Form-I for seeking clearance for project attracting CRZ notification

Basic information: The proposed Indian Coast Guard Jetty site is along the west bank of Channel. Name of the Project Construction of Jetty for Indian Coast Guard in by Cochin Port Trust. Location or site alternatives under District, (within existing Cochin Port consideration Limits). Sites taken on long lease from Cochin Port Trust (CoPT). Lease agreement is attached as Annexure 1 Size of the project (in terms of The proposed jetty is of T-shape with jetty head structure of total area) (220 x 15) m and is connected to the main land with an approach bridge of (80 x 9) m. CRZ classification of the area CRZ II and CRZ-IV Expected cost of the project Rs. 93.0 crores Contact Information Asst. Commandant Geetika Saxena Staff Officer (Works) For Commander, District Head Quarter 4, Kerala and Mahe, Fort , 682 001 Contact: 0484 2217849

(II) Activity 1. Construction, operation or decommissioning of the Project involving actions, which will cause Physical changes in the locality (topography, land use, changes in water bodies, and the like)

Details thereof (with approximate Sl. No. Information/Checklist confirmation Yes/ No quantities /rates, wherever possible) with source of information data Permanent or temporary change in land Proposed jetty is in the water body of 1.1 use, land cover or topography including cochin within the limits of Cochin No increase in intensity of land use (with Port trust with land connection using respect to local land use plan) an approach trestle. Proposed Jetty

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office and fire pump house are located onshore near trestle. As such, there is no permanent or temporary change in land use, land cover or topography. The proposed jetty is to be located in Details of CRZ classification as per the CRZ-IV, Mattancherry Channel. Ancillary 1.2 approved Coastal Zone Management CRZ II facilities will be located on land in Plan? CRZ II area. 1.3 Whether located in CRZ-I area? No - Mangroves near Island 1.1 km 1.4 The distance from the CRZ-I areas. 5 Km Northeast Whether located within the hazard zone as mapped by Ministry of Environment and 1.5 No - Forests/National Disaster Management Authority? Whether the area is prone to cyclone, 1.6 tsunami, tidal surge, subduction, No None earthquake etc.? Whether the area is prone for saltwater Project location is in the end of 1.7 No ingress? backwater Small shed and old building remains Clearance of existing land, vegetation and 1.8 No to be demolished for approach to Jetty buildings? on stilts and ancillary facilities. 1.9 Creation of new land uses? No No reclamation proposed Pre-construction investigations e.g. bore Geotechnical investigation conducted 1.10 Yes hole, soil testing? for the project. a) T-shape jetty with head structure of (220x15) m and Approach Bridge 1.11 Construction works? Yes of 80x9 m. b) Construction of onshore fresh water storage tank, substation and

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pump house. Small shed and old building remains 1.12 Demolition works? Yes to be demolished. Temporary sites used for construction Workers will be housed on shore, 1.13 works or housing of construction Yes near the site workers? Above ground buildings, structures or Construction of onshore fresh water 1.14 earthworks including linear structures, cut Yes storage tank, substation and pump and fill or excavations house. Underground works including mining or 1.15 No None tunneling? 1.16 Reclamation works? No Not envisaged 2.70 lakh m3 of Capital Dredging is Dredging/reclamation/land filling/disposal planned and dredged materials will 1.17 Yes of dredged material etc.? be disposed off in the Port’s dumping area in the open sea at -15m depth. T-shape jetty with head structure of 1.18 Offshore structures? Yes (220x15) m and approach bridge of (80x9) m. The jetty will be used only for 1.19 Production and manufacturing processes? No berthing vessels. Facilities for storage of goods or 1.20 No Storage facilities are not envisaged materials? Adequate capacity STP will be Facilities for treatment or disposal of solid provided for toilet sewage of office 1.21 Yes waste or liquid effluents? building. No other effluent is envisaged. Operation of the Jetty is proposed to Facilities for long term housing of be undertaken by Coast Guard 1.22 No operational workers? personnel and suitable accommodation facility is already

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available. During construction and operation New road, rail or sea traffic during 1.23 No stage the existing facilities will be construction or operation? used. New road, rail, air waterborne or other transport infrastructure including new or The proposed jetty facility is in the 1.24 No altered routes and stations, ports, airports existing Cochin Port etc? Closure or diversion of existing transport No closure or diversion of existing 1.25 routes or infrastructure leading to changes No transport routes or infrastructure. in traffic movements? New or diverted transmission lines or 1.26 No Nil pipelines? Impoundment, damming, culverting, 1.27 realignment or other changes to the No Nil hydrology of watercourses or aquifers? 1.28 Stream and river crossings? No Nil Abstraction or transfers of water form 1.29 No Nil ground or surface waters? Changes in water bodies or the land 1.30 surface No Nil affecting drainage or run-off? Transport of personnel or materials for Workers are proposed to be housed 1.31 construction, operation or No near the site decommissioning? Long-term dismantling or 1.32 No Nil decommissioning or restoration works? Ongoing activity during decommissioning 1.33 which could have an impact on the No Nil Environment? Influx of people to an area in either Maximum 200 workers during 1.34 Yes temporarily or permanently? construction. 4

1.35 Introduction of alien species? No None. Loss of native species or genetic Proposed area is not an eco-sensitive 1.36 No diversity? area 1.37 Any other actions? No None

2. Use of Natural resources for construction or operation of the Project (such as land, water, materials or energy, especially any resources which are non-renewable or in short supply):

Details thereof (with approximate Yes/ Sl. No. Information/checklist confirmation quantities /rates, wherever possible) No with source of information data Land especially undeveloped or 2.1 No - agricultural land (ha) It is expected that required water will be supplied by the Cochin Port Trust Water (expected source & competing from their water supply network. If it 2.2 5 KLD users) unit: KLD is not available, water requirement will be met through water supplied by tankers from /. 2.3 Minerals (MT) No Nil Materials like sand, gravel, cement Construction material – stone, aggregates, will be procured from nearby licensed 2.4 Yes sand/soil (expected source – MT) sources/ reputed manufacturers as per requirement and availability. Minor quantities of timber will be 2.5 Forests and timber (source – MT) Yes used during building construction. During construction stage power requirement will be met partly from Energy including electricity and fuels DG sets as well as from the substation 2.6 (source, competing users) Unit: fuel (MT), Yes at Mattancherry. energy (MW) During operation stage power requirement will be met from the

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Port’s substation at Mattancherry. Any other natural resources (use 2.7 No Nil appropriate standard units)

3. Use, storage, transport, handling or production of substances or materials, which could be harmful to human health or the environment or raise concerns about actual or perceived risks to human health. Details thereof (with approximate Sl. Yes/ Information/checklist confirmation quantities /rates, wherever possible) No. No with source of information data 3.1 Use of substances or materials, which are No No storage of hazardous material hazardous (as per MSIHC rules) to human health or the environment (flora, fauna, and water supplies) 3.2 Changes in occurrence of disease or affect No None disease vectors (e.g. insect or water borne diseases) 3.3 Affect the welfare of people e.g. by No - changing living conditions? 3.4 Vulnerable groups of people who could be No None affected by the project e.g. hospital patients, children, the elderly etc., 3.5 Any other causes, that would affect local No None communities, fisher folk, their livelihood, dwelling units of traditional local communities etc

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4. Production of solid wastes during construction or operation or decommissioning (MT/month) Details thereof (with approximate Sl. Information/checklist confirmation Yes/No quantities /rates, wherever possible) No. with source of information data. 4.1 Spoil, overburden or mine wastes No The dredged material will be disposed at -15 m depth 4.2 Municipal waste (domestic and or Yes Sewage after treatment would be used commercial wastes) for gardening and irrigation purpose and Solid waste is proposed to be segregated and disposed through Municipal vehicles. 4.3 Hazardous wastes (as per Hazardous Yes No hazardous waste will be generated Waste Management Rules) during operation stage. However, hazardous wastes may be generated during the construction stage. Used oil and other waste will be stored in closed drums and be transferred to authorized vendors. 4.4 Other industrial process wastes No Nil 4.5 Surplus product No Nil 4.6 Sewage sludge or other sludge from Yes STP sludge will be cleaned effluent treatment periodically and disposed in greenbelt. 4.7 Construction or demolition wastes Yes Minor construction waste planned to be used in the same vicinity for area as land fill. 4.8 Redundant machinery or equipment No Nil 4.9 Contaminated soils or other materials No Nil 4.10 Agricultural wastes No Nil 4.11 Other solid wastes Yes Solid waste which couldn’t be treated is proposed to be segregated and disposed through Municipal vehicles. 7

5. Release of pollutants or any hazardous, toxic or noxious substances to air (Kg/hr) Details thereof (with approximate Yes/ Sl. No. Information/checklist confirmation quantities /rates, wherever possible) No with source of information data 5.1 Emissions from combustion of fossil fuels Yes Operation of Diesel generators and from stationary or mobile sources Construction machineries may cause

emission of SO2, NO2 and CO which will be monitored periodically and to lower the point source emissions. 5.2 Emissions from production processes No No production 5.3 Emissions from materials handling No - including storage or transport Emissions from materials handling including storage or transport 5.4 Emissions from construction activities No No major Plant and Equipment including plant and equipment source at site. 5.5 Dust or odours from handling of materials No No significant source of dust, including construction materials, sewage construction material, sewage and waste envisaged. 5.6 Emissions from incineration of waste No None 5.7 Emissions from burning of waste in open No None air (e.g. slash materials, construction debris) 5.8 Emissions from any other sources No None

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6. Generation of Noise and Vibration, and Emissions of Light and Heat: Details thereof (with approximate Sl. Yes/ Information/checklist confirmation quantities /rates, wherever possible) No. No with source of information data 6.1 From operation of equipment e.g. engines, Yes Generators and Construction ventilation plant, crushers equipments may create noise and vibration. However, adoption of low noise equipment or installation of sound insulation fences is proposed. Ear plugs will be used by all the workers operating in high noise area. 6.2 From industrial or similar processes No Nil 6.3 From construction or demolition Yes Noise from the machineries shall be kept below the threshold noise level. Personnel Protection Equipment (PPE) will be provided to workers during construction activities. 6.4 From blasting or piling Yes Operation of winch powered by Diesel engine may cause noise pollution. Ear plugs to be used by the workers in operating area. Utmost care will be taken to control the noise levels within permissible standards. 6.5 From construction or operational traffic Yes During construction stage increased noise levels are anticipated from vehicular movements, construction equipment/ machinery etc. Utmost care will be taken to control the noise levels within permissible standards. 6.6 From lighting or cooling systems No Nil 6.7 From any other sources No Nil

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7. Risks of contamination of land or water from releases of pollutants into the ground or into sewers, surface waters, groundwater, coastal waters or the sea: Details thereof (with approximate Sl. Yes/ Information/checklist confirmation quantities /rates, wherever possible) No. No with source of information data 7.1 From handling, storage, use or spillage of No Present proposal does not involve any hazardous materials cargo handling. However, during construction stage there may be storage/handling of hazardous materials for various construction related activities. Such materials shall be stored and handled as per the provisions of the manufacturer, storage and import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules and Amendments thereof. 7.2 From discharge of sewage or other No No direct discharge of effluent to the effluents to water or the land (expected sea water. The treated sewage can be mode and place of used for gardening and irrigation discharge) purpose. 7.3 By deposition of pollutants emitted to air No Nil into the land or into water 7.4 From any other sources No Nil 7.5 Is there a risk of long term build up of No Nil pollutants in the environment from these sources?

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8. Risk of accidents during construction or operation of the Project, which could affect human health or the environment. Details thereof (with approximate Sl. Yes/ Information/checklist confirmation quantities /rates, wherever possible) No. No with source of information data 8.1 From explosions, spillages, fires etc from No Nil storage, handling, use or production of hazardous substances 8.2 From any other causes No Nil 8.3 Could the project be affected by natural No The proposed construction is made to disasters causing environmental damage withstand the most adverse (e.g., floods, Earthquakes, landslides, conditions. cloudburst etc)?

9. Factors which should be considered (such as consequential development) which could lead to Environmental effects or the potential for cumulative impacts with other existing or planned Activities in the locality Details thereof (with approximate Sl. Yes/ Information/checklist confirmation quantities /rates, wherever possible) No. No with source of information data 9.1 Lead to development of supporting No No adverse effect takes place. utilities, ancillary development or development stimulated by the project which could have impact on the environment e.g.: • Supporting infrastructure (roads, power supply, waste or waste water treatment, etc.) • housing development • extractive industries supply industries • other housing development 11

• extractive industries supply industries other 9.2 Lead to after-use of the site, which could No The proposed project would be a have an impact on the environment permanent establishment. 9.3 Set a precedent for later developments No It is a Defence requirement 9.4 Have cumulative effects due to proximity No It is a Defence requirement to other existing or planned projects with similar effects

III. Environmental Sensitivity Aerial distance (within Name/ Sl. No. Areas 15 km.) Proposed project Identity location boundary 1 Areas protected under Museum ~1.3 km, S international conventions, Archaeological ~1.5km, SW; national or local legislation for Excavation Site their ecological, landscape, St. Francis Church ~0.7 km, W cultural or other related value 2 Areas which are important or Kayal The project is in the sensitive for ecological reasons - Vembanad Kayal Wetlands, water courses or other water bodies, coastal zone, biospheres, mountains, forests 3 Areas used by protected, Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary ~3.2 km, NE important or sensitive species of flora or fauna for breeding, nesting, foraging, resting, over wintering, migration 4 Inland, coastal, marine or Vembanad Kayal The project is in the underground waters Vembanad Kayal 5 State, National boundaries Nil - 6 Routes or facilities used by the NH 47 ~ 7 km, E 12

public for access to recreation or NH 47A ~ 4.2 km, S other tourist, pilgrim areas NH 49 ~ 8.1 km, ESE NH 17 ~ 8.6 km, ENE; Southern Railway Main Line ~ 5.9 km, NE 7 Defence installations is located at 3.7 km E Coast Guard District Head 0.5 km W Quarters 8 Densely populated/built-up area Mattancherry 0.1 km, W 9 Areas occupied by sensitive Existing port in the land area, man-made land uses (hospitals, where there are hospitals, schools, places of worship, schools, places of worship and community facilities) Areas community facilities in the occupied by sensitive man-made island and the proposed project land uses area is abutting the Island. 10 Areas containing important, high Nil - quality or scarce resources (ground water resources, surface resources, forestry, agriculture) 11 Areas already subjected to Nil - pollution or Environmental damage. 12 Areas susceptible to natural Nil The project falls under hazard which could cause the Seismic Zone III project to present environmental (moderate earthquake problems (earthquakes, zone) as per the subsidence, landslides, erosion, Seismotectonic Atlas of flooding or extreme or adverse . The project area climatic conditions) lies beyond the cyclone zone and therefore the risk of cyclones is not significant. During the

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design stage, the effects from natural disasters will be considered and necessary precautionary measures would be built in / implemented

***

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Final Report

Rapid Environment Impact Assessment for Obtaining CRZ Clearance of Proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Prepared for

Cochin Port Trust

Prepared by

Environmental Consultancy and Laboratory NABET/EIA/1417/RA010 Lab Recognized by MoEF&CC – Govt. of India Unit no. 201 – 204, Saudamini Commercial Complex, Building C-3, 2nd Floor, Right bhusari Colony, Paud Road, Kothrud, Pune - 411038.

June 2016 Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ...... 6 1.1 About Cochin Port ...... 6 1.2 Existing Port Facilities at Cochin Port ...... 7 1.3 Proposed Jetty by Indian Coast Guard ...... 7 1.4 Overview of Environmental Settings around Proposed Jetty...... 8 1.5 Need for EIA Study ...... 14 1.6 Methodology Adopted for EIA Study ...... 14 1.7 Structure of EIA Report ...... 15 2 Project Description...... 17 2.1 General Description of Proposed Coast Guard Jetty Site ...... 17 2.2 Proposed Coast Guard Jetty ...... 17 2.3 Proposed Utilities and Services ...... 18 2.4 Use of Natural Resources during Construction and Operation ...... 18 2.5 Use of Public Infrastructure during Expansion and Operation: ...... 19 2.6 Manpower requirement: ...... 19 2.7 Project cost and implementation schedule: ...... 19 3 ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES ...... 20 3.1 Introduction ...... 20 3.2 Project Requirement Alternatives ...... 20 3.3 No Project Scenario ...... 20 3.4 Site Selection ...... 21 4 DESCRIPTION OF THE BASELINE ENVIRONMENT ...... 22 4.1 Introduction ...... 22 4.2 Details of Study area ...... 22 4.3 Geology ...... 23 4.4 Hydrology...... 25 4.5 Land Use/Land Classification (LULC) ...... 25 4.6 Soil ...... 28 4.7 Meteorology ...... 30 4.8 Ambient Air Quality...... 34 4.9 Noise Levels ...... 37 4.10 Fresh water Environment ...... 37 4.11 Terrestrial Ecology ...... 41 4.12 Socio- economic Environment ...... 47 4.13 Bathymetry ...... 54 4.14 Currents & Tides ...... 55 4.15 Marine water ...... 55 4.16 Marine Sediments ...... 58 4.17 Marine Ecology ...... 59 5 ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS & MITIGATION MEASURES ...... 64 5.1 Air Environment ...... 66 5.2 Noise Levels ...... 67 3

Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

5.3 Fresh Water Environment ...... 67 5.4 Marine Environment ...... 68 5.5 Terrestrial Ecology ...... 69 5.6 Socio-Economic & Occupational Health ...... 69 5.7 Solid and liquid waste generation ...... 69 6 ENVIRONMENT MONITORING PLAN ...... 70 7 ADDITIONAL STUDIES ...... 72 7.1 HTL/LTL Demarcation ...... 72 7.2 Hydrodynamic Modeling ...... 72 7.3 Oil Spill Contingency Response Plan ...... 73 7.4 Disaster Management Plan ...... 73 8 PROJECT BENEFITS ...... 75 8.1 Benefits of Dedicated Coast Guard Jetty ...... 75 8.2 Employment Generation during Construction Phase ...... 75 8.3 Employment Generation during Operation Phase ...... 76 9 ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN ...... 77 9.1 Introduction ...... 77 9.2 Mitigation Measures ...... 80 9.3 Solid Waste Management Plan ...... 83 10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 84 11 DISCLOSURE OF CONSULTANT ...... 90

