PAK BENG HYDROPOWER PROJECT Environmental Impact Assessement SEP 2015 Environmental Impact Assessement CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ - 1 - 1.1 Key Messages .................................................................................................................................. - 1 - 1.1.1 Volumes Comprising the Mekong Pak Beng Reports .............................................................. - 1 - 1.1.2 Project Developers and Consultants ......................................................................................... - 1 - 1.1.3 Operational Definitions ............................................................................................................. - 2 - 1.2 Background ...................................................................................................................................... - 4 - 1.2.1 General ...................................................................................................................................... - 4 - 1.2.2 Key Date of Project Development ............................................................................................ - 5 - 1.3 Project Purpose ......................................................................................................................... - 7 - 1.4 Project Need and Benefit ................................................................................................................. - 7 - 1.5 Objectives of the EIA ...................................................................................................................... - 8 - 1.6 Approach in Conducting the EIA .................................................................................................... - 8 - 1.7 Identification of Impact Area ......................................................................................................... - 13 - 1.8 Name and Address of the EIA Author ........................................................................................... - 15 - 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS............................................................................................. - 16 - 2.1 Project Location ............................................................................................................................. - 16 - 2.2 Project Features ............................................................................................................................. - 18 - 2.3 Project Components ....................................................................................................................... - 25 - 2.4 Overview Social Environment .................................................................................................... - 28 - 2.5 Projected Affected Areas ............................................................................................................... - 30 - 2.5.1 Inundated Area .................................................................................................................... - 30 - 2.5.2 Construction Area ............................................................................................................... - 32 - 2.5.3 Access Road ........................................................................................................................ - 32 - 2.6 Project Implementation Schedule .................................................................................................. - 34 - 3. POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY FRAMEWORK .............................. - 35 - 3.1 Environmental Legislation ............................................................................................................. - 35 - 3.2 Environmental & Social Impact Assessment................................................................................. - 42 - 3.3 Hydropower Environmental & Social Sustainability .................................................................... - 45 - 3.4 Compensation & Resettlement ...................................................................................................... - 46 - 3.5 Ethnic Groups ................................................................................................................................ - 48 - i Environmental Impact Assessement 3.6 Cultural & Archaeology ................................................................................................................ - 51 - 3.7 Tourism .......................................................................................................................................... - 52 - 3.8 Other Lao Laws/Policies Relevant to EIA ..................................................................................... - 53 - 3.9 Lao Party Congress Social Policy .................................................................................................. - 57 - 3.10 Safeguard Policy of International Lending Agency .................................................................... - 57 - 3.11 International Principle and Best Practice .................................................................................... - 59 - 3.12 International Conventions & Treaties ......................................................................................... - 61 - 3.13 Regional Agreement ................................................................................................................... - 61 - 4. ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE CONDITION ............................................................ - 63 - 4.1 Global and Regional Environment ................................................................................................ - 63 - 4.1.1 Global Environmental Issue .................................................................................................... - 63 - 4.1.2 Regional Environmental Issue ............................................................................................... - 67 - b) Greenhouse Gases ....................................................................................................................... - 75 - c) Depletion of Fossil Fuel .............................................................................................................. - 77 - 4.2 Environmental Condition in Lao PDR .......................................................................................... - 77 - 4.2.1 Overview Lao Environment and Social .................................................................................. - 77 - 4.2.2 Natural Resources Degradation .............................................................................................. - 78 - 4.2.3 Environmental Quality ............................................................................................................ - 80 - 4.3 Existing Physical Environment in the Project Area ....................................................................... - 81 - 4.3.1 Introduction to Geology, Geomorphology and Seismology ............................................... - 81 - 4.3.2 Geology/Geomorphology ........................................................................................................ - 82 - 4.3.3 Seismology ............................................................................................................................. - 83 - 4.3.4 Mineral Resources .................................................................................................................. - 84 - 4.3.5 Climate and Meteorology ....................................................................................................... - 85 - 4.3.6 Basin Hydrology ................................................................................................................. - 87 - 4.3.7 Hydrology Characteristic in the Lower Mekong Basin .......................................................... - 92 - 4.3.8 Hydrological Station Related to Mekong Pak Beng HPP ....................................................... - 94 - 4.3.8 An Introduction to Water Quality Study ........................................................................... - 100 - 4.3.9 Result of Water Quality Study .......................................................................................... - 103 - 4.3.11 Analysis of Erosion & Sedimentation in the Project Area ................................................ - 107 - 4.4 Existing Biotic Environment in the Project Area ................................................................. - 113 - 4.4.1 An Introduction to Aquatic Environment of Pak Beng HPP ............................................ - 113 - 4.4.2 Results of Bentic organisms, Plankton, and Aquatic plants study ........................................ - 131 - 5. BASELINE SOCIAL CONDITION ............................................................................... - 161 - ii Environmental Impact Assessement 5.1 Global Social Issues ..................................................................................................................... - 161 - 5.2 Social Perspective of the Lower Mekong Basin ........................................................................... - 162 - 5.3 Study on Mekong Navigation ...................................................................................................... - 163 - 5.4 Lao Socio-economic Condition ................................................................................................. - 173 - 5.4.2 Macro Economics