Draft Initial Environmental Examination June 2011 IND: Assam Urban Infrastructure Investment Program – Dibrugarh Drainage Subproject Prepared by Government of Assam for the Asian Development Bank. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES cm – centimeter dbA – decibels dia. – diameter ha – Hectare kg – kilogram km – kilometer l – liter m – Meter m2 – square meter m3 – cubic meter mg/l – Milligrams per liter ml – milliliter MLD – million liters per day mm – millimeter sq. km. – square kilometers sq. m. – square meters μg/m3 – micrograms per cubic meter 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. 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. 2 ABBREVIATIONS ADB - Asian Development Bank BRT - Bus Rapid Transit CTO - Consent to Operate DSC - Design and Supervision Consultant EARF - Environmental Assessment and Review Framework EMP - Environmental Management Plan GDD - Guwahati Development Department GRM - Grievance Redress Mechanism IEE - Initial Environemental Examination MFF - Multi tranche Financing Facility PIU - Project Implementation Unit SPS - Safeguards Policy Statement UDD - Urban Development Department 3 CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I. INTRODUCTION 7 A. Environmental Compliance Requirements 8 B. Government of India and Assam Requirements 8 C. Environmental Assessment Requirements 9 D. National Legal Requirements 9 II. DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROJECT 10 A. Need for the Subproject 10 B. Description of the Subproject 11 C. Implementation Schedule 11 D. Subproject Benefits 12 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 12 A. Physical Features 12 B. Ecological Features 14 C. Economic Development 15 D. Social and Cultural Resources 16 IV. ANTICIPATED IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 17 A. Pre-construction – Location and Design 18 B. Construction Impacts 18 C. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) impacts 23 D. Cumulative Impact Assessment 24 V. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT 25 A. Implementation Arrangements 25 B. Monitoring and Reporting 27 C. Institutional Capacity 28 VI. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM 30 VII. PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE 32 A. Process for Consultation 32 B. Future Consultation and Disclosure 33 3 VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 34 A. Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Program 34 B. Environmental Management Plan Costs 51 IX. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 51 X. CONCLUSIONS 52 APPENDIXES 1: CPCB Environmental Standards 47 2: REA Checklist 49 4 3: Environmental Monitoring Report Format 53 4: Sample Grievance Registration Form 55 5: Recommended Contract Clauses 56 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. The Assam Urban Infrastructure Investment Program is a key urban infrastructure initiative of the Government of Assam), and aims to improve the urban environment and quality of life in the cities of Guwahati and Dibrugarh through the delivery of improved water supply, sanitation, solid waste management (SWM), drainage infrastructure, and a sustainable urban transport system such as a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. The Program uses a Multi-tranche Financing Facility (MFF) modality and will be implemented over a 6-year period from 2012 to 2017 (December). Investments under the MFF will be delivered in two tranches. For Guwahati these included water supply, sewerage, and transportation while for Dibrugarh included drainage, solid waste management and basic services for the poor were identified. 2. The major outputs of the Program include: (i) for Guwahati, improved water supply, sanitation, and urban transport through a BRT corridor; and (ii) for Dibrugarh, improved drainage, and comprehensive SWM. 3. The Government of Assam’s Guwahati Development Department (GDD) will be the executing agency. A state-level PMU, headed by a full-time Project Director (PD), will be established as the Implementing Agency which will be in-charge of overall execution and technical supervision, monitoring, and financial control of all activities under the project. Project Implementation Units (PIUs) dedicated exclusively to the project would be set up in Guwahati and Dibrugarh. The PIUs will be headed by a senior technical officer and assisted by qualified and experienced officers seconded from ULBs, finance and other line departments. The PIUs will be responsible for the day-to-day activities of project implementation in the field and will be under the direct administrative control of the PMU. 4. The PMU will have Safeguards Compliance and Monitoring Unit (PMU SCMU) to ensure mitigation of negative environmental and social impacts due to the subproject, if any. The PMU SCMU will have a Safeguards Officer (PMU SO). The PMU will be assisted by the Project Management Consultant Safeguards Specialist (PMC SS). The PIUs will each have an Environment Officer (EO) and Resettlement Officer (RO) who will be responsible for implementation of the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)/Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and the Resettlement Plan (RP) respectively. An Environment Specialist will also be appointed as part of the Design and Supervision Consultant (DSC) team to assist the PIUs in updating the IEE during detailed design stage and monitoring of the subproject’s EMP during the construction stage. ADB will review and approve all final IEEs prior to contract award. 5. ADB requires the consideration of environmental issues in all aspects of its operations, 5 and the requirements for environmental assessment are described in ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS), 2009. According to the SPS, environmental assessment is required for all subprojects under a MFF modality. 6. This IEE has been prepared for Dibrugarh Drainage Improvement Subproject which covers (i) desilting and lining of a 9.515-kilometer portion of the Dibrugarh Town Protection (DTP) dyke drain; (ii) construction of 386-meter diversion channel in two stretches; (iii) demolition of existing narrow culverts and replacement by wide new culverts and a bridge; and (iv) demolition of an old narrow sluice gate and construction of a new wider sluice gate. Construction work is likely to commence in 2012 and will be completed in approximately 24 months). 6 7. The drainage improvement subproject will benefit the citizens of Dibrugarh in the following ways: (i) improved environment, living condition, and public health in Dibrugarh; (ii) reduced household healthcare cost due to flooding and water logging problems; (iii) reduced man-days lost due to water logging and flooding; (iv) reduced temporary resettlement cost due to flooding; (v) reduced annual cost of protection measures from flooding; (vi) reduced annual agricultural loss; and (vii) reduced road maintenance cost. 8. The subproject is not anticipated to have significant environmental impacts. Subproject facilities are located in existing drainage structures and ROW within a built up urban environment. There are no protected areas, wetlands, mangroves, or estuaries. Trees, vegetation (mostly shrubs and grasses), and animals in the subproject sites are those commonly found in built-up areas. 9. The environmental impacts of the subproject were assessed and documented in this IEE. Potential negative impacts are likely to occur during construction and operation of the improved infrastructure while no impacts are anticipated as being due to the subproject design or location. During the construction phase, impacts will mainly arise from: (i) need to dispose significant quantities of waste soil; and (ii) disturbance of residents, businesses, traffic and important buildings by the construction work. These are common impacts of construction in urban areas, and well developed methods for their mitigation exist and are considered standad practiced. Mitigation measures have been developed to reduce all negative impacts to acceptable levels. These were discussed with the design engineers, and as a result some measures have already been included in the designs of the infrastructure and reflected in the EMP. 10. Impacts during operation will be limited to routine maintenance disturbances which include excavation works, drainage cleaning within the dense areas of Dibrugargh. Once the system is operating, most facilities will operate with routine maintenance, which should not affect the environment. The drainage network will need to be repaired from time to time, but environmental impacts will be much less than those of the construction period as the work will be infrequent, affecting small areas only. 11. An EMP is included as part of this IEE which includes: (i) mitigation measures for environmental impacts during implementation, (ii) environmental monitoring program, and the responsible entities for mitigation, monitoring, and reporting; (iii) public consultation and information disclosure; (iv) grievance redress mechanism; and (v) implementation arrangements. Mitigation measures have been developed to reduce all negative impacts to levels considered to be safe to the environment and public health and safety. A number of impacts and their significance have already been reduced by amending the designs and selecting alternate alignments. 12. Mitigation will be assured by a program of environmental monitoring to be conducted during construction stages. The