Initial Environmental Examination October 2015 AFG: Energy Supply Improvement Investment Program – Tranche 1 Prepared by Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat of the Government of Afghanistan for the Asian Development Bank. This IEE 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 Table of Contents 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 1.1 Introduction 6 1.2 Institutional and Legislative Framework 6 1.3 Description of the Project 7 1.4 Baseline Description 7 1.5 Screening of Environmental and Social Impacts and Mitigation 10 1.6 Analysis of Alternatives 11 1.7 Public Consultation and Information Disclosure 12 1.8 Grievance Redress Mechanism 12 1.9 Environmental and Social Management Plan 12 1.10 Implementation Arrangements and Capacity Building 13 1.11 Overall Findings and Recommendations 13 1.12 Conclusions 13 2. INTRODUCTION 15 2.1 Project Background 15 2.2 Scope and Objectives of the IEE 15 2.3 Methodology 16 3. INSTITUTIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK 18 3.1 Institutional Framework and National Requirements 19 3.1.1 Institutional framework 19 3.1.2 National requirements 20 3.2 International Agreements 23 3.3 International Requirements 24 3.3.1 ADB safeguards 24 3.3.2 Other relevant international guidelines 24 3.3.3 Gap analysis 24 4. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 26 4.1 Technical Description 26 4.1.1 Sub-project 1: 500 kV Single Circuit Line 26 4.1.2 Sub-project 2: 220 kV Double Circuit Line 26 4.1.3 External clearances 27 4.2 Investigation Area 28 5. BASELINE DESCRIPTION 31 5.1 Baseline features of the overall project area 31 5.2 Sub-project 1 (part 1): Between Sheberghan and Mazar-e-Sharif 35 5.2.1 Physical environment 35 5.2.2 Biological environment 37 5.2.3 Human environment 39 5.3 Sub-project 1 (part 2): Between Mazar-e-Sharif and Dasht-el-Alwan 43 5.3.1 Main features of the investigation area 43 5.3.2 Physical environment 43 5.3.3 Biological environment 44 5.3.4 Human environment 44 5.4 Sub-project 2: Between Andkhoy and Shebergan 46 5.4.1 Physical environment 46 5.4.2 Biological environment 48 5.4.3 Human environment 49 6. SCREENING OF ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL IMPACTS & MITIGATION 53 6.1 Impacts during the Design Phase 53 6.1.1 Line routing 53 2 6.1.2 Access roads 54 6.1.3 Health and safety 54 6.2 Impacts during the Construction Phase 54 6.2.1 Impacts on the physical environment 55 6.2.2 Impacts on the biological environment 58 6.2.3 Impacts on the human environment 59 6.3 Impacts during the Operation Phase 63 6.3.1 Impacts on the physical environment 63 6.3.2 Impacts on the biological environment 64 6.3.3 Impacts on the human environment 66 6.4 Impacts during the decommissioning phase 67 6.5 Cumulative impacts 68 7. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES 69 7.1 No Project Alternative 69 7.2 Line Routing Alternatives 69 7.3 500 kV Towers’ Design 70 8. PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE 71 8.1 Identification of Stakeholders 71 8.2 Stakeholder Consultation 71 8.3 Conclusions and further Proceedings 73 9. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM 74 10. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 76 10.1 Mitigation Measures 77 10.1.1 Mitigation measures for the design phase 77 10.1.2 Mitigation measures for the construction phase 79 10.1.3 Mitigation measures for operation and decommissioning phases 87 10.2 Monitoring Measures 89 10.2.1 Design phase 89 10.2.2 Construction phase 89 10.2.3 Operation phase 89 11. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS AND CAPACITY BUILDING 100 11.1 Institutional Arrangements and Responsibilities 100 11.1.1 DABS 100 11.1.2 NEPA 101 11.1.3 ADB 101 Construction Contractor (CC) 101 11.1.4 101 11.1.5 Project Implementation Consultant (PIC) 102 11.1.6 EHS External Auditor 102 11.2 Capacity Building 102 12. OVERALL FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 103 13. CONCLUSIONS 105 14. REFERENCES 106 3 List of Tables Table 2-1: Basis for the IEE and LARP reports ................................................................ 16 Table 3-1: National acts/laws of Afghanistan ................................................................... 20 Table 3-2: NEPA’s National regulations, guidelines and policies ..................................... 21 Table 4-1: External Clearances ....................................................................................... 27 Table 6-1: Limit values for noise regarding population ..................................................... 66 Table 10-1: Environmental Mitigation Plan for the Design Phase .................................... 77 Table 10-2: Environmental Mitigation Plan for Construction Phase ................................. 