List of Tables Table 1: Environmental Settings at Proposed Jetty Site ...... 9 Table 2: Environment Settings of the Study Area of 10 km from Proposed Jetty Site ...... 11 Table 3: Estimated Cost of Proposed Expansion ...... 19 Table 4: Estimated cost of Environment Management Plan ...... 19 Table 6: Land use land cover map 10 km radius ...... 27 Table 7: Soil Quality in Study Area ...... 29 Table 8: Meteorological Data of Cochin (IMD 1971 – 2000) ...... 31 Table 9: Cyclone Details of Kerala State ...... 33 Table 10: Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations Details...... 34 Table 11:Summary of AAQ levels in comparison with secondary data ...... 35 Table 12: Summary of Noise level ...... 37 Table 13: Surface Water Quality in Study Area ...... 38 Table 14: Ground Water Quality in Study Area ...... 39 Table 15: Flora Observed near Project Site ...... 41 Table 16: Fauna Recorded from Study Area ...... 43 Table 17: Demographic Attributes for ...... 47 Table 18: Population details of study area villages ...... 48 Table 19: Village-wise caste profile in the study area ...... 49 Table 20: Literacy levels in study area villages ...... 50 Table 21: Occupational profile of study area villages ...... 51 Table 22: Details of Marine Sampling Locations ...... 56 Table 23: Physicochemical Characteristics of Marine Water in Study Area ...... 57 Table 24: Physicochemical Characteristics of Marine Sediment in Study Area ...... 58

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Table 25: Enumeration of Phytoplankton in Coastal Waters around Project Site ...... 60 Table 26: Phytoplankton genera observed around Project Site ...... 61 Table 27: Enumeration of Zooplankton in Marine Waters around Project Site ...... 61 Table 28: Zooplankton Genera Recorded in Marine Waters around Project Site ...... 61 Table 29: Benthic fauna recorded in Study Area ...... 62 Table 30: Marine Fish Landing in Kerala State during 2008 to 2013 ...... 63 Table 31: Environmental Aspect Impact Matrix ...... 65 Table 32: Monitoring Schedule during Construction and Operation Phase ...... 70 Table 33: Activities during Construction Phase ...... 78 Table 34: Activities during Operation Phase ...... 78

List of Figures Figure 1: Layout of Cochin Port ...... 6 Figure 2: Location of the Proposed Jetty of Indian Coast Guard at Cochin Port ...... 9 Figure 3: Photographs of Existing Port and Proposed Project Site ...... 13 Figure 4: Layout of Proposed Coast Guard Jetty ...... 18 Figure 6: Study area covering 10km zone around the project site ...... 23 Figure 7: Seismic Zones of India as per IS 1893 (Part-I): 2002 ...... 24 Figure 8: FCC composite map 10 km buffer for coast guard jetty ...... 26 Figure 9: Land use land cover map 10km radius ...... 27 Figure 10: Pie chart of LULC classes within 10 km radius ...... 28 Figure 11: Map Showing Soil Sampling Locations ...... 29 Figure 12: Meteorological Data of Cochin (IMD 1971 – 2000) ...... 32 Figure 13: Cyclone Hazard Map of India by BMTPC ...... 33 Figure 14: Map Showing Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Locations ...... 35 Figure 15: Map Showing Surface Water Sampling Locations ...... 38 Figure 16: Baseline Monitoring Photographs ...... 39 Figure 17: Map Showing Location of Mangalvanam Bird Sanctuary ...... 46 Figure 18: Bathymetry Chart of Mattancherry Channel near Proposed Jetty ...... 55 Figure 19: Map Showing Marine Sampling Locations ...... 56

List of Annexure Annexure I – Soil monitoring laboratory reports Annexure II – Air quality monitoring laboratory reports Annexure III – Noise monitoring laboratory reports Annexure IV – Surface water quality laboratory reports Annexure V – Groundwater quality laboratory reports Annexure VI – Marine water monitoring laboratory reports Annexure VII – Marine sediment monitoring laboratory reports

List of Appendix Appendix I – CRZ map by NCESS Appendix II – Hydrodynamic modeling report by CWPRS, Pune Appendix III – Oil spill contingency response plan Appendix IV – Disaster management plan

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 About Cochin Port

The Cochin Port, one among the thirteen Major Ports of India, is an all weather natural Port and the fastest growing maritime gateway to the peninsular India. The port is governed by the Cochin Port Trust (CoPT) and is located strategically close to the busiest international sea routes from Europe to Australia and to Far East. The diversion distance to Cochin from this trunk route is only 76 nautical miles and there is only 11 nautical miles diversion from the Singapore - Gulf sea route to Cochin. No other Indian major port enjoys this proximity to maritime highways. The total cargo traffic handled at the Port was more than 21 million metric tons (MMT) during 2014-15 out of which nearly 15 MMT was liquid bulk. Cochin Port, India’s first e-Port is ISO: 9001-2008 certified port complying with ISPS (International Shipping and Port Security) and MARPOL 73/78 (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978)

Codes. regulations offering round the clock navigation throughout the year.

The entrance to the Port is through the Cochin Gut between Vypeen and Fort Kochi. The port limits extend up to the entire backwaters and the connecting creeks and channels. The approach channel to the Cochin Gut is about 1000 m long and 200 m wide maintained at 13.8 m depth. Layout of Cochin Port is shown in Figure 1.

The Port is well connected with railway and national highway network, which gives easy access to the other parts of the country. The Cochin International Airport is situated about 40 km away from the Port.

Figure 1: Layout of Cochin Port

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

1.2 Existing Port Facilities at Cochin Port

The existing Port facilities are located mainly on Willingdon Island, having an area of about 385 hectares (ha). The Island divides the navigational channel into the Ernakulam channel and the Mattancherry channel, inside the harbour. In addition to the above, an area of about 180 ha at and 286 ha at Puthuvypeen falls under the jurisdiction of the Cochin Port, where various developmental activities are now in progress. The Ernakulum Channel is 4.9 km long, with the width of 250-500 m and has a draft of 12.5 m up to the Oil Terminal and a draft of 9.14 m up to the wharves and the north and south tanker berths. The Mattancherry channel is 4.08 km long with the width of 180-250 m and a draft of generally 9.14 m.

There are two wharves on Willingdon Island, viz., Mattancherry Wharf and Ernakulam Wharf. The Mattancherry Wharf is 670 m long with four alongside berths and the Ernakulam Wharf is 917 m long with five alongside berths out of which two berths (Q8 and Q9) are being developed as dry bulk terminal. There are three oil berths, viz., Cochin Oil Terminal (COT), North Tanker Berth (NTB) and South Tanker Berth (STB) which can accommodate 1,15,000 DWT, 30,000 DWT and 18,000 DWT vessels respectively. Other berthing facilities comprise of a Fertilizer Berth, which can accommodate vessels of 60,000 DWT, one Boat Train Pier, which can accommodate 35,000 DWT vessels and two jetty berths for miscellaneous cargo with capacity for vessels up to 12,000 DWT and 35,000 DWT respectively.

The existing facilities include the following:

• 16 Berths including 3 oil jetties • Modern International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) • Round the clock pilotage • Dedicated facilities to handle bulk/break bulk as well as a variety of liquid cargo • Storage spaces • Single Buoy Mooring (SBM) for crude oil handling

1.3 Proposed Jetty by Indian Coast Guard

Indian Coast Guard has entrusted Cochin Port Trust for the construction of berthing and allied facilities for berthing Indian Coast Guard ships at the Cochin Port, as deposit work. In 7

Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

this regard, Cochin Port Trust proposes to construct a dedicated Jetty for berthing Coast Guard vessels in Mattancherry channel of the Port with land connection to Fort Kochi. The proposed jetty is T-shape with jetty head structure of 220 m long and 15 m wide and an approach trestle of about 80 m length connected to the land. Details of proposed jetty are discussed in Chapter 2.

1.4 Overview of Environmental Settings around Proposed Jetty

Proposed jetty site at Cochin Port is situated along Mattancherry Channel. The approach road is Calvathy Road and Bazar Road in Fort Kochi Area. Site covers an area of around 12,000 m2 at latitude 9° 58' 4.33" N to 9° 58' 0.26" N and longitude 76° 15' 9.88" E to 76° 15' 14.93" E. The location map is presented in Figure 2. The proposed jetty site is located at an approximate distance of 60 m from the Calvathy Road. The selected location offers excellent tranquility as wave heights do not exceed 0.5 m even in the South West Monsoon. A maintained water depth of 2 m is available at low tide which is sufficient for the movement of Coast Guard vessels.

The proposed jetty development is contiguous to the existing old workshop of Cochin Port. Willingdon Island, the largest manmade island in India is located at an aerial distance of 500 m to the East of the proposed jetty site. is the nearest railway stations located at 1.8 km towards Southeast. National Highway 47 connecting Salem – Kochi – Kanyakumari is situated at 7 km on East direction. The jetty site is surrounded by numerous berths and terminals of the Cochin Port. Nearest berth is the Lakshadweep Ship Dock located at 830 m on the East. Lakshadweep Passenger Jetty is situated alongside the BTP Berth. India Gateway Container Transshipment Terminal is situated at 1.1 km to the North. The study area is divided into water body and landmass. Water body (Mattancherry Channel and ) occupies major part of the study area. The landmass consists of predominantly Cochin Port and Cochin City area. The proposed jetty area is surrounded by numerous ferries at Fort Cochin, Vypin Island and Ernakulam Wharf. As the jetty development is proposed within the limits of existing port, resettlement and rehabilitation are not envisaged. Similarly no ecologically sensitive zones and geo-morphological features as mentioned in the CRZ notification 2011 for CRZ I area, are present at the project site.

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Figure 2: Location of the Proposed Jetty of Indian Coast Guard at Cochin Port

The environmental settings of the jetty location at Cochin Port as per the format in Annexure II of the EIA manual published by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) are provided in Table 1. The environment settings within 10 km radius of the Jetty location at Cochin Port are provided in Table 2. The photographs of the proposed project site are depicted in Figure 3

Table 1: Environmental Settings at Proposed Jetty Site

S.No. Particular Details 1 Project Location Fort Kochi, Ernakulam District, Kerala 2 Site Coordinates Latitude 9° 58' 4.33" N to 9° 58' 0.26" N Longitude 76° 15' 9.88" E to 76° 15' 14.93" E 3 Railway Station None at project site 4 Airport None at the project site 5 Sea Port Project site falls within Cochin Port limits 6 Village/Major Town Kochi City – 0 km to West 7 Ecologically Sensitive Zones None at the project site 8 Historical/ Tourist Place As per Archeological Survey of India, no historical place is present at project site 9 Beach resorts None at project site

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

S.No. Particular Details 10 Coastal Areas rich in corals, None at project site mangroves, breeding ground of specific species 11 Biosphere reserves None at project site 12 Defense installations, specially Site is given on lease to Indian Coast Guard those of security importance and sensitive to pollution 13 Water Bodies/ Reservoirs Mattancherry Channel – 0 km 14 Critically polluted areas as per None at project site MoEF notification 15 Seismic Zones Zone III – Moderate Risk Zone as per as per IS1893 (Part1) : 2002 17 Corals, coral reefs and None at project site associated biodiversity 18 Sand dunes None at project site 19 Mud flats None at project site 20 National parks, marine parks, None at project site. sanctuaries, reserve forests, wild life habitats, biosphere reserves 21 Salt marshes None at project site 22 Turtle nesting grounds None at project site 23 Horse shoe crab habitats None at project site 24 Sea grass beds None at project site 25 Nesting grounds of birds None at project site Note: Distances indicated based on aerial measurement

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Table 2: Environment Settings of the Study Area of 10 km from Proposed Jetty Site

S. No. Particular Details 1 Toposheet No. of OSM OSM map 58C/6 1 Climatic Conditions Based on IMD – Kochi (Annual) – 30 years data • Annual Mean Max Temp: 36.5 0C (Summer) • Annual Mean Min Temp: 16.3 0C (Winter) • Annual Total Rainfall: 2978 mm • Predominant Wind Direction : W, SW 3 Nearest Roadway Calavathy Road at 60 m on West direction 4 Nearest Railway Cochin Harbour Terminus at 1.8 km in Southeast Station direction 5 Nearest Airport Cochin Naval Airport at 3.1 km in Southeast direction 6 Nearest Sea Port Project site falls within Cochin Port limit 7 Nearest Village/Major Kochi City Town 8 Ecologically Sensitive Mangroves near Vypin Island; 1.1 km to Northeast Zones 9 Historical/ Tourist St. Francis CSI Church at 700 m to the West Place at 500 m to the West Vypin Backwaters at 2.7 km the North Backwaters at 4 km to the South 10 Beach resorts Taj Vivanta at 500 m to the East Sea Hut Resort at 1.8 km in the Southwest direction Carl Dale Backwaters at 4.3 km to the South Fortuna River Bank at 6.2 km to the South Riviera Resorts at 6.4 km in the Southeast direction Kumbalagi Resorts at 8 km to the South Cochin Seaport Hotel at 3.4 km to the North 11 Coastal Areas rich in Mangroves near Vypin Island; 1.1 km Northeast. Corals corals, mangroves, and breeding ground of specific species not reported in the breeding ground of area. specific species

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S. No. Particular Details 12 Biosphere reserves None within study area 13 Defense installations, Coast Guard District Head Quarters at 500 m to the East specially those of Cochin Naval Airport at 3.1 km in the Southeast direction security importance Naval Base at 4.2 km in the Southeast direction and sensitive to pollution 14 Nearest Industries S. Name of Distance Type Direction No. Industry km International Container 1 Port 1.1 km North Transshipment Terminal Petronet LNG Oil and 2 2.7 km Northwest Terminal Gas 3 Cochin Port Port 0.5 East Cochin Ship 4 4 Southeast Shipyard Building

15 Nearest Water Bodies/ Mattancherry Channel at 0 km on East, Arabian Sea at 1.8 Reservoirs km West 16 Critically polluted None within study area. areas as per MoEF notification 17 Seismic Zones Zone III as per as per IS1893 (Part1) : 2002

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

UltraTech Team’s Visit to Project Site Proposed Site for Coast Guard Jetty

Old Workshop of CoPT at Jetty Site Fishing Boats near Proposed Jetty Location

EIA Coordinator Dr. Zingde at Site Existing Structure to be Demolished

Figure 3: Photographs of Existing Port and Proposed Project Site

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1.5 Need for EIA Study

As per relevant clause of Schedule of S.O. 1533 dated 14th September, 2006 of the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, Govt. of India (MoEF&CC) the prior environmental clearance is required only for the port, harbor and jetty projects involving cargo handling, and fish landing of more than 10000 TPA. As the requirements of the proposed Coast Guard Jetty are to meet strategic and defense needs and the jetty is mainly for turnover of manpower complement as well as for general repair/maintenance purpose and not for cargo handling, prior environmental clearance is not required. However, as the proposed development will be in a CRZ area, CRZ Clearance from MoEF&CC is mandatory under the CRZ Notification 2011. Accordingly, this EIA report which includes terrestrial and marine components is prepared as specified in the CRZ Notification 2011.

1.6 Methodology Adopted for EIA Study

Detailed review of the feasibility report for the proposed project has been carried out. Ten km radius of study area was marked using latitudes and longitudes of the project site. For all major environmental components, primary data was generated and compared with the available historical/published information for assessment of various environmental components to develop the Environmental Management Plan (EMP).

Land use pattern was mapped within 10 km radius from the proposed jetty site using GIS II remote sensing maps followed by ground truth verification. Baseline monitoring program was undertaken during post-monsoon 2015 to establish the background air quality, ground and marine water qualities, soil quality and noise levels in the study area. Site specific meteorological data was collected during the study period from the weather station installed at the project site. Ecology and biodiversity studies were carried out for terrestrial and marine components of the study area. Field Survey was undertaken to develop socio-economic profile of the study area and was compared with published census data for further refinement. A detailed review on the possible environmental pollutants such as liquid and solid wastes was undertaken. Impact Assessment of various environmental components have been carried out using standard EIA tools and techniques with appropriate input of primary and secondary baseline data to determine the significance of the impact. Various activities those are envisaged during construction and operation phases of the proposed project were evaluated for its significance. Based on the impact, suitable EMP was developed to mitigate the 14

Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

probable negative impacts. Risk Assessment, Oil Spill Contingency Plan and Emergency Response Plan were also prepared for the proposed project.

CRZ map prepared by NCESS (National Centre for Earth Science Studies) reviewed and suitable recommendations have been made in the EIA report.

1.7 Structure of EIA Report

The present EIA Study Report is organized into eleven sections and all relevant aspects as per the guidelines of the MoEF&CC as well as the EIA Notification 2006 and its subsequent amendments thereon, have been addressed in this report.

Section 1 describes the details about the introduction, project back-ground, justification of project site and EIA methodology adopted for undertaking EIA studies.

Section 2 presents the project description of the jetty development plan along with utilities and supporting infrastructure facilities and transportation of manpower.

Section 3 presents the alternate sites and technologies considered and the justification for selecting the proposed project sites.

Section 4 describes the existing baseline environmental conditions of the study area. Various environmental components such as air quality, water quality, noise levels, meteorological data, ecological and biological aspects, marine environment and socioeconomic details have been presented. This information has been used for predicting the cumulative (positive and negative) environmental impact arising during the construction and operational phases of the proposed activities.

Section 5 of the report discusses the residual environment impact during operation of the facility. Environmental Impact Assessment was made using, mathematical model taking in to account the baseline parameters. Potential environmental impacts have been assessed to establish the need for any additional risk mitigation measures, if required. Based on the findings of the study, site specific Environmental Management Plan has been developed.

Section 6 describes the proposed Environment Monitoring Program to be implemented during construction and operation stages of the proposed project. It also describes post- project monitoring plan to be conducted under various stages and reporting procedures.

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Section 7 describes the additional studies such as CRZ study, hydrodynamic modeling, Risk Assessment, Oil Spill Contingency Plan and Disaster Management Plan undertaken.

