Environmental Impact Assessment (Draft) Project Number: 47069-001 August 2015 People’s Republic of China: Henan Hebi Qi River Environmental Improvement and Ecological Conservation Project Prepared by the Hebi City Government for the Asian Development Bank 1 CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (As of 31st July 2015) Currency Unit – yuan (CNY) CNY 1.00 = $ 0.1611 $ 1.00 = CNY 6.21 ABBREVIATIONS ADB Asian Development Bank IMn Permanganate index BOD5 5-day biochemical oxygen demand LIEC Loan implementation environmental consultant CNY Chinese Yuan MEP Ministry of Environment Protection COD Chemical oxygen demand MIS Management Information System DO Dissolved oxygen NWP National Wetland Park EA Executing Agency PEP Precipitation EIA Environmental impact assessment PM2.5 Particulate matter with diameter<2.5μ EIR Environmental Impact Report PM10 Particulate matter with diameter<10μ EIT Environmental Impact Table PMO project management office EMP Environmental Management Plan PRC People’s Republic of China EMS Environment monitoring station RP Resettlement Plan EPB Environmental Protection Bureau SFA State Forestry Administration FSR Feasibility Study Report SWCR Soil and Water Conservation Report FYP Five Year Plan SOE State Owned Enterprise GDP Gross domestic product SPS Safeguard Policy Statement GHG Greenhouse gas TN Total Nitrogen GRM Grievance redress mechanism TP Total Phosphorus HCG Hebi City Government TSP Total Suspended Particulates HPG Henan Provincial Government WHO World Health Organization IA Implementing Agency WRB Water Resources Bureau WWTP Wastewater Treatment Plant WEIGHTS AND MEASURES oC degree centigrade m3 cubic meter dB decibel m3/a cubic meter per annum ha hectare (10,000 m2) m3/d cubic meter per day kg kilogram mg/kg milligram per kilogram km kilometer mg/l milligram per liter km2 square kilometer mg/m3 milligram per cubic meter kW kilowatt mu Chinese land unit (1 ha=15 mu) L liter MW megawatt (1 million watts) m meter t metric ton (1,000 kg) m2 square meter t/a ton per annum NOTE (i) In the report, “$” refers to US dollars. This environmental impact assessment 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. i Contents I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 4 A. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................. 4 B. THE PROJECT .............................................................................................................................................. 4 C. PROJECT BENEFITS AND FEATURES ........................................................................................................... 6 D. BASELINE ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................................ 7 E. POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ......................................................... 7 F. CLIMATE CHANGE ........................................................................................................................................ 8 G. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE AND PUBLIC CONSULTATION .......................................................................... 9 H. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM ............................................................................................................ 9 I. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ..................................................................................................... 10 J. RISKS AND ASSURANCES .......................................................................................................................... 10 K. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................. 10 II. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 11 III. POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK .............................................................................. 12 A. POLICY AND PLANNING CONTEXT ............................................................................................................. 12 B. LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN THE PRC ............................... 12 C. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS .................................................................................................................. 14 D. APPLICABLE PRC AND ADB POLICIES AND ASSESSMENT CATEGORIES ................................................. 14 E. ASSESSMENT STANDARDS ........................................................................................................................ 14 IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT ................................................................................................... 18 A. PROJECT RATIONALE ................................................................................................................................ 18 B. PROJECT IMPACTS, OUTCOME AND OUTPUTS.......................................................................................... 18 C. PROJECT DESIGN ...................................................................................................................................... 20 OUTPUT 1. ECOLOGICAL CONSERVATION ............................................................................................................. 20 1.1 QIHE RIVER UPSTREAM ECOLOGICAL PROTECTION – BARREN HILL GREENING .................................................... 20 1.2 RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PILOT QIHE RIVER NATIONAL WETLAND PARK ..................................... 23 OUTPUT 2. LOWER QIHE RIVER MAINSTREAM AND TRIBUTARIES IMPROVED .............................................................. 29 2.1 QIHE MAINSTREAM WATERCOURSE IMPROVEMENT IN QI COUNTY (21 KM) ...................................................... 29 2.2 FOUR TRIBUTARY WATERCOURSE IMPROVEMENT IN QI COUNTY ..................................................................... 30 2.3 FIVE CANAL WATERCOURSE IMPROVE IN QIBIN DISTRICT ............................................................................... 31 OUTPUT 3. WASTEWATER AND SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ................................................................................. 33 3.1 QIBIN DISTRICT WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................. 33 3.2 QI COUNTY WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................. 34 3.3 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................. 37 OUTPUT 4. INSTITUTIONAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SYSTEM ................................................................................ 39 D. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT FOR CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION ................................................... 39 E. ASSOCIATED FACILITIES ............................................................................................................................ 40 V. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................................... 42 A. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING ........................................................................................................................ 42 B. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AT THE PROJECT SITES ................................................................................... 44 C. ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES ........................................................................................................................ 47 D. SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ................................................................................................................ 58 E. PROTECTED AREAS, RESERVES, AND PHYSICAL CULTURAL RESOURCES .............................................. 58 VI. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ................................................ 59 A. DESIGN PHASE .......................................................................................................................................... 59 B. PRE-CONSTRUCTION PHASE .................................................................................................................... 59 C. CONSTRUCTION PHASE ............................................................................................................................ 60 1. GENERIC PHYSICAL IMPACTS ACROSS CONSTRUCTION SITES AND MITIGATION ....................................................... 60 2. SPECIFIC PHYSICAL IMPACTS RELATED TO DREDGING AND MITIGATION ................................................................ 66 3. IMPACTS ON ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES ........................................................................................................... 69 ii