Initial Environmental Examination (Draft) August 2013 IND: Rural Connectivity Investment Program – Project II West Bengal Prepared by West Bengal State Rural Road Development Agency for the Asian Development Bank. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS as of 16 August 2013 Currency unit – Indian rupee (Rs) Rs 1.00 = $ .01628 $1.00 = Rs 61.4250 ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Asian Development Bank MORD – Ministry of Rural Development MORD – Ministry of Rural Development APO – Accident Prevention Officer B.T. – Black Top BGL – Below Ground Level BIS – Bureau of Indian Standards BOQ – Bill of Quantity C.C. – Cement Concrete CD – Cross Drainage CGWA – Central Ground Water Authority CGWB – Central Ground Water Board Ch. – Chainage COI – Corridor Of Impact CPCB – Central Pollution Control Board CTE – Consent to Establish CTO – Consent to Operate DG – Diesel Generating DPR – Detailed Project Report EARF – Environmental Assessment Review Framework ECOP – Environmental Code of Practices EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment EMOP – Environmental Monitoring Plan EMP – Environmental Management Plan EO – Environmental Officer FEO – Field Environmental Officer GDP – Gross Domestic Product GOI – Government of India GSHAP – Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program HC – Hydrocarbon HH – House Hold IEE – Initial Environmental Assessment IRC – Indian Road Congress LHS – Left Hand Side MCM – Million Cubic Meter MFF – Multi-Tranche Financing Facility MoEF – Ministry of Environment and Forests MoRD – Ministry of Rural Development MOSRTH – Ministry of Road Transport & Highways NAAQS – National Ambient Air Quality Standards NGO – Non-government organization NOx – Nitrogen Oxides NRRDA – National Rural Road Development Agency NSDP – Net State Domestic Product PIC – Project Implementation Consultant PIU – Project Implementation Unit PLF – Plant Load Factor PM – Particulate Matters PMGSY – Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna PPE – Personal Protective Equipment’s PPTA – Project Preparation Technical Assistance RCIP – Rural Connectivity Investment Program RHS – Right Hand Side ROW – Right of way RRS I – Loan 2018-IND: Rural Roads Sector I Project RRS II – Loan 2248-IND: Rural Roads Sector II Investment Program RSES – ADB’s Environmental Safeguard Division SBD – Standard Bidding Documents SDP – State Domestic Product SO 2 – Sulphur Dioxide SPCB – State Pollution Control Board SPS – ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement,2009 SRRDA – State Rural Road Development Agency STDs – Sexually transmitted diseases TDS – Total Dissolved Solids TSC – Technical Support Consultants UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization WBM – Water Bound Macadam WBSRRDA – West Bengal State Rural Road Development Agency WEIGHTS AND MEASURES lakh 100 thousand = 100,000 crore 100 lakh = 10,000,000 µg/m 3 micrograms per cubic meter km kilometer lpd liters per day m meter mg/l milligrams per liter mm millimeter ppm parts per million million Million = 10 lakh = 1,000,000 NOTE{S} In this report, "$" refers to US dollars. This initial environmental examination 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. Your attention is directed to the “terms of use” section of this website. 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 I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. Project Background................................................................................................... 1 B. Project Roads Identification and Location ................................................................. 1 C. Rural Road Construction Proposal ............................................................................ 2 D. ADB’s Safeguard Policies and Category of the Project ............................................. 3 E. Objectives and Approach for Environnemental Assessment ..................................... 3 F. IEE Methodology and Content .................................................................................. 4 G. Legal Framework and Legislative Requirements ....................................................... 4 H. Acknowledgement .................................................................................................... 6 II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 7 A. General ..................................................................................................................... 7 B. Sample Roads Selected in West Bengal State .......................................................... 7 C. Project Description .................................................................................................... 8 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 12 A. General ................................................................................................................... 12 B. Physical Environment ............................................................................................. 12 C. Biological Environment ........................................................................................... 29 D. Socioeconomic Environment ................................................................................... 32 E. Salient Environmental Features of Sample Roads .................................................. 36 IV. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND ITS MITIGATION MEASURES 45 A. Common Impacts during Design and Construction Phase ...................................... 45 B. Common Impacts during Post Construction and Operation Phase .......................... 53 C. Road Specific Impacts ............................................................................................ 55 V. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN, INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND GRIEVANCE ADDRESS MECHANISM 58 A. Environmental Management Plan ........................................................................... 58 B. Environmental Monitoring Plan ............................................................................... 58 C. Institutional Arrangements and Responsibilities ...................................................... 59 D. Institutional Environmental Responsibilities ............................................................ 59 E. Environmental Assessment and Review Framework (EARF) for RCIP ................... 62 F. Capacity Building .................................................................................................... 64 G. Consultation and Information Disclosure ................................................................. 64 H. Grievance Redress Mechanism .............................................................................. 65 VI. PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE 66 A. General ................................................................................................................... 66 B. Compliance with Relevant Regulatory Requirements .............................................. 66 C. Beneficiaries’ Comments ........................................................................................ 66 VII. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 70 A. Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 70 B. Key Recommendations ........................................................................................... 71 List of Tables Table I.1 : RCIP: Tranche II - List of Qualified Roads in West Bengal ..................................... 2 Table I.2 : Applicable Rules and Regulations for RCIP Roads ................................................ 5 Table II.1: Summary of District Wise Rural Roads .................................................................. 7 Table II.2: Details of Sample Roads ....................................................................................... 7 Table II.3: ROW Requirement ................................................................................................ 9 Table III.1: Summary Key Environmental Features of the Sample Roads Districts .................13 Table III.2: Ambient Air Quality during 2010 ...........................................................................21 Table III.3: Ambient Air Quality Status of West Bengal in 2010 ...............................................21 Table III.4: Physiographic Characteristics of different districts ................................................23 Table III.5: The soil pattern in the state ...................................................................................25 Table III.6: Land Utilization in project Districts – 2009-10 (In ha) ............................................27 Table III.7: List of common plant species available in the study area ......................................29 Table III.9: Demographic Profile of the Project Districts ..........................................................33 Table III.10: Human Development Indicators of West Bengal ....................................................33 Table III.11: Literacy Rate of project districts .............................................................................34 Table III.12: Indicators of Affluence ...........................................................................................34 Table III.13: Physical Infrastructure ...........................................................................................36