Environmental Impact Assessment (Draft) August 2015 IND: Bihar New Ganga Bridge Project Prepared by Bihar State Roads Development Corporation Limited, Government of India for the Asian Development Bank. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 13 August 2015) Currency unit – Indian rupees (INR/Rs)} Rs1.00 = $ 0.7113 $1.00 = Rs 64.945 ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Asian Development Bank ADT average daily traffic BSRDCL – Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited CWC Central Water Commission EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan GOI Government of India IMD Indian Meteorology Department IUCN Integrated Union for Conservation of Nature MFF – Multitranche Financing Facility MoEF Ministry of Environment and Forest ORC Ordinary Capital Resources PCU passenger car unit REA Rapid Enviornmental Assessment ROB road over bridge SPS Safeguard Policy Statement SEAC State Environmental Appraisal Committee TOR Terms of reference This environmental impact assessment 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. CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. Background 1 B. Project Rationale 2 C. Environment Category and Scope of the EIA Study 4 D. Methodology Adopted for the EIA Study 7 E. Structure of the Report 8 II. POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORKS ..........................................10 A. National (India) Environmental Policy Framework 10 B. Social Regulatory Requirements of India and State 13 C. International Treaties and Relevance to the Project 14 III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................................19 A. Type of Project 19 B. Location and Features of the Proposed Project 19 C. Engineering Surveys and Investigations 21 D. Projected Traffic for the Design 21 E. Components of the Project 21 F. Proposed Alignment and Conceptual Plan of Project Components 25 G. Cost of the Project and Implementation Arrangement 31 IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT .....................................................................32 A. Physical Environment 32 B. Ecological Environment 54 C. Socio-Economic Environment 74 D. Socio-Economic Profile of Project Affected Person 80 V. IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION MEASURES .............................................84 A. Anticipated Environmental Impacts 86 VI. CLIMATE CHANGE RISK AND ADAPTATION FOR GANGA BRIDGE .........................93 A. Review of Related Literature 93 B. Predicted High Flood Level 95 C. Testing for Non-Stationarity 97 D. Return Periods vs. Return Levels 99 E. Design Flood for River Ganga at Patna 100 F. Adaptation Measure 101 VII. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES .............................................................................. 103 A. Introduction 103 B. ‘With Project’ and ‘Without Project’ Scenario 103 C. Alternative Alignments/Locations 106 D. Alignment Modifications due to Environmental Considerations 108 E. Engineering / Technological Alternatives 108 VIII. PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE .............................. 112 A. Overview of Consultation Processes 112 IX. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM ....................................................................... 122 X. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT ............................................................................. 124 A. Roles and Responsibolities 125 B. Capacity Building 130 ANNEXURES ANNEX 1: RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (REA) CHECKLIST ............................ 132 ANNEX 2: COMPARISON OF WB AND GOI AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS (NAAQS) . .............................................................................. 136 ANNEX 3: COMPARISON OF WB EHS AND GOI AMBIENT NOISE LEVEL STANDARDS .. 137 ANNEX 4: DETAILS OF TREES TO BE CUT ......................................................................... 138 ANNEX 5: SPECIES-SPECIFIC DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT REQUIREMENT DATA ...... 148 ANNEX 6: PARTICIPANTS TO THE CONSULTATIONS ........................................................ 150 ANNEX 7: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ............................................................ 151 ANNEX 8: ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PLAN DURING CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION PHASES .............................................................................. 195 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Project Categorization .................................................................................................. 4 Table 2: Applicable Environmental National and State Requirements .......................................11 Table 3: Key Steps in Tree Cutting Permission Process: ..........................................................18 Table 4: Details of the Project ...................................................................................................19 Table 5. Projected Traffic for the Project ...................................................................................21 Table 6. Preliminary BSRDCL Estimated Project Cost .............................................................31 Table 7: Soil Quality in the Project Area ....................................................................................38 Table 8: Land use classification of Bihar State ..........................................................................41 Table 9: classification within Project Influence Area based on Satellite Imagery .......................42 Table 10: Details of Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Locations ..................................................43 Table 11: Techniques Used for Ambient Air Quality Monitoring .................................................44 Table 12: Ambient Air Quality Status with respect to PM10 (24 hour average) Dry/winter season .................................................................................................................................................44 Table 13: Ambient Air Quality Status with respect to PM2.5 (24 hour average) Dry/winter season .................................................................................................................................................44 Table 14: Ambient Air Quality Status with respect to SO2 (24 hour average) Dry/winter season 45 Table 15: Ambient Air Quality Status with respect to NO2 (24 hour average) Dry/winter season .................................................................................................................................................45 Table 16: Ambient Air Quality Status with respect to CO (24 hour average) Dry/winter season 45 Table 17: Details of Noise Level Monitoring Locations ..............................................................46 Table 18: Ambient Noise Levels Monitored in Dry/winter Season .............................................47 Table 19: Surface Water Quality in the Project Area .................................................................50 Table 20: Ground Water Quality in the Project area ..................................................................52 Table 21: Forest Cover of Bihar and Project Districts ................................................................56 Table 22: Recorded Forest Area of Bihar ..................................................................................57 Table 23: List of Trees /Plants in the Project Area and It’s Status .............................................59 Table 24: Protected Area Network in the State of Bihar ............................................................61 Table 25: List of Endangered Fauna Species in Ganga River Basin .........................................65 Table 26: List of Avifauna Found in the Project Area .................................................................65 Table 27: Fish Species in the River Section under Project Area ................................................67 Table 28: Land Use Pattern based on Satellite Imagery (Year 2013) ........................................74 Table 29: The Demography of Villages of Core Zone of Vaishali district through in which proposed bridge located ............................................................................................................76 Table 30: The Demography of Villages of Core Sone of Patna district through in which proposed bridge located ...........................................................................................................................77 Table 31: List of Sensitive Receptors along the Project Road ...................................................80 Table 32: Social Categories of the DPs .....................................................................................80 Table 33: Number of DPs ..........................................................................................................81 Table 34: Vulnerable Households being affected ......................................................................81 Table 35: Annual Income Level of the Affected Households......................................................82 Table 36: Number of DPs considered as Separate family as per LA Act ...................................82 Table 37: Educational Status of DPs .........................................................................................82