Initial Environmental Examination Project Number: 35173-013 November 2015 NEP: Third Small Towns’ Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project-Tikapur Town Subproject Prepared by the Ministry of Urban Development for the Asian Development Bank. This initial environmental examination is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. Your attention is directed to the “terms of use” section on ADB’s website. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Initial Environmental Examination on Tikapur Water Supply and Sanitation Project Government of Nepal Ministry of Urban Development Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Third Small Towns Water Supply & Sanitation Sector Project Project Management Office Panipokhari, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) Of Tikapur Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project March 2015 Prepared by TAEC Consultant Pvt. Ltd. / Integrated Consultants Nepal Pvt. Ltd. JV Initial Environmental Examination on Tikapur Water Supply and Sanitation Project Abbreviations ADB Asian Development Bank AP Affected person C-EMP Contractor‟s environmental management plan DWSS Department of Water Supply and Sewerage EARF Environmental assessment and review framework EIA Environmental impact assessment EMP Environmental management plan EMR Environmental monitoring report EPA Environment Protection Act EPR Environment Protection Rules EO Environmental Officer ES Environmental Specialist ESA Environmental Safeguard Assistant ESE Environmental Safeguard Expert HHs Households IEE Initial Environmental Examination GoN Government of Nepal GRM Grievance Redress Mechanism MoSTE Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment MoUD Ministry of Urban Development NPR Nepalese Rupee PISU Project Implementation Support Unit PMO Project Management Office REA Rapid Environmental Assessment SPS Safeguard Policy Statement STWSSSP Small Towns‟ Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project 2ndSTWSSSP Second Small Towns‟ Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project 3rdSTWSSSP Third Small Towns‟ Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project TDF Town Development Fund ToR Terms of Reference VDC Village Development Committee WHO World Health Organization WSSDO Water Supply and Sanitation Divisional Office WUSC Water Users‟ and Sanitation Committee i Initial Environmental Examination on Tikapur Water Supply and Sanitation Project Weights and Measures Lps Litre per second C Celsius/centigrade dBA decibel audible Ha hectare/s Km kilometer/s Kph kilometer/s per hour M meter/s Kph kilometer/s per hour M meter/s m3 cubic meter/s Masl meter/s above sea level mg/l milligram/s per liter Mm millimeter/s NOTES This initial environmental examination (draft) is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB‟s Board of Directors, Management, or staff and may be preliminary in nature. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. ii Initial Environmental Examination on Tikapur Water Supply and Sanitation Project TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY(NEPALI) .....................................................................................VII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................XII A. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................ XII B. PURPOSE OF THE IEE ................................................................................................................. XII C. COMPONENTS OF THE SUBPROJECT ........................................................................................... XIII D. CURRENT SITUATION ................................................................................................................. XIII E. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, MITIGATION AND MONITORING ........................................................... XIV F. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ......................................................................................... XV I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 A. NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL INSTITUTION PREPARING THE REPORT .............................. 1 B. BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................. 1 C. PURPOSE OF THE IEE ................................................................................................................... 2 D. NEED FOR THE SUBPROJECT......................................................................................................... 2 E. RELEVANCY OF THE PROJECT ....................................................................................................... 3 F. OVERVIEW OF THE SUBPROJECT ................................................................................................... 3 II. POLICY, LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK................................................ 17 A. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS .............................................................. 20 III. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES .................................................................................. 24 A. WITH- AND WITHOUT-SUBPROJECT ALTERNATIVES ...................................................................... 24 B. ALTERNATIVES RELATIVE TO PLANNING AND DESIGN.................................................................... 24 IV. DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROJECT ............................................................................... 28 A. SUBPROJECT SITE ...................................................................................................................... 28 B. THE SUBPROJECT ...................................................................................................................... 32 C. THE IEE STUDY AREA ................................................................................................................ 37 V. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................... 38 A. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES .......................................................... 38 B. BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES .............................................................................. 39 C. SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES ..................................................................... 40 D. EXISTING WATER SUPPLY SITUATION .......................................................................................... 46 E. EXISTING SANITATION SITUATION ................................................................................................ 50 F. EXISTING INSTITUTIONAL SITUATION ............................................................................................ 52 VI. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES .......... 54 A. POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND BENEFITS ..................................................................... 54 B. IMPACTS/ISSUES/CONCERNS AND MITIGATION MEASURES RELATIVE TO SITTING, PLANNING AND DESIGN ...................................................................................................................................... 54 C. IMPACTS/ISSUES/CONCERNS AND MITIGATION MEASURES DURING CONSTRUCTION ...................... 54 D. IMPACTS/ISSUES/CONCERNS AND MITIGATION MEASURES DURING OPERATION ............................. 59 E. INDIRECT, INDUCED AND CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ........................................................................... 59 VII. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION .................. 61 iii Initial Environmental Examination on Tikapur Water Supply and Sanitation Project VIII. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM .................................................................. 63 A. PURPOSE OF THE GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM .................................................................. 63 B. PROPOSED SET-UP .................................................................................................................... 63 C. ACCESS TO THE MECHANISM ...................................................................................................... 63 D. GRM STEPS AND TIMEFRAME ..................................................................................................... 64 IX. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN .................................................................. 67 A. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT .................................................................................................... 67 B. SAFEGUARD IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENT ............................................................................ 67 C. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM ................................................................................... 88 D. INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT