Initial Environmental Examination (Final) November 2015 IND: Assam Power Sector Investment Program – Tranche 2 Prepared by Assam Power Distribution Company Limited for the Asian Development Bank. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 31 October 2015) Currency unit – Indian rupee/s (Re/Rs) Rs 1.00 – $0.0152 $1.00 – Rs65.4040 ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Asian Development Bank AEGCL – Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Limited AERC – Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission APDCL – Assam Power Distribution Company Limited ASEB – Assam State Electricity Board BIS – Bureau of Indian Standards CEA – Central Electricity Authority CPCB – Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India CGWB – Central Ground Water Board DC or D/C – Double Circuit DPR – Detailed Project Report EA – Executing Agency EARF – Environmental Assessment and Review Framework EHV – Extra High Voltage EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment EMoP – Environmental Monitoring Plan EMP – Environmental Management Plan ESMU – Environment and Social Management Unit FFA – Financing Framework Agreement GHG – Greenhouse Gas GoA – Government of Assam GoI – Government of India GMDA – Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority GSS – Grid Sub-station GRM – Grievance Redress Mechanism IA – Implementing Agency IEE – Initial Environmental Examination MFF – Multi-tranche Financing Facility MOEF – Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India PIU – Project Implementing Unit PMU – Project Management Unit PCB – Pollution Control Board, Assam ROW – Right of Way RP – Resettlement Plan SC or S/C – Single Circuit SF6 – Sulphur Hexafluoride WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ha (hectare) - 10,000 sq. m = 2.47105 Acre km (kilometer) - 1,000 m kV - Kilovolt (1,000 volt) kW - Kilowatt (1,000 watt) kWh - Kilowatt-hour mG - milliGauss MVA - Megavolt-Amperes MW - Megawatt GWh/MU - Gigawatt-hour or Million kWh oC - degree Celsius NOTES (i) The fiscal year (FY) of the Government of India and its agencies begins on 1 April and ends on March 31. “FY” before a calendar year denotes the year in which the fiscal year ends, e.g., FY2014 begins on 1 April 2013 and ends on 31 March 2014. (ii) In this report, "$" 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 on ADB’s 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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Project Scope .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Impact and Outcome ................................................................................................ 1 1.1.2 Output ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.3 Investment Plan ....................................................................................................... 2 1.2 The Need for Initial Environmental Examination ....................................................... 2 1.2.1 National and State Level Requirements ................................................................... 2 1.2.2 Requirements of ADB .............................................................................................. 3 1.2.3 Objectives of the IEE ............................................................................................... 3 1.2.4 Scope and Methodology .......................................................................................... 3 1.3 Structure of the Report ............................................................................................. 4 2. POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK .................................................. 6 2.1 ADB Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS) 2009 ......................................................... 6 2.2 Applicable National and State Legislation ................................................................ 6 2.2.1 Clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 .............................................. 7 2.2.2 National and State Environmental Assessment Requirements ................................. 7 2.3 Comparison of Environmental Requirements of ADB and GoI ................................. 8 2.4 Applicable International Environmental Agreements ...............................................13 2.5 Other Applicable Laws and Policies ........................................................................13 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT ...................................................................................15 3.1 Project Description ..................................................................................................15 3.2 Project Justification and Selection Criteria ..............................................................17 3.3 Project Location ......................................................................................................18 3.4 Project Implementation Schedule ............................................................................23 3.5 Implementation Activities ........................................................................................24 3.6 Project Management and Implementation Structure................................................24 4. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT .........................................................................26 4.1 Geographical Location of Assam ............................................................................27 4.2 Physical Resources ................................................................................................28 4.2.1 Topography, Geology, and Soils .............................................................................28 4.2.2 Meteorology and Climate ........................................................................................28 4.2.3 Air Quality and Noise ..............................................................................................28 4.2.4 Natural Hazards ......................................................................................................29 4.3 Biological Resources ..............................................................................................37 4.4 Socio-Economic Profile ...........................................................................................49 4.5 Cultural and Archaeological Resources ..................................................................52 5. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ................55 5.1 Criteria for Site and Route Selection .......................................................................55 5.2 Planning and Pre-construction Stage ......................................................................56 5.2.1 Location and Design of Substation ..........................................................................56 5.2.2 Route Selection for New 33 kV and 11 kV Distribution Lines ..................................56 5.2.3 Choice of Technology .............................................................................................57 5.3 Critical Environmental Screening Criteria ................................................................58 5.3.1 Loss of Irreplaceable Resources .............................................................................58 5.3.2 Accelerated Use of Resources for Short-Term Gains ..............................................58 5.3.3 Endangering Species ..............................................................................................58 5.3.4 Promoting Undesirable Rural to Urban Migration ....................................................58 5.4 Construction Stage .................................................................................................58 5.4.1 Workforce Organization and Orientation .................................................................59 5.4.2 Site preparation and Civil Works .............................................................................60 5.5 Operation Phase .....................................................................................................63 5.5.1 Use of mineral oil ....................................................................................................63 5.5.2 O & M of substation and distribution lines ...............................................................64 6. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES ........................................................................................66 6.1 Site and Route Selection ........................................................................................66 7. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, CONSULTATION, AND PARTICIPATION .......................69 7.1 Consultation and Participation ................................................................................69 7.2 Information Disclosure ............................................................................................69 8. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM .............................................................................71