E455 REV. VOL. 1 AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC Public Disclosure Authorized ROAD TRANSPORT SERVICE DEPARTMENT 77~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fa~~~a ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~r7 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized IDA Credit 3517 - AZ TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR TOVUZ BYPASS ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT Public Disclosure Authorized FINNROAO Baku, August 2005 Contents Executive Summary 5 Brief Project Description 5 Main Environmental Impacts 6 Socioeconomics 9 Capacity Development and Training 10 1. Introduction 10 1.1 Project Background and Objectives of Study 10 1.2 Methodology and Scope of the Study 11 1.3 The Study Area 12 2. Policy, Legal and Administrative Framework 13 2.1 World Bank EA Policy and Procedures 13 2.2 National EA Policy and Procedures 14 2.3 Legal and Regulatory Framework 15 2.4 Administrative Framework 19 3. Project Description 20 3.1 Road Alternatives Under Study 20 3.2 Design Parameters and Structures 21 3.3 Proposed Borrow Pits 22 3.4 Justification of the Project 23 3.5 Proposed Schedule for Implementation 23 3.6 Life Span of the Proposed Project 23 3.7 Extent and Quality of Data 23 4. Environmental Characteristics of the Project Area 24 4.1 Physical Environment 24 4.1.1 Climate 24 4.1.2 Soil Characteristics 25 4.1.3 Topography and Land Use 25 4.1.4 Hydrology and Water Resources 26 4.2 Biological Environment 27 4.3 Socio-economic Characteristics 28 4.3.1 Settlement Pattern and Local Roads 28 4.3.2 Economic Activity on the Project Area 29 4.3.3 Population in the Project Area 30 4.3.4 Occupation and Income Sources of People 30 4.3.5 Unemployment 31 4.3.6 Migration 31 4.3.7 Refugees, Internally displaced and indigenous people 31 4.4 Cultural Heritage 31 4.5 Protected Area 31 5. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures 31 5.1 Overall Environment Sensitivity of the Study Corridors 31 5.2 Impacts on the Physical/Natural Environment and their Mitigation 33 5.2.1 Impact during Construction 33 5.2.2 Impact during Operation 37 5.3 Impacts on the Human/Social Environment and their Mitigation 37 2 5.3.1. Impact during Construction 37 5.3.2. Impact during Operation and their mitigation 40 5.4 Socioeconomics 41 5.4.1 Impacts on National Economy 41 5.4.2 Impacts on Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 42 5.4.3 Impacts on Household Economy and/or Loss of Livelihood 42 5.4.4 Impact on Living Conditions 43 5.4.5 Impact on Local Traffic and Traffic Accidents 43 5.4.6 Dislocation of People and/or Property 43 5.4.7 Impacts Causing Demographic Changes 44 5.4.8 Impacts on Gender 44 5.5 Cultural and Historic Sites 44 6. Analysis of Alternatives 45 6.1 Comparative Assessment of Alternatives from Environmental Point of View 45 6.2 Comparative Assessment of Alternatives from Socioeconomic Point of View 46 6.3 Without Project Scenario 47 7. Public Consultation 48 7.1 Public Consultation Meetings 48 7.2 Information Disclosure 49 8. Environmental Management Plan 50 8.1 Institutional Responsibilities and Arrangements 50 8.2 Environmental Management Plan 51 8.3 Monitoring of Socioeconomic Impacts 53 8.4 Capacity Development and Training 53 8.5 Cost Estimate 54 8.6 General Observations 55 9. Resettlement and Land Acquisition Plan 56 9.1 Number of Land Owners in the Project Area 56 9.2 Price of land 56 9.3 Acquisition and Compensation Procedure and Schedule 57 References 59 List of People Met 61 List of Tables Table 2-1: Overview on the Existing National Regulatory Framework Related to Environmental Protection and Management in the Road Sector 15 Table 2-2: Overview on the Existing National Regulatory Framework Related to Social Aspects in the Road Sector 16 Table 3-1: Comparative Assessment of Cut and Fill in Design Alternatives 23 Table 4-1: Population of settlements affected by land acquisition 30 Table 6- 1: Comparative Over view on Environmental Implications of Alternatives 47 Table 8- 1: Summary of Institutional Responsibilities for the Implementation of the Environmental Monitoring Programme 51 Table 8-2: Summary Environmental Monitoring Programme 52 Table 8-3: Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Costs (in US $) for Alignment 2 54 3 Table 9- 1: Possible Land Acquisition for Alignment 2 56 List of Figures Fig. 1-1: Location Map 11 Fig. 3-1: Road Alternatives under Study 20 Fig. 3-2: Design Alternatives for the Tovuz Chay Bridge: a) 'low bridge' b) 'high bridge' 22 Fig.4-1: Rose of winds in Tovuz city. Year 2004 24 Fig. 4-2: Soils of the Study Area: 6) 'Meadow' soils, 10): 'Chestnut' soils 25 Fig. 4-3: Area Map 29 Fig. 5-1: Potential Development of Noise Pollution 2007 - 2027 40 Fig. 6-1: Profiles and Sections of the Bridge Design Alternatives under Study 45 Appendixes A Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan B Minutes of Public Consultation Meetings C Presentation for Public Consultation Meetings D Pictures from the Study Area Abbreviations ADB Asian Development Bank MOT Ministry of Transport App. Appendix