Public Disclosure Authorized PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT GOVERNMENT OF KERALA KERALA STATE TRANSPORT PROJECT - II Public Disclosure Authorized EIA and EMP for Punalur – Ponkunnam – Thodupuzha Road Public Disclosure Authorized Part I Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report Public Disclosure Authorized December 2012 Kerala State Transport Project II Draft EIA Report for Punalur – Ponkunnam - Thodupuzha Road Table of Contents CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 1.1. PROJECT BACKGROUND 1.1 1.2. EARLIER STUDIES 1.2 1.2.1. Strategic Option Studies 1.2 1.2.2. Feasibility Study 1.2 1.2.3. Additional Feasibility Study 1.2 1.2.4. Reconnaissance Work For Additional Feasibility Studies 1.2 1.2.5. Sectoral Environmental Assessment (SEA) 1.3 1.2.6. High Priority Roads 1.3 1.2.7. KSTP Road Safety Audit Report 1.3 1.2.8. EIA reports prepared by in 1999 1.3 1.2.9. Environmental and Social Independent Review Report, 2003 1.3 1.3. INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF EIA, 2012 1.4 1.4. DOCUMENT ORGANISATION 1.5 1.4.1. Resettlement Action Plan (RAP). 1.7 CHAPTER 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.1 2.1. PROJECT LOCATION 2.1 2.2. PHYSICAL DETAILS OF THE PROJECT CORRIDOR 2.3 2.3. IMPROVEMENT ALTERNATIVE CONSIDERED 2.4 2.3.1. Definition of terms used in the project 2.4 2.3.2. The Proposed Improvement Work 2.5 2.4. DESIGN CROSS SECTIONS 2.8 2.5. OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS 2.8 2.6. DESCRIPTION OF MAJOR FEATURES 2.8 2.6.1. Road Widening 2.8 2.6.2. Tree Removal and Tree Planting 2.8 2.6.3. Environmental Management Plan (EMP) 2.9 2.6.4. Resettlement action plan 2.9 2.7. SUMMARY OF FEATURES 2.9 2.8. COST FOR THE PROPOSED LINK ROADS IMPROVEMENT 2.1 2.9. CONTRACT PACKAGES 2.1 CHAPTER 3. APPLICABLE POLICIES AND LEGAL FRAME WORK 3.1 3.1. ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION FRAMEWORK OF GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 3.1 3.1.1. The Environment (protection) Act, 1986 3.1 3.1.2. The Environmental Impact Assessment Notification 2006 3.1 3.1.3. Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011 3.2 3.1.4. Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 3.3 3.1.5. The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 3.4 3.1.6. The Air (Prevention and control of Pollution) Act, 1981 3.5 3.1.7. Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) rules 2000 3.5 3.1.8. Biological Diversity Act, 2000 3.6 3.1.9. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 3.6 3.1.10. Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules, 1959 3.7 3.1.11. Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 3.7 3.2. ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION FRAMEWORK OF THE STATE 3.7 3.2.1. Kerala State Forest Department 3.7 3.2.2. Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority 3.7 3.2.3. Kerala State Pollution Control Board 3.8 Kerala State Transport Project, Wilbur Smith Associates Pvt. Ltd. 1 Public Works Department Kerala State Transport Project II Draft EIA Report for Punalur – Ponkunnam - Thodupuzha Road 3.2.4. state level environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA) 3.9 3.2.5. Kerala State Public Works Department 3.9 3.2.6. Kerala Restriction on Cutting and Destruction of Valuable Trees Rules. 3.12 3.2.7. Kerala Forest Act and its amendments up to 2010 3.12 3.2.8. Paddy fields and wetlands conservation policy of the State Government 3.12 Protection of River Banks and Regulations of Removal of Sand policy of the State Government 3.2.9. 3.12 3.2.10. Ecologically Fragile Zone Act 2007 3.13 3.2.11. Other State level Legislation and Acts 3.13 3.3. SUMMARY OF APPLICABLE POLICIES AND REGULATIONS 3.13 3.4. CLEARANCE STATUS 3.15 3.5. ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS 3.15 3.5.1. Applicability of various WB safe guard Policies 3.15 3.6. SOCIAL IMPACTS-REQUIREMENTS 3.18 3.7. ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND CODE OF PRACTICES 3.18 3.7.1. National Environmental Standards Relevant to the Project 3.18 3.7.2. Standards for Air Quality 3.18 3.7.3. Standards for Noise Level 3.19 3.7.4. Standards for Water Quality 3.19 3.7.5. Standards for Sampling and Analysis of Air and Water 3.19 3.7.6. Codes of Practice of Indian Road Congress 3.19 CHAPTER 4. APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY 4.1 4.1. BASIC APPROACH 4.1 4.2. STEPS IN THE PROCESS 4.1 4.2.1. Environmental Screening 4.1 4.2.2. Scoping 4.2 4.2.3. Delineation of Project Impact Zone 4.2 4.2.4. Reconnaissance Surveys 4.2 4.2.5. Secondary Data Collection 4.2 4.2.6. Baseline Environmental Monitoring 4.2 4.2.7. Establishing Baseline Environmental Profile 4.2 4.2.8. Identification and Evaluation of Potential Impacts 4.3 4.2.9. Assessment of Alternatives 4.3 4.2.10. Finalisation of Alignment 4.3 4.2.11. Mitigation and Environmental Enhancement Measures 4.3 4.2.12. Identification of the Requirements of Environmental Regulations 4.3 4.2.13. Integration of Impacts in the Design Process 4.4 4.2.14. Preparation of Environmental Management Plan 4.4 4.2.15. Lessons from Review of EMP Implementation, KSTP Phase - I 4.6 4.2.16. Continuous Public Consultation and Participation 4.6 CHAPTER 5. BASELINE ENVIRONMENT 5.1 5.1. METEOROLOGICAL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 5.1 5.1.1. Temperature 5.1 5.1.2. Rain Fall in the Region 5.2 5.2. REGIONAL PHYSICAL SETTINGS 5.6 5.2.1. Physiography 5.6 5.2.2. Geological Characteristics 5.7 5.2.3. Seismic Characteristics 5.8 5.2.4. Soils 5.8 5.2.5. Erosional Characteristics 5.10 Kerala State Transport Project, Wilbur Smith Associates Pvt. Ltd. 2 Public Works Department Kerala State Transport Project II Draft EIA Report for Punalur – Ponkunnam - Thodupuzha Road 5.2.6. Quarry and Crushing Operations 5.10 5.3. WATER RESOURCES 5.13 5.3.1. Surface Water Resources 5.13 5.3.2. Drainage 5.17 5.3.3. Groundwater in the Project Influenced Area 5.17 5.3.4. Water Quality 5.19 5.3.5. Effects of Floods in the Region 5.23 5.4. AMBIENT AIR QUALITY 5.24 5.5. AMBIENT NOISE LEVEL 5.26 5.6. FLORA AND FAUNA 5.27 5.6.1. Forest Areas 5.27 5.6.2. Rubber Plantations 5.28 5.6.3. Other Plantations 5.28 5.6.4. Wild Life Sanctuaries 5.29 5.6.5. Flora, Fauna and Eco Systems 5.31 5.6.6. Project Tiger 5.31 5.6.7. Project Elephant 5.31 5.7. HUMAN HEALTH AND SAFETY 5.37 5.7.1. Human Health 5.37 5.7.2. Highway Safety 5.37 5.7.3. Road Accidents in Kerala 5.37 5.7.4. Environmental Aspects Influencing Highway Design 5.38 5.7.5. Important Road Safety Factors in Kerala 5.39 5.7.6. Comprehensive and Integrated Road Safety Action Plan 5.40 5.8. CULTURAL RESOURCES IN THE PIA DISTRICTS 5.40 5.8.1. Agriculture in the PIA 5.43 5.8.2. Industries in the PIA 5.43 5.8.3. Tourism in the PIA 5.43 5.8.4. Fisheries in the Region 5.47 CHAPTER 6. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION & CONSULTATION 6.1 6.1. PROJECT SPECIFIC LOCAL CONSULTATIONS CONDUCTED FROM 1999 ONWARDS 6.2 6.2. REGIONAL SCOPING WORKSHOPS 6.4 6.2.1. Scoping Workshop at Thiruvananthapuram 6.6 6.2.2. Scoping Workshop at Ernakulam 6.6 6.2.3. Scoping Workshop at Kozhikode 6.7 6.3. PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS CONDUCTED AS PART OF THE INDEPENDENT REVIEW O 6.8 6.3.1. Rationale for FGDs 6.8 6.3.2. Objectives of The Recent FGDs 6.9 6.3.3. Date and Venue of FGDs 6.9 6.3.4. Issues Raised and Response to the Concerns 6.9 6.3.5. Conclusion 6.12 6.3.6. Public Disclosure of KSTP II Documents 6.12 6.3.7. KSTP II Final Design Output 6.14 CHAPTER 7. ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS 7.1 7.1. METEOROLOGIC AND CLIMATIC IMPACTS 7.2 7.2. IMPACTS TO REGIONAL PHYSICAL SETTINGS 7.2 7.2.1. Impacts to Physiography 7.2 7.2.2. Geological Impacts 7.3 7.2.3. Seismic Impacts 7.4 7.2.4. Impact on Top Soil Quality 7.4 Kerala State Transport Project, Wilbur Smith Associates Pvt. Ltd. 3 Public Works Department Kerala State Transport Project II Draft EIA Report for Punalur – Ponkunnam - Thodupuzha Road 7.2.5. Erosional Impacts 7.5 7.2.6. Quarry and Crushing Operations 7.6 7.3. WATER RESOURCES IN THE REGION 7.6 7.3.1. Impact on Surface Water Resources 7.6 7.3.2. Impact on Drainage Pattern 7.8 7.3.3. Impact on Groundwater Resources in the PIA 7.9 7.3.4. Impact on Water Quality in the PIA 7.10 7.3.5. Floods during Monsoon Season 7.11 7.4. AIR QUALITY IMPACTS 7.11 7.5. IMPACT ON NOISE QUALITY 7.14 7.6. IMPACTS TO FLORA AND FAUNA 7.16 7.6.1. Social Forestry 7.16 7.6.2. Impact to Coconut Plantations 7.16 7.6.3. Impact to Rubber Plantations 7.17 7.6.4. Impact to Trees along the Road Row 7.17 7.6.5.