Section 8 presents the tangible benefits arising from the implementation of the proposed jetty project.

Section 9 deals with Environment Management Plan to be implemented during construction and operation phases to mitigate environmental impacts.

Section 10 includes the Summary and Conclusions arrived based on the studies described in the preceding sections of the EIA report.

Section 11 depicts the Disclosure of Consultants engaged for preparing the EIA report.

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2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2.1 General Description of Proposed Coast Guard Jetty Site

The proposed jetty site is situated along the Mattancherry channel on Fort Kochi side within the Cochin Port area. The port limits extend up to the entire backwaters and the connecting creeks and channels. The approach channel to the Cochin Port is about 1000 m long with a designed width of 200 m and maintained dredged depth of 18 m for ICTT (International Container Trans-shipment Terminal).

The channel further divides into Mattancherry and Ernakulam channels, leading West and East of the Willingdon Island respectively. Berthing facilities for ships have been provided in the form of wharves, berths, jetties and stream moorings alongside these channels.

Willingdon Island, the largest artificial man-made island in India is significant as the home for the Port of Kochi, as well as the Kochi Naval Base (the Southern Naval Command) of the Indian Navy and the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, a constituent unit of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

2.2 Proposed Coast Guard Jetty

Presently there is no dedicated berthing facility at Coast Guard, District HQ, Cochin for berthing Coast Guard vessels. Hence, the Coast Guard, District HQ, Cochin has proposed the construction of a dedicated berth within the Cochin Port. Subsequently, Indian Coast Guard has entrusted the Cochin Port Trust with the construction of the jetty for berthing their ships and allied facilities in the Mattancherry Channel, as deposit work. Quantifying the various parameters like design, scope for future expansion, intrusion into existing port area etc, the most preferred concept layout with no significant disadvantage is as given below:

The proposed jetty has a T-shaped configuration with the jetty head structure of 220 X 15 m connected to the main land at Mattancherry with an approach trestle of 80 X 9 m. To create adequate depth at the jetty, capital dredging of 2.70 lakh m3 is envisaged. Dredged spoil will be disposed at pre-designated point identified by CoPT.

The foundation of the jetty will be bored cast in-situ piles and deck is of RCC beam and slab construction. The deck construction will be cast in-situ or a combination of pre-cast and cast- in-situ. RCC handrails will be provided on either side of approach trestles. Berthing equipment like fenders, cast steel bollards, mooring hooks, ladders etc will also be provided. 17

Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Figure 4: Layout of Proposed Coast Guard Jetty

2.3 Proposed Utilities and Services

Following utilities and services are proposed for the berth.

• Fresh water supply to ships from onshore storage tank • Power supply to ships and jetty illumination from onshore substation • Fire fighting arrangements including high pressure air line with onshore pump house • Compressed air with two nos. LP air compressors with 7kg/cm2 pressure

2.4 Use of Natural Resources during Construction and Operation

Land: Berth is proposed on Vembanad Backwaters. However, the onshore facilities are located on the land of 41.30 cents leased to the Indian Coast Guard by CoPT.

Water: Construction phase water requirement will be met through the water supplied by tankers from Aluva or Kakkanad. During operation phase water requirement will be met from water supply of Kerala State Water Authority. Construction Material: Stone, aggregate, sand/soil, gravel and cement will be procured from nearby licensed vendors as per requirement and availability. Timber: timber requirement will be marginal for doors, windows and ventilators for onshore facilities. No timber requirement is envisaged for jetty.

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Energy (Electricity and Fuel): power requirement during construction phase will be met through DG sets. During operation phase power requirement will be met from Kerala State Electricity Board.

2.5 Use of Public Infrastructure during Expansion and Operation:

The entry to project site is from Mattancherry, connected to National Highway 47 (Salem to Kanyakumari) and National Highway 49 (Cochin to ). Well developed road infrastructure is already present within Cochin which is adequate during construction and operation phases. No new road or rail routes are proposed for this project.

2.6 Manpower requirement:

For the construction of the jetty and utility buildings, manpower will be acquired from local regions and on-site temporary camps for construction workers are not envisaged. Operational phase will generate employment for about 50 people.

2.7 Project cost and implementation schedule:

The proposed project will be executed in 30 months, after getting the CRZ Clearance from MoEF&CC . The estimated cost of the jetty project is presented in the Table 3.

Table 3: Estimated Cost of Proposed Expansion

Major Items Cost in “Crore” Civil Works 71.85 Electrical work 1.15 Utilities & Others 18.05 Miscellaneous & Contingency 1.95 Total “ ” 93.00

The estimate for the Environment Management Plan is also prepared for proper execution of the project. The estimated EMP cost is presented in Table 4.

Table 4: Estimated cost of Environment Management Plan

Item Description Cost in Lacs Green Belt & Horticulture 1.00 Housekeeping 0.50 Total “ ” 1.50

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3 ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES

3.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses the alternative considerations that have been studied by the CoPT before zeroing on the location and alignment of the proposed jetty at Mattancherry. Following criteria were considered for selection of the proposed site to avoid the following to the extent 20rayly2020:

 Human settlements

 Major obstructions

 Private land acquisition

 Environmental sensitive areas

3.2 Project Requirement Alternatives

The Indian Coast Guard protects India’s maritime interests and enforces maritime law, with jurisdiction over the Territorial Waters of India including its Contiguous Zone and Exclusive Economic Zone. The Indian Coast Guard District Head Quarters, Kochi operates a fleet of vessels and aircrafts. However, lack of dedicated berthing facility for their vessels leads to considerable inconvenience in their operations which frequently needs prompt deployment of surveillance and oil pollution combating vessels.

Since the operations of the Indian Coast Guard fall under the Ministry of Defense and are essential for the Nation’s security, an urgent need of a dedicated jetty for the operations of the Coast Guard vessels is felt.

3.3 No Project Scenario

No-Project scenario discusses about the existing conditions as well as what would occur in the foreseeable future, if the projectsis not be established based on current plans, consistent with available infrastructure and community services.

As discussed in the previous subsection, ‘no project scenario’ of jetty development would lead to inconvenience for Indian Coast Guard operations which often needs prompt deployment of their vessels. Currently the Coast Guard vessels are moored at the existing

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berth of the Cochin Port. Engaging existing berth for the Coast Guard vessels is exerting excessive load on Cochin Port; being one of the largest and busiest ports of Southern India. Moreover, the existing berth allotted to the Indian Coast Guard is not adequate for accommodating bigger vessels. Hence, currently bigger vessels are being berthed at and ports. This would lead considerable delay in response should an emergency such as bulk spillage of POL arises where time is of great significance for effective containment and combating the spill. In view of this a dedicated jetty to accommodate bigger vessels at the Cochin Port is essential for protecting the environment and assets as well as for the Nation’s security.

3.4 Site Selection

Presently only one location is allotted on lease for the proposed jetty by CoPT. Hence, analysis of alternative sites is not considered.

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4 DESCRIPTION OF THE BASELINE ENVIRONMENT

4.1 Introduction

The EIA determines the environmental consequences of the project prior to construction; assesses the impact on environment due to construction, on existing baseline environment; and also importantly on land use and socio-economic parameters; and suggests measures to eliminate or minimize negative impacts on the environment. Thus, the baseline study is an integral part of an EIA, as it helps to identify the environmental concerns already existing in that area. The entire baseline data has been collected through actual physical surveys and observations, literature surveys, interaction with locals, government agencies and departments.

This chapter describes the existing environmental settings in the study area. The purposes of describing the environmental settings of the study area are:

 To understand the project need and environmental characteristics of the area.  To assess the existing environmental quality, as well as the environmental impacts due to the proposed development around the study area.  To identify environmentally significant factors or geographical areas that could preclude any future development.

The baseline data has been ascertained for the environmental components to be considered in general for Jetty projects: land, groundwater, surface water, marine ecology, air and meteorology, noise, biology, socio economic and occupational health, solid waste and public utilities.

The establishment of baseline for different environmental components in the designated study area and at the project site has been conducted by field monitoring / investigation for baseline data generation. The data generation was carried out covering Ambient Air Quality, Noise Levels, Water Quality, Land Use, Soil Quality, Ecology, Hydrology and Socio-economic features. Besides, additional data/information regarding water availability, ecology, demographic pattern and socio-economic conditions were also collected from secondary sources.

4.2 Details of Study area

Cochin Port is located on the southwest coast on India in the state of Kerala. The existing harbor basin is within the naturally protected area of the Cochin lagoon. The entrance to the 22

Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

port is through the Cochin gut between the peninsular headland of Vypeen and Fort Kochi. Main facilities of port are located on the artificially created Willingson Island.

Near the proposed jetty location, environmental impacts during the construction phase will be relatively significant as compared to the operation phase. It is necessary to evaluate the impacts of the project activities, so that the surrounding area and communities are as far as feasible, insulated from the negative impacts. Considering the project layout, the primary study area is considered to be within 2 km radius of the jetty site for baseline environment monitoring (Figure 6) while for studying the environmental sensitivity in a radius of 10 km, both primary and secondary data are considered.

Figure 5: Study area covering 10km zone around the project site

4.3 Geology

Cochin lies at the northern end of a narrow neck of land, about 19 km long and less than 1.6 km wide in many places, and is separated from the mainland by inlets from the Arabian 23

Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Sea and by the estuaries of rivers draining from the Western Ghats, as a result forming Cochin as a natural harbour. Low lands and coastal areas drain out into the Arabian sea. Most of the islands of Cochin are very small, varying in extent from 10 sq km to less than a sq km. The soil consists mainly of recent sediments of alluvium type, brown colour sand etc. Willingdon Island is a large artificial island, created by dredging the Vembanad Lake. The city has a rich network of backwaters which has been declared as the National Waterways by the Govt. of India. As per the Seismic Zone classification by IS 1893 (Part-I): 2002, the jetty for Indian Coast Guard at cochin port falls under Seismic Zone III (Figure 7) which falls under Moderate Risk Zone.

Figure 6: Seismic Zones of India as per IS 1893 (Part-I): 2002

The underlying geological formations of the area are mostly alluvium followed by granite gneiss of Archaean age. The major rock type within Archaeans is the biotite-granitegneiss. The typical composition of this formation is essentially quartz and feldspar with variable amounts of biotite. The biotite granite is a gray or whitish rock, medium to coarse grained in texture. Dark gray, foliated gneiss occurs are also observed in the study zone. The gneiss strata is found to be dip in various directions. Laterite is found, almost extensively forming low flat-topped ridges and hills, covering the Archaeans, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The laterite is formed by the decomposition of in-situ rocks. The entire western part of the study zone is covered by the recent sediments. All along the coast the geological formations are of recent origin, which date back to early tertiary period. The sedimentary

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formations along the coastal plains are recent and sub recent formations. The coastal stretches that are overlain by recent alluvial deposits consist of sands, sandy clays, clays and carbonaceous clays. The alluvial formations of the coastal plains extend as a narrow stretch of low lying land between the sea and the extensive back water system, running almost parallel to the coast. The width of the land regions varies from a few meters to few kilometers.

4.4 Hydrology

Nearly 50% of the study area is covered under Arabian Sea. and Chitrapuzha are the important rivers in the study area. Other water bodies include Vembanad, Kumbalam, , Kundanoor, Champakkara and Kaniampuzha lakes. Periyar is the largest river of Ernakulam district as well as Kerala state. The average discharge of Periyar River at Neeleshwaram as monitored by Central Water Commission (CWC) is 183.5 m3/sec. The availability of water from the Periyar River is about 5786.85 million m3/year. A multi- purpose Periyar Valley Irrigation Project was undertaken at Idukki in 1956 to irrigate an area of 85,600 ha, which has its command area in Ernakulam district. This is the largest irrigation project in the state of Kerala. Chitrapuzha river has a catchment area of about 117 sq. km. in Kerala state. The annual yield of the river is about 570 millon m3 and the annual utilizable yield is about 271 million m3.

Vembanad Lake is the largest estuarine system in the southwest coast of India with a maximum length of about 90 km and a maximum width of 14 km, covering an area of 300 sq. km. This is the largest lake in Kerala state. This beautiful lake is an important means of inland navigation. This spreads between in the south and Azhikode in the north. There are five major rivers connected with these backwaters through their tributaries and branches.

The Arabian Sea coast in the study area borders the Cochin harbor, the only natural 25rayly of the state either in north or south. The entire region has a network of canals and backwaters. Vembanad Lake and Periyar River system are the two major backwaters of the study area.

4.5 Land Use/Land Classification (LULC)

Mapping of land use and land cover was carried out for the proposed site along the coast by using remote sensing satellite data similar to preliminary site survey. Comprehensive and chronological land use and land cover information is very vital for efficient management of land resources and protection of conservation site, if any. In addition to this, remote sensing 25

Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

technology allows constant monitoring with time and past history of any particular area with relative ease. RESOURCESAT-2 cloud free data has been used for land use / land cover of the study area (10 km radius from the proposed site). As stated earlier the project does not envisage any additional land acquisition from local public or private parties. The environmental sensitive areas as mentioned in Part 9 (III) of Form 1 of EIA Notification 2006, of the project site covering 10 km aerial distances were verified during the primary data collection through site visit.

4.5.1 Satellite Image Analysis

Satellite data as per following details was used to study LULC. Figure 8 shows the false colour composite map of 10 km radius area from proposed jetty site.

• Landsat: 8

• Sensor: OLI TIRS

• Path: 144

• Row: 53

• Date of acquisition: 29.11.2015

Figure 7: FCC composite map 10 km buffer for coast guard jetty

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Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

4.5.2 LULC Details

The digital classification technique has been used for the extraction of the landuse/landcover information from the imagery. A number of different landuse/landcover classes are identified in the area under the study. Table 6 shows the information about the extent of landuse / landcover classes in the study area. Satellite data was classified using supervised classification technique. Maximum likelihood algorithm classifier was used for the analysis. The scenes were individually classified and then were integrated to get a composite classified output. After aggregation, the final classified output was converted in raster format. Eight landuse/landcover classes are identified in total 10 km radius area around project site (Figure 9). The area under each class, pie chart showing percentage of each class is calculated and given below (Table 6 and Figure 10).

Figure 8: Land use land cover map 10km radius Table 5: Land use land cover map 10 km radius Classes Ha Sq. km % of total Vegetation 433.78 4.34 1.38 Scrub Land 5599.91 56.00 17.81 Open Land 1320.80 13.21 4.20

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Agriculture 40.14 0.40 0.13 Saltpans 467.39 4.67 1.49 Wetland 2161.91 21.62 6.87 Built-Up Land 5745.51 57.46 18.27 Waterbody 15676.74 156.77 49.85 Total Area 31446.18 314.46 100.00

1.38%

17.81% Vegetation Scrub Land

0.13% Open Land 4.20% 49.85% 1.49% Agriculture Saltpans 6.87% Wetland Built-Up Land Waterbody 18.27%

Figure 9: Pie chart of LULC classes within 10 km radius

The overall land use of 10 km radius area shows that water bodies dominate with the Arabian Sea constituting 49.85% of the total followed by built-up land (18.27 %), shrub land (17.81%), open land (4.20%), and others which include vegetation and mangroves (1.38%). However, mangroves are absent at the project site and around. Hence, the proposed project activity does not harm any sensitive ecosystem.

4.6 Soil

Soil is a vital natural resource, the proper use of which greatly determines the capability of life supporting system and the socio economic development of the people by providing food, fiber, fodder & fuel formatting the basic needs of human & animals. Brown hydromorphic soil is the most prevalent soil type of the district and they are encountered in valley bottoms. The soil is enriched in clay content and plant nutrients. The soil is suited for paddy 28

Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

cultivation. Riverine alluvium is restricted to the banks of rivers and their tributaries. They are composed of sandy to clayey loam and are enriched in plant nutrients. It is suited for a large variety of crops like coconut, paddy areca nut, pepper, vegetables etc. In Cochin Taluk and the western parts of Paravur and Aluva Taluk coastal alluvium is encountered and is composed of sand and clay. Coconut is the major produce in these soils.

Representative soil samples from study area were collected at two locations namely Cochin Port Trust office (S1) and Coast Guard office (S2). Figure 11 shows map of soil sampling locations. Results of soil analysis are presented in Table 7

Figure 10: Map Showing Soil Sampling Locations

Table 6: Soil Quality in Study Area

Sr. No. Parameter Unit S1 S2 1 Soil Type - Sandy Clay Sandy Clay 2 Colour - Reddish Brown Reddish Brown 3 Moisture Content % 6.9 7.3 4 Conductivity at 250C µS/cm 66.5 71.2 5 pH at 320C - 6.8 7.3 6 Organic Carbon g/100gm 329 274

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7 Total Nitrogen as N mg/100gm 115 102 8 Phosphorus mg/100gm 1.18 1.04 9 Chlorides mg/100gm 94.2 106.3 10 Sodium Absorption Ratio - 1.4 1.34 11 Cation Exchange Capacity meq/100g 1.23 1.2

4.7 Meteorology

The climate of Cochin is mainly governed by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats (range of mountain spread over the Western side of India), which acts as a shield and protects the State from the dry winds blowing North to South. Also, the Ghats play a significant role in the onset of the monsoon. Presence of the sea plays a significant role in the diurnal variation of climatic condition. The landward sea breeze in the evening keeps the temperature in a pleasant range. The seasons of Kerala are generally divided into Winter, Summer, South- West Monsoon and North-East Monsoon. The nearest observatory/station of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is located on Willingdon Island at the Naval Base (Headquarters of Southern Naval Command). The climatological data for Cochin published by the IMD, based on daily observations at 08:30 and 17:30 hour IST for a 30 year (1971- 2000) period, is presented in the following sections on the meteorological conditions of the region. The area does not experience hail, fog or dust storms. However, thunderstorms are frequent during the onset and the withdrawal of Southwest monsoon. Squall is also frequent during Southwest monsoon season.

Rainfall: The average annual rainfall at Cochin is 2978 mm;most of which is received in the months of June, July and August under the influence of the southwest monsoons. On an average, there are 124.7 rainy days in a year. The average monthly rainfall recorded at IMD station Cochin is summarized in Table 8. The rainfall as received in various months of the year is given in Figure 12.