NOx Nitrogen Oxides CO Carbon Monoxide NGO Non-Governmental Organization CSC Construction Supervision Consultant PH Negative logarithm of hydrogen ion dBA 'A' weighted equivalent decibel concentration DRTSD District Road Transport Service PIU Project Implementation Unit Dept. PM Particulate Matter EA Environmental Assessment ROW right of way EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and RTSD Road Transport Service Department Development SER State Ecological Review EHSM Environmental Health and Safety SS Suspended Solid Manager STD Sexually Transmitted Diseases EMP Environmental Monitoring Programme TA Technical Assistance ESS Ecology and Safety Sector TACIS Technical Assistance for the IDA International Development Association Commonwealth of Independent States IDB Islamic Development Bank TORs Terms of Reference IEE Initial Environmental Examination WB The World Bank KFAED Kuwait Fund for Arab TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe, Economic Development Caucasus, Asia MENRMinistry of Ecology and Natural Resources MOH Ministry of Health This EA was prepared by FINNROAD ltd., reviewed and updated by Independent Consultant Mr. Bakhtiyar Karimov. 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Brief Project Description Introduction The Government of Azerbaijan (GoA) has obtained a Credit (No. 3517-AZ) from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group towards the cost of the Azerbaijan Highway Project, which rehabilitates the Ganja-Gazakh road section. The GoA intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this Credit to construct a bypass around Tovuz town. This bypass is a section of the existing east-west corridor between Baku and Tbilisi and as such an integral part of the TRACECA1 which links Europe to Asia. Traffic is predicted to rise at an annual rate of 6% on the TRACECA. The existing 5 km road through Tovuz town and the steep grade of the road before and after the bridge are assessed as potential future bottlenecks and safety risks. The proposal for a new bypass for Tovuz has been made to mitigate these risks and because there is no scope to upgrade the road through the town to a Category 1 standard due to the infrastructure conditions inside Tovuz. The construction of a bypass for Tovuz will relieve its inhabitants from transit traffic, which constitutes the major part of the present traffic load, thereby improving road safety and reducing nuisance through noise, fumes and dust. The feasibility of this development is being assessed through: (i) an analysis of alternatives in terms of engineering and economics, and (ii) an environmental and social assessment. A key output of this feasibility study is the recommendation of a 'Preferred Solution' for detailed engineering. The objective of this Environment Assessment report (EA) is to contribute to a solution that shall be economically efficient, environmentally sound and designed according to international standards. Alternatives Two alternate corridors for a northern detour of Tovuz town have been compared and assessed in this EA. * Alternative 1 has a total length of 14.1 km and does not require any resettlement or destruction of infrastructure. It rejoins the M 1 to the northwest of Jalilli on the boundary of the Agstafa District. * Alternative 2 is about 10.4 km long and also does not require any resettlement. After splitting from the common corridor with Alternative 1, Alternative 2 turns in a western direction, then runs to the south-west between Jallilli and Duz-Jirdahan and connects to the MI in the south-east of Jalilli. A 3rd Alternative was eliminated from further consideration in the early stages of the study because the required design parameters for a Category 1 road could not be met. The existing road through Tovuz cannot be widened or upgraded to the planned future standard design for the M 1 and as a result the 'without-project scenario' cannot be recommended for consideration either. Transport Corridor, Europe, Caucasus, Asia 5 Main Environmental Impacts The potential direct physical impact that any of the 2 alternatives may entail is expected to mainly take place inside the boundaries of the future ROW (2 x 30 m from the centerline). This area shall be acquired for the implementation of the Project, not only to allow for the construction of the 2 lane bypass but also to allow for the future upgrading of the road to a 4 lane standard. In the area of the future bridge over the Tovuz Chay the direct physical impact will affect a wider corridor due to cuts on the river bank. Additional direct and indirect physical impacts outside of this ROW will result from the siting and operation of the contractor's yard/worker's camp, material extraction and transport from the borrow pits. Regarding the human environment, the socio-economic implications of road construction in the two alternative study corridors may be severe due to the need to acquire and overbuild large areas of private agricultural land that presently generate reliable income for many families of Tovuz and the surrounding villages.