Environment and Social Impact Assessment and Environment and Social Management Plan of Public Disclosure Authorized Improvement of Talchowk-BegnasRoad-P23.i Pokhara Metropolitan City Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Project description ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Project objectives ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.3. Project details ..................................................................................................................................... 2 1.4. Pokhara Metropolitan City ................................................................................................................. 5 1.5. Physiography...................................................................................................................................... 6 1.6. Temperature and climate .................................................................................................................... 6 1.7. Water resources .................................................................................................................................. 7 1.8. Catchment Area ............................................................................................................................... 10 1.9. Topography and geology ................................................................................................................. 11 1.10. Agriculture ....................................................................................................................................... 0 1.11. Industry ............................................................................................................................................ 0 1.12. Trade & Services .............................................................................................................................. 0 1.13. Landuse/Landcover .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.14. ESIA Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 0 CHAPTER 2: ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC BASELINE................................................. 5 2.1. Background ........................................................................................................................................ 5 2.2. Physical environment ......................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1. Hydrology and meteorology ....................................................................................................... 7 2.3. Biological Environment ................................................................................................................... 15 2.4. Summary of Socio-economic environment ...................................................................................... 16 2.4.1. Socio-economic overview ......................................................................................................... 16 2.4.2. Gender disparities and GBV ..................................................................................................... 17 2.4.3. Community perceptions of the subproject ................................................................................ 19 CHAPTER 3: LEGAL AND REGULATOTY REQUIREMENT ............................................................. 21 ii 3.1. Key applicable national social laws and regulations........................................................................ 21 3.2. The World Bank Safeguard Policies ................................................................................................ 21 CHAPTER 4: Environmental and Social Screening, Scoping, Impact Identification, Prediction and Management ................................................................................................................................................ 23 4.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 23 4.2. Zone of Influence of the Project ...................................................................................................... 23 4.3. Environmentaland Social Screening Checklist ................................................................................ 44 4.4. Impact Summary .............................................................................................................................. 47 4.5. Adverse Impacts - Physical Environment (Pre-Construction and Construction Phases) ................. 48 4.5.1. Land use .................................................................................................................................... 48 4.5.2. Quarry operation ....................................................................................................................... 49 4.5.3. Stockpiling area and construction material ............................................................................... 49 4.5.4. Noise, air and water pollution ................................................................................................... 50 4.5.5. Solid waste generation .............................................................................................................. 50 4.5.6. Road stability and management ................................................................................................ 51 4.5.7. Water pollution ......................................................................................................................... 51 4.6. Adverse Impacts - Biological environment (Pre-Construction and Construction Phases) .............. 52 4.7. Adverse Impacts- Socio-economic and Cultural (Pre-Construction and Construction phases) ....... 52 4.7.1. Impact on Physical Resources ................................................................................................... 52 4.7.2. Impact on Social Services and Cultural Resources ....................................................................... 53 4.8. Adverse Impacts – Socio-economic and cultural (Operational Stage) ............................................ 55 4.9. Beneficial Impacts - Social-economic and cultural(Pre-Construction, ConstructionPhases) .......... 55 4.9.1. 4.6.1 Employment Generation and Increase in Income ....................................................... 55 4.9.2. 4.6.2 Increase in Trade and Business ........................................................................................ 56 4.9.3. 4.6.3 Development of Social Services ................................................................................. 56 4.10. Beneficial Impacts – Social and cultural (Operationstage) ............................................................ 56 4.10.1. Improved Transportation Facilities and Decrease Congestion ................................................... 56 iii 4.10.2. Rise of Land Value ..................................................................................................................... 56 4.10.3. 4.7.3 Improvement in Trade and Business ........................................................................... 57 4.10.4. 4.7.4 Increase in Tourism Sector.......................................................................................... 57 4.10.5. 4.7.5 Enhancement of the Social Services ........................................................................... 57 4.10.6. 4.7.6 Enhancement of Mobility and Reduced workload ...................................................... 57 4.11. Social Mitigation measures ............................................................................................................ 57 4.11.1. Working conditions and management of worker relationship ................................................ 57 4.11.2. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) .................................................................................. 58 4.11.3. Child and forced labor ............................................................................................................. 58 4.11.4. Community health and safety and reduction of incidences of diseases .................................. 58 4.11.5. Management of labor force ..................................................................................................... 58 4.11.6. Addressing Gender Issues in Construction, Operation and Monitoring ................................. 59 4.11.7. Limited access to elderly people and differently-able during construction ............................ 59 4.11.8. Safety to school children and pedestrians ............................................................................... 59 CHAPTER 5: RESETTLEMENT ACTION PLAN ................................................................................... 60 5.1. Background and Objectives of the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) .............................................. 60 5.1.1. Aims of the RAP ......................................................................................................................