Temperature: The average monthly maximum and minimum temperature recorded at IMD station Kochi is presented in Table 3.2. The mean monthly maximum temperature ranges from 32.9° C in April to 29.3° C in July and August. Mean monthly minimum temperature ranges from 22.6 °C in January to 25.9 °C in April. The month wise temperature variations are given in Figure 12.

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Humidity: The relative humidity is generally high throughout the year, with highest during the south-west monsoon months. With the retreat of south-west monsoon, there is a marginal decrease in humidity. The lowest humidity is observed from the period from January to March. The month wise humidity variations are given in Figure 12.

Table 7: Meteorological Data of Cochin (IMD 1971 – 2000)

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Record high °C 36.4 35.7 36 36.5 35.2 34.2 Avg. High °C 31.7 31.9 32.5 32.9 32.3 30.1 Avg. Low °C 22.6 24 25.3 25.9 25.7 24.1 Record low °C 16.5 16.3 21.6 21.3 21.1 20.4 Avg. Precipitation mm 23.3 25.9 30.8 94.8 282.8 705.8 Avg. Rainy days 1 1.2 2.3 6.2 10.7 23.2 Avg. Relative Humidity at 8:30 73 76 75 77 82 89 Avg. Relative Humidity at 17:30 61 64 67 71 75 82

Month Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Record high °C 33.1 32.5 34.2 34.6 35.6 34.8 Avg. High °C 29.3 29.3 30 30.6 31.2 31.8 Avg. Low °C 23.7 23.9 24.2 24.1 24 23.1 Record low °C 17.6 20.6 21.1 19.2 19.2 17.7 Avg. Precipitation mm 593.6 403.1 279.6 320.3 174.9 43.2 Avg. Rainy days 22.3 20 13.8 14.3 7.8 1.9 Avg. Relative Humidity at 8:30 91 89 86 84 81 75 Avg. Relative Humidity at 17:30 84 82 79 78 72 64

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40 35 30

25 Record high °C 20 Record low °C 15 10 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

35 30 25 20 Average high °C 15 Average low °C 10 5 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

800 700 600 500 400 300 Average precipitation 200 mm 100 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

100

80

60 Average Relative Humidity at 8:30 40 Average Relative 20 Humidity at 17:30

0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Figure 11: Meteorological Data of Cochin (IMD 1971 – 2000)

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Cyclone

The coastal area of Kerala comes under the moderate damage risk zone as per the cyclone hazard map (Figure 4.8) prepared by the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC). Only two major cyclones have been reported since 1977 in and near the coast of Kerala, they are listed in Table 4.4.

Table 8: Cyclone Details of Kerala State

Date Details 8 – 12 Nov Crossed (TN) coast within 10 km to south of Nagapattinam early 1977 morning of November 12, 1977. Weakened into a cyclonic storm by that evening over interior parts of TN & emerged off North Kerala coast on the morning of 13th as a deep depression. Maximum wind recorded was about 120 km/hr on 12th morning at Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli and Podukottai. 560 people died and one million people were homeless. 23,000 Cattles perished. Total damage to private and public property was estimated to be Rs.1550 million 19 – 24 Crossed between Kilakkarai, Rochemary and Ramanathapuram District of TN Nov 1978 State on 24th evening as a severe storm emerged into the Arabian Sea off Kerala coast as a deep depression on 25th morning. Batticola of Sri Lanka reported maximum wind speed northerly 145 km/hr. In India, 5,000 huts were damaged and total damage was estimated to be around 50 Million rupees.

Figure 12: Cyclone Hazard Map of India by BMTPC 33

Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Flood

Flood in Kerala are highly 34rayly3434t due to undulating terrain features except sandy plain coastal areas. The western coast of India together with Kerala State is one of the world’s highest rain fed regions with nearly 3000 mm annual average rainfall. This is three times the National average of 1000 mm. Such high density rainfall often leads to flooding along the rivers and all valley areas towards the coastal belt. Generally, the low lying areas get flooded during the south west monsoon season but most of the floods in Kerala recede faster than any other place due to the slope towards the sea.

Tsunami

There are no previous reports or records on the tsunami affecting the Kerala coast. Tsunami is generated by earthquakes in the Andaman–Sumatra region or in the Mekran coast that are the likely locations for the genesis of Tsunami. Although, even in the shadow region, the December 26, 2004 earthquake that generated a tsunami of unprecedented propositions and devastated the shorelines across the continents also hit many parts of the coast of Kerala, badly.

4.8 Ambient Air Quality

Three sampling stations were selected around the project site for air quality monitoring. Monitoring location details are delineated in Table 10 and the locations are shown in Figure: 14.

Table 9: Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations Details

Location Code Location Name Latitude Longitude A1 Cochin Port Trust Office 9°58’11.06”N 76°15’30.93”E A2 Coast Guard Office 9°58’7.59”N 76°14’53.41”E A3 9°57’32.69”N 76°14’15.48”E

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Figure 13: Map Showing Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Locations

Parameters like PM 2.5, PM10, Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Oxide (Nox) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) were measured during the monitoring period. The 24 hourly samples were collected twice a week for post monsoon season (November 2015 to January 2016). Ambient air quality of study area was compared with secondary data as well as National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Summary of ambient air quality in comparison with secondary data is given in Table 11.

Table 10:Summary of AAQ levels in comparison with secondary data

Cochin Coast Fort Parameters Port Permissible Guard Kochi 2011* 2014** (μg/m3 ) Trust Limit Office Beach Office Min 17 13 15

PM 2.5 Max 26 21 26 40.6 9.3 – 22.0 60 Avg. 20.54 17.91 20.75 Min 55 47 50

PM 10 Max 74 72 75 70.5 28.9 – 66.9 100 Avg. 65.04 57.79 64.75 35

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Cochin Coast Fort Parameters Port Permissible Guard Kochi 2011* 2014** (μg/m3 ) Trust Limit Office Beach Office Min 10 9 9

SO2 Max 13 13 14 17.1 5.4 – 7.9 80 Avg. 11 10.87 10.75 Min 10 10 10 Nox Max 14 15 14 20.4 6.4 – 21.7 80 Avg. 12.33 12.75 12.20 Min 1 1 1 CO Max 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.32 - 4 Avg. 1.21 1.18 1.13

Secondary data source: * Environmental Impact Assessment Study for Multi-User Liquid Terminal Project at Puthuvypeen, Cochin Port ** EIA of Augmentation of Existing Ship Repair Facility at Cochin Port Trust (CoPT) workshop establishment located at Wellingdon Island, Cochin, Kerala Ambient Air Quality analysis results:

• Particulate Matter(PM 10)

The maximum 24 hourly concentration for PM10 was found to be 75µg/m3 at Fort Kochi Beach while minimum concentration was recorded (47 µg/m3) at the Coast Guard Office. However, all the readings are within CPCB limits.

• Particulate Matter(PM 2.5 )

The maximum 24 hourly concentration for PM2.5 was found to be 26 µg/m3 at Cochin Port Trust Office & Fort Kochi Beach while minimum concentration was recorded (13µg/m3) at the Coast Guard Office. All the readings are within Limit.

• Sulphur Dioxide(SO2)

The maximum 24 hourly concentration for SO2 was found to be 14 µg/m3 at Fort Kochi Beach while the minimum concentration was recorded (9µg/m3) at Coast Guard Office & Fort Kochi Beach

• Oxides of Nitrogen(Nox)

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The maximum 24 hourly concentration for Nox was found to be 15 µg/m3 at Coast Guard Office while minimum concentration was recorded (10 µg/m3) at all location.

• Carbon Monooxide (CO):

The maximum 8 hourly concentration for CO was found to be 1.4 µg/m3at all location while minimum concentration was recorded (1 µg/m3) at all location.

4.9 Noise Levels

The noise levels were monitored at locations selected for AAQ monitoring on an hourly basis during the study period. A digital noise level meter of Lutron make was used to record the noise levels. Leq day and Leq night noise levels were derived and reported accordingly. Day time was considered as 1000 hrs to 2200 hrs and night time as 2200 hrs to 0600 hrs. The day time and night time equivalent noise levels at selected locations are given in Table 12.

Table 11: Summary of Noise level

Noise level values Location Permissible Limits Leq dB (A) Cochin Port Day – 51.2 Trust Office Night – 40.3 Day – 75 Night – 70 Coast Guard Day – 52.4 Office Night – 42.1

The proposed jetty site is located within Cochin Port limits, hence it will be considered as industrial area. Permissible noise limits for industrial area prescribed by CPCB are 75 dB(A) during day time and 70 dB(A) during night time. Recorded noise levels were observed to be within the required limits.

4.10 Fresh water Environment

4.10.1 Surface Water Environment

No fresh water bodies exist near project site or Cochin Port. Fresh water samples were collected from pond near Dutch Palace (SW1) and pond near Thirumala temple (SW2). Detailed surface water analysis is given in Table 13. From surface water analysis it is evident that water in both lakes are not suitable for drinking purpose as per IS 10500 standards. Water needs to be disinfected before human consumption.

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Figure 14: Map Showing Surface Water Sampling Locations

Table 12: Surface Water Quality in Study Area

Permissible Sr. No. Test Parameter Unit Test Method SW1 SW2 Limit IS 10500 1 Colour Hazen IS 3025 (Part 04) 1983 4 12 15

2 odour - IS 3025 (Pt 5):1983 Agreeable Agreeable Agreeable

3 Turbidity NTU IS 3025 (Part 10) 1984 0.7 5.8 5

4 pH - IS 3025 (Part 11) 1983 8.24 7.5 6.5 – 8.5

5 Total Dissolved Solids mg/L IS 3025 (Part 16) : 1984 183 224 2000

6 Total Hardness as CaCO3 mg/L IS 3025 (Part 21) 2009 91.08 67.32 600

7 Total Alkalinity as CaCO3 mg/L IS 3025 (Part 23) 1986 103 63.86 600

2- 8 Sulphates as SO4 mg/L IS 3025 (Part 24) 1986 8.53 8.72 400

9 Chlorides as Cl- mg/L IS 3025 (Part 32) : 1993 39.53 84.85 1000

10 Calcium as Ca mg/L IS 3025 (Part 40) 1991 27.78 18.25 200

11 Iron as Fe mg/L IS 3025 (Part 41) 2003 0.09 0.17 0.3

12 Magnesium as Mg mg/L IS 3025(Pt 46):1994 5.29 5.29 100

13 Fecal coliform MPN/100 ml IS 1622 : 1981 Present Present Absent

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4.10.2 Ground Water Environment

In order to study the existing ground water quality within the study area, samples were collected from bore well at Cochin Port Trust and open well at Coast Guard Office. Detailed results and methodology used for testing has been given in Table 14.

Table 13: Ground Water Quality in Study Area

Permissible Sr. No. Test Parameter Unit Test Method GW1 GW2 Limit IS 10500 1 Colour Hazen IS 3025 (Part 04) 1983 7.00 18 15

2 odour - IS 3025 (Pt 5):1983 Agreeable Agreeable Agreeable

3 Turbidity NTU IS 3025 (Part 10) 1984 1.80 6.20 5

4 pH - IS 3025 (Part 11) 1983 7.52 8.38 6.5 – 8.5

5 Total Dissolved Solids mg/L IS 3025 (Part 16) : 1984 2554 307 2000

6 Total Hardness as CaCO3 mg/L IS 3025 (Part 21) 2009 544.50 205.92 600

7 Total Alkalinity as CaCO3 mg/L IS 3025 (Part 23) 1986 82.40 226.60 600

2- 8 Sulphates as SO4 mg/L IS 3025 (Part 24) 1986 60.03 18.29 400

9 Chlorides as Cl- mg/L IS 3025 (Part 32) : 1993 1301.72 28.93 1000

10 Calcium as Ca mg/L IS 3025 (Part 40) 1991 99.20 68.25 200

11 Iron as Fe mg/L IS 3025 (Part 41) 2003 0.26 0.88 0.3

12 Magnesium as Mg mg/L IS 3025(Pt 46):1994 72.17 8.66 100 MPN/100 13 Fecal coliform IS 1622 : 1981 Absent Present Absent ml

Figure 15: Baseline Monitoring Photographs

AAQ monitoring at CoPT building AAQ monitoring at Coast Guard building

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AAQ monitoring at Fort Cochin Well Water Collection at Coast Guard Office

Thirumala Temple Pond Dutch Palace Pond

Noise Monitoring Bore Well Water Collection

Marine Water Sampling Zooplankton Sampling

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4.11 Terrestrial Ecology

Biological environment describes the flora, fauna and protected areas in the project area. The information presented here is based on the field survey, public consultation and secondary data review. Field survey for terrestrial ecology was conducted in the November 2015 within 2 km radius of project site.

4.11.1 Flora

The flora of the area constitutes of predominately urban plantation as avenue/ homestead vegetation. Notable planted trees located in the project area include Cassia fistula, Delonix regia, Albizia saman, Spathodia campanulata, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Anacardium occidentale, Areca catechu, Mangifera indica, Terminalia catappa and Cocos nucifera. Overall 36 floral species were recorded from project site.

Patches of mangroves are located in Vypin, Vallarpadam, Malippuram, and Mangalavanam in the north zone and Kumbalam, Panangad, and Kumbalangi in the south. The mangrove species recorded in these areas are Avicennia officinalis, Rhizophora mucronata, Rhizophora apiculata, Acanthus ilicifolius, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Exocaeria agallocha, Bruguiera cylindrical, Bruguiera sexangula, Acrostichum aureum and Derris 41rayly4141te. However, mangroves are absent at the project site as well as in the close vicinity. Table 15 shows list of flora observed near the project site.

Table 14: Flora Observed near Project Site

Sr. No. Botanical Name Common Name Family 1 Albizia saman Rain Tree Mimosea 2 Areca catechu Areca nut Arecaceae 3 Artocarpus heterophyllus Plavu/ Jack fruit Moraceae 4 Borassus flaberllifer Tadi/ Karimpana Araceae 5 Cassia fistula Kanikkonna Caesalpinae 6 Casuarina equisetifolia Casuarina Casuarinaceae 7 Cocos nucifera Coconut Arecaceae 8 Delonix regia Gulmohar Caesalpinae 9 Ficus religiosa Peepal Moraceae 10 Leucaena leucocephala Subabool Mimosea 11 Mangifera indica Mango Anacardiaceae

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12 Morinda pubescens Mannappavitta Rutaceae 13 Moringa oliefera Drumstick Moringaceae 14 Musa paradisiaca Banana Museaceae 15 Psidium guajava Guava Myrtaceae 16 Spondias pinnata Ambazam Anacardiaceae 17 Syzygium cumini Jamun Myrtaceae 18 Tectona grandis Teak Verbenaceae 19 Terminalia catappa Indian Badam Combretaceae 20 Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Chembarathi Malvaceae 21 Calotropis gigantea Aak Asclepidiaceae 22 Ixora coccinea Thetti Rubiaceae 23 Lantana camara Lantana Verbenaceae 24 Plumera rubra Champa Apocynaceae 25 Colocasia esculenta Chembu Araceae 26 Crotalaria retusa Rattlepod Fabaceae 27 Parthenium hysterophorus Congress grass Asteraceae 28 Phyllanthus sps Keezhar Nelli Solanaceae 29 Tridax procumbens Thalapokki Asteraceae 30 Urena lobata Oorpam Malvaceae 31 Clitoria ternatea Sankpushpa Fabaceae 32 Coccinia grandis Koval Cucurbitaceae 33 Ipomea nil Taliyari Convolvulaceae 34 Ipomea sps Ipomea Convolvulaceae 35 Scindapsus aureus Money Plant Araceae 36 Eichornia crassipes Eichornia Eichorniaceae

The low lying areas/paddy fields get seasonally flooded and include the Pokkali paddy fields. An unique saline tolerant rice variety is cultivated in an organic way in the water-logged areas. The rice is cultivated from June to early November when the salinity level of the water in the fields is low. From mid-November to mid-April, when the salinity is high, prawn farming is done in the fields. The successful growth, propagation, survival, reproduction and harvest of shrimps are heavily dependent upon the quality of the field soil and water,

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degradation of which often limits the production in aquaculture systems. Paddy cultivation in the Corporation area is now restricted to Chakkanattukari near .

Coconut plantation is the dominant vegetation. Other crops grown in the area are banana, papaya, cashew nuts, red gram, groundnut, maize, millets, tapioca and cereals.

In the area of 10 km radius 137 species have been recorded which included 60 trees, 26 shrubs, 48 herbs, grasses and climbers and 3 hydrophytes.

No threatened category of flora species as per International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) occur at the project site. All species of plants are commonly found in the region and other similar areas of the State.

4.11.2 Fauna

The project area is predominantly built up area and does not form habitat for wildlife. The greater part of the region is mainland. The abundant backwater system favors a large and varied fish population and wading and water birds. The avian fauna are rich and varied and the commonly birds seen are the Crow, Drongo, Bulbul, Magpie, Robin, Tailorbird etc. Weaverbird, Parakeet, and Larks are also commonly seen. Egrets, Terns, Pond Heron, Wagtail, Lapwing and Black Bittern are noticed along the lakes and the backwaters. Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus), Chestnut-tailed Starling (Sturnus malabaricus), Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), Common Redshank (Tringa 43rayly43), Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) are seasonal visitors to the area.

The reptiles are represented by the house lizard, monitor lizard, chameleon and garden lizard. Common snakes are python, rat snake, wolf snake, and freshwater snakes locally called Neerkoli, Pulavan etc.

