CHENNAIANDAMAN NICOBAR ISLANDS SUBMARINE CABLE SYSTEM (CABLE LANDING AND CONSTRUCTION OF BEACH MAN HOLE AT EIGHT ISLANDS OF ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS: Port Blair, Little Andaman (Hut bay), Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar (Campbell bay), Havelock, Long and Rangat Islands) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT AUGUST 2018 (Updated in October 2018) Submitted For: Submitted By: Universal Service Obligation Fund, EQMS India Pvt. Ltd. Department of Telecom 304 and 305, 3RD Floor, Plot No. 16 20, Sanchar Bhawan, Ashoka Road, Rishabh Towers, Community Center New Delhi, Delhi-110001 Karkarduma, Delhi-110 092 Phone: 011-23739191 Phone – 011-3000-3200-3216 EQMS India Pvt. Ltd. i Environmental Assessment for Chennai-Andaman Nicobar Island Submarine Cable System Table of Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. The Project ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Project Background ............................................................................................... 3 1.3. Need for the Project ............................................................................................... 3 1.3.1. Need Based Assessment ................................................................................... 4 1.3.2. Alternative Sites Analysis ................................................................................... 5 1.4. Objective and Scope of EIA Study ......................................................................... 7 1.5. Legal framework .................................................................................................... 8 1.6. Methodology of EIA Study ................................................................................... 11 1.6.1. Overview.......................................................................................................... 11 1.6.2. Documents Review .......................................................................................... 11 1.6.3. Data Collection ................................................................................................ 11 1.6.4. Impact Assessment ......................................................................................... 12 1.6.5. Environmental Management Plan .................................................................... 12 1.7. Structure of the EIA Report .................................................................................. 12 2. Description of the Project ......................................................................................... 14 2.1. Prelude ................................................................................................................ 14 2.2. Location of the Project ......................................................................................... 15 2.2.1. Submarine Cable Route Details ....................................................................... 15 2.2.2. Landing Site at ANI .......................................................................................... 20 Note * If any of the CLS will fall in CRZ, other than the above, then it is the responsibility of the project proponent to take the CRZ Clearance for the same separately or as addendum to this report only. ...................................................................... 25 2.2.3. Potential Risks to Submarine Cable Laying Operations and laid Submarine Cable ............................................................................................................... 26 2.3. Category of the Project ........................................................................................ 29 2.4. Submarine Cable ................................................................................................. 29 2.4.1. Submarine Cable – General Design Considerations ........................................ 29 2.4.2. Submarine Cable Specifications ...................................................................... 30 2.4.3. Submarine Cable - Toxicity .............................................................................. 33 2.4.4. Cable Joint and Repair .................................................................................... 34 2.4.5. Cable Repeaters .............................................................................................. 34 2.4.6. Branching Units, Housing and Seal .................................................................. 35 2.4.7. Cable Markers ................................................................................................. 35 2.4.8. Cable Termination ........................................................................................... 35 2.4.9. Cable End Seal ................................................................................................ 35 2.5. Pre-Commissioning Activities .............................................................................. 35 2.6. Marine Installation Operations ............................................................................. 36 2.6.2. Cable Route Survey ......................................................................................... 38 2.6.3. Route clearance............................................................................................... 40 2.6.4. Pre-Lay Grapnel Run (PLGR) .......................................................................... 40 2.6.5. Main Cable Lay ................................................................................................ 41 2.6.6. Plough Operation ............................................................................................. 42 2.6.7. Crossings Engineering ..................................................................................... 43 2.6.8. Post Lay Inspection and Burial (PLIB) .............................................................. 44 2.6.9. Shore End Installation ...................................................................................... 45 2.6.10. Pre-Lay Shore End .......................................................................................... 46 2.6.11. Direct Landing ................................................................................................. 46 2.6.12. Near shore operations during landings ............................................................ 46 2.6.13. Navigation and as-laid position ........................................................................ 47 2.6.14. Methodology to Cross Coral Reefs Enroute ..................................................... 48 2.7. Timeframe of the Cable Lay Installation ............................................................... 50 2.8. Maintenance/Repair............................................................................................. 50 EQMS India Pvt. Ltd. ii Environmental Assessment for Chennai-Andaman Nicobar Island Submarine Cable System 2.9. Lifecycle Analysis ................................................................................................ 50 2.10. Effects of Marine Installation ................................................................................ 50 2.10.1. Toxicity ............................................................................................................ 50 2.10.2. Sonar in cable route survey ............................................................................. 51 2.10.3. Marine Pollution ............................................................................................... 51 2.10.4. Large marine animals – Whales, Dolphin, Dugong, Cetaceans, Turtles ........... 51 2.10.5. Disturbance to Living Organisms ..................................................................... 52 2.11. Quality Assurance, Health and Safety ................................................................. 53 2.11.1 Health and Safety ............................................................................................ 53 3. Baseline Environment ............................................................................................... 55 3.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 55 3.2. Baseline Analysis, Study Area and Salient Environmental Features .................... 56 3.2.1. Baseline Data Collection and Study Area ............................................................ 56 3.2.2. Environmental Setting and Salient Environmental Features of the Study Area .... 56 3.3. Primary Data Collection: Monitoring Plan and Quality Assurance Procedures ..... 59 3.3.1. Primary Data Collection: Monitoring Plan and Quality Assurance Procedures ..... 60 3.3.2. Environmental Setting and Salient Environmental Features of the Project Area .. 61 3.4. Physical Environment .......................................................................................... 66 3.4.1. Topography ......................................................................................................... 66 3.4.2. Drainage Pattern ................................................................................................. 71 3.4.3. Land use .............................................................................................................. 71 3.5. Climate, oceanographic, geological, seismicity .................................................... 86 3.5.1. Meteorology ........................................................................................................