Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background of the Project ....................................................................................... 1 1.2 Rationale of the Project ........................................................................................... 3 1.3 Objectives of the EIA Study .................................................................................... 3 1.4 Scope of the Study.................................................................................................. 3 1.5 Approach and Methodology .................................................................................... 4 1.6 Structure of the Report ............................................................................................ 5 2 POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK ............................................. 6 2.1 Provision under National Law and By-laws ............................................................. 6 2.1.1 Provisions under the Environmental Legislations ............................................. 6 2.1.2 Compliance with DOE’s EIA Guidelines ........................................................... 7 2.1.3 Compliance under the National Laws ............................................................... 9 2.2 Policy Guidance .................................................................................................... 11 2.3 International Legal Obligations .............................................................................. 13 2.4 Development Agency’s Guidelines ........................................................................ 14 2.5 Environmental Regulations ................................................................................... 15 2.5.1 Air Quality ...................................................................................................... 15 2.5.2 Water Quality ................................................................................................. 16 2.5.3 Noise ............................................................................................................. 18 2.6 Protected Area and Environmentally Controlled Area ........................................... 18 3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................... 20 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 20 3.2 Project Objectives ................................................................................................. 22 3.3 Project Options ..................................................................................................... 22 3.4 Interventions under Selected Options ................................................................... 22 3.5 Road Component .................................................................................................. 22 3.5.1 Design and Construction Concept .................................................................. 22 3.5.2 Major Structures ............................................................................................ 25 3.5.3 River Training and Bank Protection Works ..................................................... 25 3.5.4 Materials Used for Construction ..................................................................... 27 3.5.5 Estimated Cost of the project ......................................................................... 27 4 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BASELINE ............................................................. 28 4.1 Meteorology .......................................................................................................... 28 4.1.1 Temperature .................................................................................................. 28 4.1.2 Humidity ......................................................................................................... 28 4.1.3 Rainfall........................................................................................................... 28 4.1.4 Evaporation ................................................................................................... 29 4.1.5 Wind speed .................................................................................................... 29 4.1.6 Sunshine hour ................................................................................................ 29 4.2 Water Resources .................................................................................................. 30 4.2.1 Surface Water System ................................................................................... 30 4.2.2 Tropical Cyclones and Tidal Flooding ............................................................ 32 4.2.3 Salinity ........................................................................................................... 32 4.2.4 Drainage Congestion and Water Logging ...................................................... 33 4.2.5 Erosion and Sedimentation ............................................................................ 33 4.2.6 River Morphology ........................................................................................... 33 4.2.7 Navigation ...................................................................................................... 34 4.2.8 Groundwater System ..................................................................................... 35 4.3 Land Resource ..................................................................................................... 36 4.3.1 Agro-ecological Region .................................................................................. 36 4.3.2 Land Types .................................................................................................... 38 4.3.3 Soil Texture ................................................................................................... 39 EIA Study of Proposed 7.35 km long Embankment cum Road under Matarbari 1200 MW USC Coal Fired Power plant Project Page| i 4.3.4 Land use ........................................................................................................ 41 4.4 Agriculture Resources ........................................................................................... 42 4.4.1 Farming Practices .......................................................................................... 42 4.4.2 Cropping Pattern and Intensity ....................................................................... 43 4.4.3 Cropped area ................................................................................................. 43 4.4.4 Crop Production ............................................................................................. 43 4.4.5 Crop Damage ................................................................................................ 43 4.4.6 Main Constraints of Crop Production ............................................................. 43 4.5 Livestock and Poultry ............................................................................................ 43 4.5.1 Feed and Fodder shortage............................................................................. 44 4.5.2 Livestock/Poultry diseases ............................................................................. 44 4.6 Fisheries ............................................................................................................... 44 4.6.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 44 4.6.2 Problems and Issues ..................................................................................... 44 4.6.3 Habitat Description......................................................................................... 45 4.6.4 Fish Production and Effort.............................................................................. 45 4.6.5 Fish Migration ................................................................................................ 46 4.6.6 Fish Biodiversity ............................................................................................. 46 4.6.7 Fisheries Management .................................................................................. 47 4.7 Ecological Resources ........................................................................................... 47 4.7.1 Bio-ecological Zone ....................................................................................... 47 4.7.2 Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA’s) ................................................................. 49 4.7.3 Common Flora and Fauna ............................................................................. 51 4.7.4 Ecosystem Services and Function ................................................................. 52 4.8 Socio Economic Condition .................................................................................... 53 4.8.1 Demography .................................................................................................. 53 4.8.2 Livelihood ...................................................................................................... 53 4.8.3 Education ....................................................................................................... 54 4.8.4 Land Ownership ............................................................................................