79 Table 10-3: Environmental Mitigation Plan for Operation and Decommissioning Phase .................................................................................................... 87 Table 10-4: Monitoring Plan for Design Phase and Construction Phase .......................... 91 Table 10-5: Monitoring Plan for the Operation and Decommissioning Phase .................. 97 List of Figures Figure 4-1: Overview of the investigation area of sub-project 2: from top to bottom, from left to right: SD 2, Sheberghan area; SD 20, Sheberghan area; SD 31, Mazar-e-Sharif area; SD 27, Mazar-e-Sharif area;SD 36, Samangan area ; SD 58, Samangan area; SD 73, Dashte-el-Alwan area; SD 74, Dashte-el-Alwan area. ....................................................... 29 Figure 4-2: Satellite picture showing the Project Area ..................................................... 29 Figure 7-1: 500 kV towers’ design with horizontal arrangement of the phases („Y“ type) ...................................................................................................... 70 Figure 8-1: Focus group discussions and individual interview situation during the social survey in October 2014 ................................................................ 72 Figure 11-1: Organization Structure DABS .................................................................... 100 4 List of Abbreviations ADB Asian Development Bank AFG Afghanistan AWEC Afghanistan Wildlife Executive Committee DABS Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat EARF Environmental Assessment Review Framework EMF Electric and magnetic fields EMP Environmental Management Plan IEE Initial Environmental Examination IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature kV Kilovolt PREVIOUS MFF Multi-tranche Financing Facility ROW Right-of-way 5 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Introduction The present IEE covers the following sub-projects of Stage B of the Tranche 1 of Afghanistan Energy Sector: Subproject 1: 500 kV Single Circuit line built in Stage A from TKMN border via Andkhoy to Sheberghan, will be extended for ca. 308 km to Dasht-e-Alwan; Subproject 2: 220 kV Double circuit line Andkhoy to Sheberghan (64.5 km). The sub-projects are expected to increase the power transmission capacity on the north- south route which conveys power from imports and domestic power plants in the north to the load centers at the southern end of the transmission line. On the basis of the existing environmental situation in the Investigation area, the technical planning and the Environmental Assessment Review Framework (EARF), DABS determined the potential environmental impacts of the proposed sub-projects during design, construction, operation and decommissioning. Alternative routings and options, as well as appropriate mitigation and monitoring measures were considered to reduce possible adverse impacts. For preparing the IEE study, DABS set up a multi-disciplinary team composed of one International Environmental and Ecological Expert and one National Environmental Expert. The work made by two International Social Experts and one National Social Safe- guards Expert (in the context of the LARP (Land Acquisition and Resettlement Plan) for this project) was also taken into consideration for the present IEE. The national team, together with male field surveyors and technical surveyors conducted intensive field work in some of the subproject areas between the 12th and the 20th of October 2014. Socio-economic surveys of the affected households were conducted as part of the LARP preparation. The environmental team preparing the IEE surveyed the physical and biological conditions of the areas. 1.2 Institutional and Legislative Framework The Executing Agency (EA) will be DABS, the National Power Utility. Other Central Government institutions potentially linked to the Project and the implementation of the EMP include the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW); the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA); the Department of Meteorology; etc. Other stakeholders are the Province administration of Faryab, Jawzjan, Balkh, Samangan and Baghlan Provinces; and Civil Society Organizations. National acts, laws, regulations, guidelines and policies relevant to the project are, among others: Environmental Act, 2007; Mineral Law, 2010; Water Law, 2009; Draft Forest Law, 2009; Interim Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, draft 2.3. Afghanistan has in addition ratified a number of international agreements and conventions relating to the protection of the environment and biodiversity. This IEE was carried out in accordance with applicable international Guidelines. The legal framework