Table 15: Fauna Recorded from Study Area

Scientific Name Common Name IUCN Status WPA Status Mammals Bandicota indica Large bandicoot Rat Least concern Schedule V Funambulus palmarum Three striped squirrel Least concern Schedule IV Golunda ellioti Indian bush rat Least concern Schedule V Herpestes edwardsii Grey Mongoose Lower risk Schedule II Mus booduga Common Indian mouse Least concern Schedule V

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Mus musculus homeurus Mouse Least concern Schedule V Mus musculus tytleri Home mouse Least concern Schedule V Nesokia indica indica Bandicoot rat Least concern Schedule V Cynopterus sphinx Short-Nosed Fruit Bat Least concern Schedule V Rattus rattus gangutrianus Common Indian rat Least concern Schedule V Rattus rattus refescens Common Indian rat Least concern Schedule V Rhinopoma hardwickii Lesser MouseTailed Bat Least concern Schedule V Suncus murinus House shrew Least concern - Vandeleuria oleraua Long tailed tree mouse Lower risk Schedule V Reptiles Bungarus caeruleus Common Indian Krait Least Concern Schedule IV Calotes versicolor Common Garden Lizard Least Concern Schedule II Chamaeleo zeylanicus Chameleon Least Concern Schedule II Cnemaspis littoralis Coastal Day Gecko Lower Risk Enhydris enhydris Smooth Water Snake Least Concern Schedule IV Hemidactylus brooki Brook’s Gecko Least Concern - Lycodon aulicus Common Wolf Snake Least Concern Schedule IV Mabuya carinata Common Skink Least Concern Schedule IV Ptyas mucosus Common rat snake Least Concern Schedule II Typhlops hypomethes Coastal blind snake Lower Risk Schedule IV Vipera russelli Russels viper Least Concern Schedule II Amphibians Bufo melanostictus Common Indian Toad Least Concern Schedule IV Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis Skittering Frog Least Concern Schedule IV Euphlyctis hexadactylus Indian Pond Frog Least Concern Schedule IV Hoplobatrachus tigerinus Indian Bull Frog Least Concern Schedule IV Polypedates maculates Common Tree Frog Least Concern Schedule IV Avifauna Acridotheres tristis Common myna Least concern Schedule-IV Alcedo athis Common Kingfisher Least concern Schedule-IV Arachnotehra longisirostris Little spider hunter Least concern Schedule-IV

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Ardea 45rayly grayii Paddy bird Least concern Schedule-V Ardea purpurea Eastern purple Least concern Schedule-IV Ardeo grayeli Pond heron Least concern Schedule-IV Ardes alba large egret Least concern Schedule-IV Athene brama Spotted owl Least concern Schedule-IV Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egret Least concern Schedule-IV Caprimulgus indfcus Indian night jar Least concern Schedule-IV Copsychus saularis Southern magpie Least concern Schedule-IV Coracias benghalensis Indian roller Least concern Schedule-V Coracias benghalensis Southern Indian heron Least concern Schedule-IV Cosvus splendens House crow Least concern Schedule-IV Dicrus adsimilis Macrocerulus Least concern Schedule-IV Malabar golden backed Dinopiumbebghalensis Least concern Schedule-IV woodpecker Dupetor flavicolis Black bittern Least concern Schedule-IV Egretta garzetta Little Egret Least concern - Elanus caerulus Black winged Kite Least concern Schedule-IV Eudynamis scolopaceus Koel Least concern - Gelochelidon nilotica Gullibilled tern Least concern - Indian white brested Halcyonfusca sumyrnessis Least concern Schedule-V Kingfisher Haliacetus leucoryphus Pallas fishing Eagle Least concern Schedule-IV Haliastur Indus Brahmny kite Least concern Schedule-IV Laras fuscus Lesser Black Beak Gull Least concern Schedule-IV Lobvanella indicus Redwattled lapwing Least concern - Lonchura malabarlca Common silver bill Least concern Schedule-IV Meops philipipines Blue tailed bee eater Least concern Schedule-IV Microptemus brachyurus Rufous woodpecker Least concern Schedule-IV Milvus migrans Pariah kite Least concern Schedule-IV Nicticorax nycticorax Night heron Least concern Schedule-IV Nyctinrinia minima Small suribird Least concern Schedule-IV Nyctinrinia zeylonalinca Indian purple sunbird Least concern Schedule-IV sola

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Orthotomus sutorius Tailor bird Least concern Schedule-IV Passer domesticus House sparrow Least concern Schedule-IV Phalacrocorax niger Little coramont Least concern Schedule-V

4.11.3 Mangalvanam Bird Sanctuary

Mangalavanam is a small tidal wetland located between latitudes 9° 59’ 13.4” N longitudes 76° 16’ 26.1” E and nearly 3.3 km on Northeast of proposed project site. It was declared as a Bird Sanctuary on 31st August, 2004 and is the smallest protected area in Kerala having an area of 2.74 ha. A shallow tidal pond occupies part of the sanctuary with periphery covered by dense growth of mangrove vegetation. It is connected with Cochin backwaters by a feeder canal. Location of Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary is given Figure 4.11.

A large number of birds and other faunal elements have been reported from the Mangalvanam Sanctuary. It is a nesting ground for a vast variety of migratory birds. Kerala Forest Department has reported 103 species of birds from the sanctuary out of which 87 are resident and 16 migratory species. Mangalvanam support 30 species of butterflies, 4 species of dragionflies, 2 species of damselflies, 2 species of amphibians, 6 species of mammals and 2 species of reptiles. The mammals reported are; Indian flying fox – Pteropus giganteus, painted bat – Kerivoula picta, three striped palm squirrel – Funnambulus sublineatus, house rat – Rattus rattus, bandicoot rat- Bandicota indica, and otter – Lutra sp. The execution of the project will not pose any significant impact on the Mangalvanam bird sanctuary and the associated fauna of the area.

Figure 16: Map Showing Location of Mangalvanam Bird Sanctuary 46

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4.12 Socio- economic Environment

This section discusses the baseline scenario of the socio-economic environment in the study area and anticipated impacts of the proposed project on the socio-economic environment. The issues under focus in this topic are demographic pattern, economic activity, education and literacy profile, etc. The assessment attempts to predict and evaluate the future impacts of project upon people, their physical and psychological health and well being, their economic status, cultural heritage, lifestyle and other value system.

Ernakulam district is the one of the largest district of Kerala and geographically spread over an area of 3063 sq. km. and is administratively divided into seven Taluks (Paravur, Aluva, Kochi, Kanayannoor, , Kunnathunadu, ). The district consists of the mainland Ernakulam, the man made Willington Island, Mattanchery, Fort Kochi, world’s most populous area of Vypeen Island, Bolghatty Palace etc. The district borders Arabian Sea in the west, District in the north, Idukki District in the east and Alappuzha and Kottayam District in the south. Owing to the international airport, water ways, railways, and road ways, Ernakulam is one of the most strategically connected district in the state.

Table 16: Demographic Attributes for Ernakulam District

1. Area 3063 sq. km. 2. Population 3282388 3. Decadal Growth rate 5.69 % 4. Male population 1619557 5. Female population 1662831 6. Density of population (persons per km2.) 1072 7. Sex Ratio (females per 1000 males) 1027 8. Literacy 95.89 % 9. Male literacy 97.36 % 10. Female literacy 94.46 % 11. Urban Population 68.07 %

Source: Primary Census Abstract, Census of India 2011

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According to the 2011 census Ernakulam district has a population of 32.8 lakhs representing 12 percent of the state population. The district has a population density of 1072 persons per sq. km. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 5.69%. Ernakulam district has a positive sex ratio of 1027 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 95.89%. The district has 15 blocks and 124 villages.

Demographic Profile

The study area comprises of taluks of Paravur, Kochi and in Ernakulam district. The demographic profile within the study area is given in Table 2. The total population of the study area as per 2011 census is about 8.18 lakh, of which, about 4.45% comprises of children below the age of 6 years. Male and female population comprises of about 49.51% and 50.49% respectively of the total population in the study area. The overall sex ratio, i.e. number of females per 1000 males is 1020. The average family size in the study area is about 4.

Table 17: Population details of study area villages

Total Total Total Total Sex S. No Village Name Households Population Male Female Ratio District Ernakulam Sub-district Paravur 1 2698 10813 5263 5550 105 Kochi (M Corp. + OG) 2 5814 23155 11301 11854 105 (Part) 3 (CT) 6667 26750 13171 13579 103 4 (CT) 7901 31468 15557 15911 102 Sub total 23080 92186 45292 46894 104 Sub-district Kochi Kochi (M Corp. + OG) 5 65469 274350 136262 138088 101 (Part) 6 Kochi (M Corp.) (Part) 63506 265998 132154 133844 101 7 (CT) 5848 23760 11544 12216 106 8 (CT) 6554 26997 13271 13726 103 9 (CT) 5677 23717 11593 12124 105 10 Kumbalangy (CT) 10034 42367 20968 21399 102

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Sub total 157088 657189 325792 331397 102 Sub-district Kanayannur 11 (CT) 7619 30594 15157 15437 102 12 (CT) 4017 16295 8185 8110 99 13 (CT) 5315 21833 10633 11200 105 Sub total 16951 68722 33975 34747 102 Total 197119 818097 405059 413038 1020

The General Caste category is the dominant caste category in the study area as they comprised about 94.86% of the total population. The Scheduled Caste (SC) population comprises of about 4.83% of the total population, while the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population accounts for about 0.30% of the total population. The details of village-wise caste profile are outlined in Table 19.

Table 18: Village-wise caste profile in the study area

Population Population Total General S. No Village Name Schedule Schedule Population Population Caste Tribe District Ernakulam Sub-district Paravur 1 Ezhikkara 10813 2854 7 7952 Kochi (M Corp. + OG) 2 (Part) 23155 2211 119 20825 3 Varappuzha (CT) 26750 787 48 25915 4 Eloor (CT) 31468 3433 290 27745 Sub total 92186 9285 464 82437 Sub-district Kochi Kochi (M Corp. + OG) 5 (Part) 274350 6903 788 266659 6 Kochi (M Corp.) (Part) 265998 6858 776 258364 7 Njarackal (CT) 23760 3514 44 20202 8 Elamkunnapuzha (CT) 26997 3024 144 23829 9 Puthuvype (CT) 23717 1697 100 21920

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10 Kumbalangy (CT) 42367 2550 41 39776 Sub total 657189 24546 1893 630750 Sub-district Kanayannur 11 Cheranallur (CT) 30594 1882 59 28653 12 Kadamakkudy (CT) 16295 1156 27 15112 13 Mulavukad (CT) 21833 2681 27 19125 Sub total 68722 5719 113 62890 Total 818097 39550 2470 776077 Source: Census of India, 2011

Literacy Rate

The details of literate and illiterate population are depicted in Table 20. Out of the total population in the study area, about 87.65% are literate while about 12.35% are illiterate. The male and female literacy rates are 88.34% and 86.98% respectively.

Table 19: Literacy levels in study area villages

Total Population Male Female S. No Village Name Population Literate Literate Literate District Ernakulam Subdistrict Paravur 1 Ezhikkara 10813 9465 4695 4770 2 Kochi (M Corp. + OG) (Part) 23155 20315 10016 10299 3 Varappuzha (CT) 26750 23486 11663 11823 4 Eloor (CT) 31468 27682 13838 13844 Subtotal 92186 80948 40212 40736 Subdistrict Kochi 5 Kochi (M Corp. + OG) (Part) 274350 239950 120118 119832 6 Kochi (M Corp.) (Part) 265998 232604 116511 116093 7 Njarackal (CT) 23760 21130 10297 10833 8 Elamkunnapuzha (CT) 26997 23803 11738 12065 9 Puthuvype (CT) 23717 20791 10187 10604 10 Kumbalangy (CT) 42367 36930 18498 18432 Subtotal 657189 575208 287349 287859

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Subdistrict Kanayannur 11 Cheranallur (CT) 30594 27110 13480 13630 12 Kadamakkudy (CT) 16295 14341 7265 7076 13 Mulavukad (CT) 21833 19466 9514 9952 Subtotal 68722 60917 30259 30658 Total 818097 717073 357820 359253 Source: Census of India, 2011

Occupational Profile

The details on occupational profile within the study area are given in Table 21. About 37.67% of the total population is engaged in economically productive activities”. The remaining 62.33% are designated as “non-working” population. Among the working population, about 88.91% are main workers while 11.09% are marginal workers.

Table 20: Occupational profile of study area villages

Total Total Main Marginal S. No Village Name Population Workers Workers Workers District Ernakulam Sub-district Paravur 1 Ezhikkara 10813 4303 3610 693 2 Kochi (M Corp. + OG) (Part) 23155 8455 6870 1585 3 Varappuzha (CT) 26750 10125 8195 1930 4 Eloor (CT) 31468 11490 9251 2239 Sub total 92186 34373 27926 6447 Sub-district Kochi 5 Kochi (M Corp. + OG) (Part) 274350 103772 94130 9642 6 Kochi (M Corp.) (Part) 265998 100404 91108 9296 7 Njarackal (CT) 23760 8727 8099 628 8 Elamkunnapuzha (CT) 26997 9950 8719 1231 9 Puthuvype (CT) 23717 8543 7675 868 10 Kumbalangy (CT) 42367 17112 15086 2026 Sub total 657189 248508 224817 23691 Sub-district Kanayannur

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11 Cheranallur (CT) 30594 11347 9657 1690 12 Kadamakkudy (CT) 16295 6144 5406 738 13 Mulavukad (CT) 21833 7830 6218 1612 Sub total 68722 25321 21281 4040 Total 818097 308202 274024 34178 Source: Census of India, 2011

Infrastructure

The area is more urban in nature with all the basic infrastructure facilities like water supply, roads, markets, banks, post offices, schools and electrification in the study area. The Ernakulam city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala. The , the Office of the Corporation of Cochin and the are situated here. It has excellent physical and social infrastructure and basic amenities.

Education

Ernakulam occupies an important place among the districts of Kerala in the field of literacy and educational standards. Ernakulam District is the first district in the whole country to have 100 percent literacy by 1990. Pothanicad, first panchayath in India that achieved 100% literacy according to state literacy programme is in this district. There are two prominent universities in this district – Sanskrit University, and Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), . Ernakulam district has the most number of educational institutions in the state. Kendriya Vidyalaya and St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Morakkala. St. Mary’s English Medium School, Morakkala is also located here.

Healthcare facilities

Healthcare facilities are the most important parameter for any area and it is one of the primary requirements of people. The study area is equipped with excellent medical services with the joint efforts of government and private hospitals. The amenities used in these hospitals are all modern and latest technology based and the treatment procedures are at par with the leading countries.

There are several government hospitals, primary health care centres and community health centres which altogether takes care of the health care requirements in the study area.

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General Hospital at Ernakulam is a state-owned hospital which provides all kinds of medical treatment under the supervision of highly qualified doctors in every genre. There are several PHC or Primary Health care centres and Community Health Centres or CHC in the study area which provides health care facilities to the rural area.

There are plenty of private reputed hospitals and Nursing Homes which also take part in treating the people of the study area. They have modern treatment facilities along with assistance of high-end doctors which make treatment in these hospitals extremely good. Some of the popular private hospitals are , Lisie Hospital, Amrita Institute of Medical Science and Research, Sunrise Hospital etc.

Apart from general private hospitals which are equipped to treat all kinds of health issues, there are specified hospitals and nursing homes which caters to integral health issues of a particular type or organ and have doctors specialized and super specialized in that subject.

Transport

The study area is blessed with all types of transport. It has excellent road connectivity. The 3 major national highways passing through the study are the Kochi-Mumbai Highway (NH 17), Salem-Kanyakumari (NH 47 part of NSEW corridor) and Kochi-Dhanushkodi highway (NH 49).

The North South Corridor highway system starting from Edapally in Kochi on NH47 and connects the cities Thrissur, , , Salem and finally to Chennai and rest of the country towards north and Alapuzha, , Trivandrum, and Kanyakumari towards the south. The National Highway 17 also starting from Edapally and connects the cities , Calicut, , Kasaragod, Mangalore, Mormugao and Mumbai.

The National Highway 49, also known as Madurai Highway starts from Kundannur near Kochi and passes through Muvattupuzha, Kothamangalam, , Theni, Madurai and finally terminates at Dhanushkodi.

The study area is also well connected by state highways and other roads. Important state highway SH 1 also known as Main Central Road (MC Road) starts from , a suburb of Kochi city which connects to the state capital Trivandrum via , Muvattupuzha, .

Ernakulam Junction Railway Station is the one of the busiest railway station in Kerala. Ernakulam railway stations is located close to the town’s main shopping area situated on MG 53

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Road.[5] The of the operates the main rail transport system in Ernakulam. There are two railway stations in Ernakulam City. Ernakulam Town railway station, it is situated in the northern part of the city and the stopping point for trains going towards mainly to Kottayam side in the south. Ernakulam Junction Railway Station, it is a junction and departuring station of passengers, express trains, the stopping point for trains going towards south side Alappuzha. The Station also has a Train Care Centre in its premises. 21 trains originates from Ernakulam Junction. There is also a small railway station at .

The study area has Cochin International Airport (CIAL). CIAL is the fourth largest airport in the country after Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai having International passengers. Currently flights are operating to the Persian Gulf region, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and to major cities in India.

Water transport is prominent in the study area through rivers and lagoons. The major boat services are in Ernakulam area and other regions have small ferry services. The study area boasts of one of the largest ports along the west coast of the country: the Cochin port, which is also the reason for large scale developments in the district.

Others

Drinking water is not a problem here as all the villages and towns have the facility of tap water and well water. Some villages also have hand pump and tube well as drinking water source. The proportion of electrified villages for the study area is impressive. All villages and town are enjoying power supply facility for all the purposes. Banking facilities are present is all the urban and rural area.

4.13 Bathymetry

The Bathymetry data for Mattancherry channel was made available by CoPT. The present approach channel comprises of an Outer Channel and two inner channels viz. Ernakulam Channel and Mattancherry Channel. The outer channel of port is about 13 km long with width of 260 m and dredging depth varies from –15.95 m at Gut to – 17.4 m being maintained throughout the year. The port of Cochin has two navigation channels. Ernakulam Channel is about 5 km long with width of 300 – 500 m, 500 m turning basin and dredging depth varies from –9.75 m to –13.2 m. Mattancherry Channel is about 4 km long with width of 180 – 250 m and dredging depth varies from –9.75 m to –10.75 m. Depths near proposed jetty location vary from 1 – 3 m with respect to Chart Datum (Figure 18). 54

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The coast near to Vypeen Island indicates shallow depth of 2 – 3 m which has been formed from newly accreted material. The shoreline has an inclination towards SWS from front of light house to the tip of the new Vypeen.

Figure 17: Bathymetry Chart (wrt Chart Datum) of Mattancherry Channel

4.14 Currents & Tides

Current speeds (peak velocity) at various locations with reference to jetty varied from 0.20 to 0.22 m/sec during flood tide and 0.26 to 0.27 m/sec during ebb tide.

The various tidal levels in the Cochin Port as per Naval Hydrographic Chart No. 2004 are as indicated below. Tide Levels with reference to Port Chart datum (in meters)

• Highest High Water Level + 1.20m • Mean High Water Spring (MHWS) + 0.92m • Mean Low Water Spring (MLWS) + 0.80m • Mean Sea Level (MSL) + 0.582m • Mean High Water Neap (MHWN) + 0.60m • Mean Low Water Neap (MLWN) + 0.30m • Lowest Low Water Level + 0.20m

4.15 Marine water

Marine monitoring was conducted in November 2015 to establish the existing status of seawater around the proposed project sites. The study covered sample collection and analysis 55

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of physicochemical and biological characteristics of seawater and sediment samples. Marine water was collected from three representative locations at two depths i.e. surface and bottom. Details of sampling locations are given below.

Table 21: Details of Marine Sampling Locations

Station Code Location Latitude Longitude M1 Mattanchery 9° 57’ 34.4”N 76° 15’ 43.2”E M2 Jetty Site 9° 58’ 5.2”N 76° 15’ 10.8”E M3 Fort Cochin 9° 58’ 8.0”N 76° 14’ 18.1”E

Figure 18: Map Showing Marine Sampling Locations Physicochemical characteristics of seawater at jetty, costal guard are given in Table 23. The temperature was measured in both surface and bottom water at selected locations of the study area. There was no significant difference in the water temperature which was around 32.0 °C. pH values were stable and did not show variations from the surface to bottom. pH ranged between 7.56 and 7.73. The salinity of the water varied from 12.97 ppt to 14.41 ppt which is considerably lower than that of the typical seawater (35.5 ppt) and suggests considerable freshwater influence. Comparable temperature and salinity in the surface and bottom waters indicates vertically well-mixed waters The dissolved oxygen, the most important parameter

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that influences the health and diversity of biota, varied in 4.4 to 5.0 mg/l range with the absence of significant changes with depth as expected for unstratified waters. The dissolved oxygen saturation varied from 65 to 70%. In natural marine waters free from organic pollution the dissolved oxygen is generally close to 100% saturation. Depressed values at the project site indicate influence of oxidizable organic matter such as sewage entering the system. However, the low BOD (1.9 – 4.3 mg/l) suggests that the anthropogenic organic matter entering the waters is effectively oxidized.

The presence of the nutrients is significant for the primary productivity in the area. The main source of these nutrients is the rivers draining in the Cochin Backwaters. The nutrients enter the river water from the land through the runoff mainly from the agricultural runoff. The rivers thereafter transport these nutrients to the sea. The presence of these nutrients stimulates the biological productivity of an area. Under the Environment Protection Rules, 1986, water quality criteria have been specified for five designated best uses. Under this classification harbor waters are classified as Class SW-IV. The results presented in Table 23 indicate that the study area meets the criteria of Class SW-IV.

Table 22: Physicochemical Characteristics of Marine Water in Study Area

Station M1 Station M2 Station M3 Test Parameter Unit Surface Bottom Surface Bottom Surface Bottom Temperature 0C 32 32 32 32 32 32 pH - 7.56 7.66 7.66 7.73 7.64 7.56 TSS mg/L 13 9 17 8 18 22 3- Phosphates as PO4 mg/L BDL 0.18 BDL BDL 0.21 0.25 Salinity ppt 12.97 13.33 13.69 14.41 13.33 14.05 - Nitrate as NO3 mg/L 0.17 0.19 0.15 0.13 0.2 0.15 Dissolved Oxygen mg/L 4.8 4.6 5 4.9 4.6 4.4 Oil & Grease mg/L 0.8 1 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.5 BOD (270C, 3Days) mg/L 2.2 3.1 1.9 2.2 3.1 4.3

BDL: Below Detectable Limit (0.05 mg/l)

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4.16 Marine Sediments

A close relationship exists between the sediments and physicochemical and biological parameters of water. Similarly, the activities in the area also have a profound effect on the sediment composition. Hence, an understanding of the physicochemical and biological characteristics of the sediments is essential. With this view, the sediment samples from selected marine sampling stations were also collected. Results for the same are described in Table 24.

Organic carbon concentrations in study area were 1279 and 1192 mg/100 gm at Station M1 and M3, respectively. Total Nitrogen concentrations at these stations were 178.06 and 162.92 mg/100 gm, respectively. Aluminum concentrations were 11093 and 10589 mg/kg at Stations M1 and M3, respectively while iron concentrations were 15258 and 15442 mg/kg at the respective station. Zinc concentrations were33 and 27.55 mg/kg at Stations M1 and M3, respectively. High concentrations of heavy metals in sediment is attributed to extensive maritime and marine industrial activities in Cochin Harbour region. Disturbance to sediment due to dredging will lead to further deterioration of water column due to suspension of polluted sediment.

Table 23: Physicochemical Characteristics of Marine Sediment in Study Area

Test Parameter Unit Station M1 Station M2 Station M3 Organic Carbon mg/100gm 1279 1348 1192 Total Nitrogen as N mg/100gm 178.06 1527.07 162.92 Aluminum as Al mg/kg 11093.16 1320 10589.55 Iron as Fe mg/kg 15258.40 14274 15442.03 Lead as Pb mg/kg 5.57 8.10 6.56 Manganese as Mn mg/kg 60.85 76.24 65.60 Zinc Zn mg/kg 33 32.36 27.55 Copper as Cu mg/kg 5.57 9.8 7.43 Mercury as Hg mg/kg BDL(MDL-0.1) BDL(MDL-0.1) BDL(MDL-0.1)

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4.17 Marine Ecology

In view of the need for conservation of environmental quality and biodiversity, study of biological environment is one of the most important components for ecological assessment. Ecological system shows inter relationship between biotic and abiotic components including dependence, competition and mutualism. Biotic component comprises of both plant and animal communities, which interact not only within and between them but also with the abiotic components viz., physical and chemical components of the environment.

Generally biological communities are the indicators of climatic conditions, dependent on environmental condition and resource of its distribution and survival. It may change if there is alteration in the environmental variables like temperature, humidity, rainfall, soil characteristics, topography etc., which are responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of the environment.

The group plankton is an important component of ecosystem, which responds to ecosystem alterations rather rapidly. It is due to the fact that planktonic organisms, which react to different types of water pollution, play a key role in turnover of organic matter and energy through the ecosystem. Phytoplankton are passive drifters with the currents. Diatoms are a highly diverse and abundant group of phytoplankton in the aquatic environment. They are responsible for about 25% of global primary productivity and play a central role in the biogeochemical cycling of important nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen and silica. Most of the N is bound in organic compounds and its importance to phytoplankton bloom formation is wellknown. If bloom formations take place and then it could significantly harm these water bodies. Phytoplankton blooms decrease light penetration through the water column and can depress primary productivity. It may have diminished ecosystem integrity and the abundance and sustainability of living resources (e.g. fish and shrimp). Moreover, the bloom when dies at the end of the lifecycle of phytoplankton, they exert considerable demand on dissolved oxygen for the oxidation of organic matter and thereby deplete dissolved oxygen particularly during night time when photosynthesis is stopped.

Similarly zooplankton, also a very important group in the aquatic ecosystem, act as the primary consumer and ultimately serve as the natural food source for many aquatic organisms, including fishes. Freshwater zooplankton show considerable variety comprising of members of almost every group from protozoa to chordate. Depending on seasons and

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environmental conditions, the plankton community shows pronounced variation in its character and composition.

The inhabitants of a particular ecosystem serve as biological indices and reflect the environmental conditions that are required for their optimum growth and survival. In view of this, studies were carried out on distribution, diversity and other ecological aspects of phytoplankton and zooplankton from three different sampling locations of Jetty. While phytoplankton were enumerated from unfiltered water samples, desired volumes of the waters were filtered through plankton net to represent all the available groups of zooplankton. The samples were fixed immediately with 5 % buffered formalin. The parameters studied were numerical count of individual species, groups and indices, as described hereunder.

4.17.1 Phytoplankton

Count : Phytoplankton counts recorded at different sampling stations, are presented in Table 25. Total algal population varied between 240 and 650 algal cells/ml. Samples collected at stations Mattanchery Channel and Fort Kochi showed lowest and highest counts respectively. In general counts were less at bottom waters. This might be attributed to less penetration of sunlight at depths.

The phytoplankton population comprised of fifteen genera with four major groups, namely Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Dinophyceae. Dominance of Bacillariophyceae, followed by Chlorophyceae was observed. The most common genera found were Rhizosolenia, Leptocylindrus, Chaetoceros, Odontella etc. (Table 26).

Table 24: Enumeration of Phytoplankton in Coastal Waters around Project Site

Phyto- Percent Composition of algal groups Station Depth plankton (No/ml) Bacillariophyceae Chlorophyceae Cyanophyceae Dinophyceae S 450 55 25 10 10 M1 B 240 60 20 10 10 S 550 40 30 10 20 M2 B 420 50 20 10 20 S 650 45 30 10 15 M3 B 445 55 25 10 10

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Table 25: Phytoplankton genera observed around Project Site

Sr. No Chlorophyceae Bacillariophyceae Cyanophyceae Dinophyceae

1. Ankistrodesmus sp. Gyrosigma sp. Oscillatoria sp. Ceratium sp.

2. Closterium sp. Navicula sp. Anabaena sp. -

3. Clostridium sp. Nitzschia sp. Phormidium sp. -

4. Cosmarium sp. Rhizosolenia sp. - -

5. - Leptocylindrus sp. - -

6. - Chaetoceros sp. - -

7. - Odontella sp. - -

4.17.2 Zooplankton

Zooplankton counts, recorded at different sampling stations, are shown in Table 27. Since huge quantity of water was to be filtered through plankton net, middle and bottom samples could not be collected. Density of zooplankton varied between 8550 and 12250 nos./m3. Total seven genera of zooplankton were recorded. The zooplankton population varied between 8550 and 12250 No/m3. Such variations in a water body are common and attributed to the patchy distribution of organisms and their movement with tidal currents. Cladocera followed by Copepoda was dominant, while Foraminifera was rare (Table 28).

Table 26: Enumeration of Zooplankton in Marine Waters around Project Site

Zooplankton Per cent Composition of Zooplankton groups Stations (No/m3 ) Cladocera Copepoda Rotifera Foraminifera M1 8550 45 25 25 5 M2 10500 40 30 20 10 M3 12250 50 30 10 10

Table 27: Zooplankton Genera Recorded in Marine Waters around Project Site

Sr. No Copepoda Rotifera Cladocera Foraminifera 1. Cyclops sp. Brachionus sp. Daphnia sp. Rotalia sp. 2. Diaptomus sp. Keratella sp. Moina sp. -

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4.17.3 Benthos

The organisms which inhabit the bottom of aquatic body are called benthos. Many of them are sessile; some creep over or burrow in mud and base of water body. The quality and quantity of animals found at the bottom is not only related to the nature of substrata but also to depth, the kind and the quality of aquatic plants present in such environment. Their number and distribution also depend upon physico-chemical properties of water and biological complexes, such as food and other factors.

The bottom mud was collected from various sampling points around proposed jetty by Van veen grab sampler, having the mouth area 0.02 m2. The sediment was sieved through 500 µ mesh sieve and the organisms retained the sieve were preserved immediately with 5% buffered formalin. Subsequently, all the macrobenthic specimens were identified to the lowest possible level under a stereoscopic microscope.

A total of three macrobenthic groups were obtained from sediment samples. Continuous dredging around near proposed jetty site might be the cause of low benthic diversity at project site. Foraminifer was the most diverse group followed by Polychaeta and Gastropoda. Forams are abundant all over the coastal regions. The highest count was 195 No/m3 in Mattanchery Channel (Table 29).

Table 28: Benthic fauna recorded in Study Area

Sr. Station Macrobenthos Percent Composition of Macrobenthos No. (No/m3) Foraminifera Gastropods Polychaeta 1 M1 195 50 20 30 2 M2 36 20 10 70 3 M3 120 60 20 20

4.17.4 Fishery

Fisheries form one of the most important sectors of Kerala’s economy. Marine fish landings for 2008 to 2013 varied from 583,150 to 530,638 MT. Contribution of various resources to the total landings are presented in Table 30. Major portion of this type includes oil sardines, lesser sardines, mackerel, anchovilla, ribbon fish, tunnis etc. Major portion of Crustaceans includes penaid prawn. Perches and Soles are the main items contained in demersal finfishes

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resources.

Table 29: Marine Fish Landing in Kerala State during 2008 to 2013

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Anchovilla 33142 32521 31949 32011 31511 Caranx 27575 27392 27166 26896 26595 Cat fish 171 169 167 181 179 Elasmobranches 3208 3066 3001 2906 2884 Mackerel 45458 45405 44991 44485 42696 Other Crustaerous 427 412 402 394 385 Perches 32214 31117 30468 29945 29358 Prawn 51082 50105 49308 48623 46256 Ribbon Fish 16118 15487 15196 15175 14776 Sardine 227163 222746 218848 215433 202815 Saurida & saurus 5919 5728 5594 5483 5361 Sciaenids 9643 9215 8805 8715 8613 Seer fish 2560 2512 2537 2508 2469 Tunnis 12263 12244 12062 11910 10458 Others 116207 111894 109904 108512 106282 Total 583150 570013 560398 553177 530638

Source: Kerala Marine Fisheries Statistics, Dept. of Fisheries, 2013

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5 ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS & MITIGATION MEASURES

This chapter deals with the expected impacts and the respective mitigation measures of the project on the environment during different stages. It indicates the levels up to which the proposed jetty development will benefit the project site by preventing or minimizing adverse environmental impacts.

The activities involved in the proposed jetty construction include piling, RCC works and capital dredging. These activities have been discussed in detail to identify aspects and to determine impacts. Whereever possible impact have been assessed with appropriate tools and techniques taking in to account various mitigation measures leaving only the residual impact.

Depending on the nature of interaction and the degree of impact made on the environment, aspects have been considered as significant/insignificant. The significant impacts are further classified as reversible and irreversible. Reversible impacts are those which have the ability to restore natural conditions if suitable mitigating measures are taken to avoid, reduce or offset negative environmental impacts. Irreversible impacts are those which cannot be restored to natural conditions and needs to be avoided if feasible.

Table 31 indicates Major activities to be carried out during the proposed project and its interaction with various environmental components and degree of impact it makes on the environment.

A c t i v i t i e s P a r a m I M P A C T e (Severity x Likeliness) t e r s

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Table 30: Environmental Aspect Impact Matrix Transportation of Generation Operation of Construction Activities/ Parameters material and Dredging of solid DG Sets & Utilities Of Jetty manpower waste Machines Land 2x1=2 1x1= 1 1x1= 1 3x3= 9 2x1= 2 2x2= 4 Ground Water 1x1= 1 1x1= 1 1x1= 1 2x3= 6 1x1= 1 1x1= 1 Marine Environment 2x1= 2 3x3= 9 3x4= 12 3x2= 6 1x1= 1 2x2 =4 Terrestrial Ecology 2x2= 4 1x1= 1 1x1= 1 2x1= 2 2x1= 2 1x1= 1 Air 3x3= 9 3x3= 9 2x2= 4 2x1= 2 3x3= 9 1x1= 1 Noise Levels 3x3= 9 3x3= 9 2x2= 4 1x1= 1 3x2= 6 1x1= 1 Social & OH 3x3= 9 1x1= 1 1x1= 1 2x1= 2 1x1= 1 2x2= 4

Likelihood Severity

1 Remote 1 Negligible Impact 1 to 5 Insignificant and Reversible

2 Probable 2 Slight Impact 6 to 10 Significant and Reversible

3 Particular phase 3 Considerable Impact 11 to 15 Insignificant and Irreversible

4 Repetitive 4 Significant Impact 16 to 20 Significant and Irreversible

5 Permanent 5 Highly Significant Impact

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5.1 Air Environment

5.1.1 Impacts on air environment during construction:

The only major impacts on ambient air during construction phase can be caused due to dust arising from the construction activities as well as gaseous pollutants from vehicles used for transportation of construction materials and emission from the equipment used during construction phase. The dust particles in the form of particulate matters will strongly depend on various activities like movement of vehicles, their speed, excavation of earth, back filling etc during the construction phase. The airborne cement particles can have significant impacts on environment and the nearby marine habitat.

Further, the air pollutants like PM, SO2, Nox, HC and CO will be emitted from the DG sets, exhaust of transport vehicles and other machineries. The impacts on the environment generated during construction phase will be limited to the construction tenure and will be local.

Mitigation measures:

For control of the airborne particles of cement enclosed storage facility shall be provided & material shall be covered with tarpaulin during the transportation. Only vehicles having PUC shall be allowed & well equipped handling & transportation facilities shall be provided through out the construction phase. For control of emission from DG set, stack of adequate height shall be provided to minimize the impacts of emission. The residual impacts of emission from the stack would not be significant to cause any considerable impacts on air. The adverse impacts will be almost eliminated or minimized to the lowest extent of damage by implementing the proper mitigation measures.

5.1.2 Impacts on air environment during operation

During operational phase of jetty, vehicular and vessel movement and emission from D.G. set may

lead to deterioration of air quality in the project area in terms of PM, SO2, Nox, HC and CO.

Mitigation measures:

The D.G. sets, engines and auxiliaries must be provided with filters and adequate height stacks. All roads shall be paved and adequate green cover shall be developed near the jetty. All ships shall be maintained and repaired on regular intervals.

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5.2 Noise Levels

5.2.1 Impacts on noise levels during construction

The major Impact on noise level of the proposed project, during the construction phase, is envisaged due to the noise generation by the operation of the machineries, equipments and some mechanical works. There are many equipments and machineries likely to be used during the construction. These would be mainly Dozers, Cranes, Trailers, Trucks, and Generators etc. It is envisaged that noise level due to these equipments will be 70-85 dB (A) at receptor point at associated work/construction area. The impacts due to noise of these equipments will be confined to project site and construction period only.

