GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN WORKS & SERVICES DEPARTMENT (FATA) PESHAWAR Public Disclosure Authorized Environment and Social Impact Assessment of Federally Administered Tribal Areas Emergency Rural Roads Project (FATA ERRP) in Bajaur and Orakzai Agencies Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized AUGUST 2012 Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Works & Services Department Peshawar Environment and Social Impact Assessment of Federally Administered Tribal Areas Emergency Rural Roads Project (FATA ERRP) in Bajaur and Orakzai Agencies August 2012 ESIA of FATA Emergency Rural Roads Project (FATA ERRP) List of Acronyms AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACE Associated Consulting Engineers ACI American Concrete Institute ADB Asian Development Bank AIDS Acquired immune deficiency syndrome ASTM American Society for Testing and Material BHU Basic Health Unit BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand BOQ Bill of Quantities COD Chemical Oxygen Demand COI Corridor of Impact CSC Construction Supervision Consultants DDE Deputy Director Environment DEMM Donors Environmental Monitoring Mission EA Environmental Assessment EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EIRR Economic Internal Rate of Return EMMP Environment Mitigation and Monitoring Plan EMP Environment Management Plan EPC Environmental Protection Council ERRP Emergency Rural Roads Project ESIA Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ESMP Environment and Social Management Plan ESSAF Environment and Social Screening and Assessment Framework FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas FHA Frontier Highways Authority FIDIC Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils (International Federation of Consulting Engineers) GoKP Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa GoP Government of Pakistan HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus HSE Health Safety Equipment IEE Initial Environmental Examination IEM Independent Environmental Monitor ISMZ Indus Suture Melange Zone JUI Jamiat-i-Ulmai-Islam KP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MBT Main Boundary Thrust MDTF Multi Donor Trust Fund MMT Main Mantle Thrust NCS National Conservation Strategy NDIR Non Dispersive Infra-Red NEQs National Environment Quality Standards NGOs Non–Government Organizations NHA National Highway Authority NOC No Objection Certificate i ESIA of FATA Emergency Rural Roads Project (FATA ERRP) NWFP North West Frontier Province O&M Operation and Maintenance OP Operational Policy Pak–EPA Pakistan Environment Protection Agency PCO Public Call Office PEPA Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency PEPC Pakistan Environment Protection Council PHED Public Health Engineering Department PKR Pak Rupees PM Project Manager PMAP Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party PMC Project Management PML Pakistan Muslim League PPC Pakistan Penal Code PPE Personal Protective Equipment PPP Pakistan People’s Party PR Public Relations PSC Project Steering Committee PSDP Public Sector Development Project PSQCA Pakistan Standards Quality Control Authority PTCL Pakistan Telecommunication Limited PTV Pakistan Television RE Resident Engineer RoW Right of Way SFA Social Framework Agreement SPM Suspended Particulate Matter SRO Statutory Regulation Order UBC Uniform Building Code VOC Vehicle Operating Cost WAPDA Water and Power Development Authority WB World Bank WHO World Health Organization XEN Executive Engineer ii ESIA of FATA Emergency Rural Roads Project (FATA ERRP) Executive Summary The Government of Pakistan (GoP) through the Work & Service Department (W&SD) intends to develop road infrastructure in the Bajaur and Orakzai agencies of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Both agencies are in dire need of development initiatives as these have been badly affected by political situation and militancy in the area. The proposed project is called the FATA Emergency Rural Roads Project (FATA ERRP). It is assisted by the World Bank administered Multi Donor Trust Fund (MTDF) for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and Balochistan. This document presents the findings of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the construction and operation of fifteen stretches of roads in the Orakzai and Bajaur agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan. The document was prepared following the broader principles laid down in the Environment and Social Screening Assessment Framework (ESSAF) which has been prepared for all emgency operations under MDTF. It has been shared with W&SD of FATA and earlier with FATA Secretariate. And also disclosed locally by FATA secretariat on December 15, 2010 on its website and on MTDF website. This ESIA report includes the Environment and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) for