Initial Environment Examination Project No.: 46543-002 July 2019 Tajikistan: Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Corridors 3 and 5 Enhancement Project Kangurt to Baljuvon to intersection Vose-Khovaling Road Updated IEE Study Prepared by: SMEC International (Pty) Ltd, Australia for the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Asian Development Bank. This initial environment examination report 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. CAREC Corridors 3 and 5 Enhancement Project: Contract for Engineering, Works Supervision and Project Management Services Grant 0356-TAJ _____________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... 1 1. Introduction......................................................................................................................... 1 2. Description of the Project .................................................................................................... 2 3. Overview of the Receiving Environment ............................................................................. 2 4. Scoping .............................................................................................................................. 3 5. Impact Assessment Process and Results ........................................................................... 4 6. Implementation ................................................................................................................... 5 7. Monitoring Actions .............................................................................................................. 5 8. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................... 6 I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 7 1. Preamble ............................................................................................................................ 7 2. Need for an Impact Assessment and Screening ................................................................. 7 3. Structure of the Report ....................................................................................................... 9 4. Project Proponent ..............................................................................................................10 II. LEGAL, POLICY AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK ....................................................11 1. General .............................................................................................................................11 2. Country Policies and Administrative Framework ................................................................11 3. International legal instruments ...........................................................................................12 3.1. Framework environment law .......................................................................................13 4. Legal Framework for Environmental Assessment (EA) and Permitting ..............................14 4.1 Basic EA Laws. ............................................................................................................14 4.2 Public Participation ......................................................................................................16 4.3 Licenses .......................................................................................................................16 4.4 Environmental Permits .................................................................................................17 4.5 State Environmental Program 2009-2019 ....................................................................17 4.6 Implementation and compliance ...................................................................................18 5. Environmental norms and standards .................................................................................18 6. Noise, Water and Air Quality Standards ............................................................................20 7. ADB Safeguards ................................................................................................................30 III. SCOPE OF ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................31 1. Preamble ...........................................................................................................................31 2. Physical Scope ..................................................................................................................31 3. Spatial Scope ....................................................................................................................31 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Updated IEE of Kangurt - Baljuvon – Khovaling Road, reconstruction of Bridge 5 & 6, December 2018 CAREC Corridors 3 and 5 Enhancement Project: Contract for Engineering, Works Supervision and Project Management Services Grant 0356-TAJ _____________________________________________________________________________ 4. Temporal Scope ................................................................................................................31 5. Technical Scope ................................................................................................................31 5.1 Agriculture ....................................................................................................................32 5.2 Air Quality ....................................................................................................................32 5.3 Archaeology and Cultural Heritage ...............................................................................33 5.4 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning ......................................................................33 5.5 Community ...................................................................................................................34 5.6 Contamination ..............................................................................................................34 5.7 Landscape and Visual ..................................................................................................35 5.8 Material Resources ......................................................................................................35 5.9 Noise and Vibration ......................................................................................................36 5.10 Soils ...........................................................................................................................36 5.11 Traffic and Transport ..................................................................................................37 5.12 Water Resources .......................................................................................................37 5.13 Waste Management ...................................................................................................38 5.14 Scope Summary ........................................................................................................38 IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT ...........................................................................40 1. Preamble ...........................................................................................................................40 2. Project Location .................................................................................................................40 3. General Site Description ....................................................................................................41 4. Land Use along Route Alignment ......................................................................................43 5. Topography .......................................................................................................................47 6. Climate ..............................................................................................................................48 7. Land Use ...........................................................................................................................49 8. Soils ..................................................................................................................................49 9. Hydrology ..........................................................................................................................49 10. Seismology ......................................................................................................................52 11. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning ..........................................................................53 12. Historical and Archeological Areas of Significance ..........................................................55 13. Economic Development ...................................................................................................55