Mitigation measures:

Proper lubrication, muffling and modernization of equipment shall be done to reduce the noise, D.G. Set with acoustic enclosure shall be provided.

5.2.2 Impacts on noise levels during operation

During the operation phase the major source expected to increase the noise level at the jetty area are arrival and departure of vessels, vehicular movement and operation of D.G set for emergency power supply. However, this increase in noise level will be lower compared to the construction phase.

5.3 Fresh Water Environment

5.3.1 Impacts on surface water during construction

No fresh water surface bodies are present at the jetty site. Moreover, construction activities are confined to marine areas. Hence, there will be no significant impacts on surface water.

Mitigation measures:

The nearest surface water body is located quite away from construction site. Maximum care shall be taken during construction phase to avoid misuse of lakes and ponds. Proper sanitation facilities shall be provided to construction workers.

5.3.2 Impacts on surface water during operation

No impacts are envisaged on surface water bodies during operation phase.

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5.4 Marine Environment

5.4.1 Impacts on marine environment during construction

Impacts on the marine environment during the construction phase can be essentially due to

• modifications in the hydrodynamic characteristics of the area • impacts on water and sediment qualities • impacts on flora and fauna

The proposed jetty development does not involve excavations, however, driving of piles and construction of jetty will create disturbance of bed sediment and dispersion of fine sediment in the water column. As discussed in the marine baseline section, the water quality of Mattancherry Channel represents low TSS (Table 23). Hence, local degradation in water quality due to sediment disturbance is envisaged during the construction phase. However, impacts envisaged on marine water quality due to construction activities will be localized and reversible.

Construction activities will pose impact on the biota in the pile-footprint areas of jetty as well as approach trestle. Mattancherry Channel does not sustain seaweeds or mangroves. Hence, no further impacts on marine macrophytes are envisaged. Primary production in this region is high and reduction in productivity confined to a small segment of the marine zone due to construction activities is, expected. There is possibility of biota getting exposed to pollutants released from sediment as dredging will be carried out at the jetty site. Dredged spoil will be disposed at pre- designated site of Cochin Port.

The impact on phytoplankton assemblage due to increase in turbidity will be minor, localized, and reversible with the phytoplankton community structure recovering fully once the construction is completed. Moreover, the region being tidal, the intermittent pulses of suspended particles resulting from piling / dredging will be smothered by the incoming and outgoing water currents.

A temporary and localized reduction in phytoplankton population is unlikely to produce any adverse impact on zooplankton. However, localized and marginal changes in community structures and population alterations are expected. Such changes are temporary and irrelevant to the overall zooplankton population of the coastal system off Cochin Harbour region.

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Due to regular maintenance dredging of Mattancherry Channel, benthic diversity was observed to be low at jetty site. Benthos at upstream and downstream of Mattancherry Channel will not have any impact due to jetty construction.

5.4.2 Impacts on marine environment during operation

No liquid or solid cargo handling is envisaged from this jetty hence; impacts on marine ecology due to accidental spillage of cargo are not envisaged. Impacts of oil spill due to ship collision are remotely possible. Wastewater generated from utility buildings shall be treated and used for green cover development only. No untreated waste water shall be released into marine area at any time.

Impacts on hydrodynamics of study area due to jetty construction are discussed separately in Chapter 7 – Special Studies.

5.5 Terrestrial Ecology

No threatened species were observed or recorded in the study area. Considering the nature of the project and being largely confined to the marine zone, significant negative impacts on terrestrial ecology are not envisaged due to its construction and operation. Minor unforeseen impact if any will be reversible and short term. The jetty site is surrounded by port activities and adequate green cover exists in the vicinity. The noise generated during the construction activity may have some negative impact on birds in the area. However, these impacts are expected to be localized, short termed and reversible.

5.6 Socio-Economic & Occupational Health

Considering the size of the project, the construction material and machinery movement to the site would be limited. However, increased traffic may create some congestion during the construction phase. Pressure on public amenities like drinking water and sanitation is also envisaged to be limited during construction. This project being defense-related the interaction with the social bodies would be minor during the operation phase.

5.7 Solid and liquid waste generation

Municipal solid waste generated during construction and operational phases shall be segregated on site and disposed according to standard regulations. Waste water generated during operational phase, shall be treated in septic tanks and treated water shall be used for green cover. Accidental spillage of fuel oil and lubricants, if occurs, shall be collected and disposed to authorized recyclers.

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6 ENVIRONMENT MONITORING PLAN

This section of the report describes the time schedule and monitoring program for compliance with the recommended mitigation measures. Methods have been designed in such a way that it is possible for the project proponent to demonstrate that the mitigation measures are effectively implemented during construction and operation phases. The proposed monitoring plan during the costruction and operation phases is presented in Table 32.

Table 31: Monitoring Schedule during Construction and Operation Phase

Aspects Parameters to be Frequency of Locations Compliance monitored Monitoring

Air Quality PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO Twice in a month Project Site NAAQ during entire Standards, construction 2009 period

Noise Levels Day and night noise Quarterly Project Site CPCB levels Standards

Water Quality pH, Temp, Salinity, TDS, Half Yearly Coast Guard IS10500: 2012 TSS, DO, BOD, Hardness, Office Bore Alkalinity, Chlorides, Well Turbidity, Conductivity, Oil and Grease, Heavy Metals Soil Quality pH, Electrical Half Yearly Fort Kochi - Conductivity, Organic Matter, Organic Carbon, -3 Phosphorous (as PO4 ), Total Kjehldal Nitrogen, Potassium (as K), Sodium (as Na), Texture, Sand, Clay, Silt, Lead (as Pb)

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Marine Water pH, Temp, Salinity, TDS, Once in a month 3 locations - Quality TSS, DO, BOD, Hardness, both for low tide viz. project Alkalinity, Chlorides, and high tide site, upstream Turbidity, Conductivity, Oil periods during and and Grease, Heavy Metals entire downstream construction period Sediment Organic C, Organic N, Once in a month 3 locations - Quality heavy metals during viz. project entire site, upstream construction and period downstream Biological Phytoplankton, Once in a month 3 locations - Parameters Zooplankton and during viz. project Benthic Communities entire site, upstream construction and period downstream

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7 ADDITIONAL STUDIES

This section describes about additional studies covering CRZ mapping, Hydrodynamic Modeling, Oil Spill Management Studies, Disaster Management Plan and Risk Analysis.

7.1 HTL/LTL Demarcation

In order to comply with CRZ Notification, 2011 detailed HTL/LTL demarcation studies were conducted with respect to the project site. The study has been conducted by an authorized agency, National Centre for Earth Science Studies (Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India) , Kerala. HTL/LTL map in 1:4000 scale superimposing the project layouts have been prepared and is attached as Appendix I.

7.2 Hydrodynamic Modeling

Cochin Port Trust had entrusted Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune to study changes in hydrodynamics due to construction of new jetty and impacts due to dredging. CWPRS report is attached as Appendix II.

The hydrodynamic simulation results indicate varying magnitude of currents and direction at the jetty location with the phase of the tide, however, the magnitude is low. It is observed that the peak flood and ebb currents are of comparable magnitude and are of the order of 0.54 m/s. A wide variation in the direction of the flood currents was observed from North to South of the jetty face. It is recommended to have the alignment of the of jetty along 135o / 315o N with minimum set on and set off angles and well within the permissible angle of up to 5o.

From the hydrodynamic studies it can be seen that due to the construction of the proposed jetty and associate dredging of basin, flood and ebb velocities are likely to reduce in the vicinity of jetty. The current direction at the three locations for peak conditions of flow with and without coast guard jetty generally varied from about 1300 to 1400 during the flood tide and 3200 to 3300 during the ebb phase of tide.

The natural depths in the vicinity of the proposed Coast Guard jetty appear to be more or less stable under present conditions. The model results, however, indicate major trapping of sediments in the dredged portion of the jetty area/basin, especially, at the southern portion of jetty head. The proposed 72 Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

Coast Guard jetty will have siltation and the maintenance dredging needs to be carried out periodically. Based on the mathematical model simulations it is predicted that the annual siltation would be of the order of 0.2 Mm3 per year.

7.3 Oil Spill Contingency Response Plan

Handling is not envisaged at the proposed jetty. Oil spill though rare is a possibility during bunkering and ship accidents such as collision and grounding of vessels. Hence, the oil spill scenario will be considered as Tier 1 (less than 700 tons). Proposed jetty location falls within the port limit of the Cochin Port Trust hence, oil spill at Coast Guard jetty if occurs, will be combated as per the prevailing Oil Spill Contingency Response Plan of the Cochin Port Trust. The operationalisation of the Contingency plan for combating oil pollution off the coast of Cochin is the responsibility of The Manager, Marine Pollution Control, Cochin Port Trust. Detailed plan is attached as Appendix III.

The Cochin Port Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (CPOS – DCP) is a simple and flexible plan to combat tier -1 oil spills within Cochin Port. This plan is drawn in pursuance of the directives and objectives of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS – DCP) and the District Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (DOS – DCP) Kerala & Lakshadweep. The plan needs to be reviewed quarterly and an asset holding update as and when new equipment is added to the inventory.

7.4 Disaster Management Plan

With the improved communications and better data collection probable disaster scenarios such as cyclones and tsunamis are forecasted well in advance before they strike though foretelling of some such as earthquakes, still remain elusive. Impact of disaster can be significantly reduced through attempts at preparedness, mitigation, and post-event rehabilitation work. Based on hazard identification in the proposed project, an on-site emergency plan has been prepared by Cochin Port Trust for facilities within the port limit. Same plan will be implemented to minimize the damage to the Coast Guard jetty, property, and employees in general. Detailed DMP is attached as Appendix IV.

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The on-site plan deals with emergencies which originate and are contained within the port area whereas the off-site plan addresses the impact of disasters spreading outside from the port boundary and those from outside impacting into the port area. Offsite plans also address the following:

• Coordinating with other response agencies • Interact with other emergency response agencies • Co ordinate emergency plans and procedures • Mutual aid assistance • Open lines of communication- information sharing • Joint education and training- common problem solving

With Local Government

• Provide a safe community • Ensure the well being of all residents and transients within the community • Establish public safety programmes • Coordinate port/ community emergency response forces during drills and emergencies • Consider training, drills and exercises with other response agencies within the community, are and state

New projects locations are to be chosen taking into following considerations

• LPG/LNG/Tanker berths to be located away from populated areas • Sufficient protection in the form of seawalls/ breakwater for safe berthing of tankers and cargo handling. • Sea room available for emergency unmooring of tankers. • Effect of prevailing winds and coastal current on spillage of cargo incase of loading arm/ hose leak/ overflow etc. • Water intakes free of silt for fire fighting water.

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8 PROJECT BENEFITS

8.1 Benefits of Dedicated Coast Guard Jetty

The Indian Coast Guard protects India's maritime interests and enforces maritime law, with jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. The Indian Coast Guard operates a fleet of number of vessels and aircrafts. Lack of dedicated berthing facility for their vessels at Cochin Port is leading to inconvenience in their operations.

Currently Coast Guard vessels are being berthed at the existing berth of the Cochin Port. Engaging existing berth for Coast Guard vessels is exerting excessive load on Cochin Port; being one of the largest and busiest ports of Southern India.

The existing berth allotted to Indian Coast Guard is not adequate for accommodating bigger vessels. Hence, currently bigger vessels are being berthed at Mangalore and Chennai. This may lead to delay in response during the periods of emergency. Since Indian Coast Guard operations are falling under Ministry of Defense and essential for nation’s security there is utmost need of a dedicated jetty for their vessels.

8.2 Employment Generation during Construction Phase

Construction phase will generate employment for local people including various subcontractors, electricians, machinists, welders, painters, blasters, riggers, pipe fitters and a number of administrative and managerial staff. Thus the proposed jetty will create employment opportunity in skilled and unskilled sectors. Moreover fabrication industries are entirely based on the order received by the concerned yard not a yearlong activity. If the order is more the employment opportunity is also more and vice versa. Hence most of the man power required will be procured through the subcontractors, not directly employed by the Cochin Port Trust.

The expected labour force required during construction phase is to the tune of about 100 persons. Although the workforce requirement will be temporary in nature, it will be met from the local population as far as possible hence there will be positive impact. Local businessmen will get opportunity to supply construction materials. Demands generated from the labour force for basic facilities including eatables etc. will increase the local business activity of the area.

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8.3 Employment Generation during Operation Phase

Similar to the construction phase, the operation phase of the jetty will also provide opportunities for employment mostly in the skilled and semi-skilled categories. This will enhance the income of the people associated with subcontracting business. All these activities will need support services like food, transport, medical facility etc. ultimately leading to improvement in quality of life of local people.

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9 ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN

9.1 Introduction

EMP (Environmental Management Plan) is a site specific plan which is designed to ensure that the project is being implemented in an environmentally sustainable manner. Under the plan all the key stakeholders like nearby dwellers, workers, contractors, consultants, design engineers etc. will be informed of the risks that can arise at the site during the construction as well as operational phase of the proposed project, and how can they contribute in reducing those risks. EMP also ensures that the project implementation is carried out in accordance with the design and by performing appropriate mitigatory actions reduce adverse environmental impacts on a long term period.

In this project EMP activities and fund flow will be through the Environment Management Cell (EMC) on account of maintenance of project activity. Also, the EMC will be the nodal agency interacting with the management with regards to the inputs required for EMP implementation and its operation.

Solid waste management system, traffic congestion management and other initiatives are also included in the EMP. Development of site for project activity to a certain extent, create inevitable impacts mainly during construction and operation phases as described in Table 33 and 34, but these impacts can be reduced significantly with the help of effective EMP. The potential environmental impacts, which need to be controlled, are the following:

• Air pollution due to the emission of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants; • Noise pollution due to various noise generating equipments like DG Sets, Vibrations from machineries, noise from vessels, noise due to congestion (road transport as well as commuters). • Wastewater generation from sanitary/domestic activities. • Solid waste Management (Collection- Process & Disposal). • Labor camp with water, power, sanitation and medical facilities. • Impact of dredging on marine environment

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To ensure better environment in & around the project site as well as the neighboring population, an effective EMP is developed separately for construction and operation phases.

Table 32: Activities during Construction Phase

Phase Land-side Activity Water-side Activity • Site clearing • Construction of jetty and utility • Transportation of raw material building • Construction/ Precasting/ Construction • Dredging Fabrication/ Welding/ Laying of • Men & material transportation roads/ Crane tracks • Construction waste generation • Labor camps for all activities

Table 33: Activities during Operation Phase Phase Land-side Activity Water-side Activity • Operation of Jetty • Basic utilities Operation • Vessel movement • Waste management • Operation of generators & machines

9.1.1 Environmental Management Cell (EMC)

EMC’s overall responsibility is the co-ordination of actions required for environmental management and mitigation, and for monitoring the progress of the proposed management plans and subsequent actions to be taken. The Cell is to be headed by a qualified Environmental Engineer and the other members of the cell that will include an environmental field scientist, Health & Safety Engineer (Table 35). The EMC will prepare a formal report on environmental management on regular intervals. Apart from responsibilities listed above, the EMC willalso be responsible for the following:

 To implement the environmental management plan effectively  To identify risks and control environmental problems  To assure regulatory compliance with all relevant rules and regulations  To minimize environmental impacts by strict adherence to the EMP  To initiate environmental monitoring as per approved schedule

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 To maintain documentation of good environmental practices and applicable environmental laws as ready references.  To maintain environmental related records.  To coordination with regulatory agencies, external consultants, monitoring laboratories etc  To address all environment-related aspects as a dedicated group and will be responsible for the compliance to all environmental requirements–  To manage post project-monitoring plan as per approved EIA & EMP.  To develop & maintain green belt

9.1.2 Institutional Setup of Environment Management Cell

The EMC is a decision making unit of the entire environment management mechanism. EMC shall consist of qualified personnel to handle regular environment management and compliance. The cell shall have all basic environmental management data of the project that includes:

 Environmental Management Plan  All valid and up to date environmental and statutory clearances  All latest environmental legislations, standards, policies, codes and manuals for ready references  Contact details of all emergency rooms (Police, Hospital, Fire brigade, Coast Guard)

9.1.3 Environmental Safety & Management System (EMS)

The objective is to establish a system to assess, monitor and manage environmental performances, which can be used to promote continual environmental improvement and prevention of pollution. Suggestion is to adopt Environment, Health & Safety Management System (EHS MS) based on recognized international standards for environmental and safety management systems (ISO 14001; OHSAS 18001).

The procedure that can be adopted in formulating the EMS is presented below:

 Identify and list out environmental aspects due to the operation of the proposed project  Determine the key operations that have significant environmental impacts  Identify and track environmental legislations, policies, codes and other relevant requirements  Establish objectives and targets

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9.2 Mitigation Measures

9.2.1 Mitigation Measures for Impact on Air

• Vehicles & Machines should be properly and timely maintained and serviced regularly to control

the emission of air pollutants in order to maintain the emissions of NOX and SOX within the limits prescribed by CPCB. • There should be proper implementation of rules & provision of appropriately designed channels for the motion of the vehicles (LMV & HMV). This practice would not only help in reducing congestion but also, due to proper channels for turning, entry, parking, towards ramp for loading& offloading and exit, less emission can be expected. Will also help in reducing the idling time for vehicles. • All static and mobile DG Sets should be used only during power cuts and their maintenance should be taken care of, so as to avoid any extra emission, more fuel requirement, leakage etc. • Use of good quality fuel and lubricants should be promoted. Moreover, low Sulphur content

diesel should be used as fuel for generator sets to control emission of SO2. • Emissions must be checked from the sources like- Generators, machineries and vehicles. They must be serviced and maintained regularly to avoid generation of dust and other air pollutants. • Regular verification of PUC certificates of all the vehicles entering into the construction area should be enforced. Vehicles older than 15 years should not be allowed to operate during construction phase. Contractors also should be asked to provide regularly PUC Certificate for their vehicle mounted equipments and machinery as per prevalent norms. • Vegetation screens alongside the access roads should be included and speed restrictions should be applied in order to minimize the dispersion of pollutants from roads • Water sprinkling should be carried out to suppress fugitive dust during earthworks and along unpaved sections of access roads. • Environmental awareness program/training should be organized for the personnel involved in developmental works. • Adequately sized construction yard should be provided at the site for storage of construction materials, equipment tools etc. In addition, temporary field offices and worker amenities should be made available at the site. Appropriate spill control measures and labeling / handling procedures should be maintained

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• Dust covers should be provided on trucks used for transportation of materials prone to fugitive dust emissions.