both phases of the project and has been cleared by the Bank for implementation. This project will be completed in about two years from the award of contract for construction. For execution and maintenance, the project has been assigned to the Works and Services Department, FATA, which has engaged Associated Consulting Engineers (ACE) as its Consultant for the design of the proposed roads. The proposed project has been divided into four packages. Package 1 consists of one road in Bajaur (20 km) and four roads in Orakzai (2 km, 2 km, 2 km, 3 km), package 2 comprises of two sections of road in Bajaur (20 km and 3 km) and four sections of the road in Orakzai (4 km, 3 km, 2km and 2km), package 3 (3 km and 2km) and package 4 (4.5 km and 2 km) each consists of two stretches of road in Bajaur. The total length of road that has to be constructed is 75.5 km, out of which 55.5 km will be located in Bajaur and 20 km in Orakzai. The project will be implemented in two phases; phase I includes package 1 only, whereas packages 2, 3 and 4 constitute Phase II of the proposed project. The purpose of this ESIA is to ensure that the proposed project complies with all national environmental and social legislations as well as the WB Operational Policies on environment, social assessment and management. However, the ambit of the legal framework of Pakistan does not directly apply to the FATA. The region is recognized as a semi-autonomous region and is regulated through Frontier Crimes Regulations 1901 (FCR) which is the prime source of judicial system. There is no formal existence of a department such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which ensures regulation of environmental issues and matters. Prior to the 18th Amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan the Federal EPA or the EPA of KP were authorized for issuance of environment related approvals for FATA region. The jurisdiction of Federal EPA is now limited only to the capital territory and other matters of national concern. The legal authority of the KP EPA for granting approvals in FATA has not been documented clearly. iii ESIA of FATA Emergency Rural Roads Project (FATA ERRP) Therefore, the NOC issuing authority for this ESIA has to be identified by the FATA Secretariat. At the moment an environmental office within the FATA Secretariat is being established. Owing to the fragile security situation and deteriorating law and order in the project area, collection of primary environmental and social data is a daunting task. In addition, tribal norms and cultural ethos, such as taboo on holding consultations with the women in the project area, impedes the effort to get first hand information about the area. The roads selected for rehabilitation in the project area are mostly unpaved and dirt tracks with variable widths, high gradients and serpentine curves. These tracks stretch along rolling terrains, mountainous and escarpment areas. The project under FATA ERRP proposes construction/improvement of these roads with 3.65m bituminous paved carriageway and up to 10.85m formation width, with improved horizontal road curvature and reduced gradients of no more then 10-15%. The project has been designed to meet international roads/highway standards envisaged by World Bank. Based on these design criteria, the constructed roads will have safety features, signage and appropriate drainage structures. Most of the construction material, including sub-grade filling materials, pavement crushed stones, bricks, bitumen, cement, concrete aggregate, asphalt, reinforcement steel, galvanized iron elements and water, is locally available or can be procured form other locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Pakistan. Secondary data on the specific environmental resources of the project area is limited as there is no real precedence of such rural infrastructure projects in the region requiring ESIA studies. As a part of this ESIA study, primary and secondary data was collected through field surveys, public consultations and literature research. For social data of nearby communities, a structured survey was conducted. For Rapid Rural Survey of the area another questionnaire was used. For information on any resettlement issues, a separate stand-alone study has been carried out, and its key findings will be submitted separately. The project area comprises of mostly mountainous terrains within the Bajaur and Orazkai agencies. The proposed road sections of the FATA ERRP lie on both flat valley land as well as hill slopes, with a majority of the proposed road lying on a mountainous terrain. Climatically the area has cold winter and relatively mild summers. Rainfall is mainly received during monsoons and spring sessions. Extremely cold winds blow during winters. Ambient air is generally clean. According to the list of protected area defined in National Conservation Strategy (NCS) there