproject Location/Layout .......................................................................................... 6 B. Components of RHD HQC ........................................................................................... 8 C. Activities of RHD HQC ................................................................................................. 8 D. RHD HQC Development Plan and Planning Norm ....................................................... 9 E. Materials Used for Construction ................................................................................... 9 IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT (BASELINE DATA) ........................................ 11 A. General ...................................................................................................................... 11 B. Physical Environment ................................................................................................. 11 C. Ecological Environment .............................................................................................. 22 D. Socioeconomic Environment ...................................................................................... 26 E. Environmental Risks .................................................................................................. 33 V. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ............. 39 A. Identification of Potential Environmental Impacts ....................................................... 39 B. During Pre-Construction Stage ................................................................................... 39 C. During Construction Stage ......................................................................................... 41 D. During Operation Stage .............................................................................................. 45 VI. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION ..................... 50 A. Details of Consultation Meetings ................................................................................ 50 B. Feedback Obtained and Incorporated ........................................................................ 50 C. Information Disclosure ................................................................................................ 54 VII. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM ........................................................................... 55 VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ..................................................................... 57 A. General ...................................................................................................................... 57 B. Mitigation Plan............................................................................................................ 57 C. Monitoring Plan .......................................................................................................... 69 D. Implementation Arrangement .................................................................................... 73 E. Estimated Environmental Cost ....................................................................................... 75 IX. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................. 77 A. Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 77 B. Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 77 X. REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 79 v Appendixes 1. Rapid Environmental Assessment (REA) Checklist .......................................................81 2. List of Participants of FGDs ...........................................................................................86 3. Photographs taken on FGDs and consultations .............................................................91 vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I. Introduction 1. The Roads and Highways Department‟s Headquarters Complex (RHD HQC) to be constructed at Tejgaon in Dhaka City, the capital of Bangladesh is one of the sub-components of the SASEC Road Connectivity Project (SRCP). The Government of Bangladesh (GOB) is preparing this Project with technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The TA is assisting the RHD to implement part of the Road Master Plan published in March 2008. The project preparation includes the following: (i) review of technical, economic, social and environmental issues relating to the project area; (ii) preparation