9.2.2 Mitigation Measures for Impact on Water

• A surface water monitoring program should be implemented during the construction phase. • Drinking water & wastewater treatment facilities at construction camp must be provided during constructional as well as operational phase. • The wastewater and sewage generated during construction at site and at labor camp must be collected in holding tank and periodically transferred to sewerage system of Cochin Municipal Corporation. • Surface run-off from the construction site should be discharged via sand/silt removal facilities such as sand or silt traps and sediment basins. Channels, earth bunds, or sandbag barriers should be provided on site to direct storm water to such silt removal facilities.

9.2.3 Mitigation Measures for Impact on Soil

• Construction activity should not be planned during heavy rainy days. Proper planning of works and work design (avoid some works in rainy season), to avoid or minimize erosion should be done. • Solid non-hazardous waste should be transported and disposed at local municipal collection centre. • Possible dump of quantities of overburden or waste rock should be well managed in a way that human health, safety and the environment ate protected • Proper planting of vegetation on barren and/or sloping surfaces must be done to avoid erosion. • Special care should be taken not to cause spreading of eroded sediment over the area.

9.2.4 Mitigation Measures for impact on noise

• All contractors should comply with the relevant CPCB noise standards • Activities that take place near residential or sensitive receptors should be planned and restricted to daytime, taking into account weather conditions, etc • Residents in the vicinity should be notified about construction schedules and activities • Where necessary, noise emissions should be minimized and controlled through the application of techniques which may include installation of sound barriers.

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• Proper maintenance of equipment should be conducted. Adequate choice while selecting internal combustion equipment to have properly functioning silencers or mufflers. • Vehicles and generator sets should be serviced regularly and maintained properly to avoid any unwanted generation of noise or vibration from them. If possible, heavy machineries and generators should be operated during day time as far as possible

9.2.5 Mitigation Measures for impact on sea water

• Oily and other contaminated discharge from the dredgers or work boats should be prevented from entering marine waters • The capital dredging should be confined within the project site and the activity should be terminated as per planned schedule • A schedule for dredging shall be prepared and a list of DO(s) and DO NOT(s) shall be circulated among the personnel involved in the construction activities. • The turbidity levels during dredging should be measured and checked with the baseline as a reference. If turbidity spreads beyond the area earmarked for dredging, the operation should be temporarily suspended until baseline is attained. • It should be ensured that barges/workboats have slop tanks for collection of liquid/solid waste generated on board. • Discharge of wastes into sea should be prohibited. Spill control measures shall be adopted while fuelling dredgers, barges, workboats, etc. Post dredging monitoring program should be carried out to assess the effect of dredging and disposal on marine ecology. • Environmental Monitoring Program comprising of monitoring of marine water quality, marine sediment quality and marine ecology should be taken-upa week prior to the commencement of dredging and continued at periodic intervals throughout dredging period

9.2.6 Mitigation Measures for impact on marine ecology

• To mitigate impacts on marine ecology, measures such as selection of equipment and dredgers, environmental monitoring and regulating activities based on monitoring results must be adopted. • Appropriate selection of equipment for pile driving and dredging should be done. • Uniform disposal of dredged material at identified disposal location should be practiced. • Littering must be avoided and strict regulations must be implemented for the same.

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9.3 Solid Waste Management Plan

The Solid Waste Management Plan for the proposed site should be based on the concept of 3-R’s i.e. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. This plan must be developed to manage solid wastes and to avoid discharges into the soil/land or water. There should be establish procedures for the storage, collection and disposal of waste. The overall objective of Solid Waste Management Plan should be to minimize the impact of waste generated through the following measures:

• Practice segregation of wastes at source; • Ensure any hazardous wastes (e.g. used oils, lead-acid batteries) are securely stored and transferred to authorized vendors. Current practices being followed at Cochin Port shall be implemented. • Ensure all wastes are properly contained, labeled and disposed off in accordance with National/local regulations; and • There must be an inventory to identify the consumption of products/material, ensuring wastes traceability, and identifying potential wastage and overconsumption. • Goals for reducing the quantities of waste generated, based on periodic reviews & observations should be set. • During construction phase the EPC contractor should be made responsible for collection, transport and disposal of all types of solid wastes generated. It is proposed that the Solid Waste Management Plan for Construction phase shall be developed by the contractor and approved by the developer prior to construction phase.

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10 PROJECT SUMMARY

10.1 Introduction:

The Cochin Port, one among the thirteen Major Ports of India, is an all weather natural Port and the fastest growing maritime gateway to the peninsular India. The existing Port facilities are located mainly on Willingdon Island, having an area of about 385 hectares (ha). The Island divides the navigational channel into the Ernakulam channel and the Mattancherry channel, inside the harbour.

The Port is well connected with railway and national highway network, which gives easy access to the other parts of the country. Presently there is no dedicated berthing facility at Coast Guard, District HQ, Cochin for berthing Coast Guard vessels. Hence, the Coast Guard, District HQ, Cochin has proposed the construction of a dedicated berth within the Cochin Port. Indian Coast Guard has entrusted Cochin Port Trust the construction of the jetty for berthing their ships and allied facilities in the Mattancherry Channel as deposit work.

10.2 Project Description

The entrance to the Port is through the Cochin Gut between Vypeen and Fort Kochi. The port limits extend up to the entire backwaters and the connecting creeks and channels. Cochin Port Trust proposes to construct a dedicated Jetty for berthing Coast Guard vessels in Mattancherry channel of the Port with land connection to Fort Kochi. The proposed jetty has a T-shaped configuration with the jetty head structure of 220 X 15 m connected to the main land at Mattancherry with an approach bridge of 80 X 9 m. To create adequate depth at the jetty, capital dredging of 2.70 lakh m3 is envisaged. The foundation of the jetty will be bored cast in-situ piles and deck is of RCC beam and slab construction. The deck construction will be cast in-situ or a combination of pre-cast and cast-in- situ. RCC handrails will be provided on either side of approach trestles. Berthing equipment like fenders, cast steel bollards, mooring hooks, ladders etc will also be provided.

As the requirements of the proposed Coast Guard Jetty are to meet strategic and defense needs and the jetty is mainly for turnover of manpower complement as well as for general repair/maintenance purpose and not for cargo handling, prior environmental clearance is not required. However, as the proposed development will be in a CRZ area, CRZ Clearance from MoEF&CC is mandatory under the CRZ Notification 2011. Accordingly, this EIA report which includes terrestrial and marine components is prepared as specified in the CRZ notification 2011. 84 Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

10.3 Description of Environment

10.3.1 Site Description:

Cochin Port is located on the southwest coast on India in the state of Kerala. The existing harbor basin is within the naturally protected area of Cochin lagoon. The entrance of the port is through the Cochin gut between the peninsular headland of Vypeen and Fort Kochi. Main facilities of port are located on the artificially created Willingson Island.

Near proposed jetty location, environmental impacts during construction phase will be considerable as compared to operation phase. It is necessary to evaluate the impacts of the project activities, so that the surrounding area and communities are prevented from adverse impacts.

10.3.2 Land Use/Land Classification (LULC)

The overall land use of 10 km radius area shows that water bodies form majority of study area including Arabian Sea (49.85%) followed by built-up land (18.27 %), shrub land (17.81%), open land (4.20%), and others i.e. vegetation and mangroves occupy (1.38%). However, no mangroves areas exist within the project site. Hence, the proposed project activity does not harm any sensitive ecosystem.

10.3.3 Soil

The analysis shows that the soil in the study area is sandy clay. Soil pH recorded was 6.8 and 7.3 at Cochin Port trust office and coast guard office, respectively. The electrical conductivity was 66.5 and 71.2 µS/cm,. Soil quality was tested for nutritional values. Nitrate Nitrogen values recorded were 115 mg/100 gm and 102 mg/100gm. Organic carbon content was 329 mg/100 gm and 274 mg/100 gm. From the above observation we can conclude soil has poor fertility & low absorbptivity.

10.3.4 Meteorology:

The average annual rainfall is reported at Cochin as 2978 mm, On an average, there are 124.7 rainy days in a year The mean monthly maximum temperature ranges from 32.9° C in April to 29.3° C in July and August. Mean monthly minimum temperature ranges from 22.6 °C in January to 25.9 °C in April. The relative humidity is generally high throughout the year. The coastal area of Kerala comes under the moderate damage risk zone as per the cyclone hazard map prepared by the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC). Only two major cyclones have been reported since 1977 in and near the coast of Kerala.

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10.3.5 Environment Monitoring

Considering project layout, the primary study area is considered to be within 2 km radius of the jetty site for baseline environment monitoring while for studying the environmental sensitivity based on secondary data a radius of 10 km is considered. The impact of the project beyond five kilometer is considered to be insignificant. Environmental monitoring is done at various location for for air, water, soil & Noise for the period of 3 months.

10.3.6 Ambient Air Quality

Ambient Air Monitoring is done at 3 locations viz: Cochin Port Trust office, Coast guard office &

Fort kochi beach The particulate matter consists of PM10 and PM2.5. The average values of PM10 in the background environment range from 57.79 µg/m3 to 65.04 µg/m3, which is found to be within the 3 3 permissible limit of 100 µg/m . The average values of PM2.5 ranges from 17.91 µg/m to 20.75 µg/m3, which is found to be within NAAQ standard of 60 µg/m3. The average values of Sulfur 3 3 dioxide levels ranges from 10.75 µg/m to 11 µg/m . The values of SO2 were found to be well within NAAQ standard of 80 µg/m3. The average value of Nitrogen oxide ranged from 12.20 µg/m3 to 12.75 µg/m3. The values of oxides of Nitrogen were observed to be well within the NAAQ standard of 80µg/m3.The average CO values ranges from 1.13 to 1.21 µg/m3, which is within permissible limit of 4 µg/m3

10.3.7 Noise:

Noise Monitoring is done at Cochin Port Trust office, Coast guard office. The proposed jetty site is located within Cochin Port limits, hence it will be considered as industrial area, Noise level found to be within limits.

10.3.8 Surface water Environment

Surface water monitoring is done at pond near Dutch Place & Thirumala surface water analysis it is evident that water in both lakes are not suitable for drinking purpose as per IS 10500 standards. Water need to be disinfected before human consumption.

10.3.9 Ground Water Environment

Ground water monitoring is done at bore well at Cochin Port Trust and open well at Coast Guard Office

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10.3.10 Terrestrial Ecology

The ecological features of the study area described as flora, fauna & protected areas. No threatened category of flora species as per International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) occur at the project site. The project area is predominantly built up area and does not form habitat for wildlife.

10.3.11 Socioeconomic Environment:

The total population of the study area as per 2011 census is about 8.18 lakh, of which, about 4.45% comprises of children below the age of 6 years. Male and female population comprises of about 49.51% and 50.49% respectively of the total population in the study area. The overall sex ratio, i.e. number of females per 1000 males is 1020. Among the working population, about 88.91% are main workers while 11.09% are marginal workers.

10.3.12 Marine Environment

Marine water monitoring is done at Mattanchery, Jetty site & fort cochi for physicochemical and biological characteristics. The presence of the nutrients is significant for the primary productivity in the area. The main source of these nutrients is the rivers out falling into the marine water body. The presence of these nutrients stimulates the biological productivity of an area. High concentrations of heavy metals in sediment is attributed to extensive maritime and marine industrial activities in Cochin Harbour region. Disturbance to sediment due to dredging will lead to further deterioration of water column due to suspension of polluted sediment. Biological communities are the indicators of climatic conditions, dependent on environmental condition and resource of its distribution and survival. The group plankton is an important component of ecosystem, which responds to ecosystem alterations rather rapidly. Phytoplankton counts recorded at different sampling stations, population varied between 240 and 650 algal cells/ml. Density of zooplankton varied between 8550 and 12250 nos./m3. Total seven genera of zooplankton were recorded. A total of three macrobenthic groups were obtained from the two sediment samples. No sediment sample could be collected from jetty site. Continuous dredging around near proposed jetty site might be the cause of non availability of sediment at that station.

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10.4 Anticipated Impacts & Mitigation Measure

10.4.1 Mitigation Measures:

A) Air

For control of the airborne particles of cement enclosed storage facility shall be provided & material shall be covered with tarpaulin during the transportation. Only vehicles having PUC shall be allowed & well equipped handling & transportation facilities shall be provided through out the construction phase. For control of emission from DG set stack of adequate height shall be provided to minimize the impacts of emission.

B) Fresh Water

The nearest surface water body is located significantly away from construction site. Maximum care shall be taken during construction phase to avoid misuse of lakes and ponds. Proper sanitation facilities shall be provided to construction workers.

C) Marine water

No liquid or solid cargo handling is envisaged from this jetty hence; impacts on marine ecology due to accidental spillage of chemicals are not envisaged. Impacts of oil spill due to ship collision are remotely possible. Wastewater generated from utility buildings shall be treated and used for green cover development only. No untreated waste water shall be released into marine waters at any time.

D) Noise

Proper lubrication, muffling and modernization of equipment shall be done to reduce the noise, D.G. Set with acoustic enclosure shall be provided.

10.5 Additional Studies

10.5.1 HTL/LTL Demarcation

In order to comply with CRZ regulations, detailed HTL/LTL demarcation studies were conducted with respect to the project site. The study has been conducted by an authorized agency, National Centre for Earth Science Studies (Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India)

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10.5.2 Hydrodynamic Modelling

Cochin Port Trust had entrusted Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune to study changes in hydrodynamics due to construction of new jetty and impacts due to dredging. CWPRS

10.5.3 Oil Spill Contingency Response Plan

Proposed jetty location falls within port limit of Cochin Port Trust hence, oil spill at Coast Guard jetty during bunkering will be attended by Cochin Port Trust. Cochin Port Trust possess Tier 1 equipments and oil spill contingency plan is already in place. Contingency plan for combating oil pollution off the coast of Cochin is already developed by The Manager, Marine Pollution Control, Cochin Port Trust

10.5.4 Disaster Management Plan

Based on hazard identification in the proposed project, an on-site emergency plan has been prepared by Cochin Port Trust for facilities within port limit. Same plan will be implemented to minimize the damage to the Coast Guard jetty, property, and employees in general.

10.6 Project Benefits

The existing berth allotted to Indian Coast Guard is not adequate for accommodating bigger vessels. Hence, currently bigger vessels are being berthed at Mangalore and Chennai. This may lead to delay in response during period of emergency. Since Indian Coast Guard operations are falling under Ministry of Defense and essential for nation’s security there is utmost need of dedicated jetty., also Local businessmen will get opportunity to supply construction materials. Demands generated from the labour force for basic facilities including eatables etc. will increase the local business activity of the area.

10.7 Environment Mnagement Plan

In this project EMP activities and fund flow need to be through the Environment Management Cell (EMC) on account of maintenance of project activity. Also, this unit (EMC) will be the starting point of recommendation to the management with regards to EMP activities. The EMP cell is a decision making unit of the entire management mechanism.

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11 DISCLOSURE OF CONSULTANT

This EIA report is prepared on behalf of the Cochin Port Trust, taking inputs from proponent’s office staff, their consultants, Architects, Project Management Professionals etc. by Environmental Consultants M/s Ultra-Tech Environmental Consultancy & Laboratory, who have been accredited by QCI-NABET vide certificate no: NABET/EIA/1417/RA010

Ultra-Tech not only give environmental solutions for sustainable development, but make sure that they are economically feasible. With innovative ideas and impact mitigation measures offered, make them distinguished in environmental consulting business. The completion of tasks in record time is the key feature of Ultra-Tech. A team of more than hundred environmental brigadiers consists of engineers, experts, ecologists, hydrologists, geologists, socio-economic experts, solid waste and hazard waste experts apart from environmental media sampling and monitoring experts and management experts , strive hard to serve the clients with up to mark and best services.

Ultra-Tech offers environmental consultancy services to assist its clients to obtain environmental clearance for their large buildings, construction, CRZ, SEZ, high rise buildings, project projects and industries covering sugar and distilleries from respective authorities. Ultra-Tech is in the process of getting QCI-NABET final accreditation for its EIA organization.

Ultra-Tech also provide STP/ETP /WTP project consultancy on turn-key basis apart from Operation and Maintenance of these projects on annual contract basis. Also, having MoEF approved environmental laboratory, Ultra-Tech provide laboratory services for monitoring and analysis of various environmental media like air, water, waste water, stack, noise and meteorological data to its clients all over India and abroad.

Credentials

• State of Art Environmental Laboratory & Trained Manpower, Gazetted by MoEF&CC • Environmental Advisor for Municipal Corporation, Federation of All India Textile Manufacturing Association and All India Lead Manufacturing Association • Affiliated to Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), and United States Green Building Council (USGBC), US. • ISO 9001:2008, Quality Management System implemented

90 Rapid EIA for obtaining CRZ Clearance for the proposed Jetty for Coast Guard at Cochin Port

List of EIA Coordinator, Functional Area Experts and Associates

Name of Name of Name of Name of Functional Area Experts involved sector project Client EIA Coordinator FA Name/s CRZ Proposed Cochin Port Dr. M. D. AP Mr. ShekharTamhane Clearance Jetty of Trust Zingde Indian WP Ms. Deepa Tamhane-Karnik Coast EB Dr. T. K. Ghosh Guard at Cochin SE Mr. Kishore Wankhede Port SHW Mr. Santosh Gupta LU Mr. Swapnil Awghade

• Project Co-coordinator:

• Mr. Vikrant Kulkarni

• Project Team:

• Mr. Utkarsh Mukkannawar

• Mr. Prasad Khedkar

• Ms. Bharati Khairnar

• Ms. Shraddha Omble

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