E1234 Vol 5 Public Disclosure Authorized AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT ROAD TRANSPORT SERVICE DEPARTMENT Public Disclosure Authorized Baku-Shamakhi Road Rehabilitation Public Disclosure Authorized ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FINAL Public Disclosure Authorized April 2006 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS................................................................1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................7 1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY........................................ 7 1.2 METHODOLOGY AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY.............................................................. 7 1.3 THE STUDY AREA............................................................................................................ 7 2 POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK........................................8 2.1 WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND GUIDELINES ................................... 8 2.2 GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS, REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES............. 9 3 ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK...........................................................................11 4 PROJECT DESCRIPTION........................................................................................12 4.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT ..................................................................................... 12 4.2 PROPOSED REHABILITATION MEASURES ................................................................. 12 4.3 POTENTIAL BORROW AREAS ...................................................................................... 13 4.4 TRAFFIC FORECAST ..................................................................................................... 14 4.5 PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR IMPLEMENTATION ....................................................... 14 4.6 LIFE SPAN OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT.................................................................. 14 5 ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROJECT AREA.....................15 5.1 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT............................................................................................ 15 5.2 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT........................................................................................ 17 5.3 HUMAN AND ECONOMIC RESOURCES ENVIRONMENT ............................................ 19 6 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ..............................21 6.1 CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS AND MITIGATION ............................................................. 22 6.2 OPERATION IMPACTS AND MITIGATION..................................................................... 30 6.3 ‘WITHOUT PROJECT’ SCENARIO ................................................................................. 30 7 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN .............................................................30 7.1 INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND REPORTING................................................. 30 7.2 ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION AND MONITORING PROGRAM................................. 32 7.3 COST ESTIMATE............................................................................................................ 32 7.4 INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING .............................................................................. 33 7.5 IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE..................................................................................... 34 8 STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE ..............35 8.1 STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS............................................................................... 35 8.2 INFORMATION DISCLOSURE........................................................................................ 35 iii List of Figure Figure 1. Project location................................................................................................................. 8 List of Tables Table 1: Relevant laws and regulation on road rehabilitation......................................................... 10 Table 2: Bridge description and proposed rehabilitation measures................................................ 12 Table 3. Population along Baku-Shamakhi Road .......................................................................... 19 Table 4. Industries along the Project road ..................................................................................... 20 Table 5. Properties along the Project road .................................................................................... 20 Table 6: Responsibilities for implementing the environmental management plan. ......................... 31 Table 7: Environmental monitoring and mitigation cost.................................................................. 32 Table 8: Implementation schedule................................................................................................. 34 List of Annexes Annex A. Mitigation measures during design, construction and operation Annex B. Environmental monitoring plan Annex C. Results of Public Consultation and List of Participants – Qobustan District Annex D. Results of Public Consultation and List of Participants – Shamakhi District Annex E. Results of Public Consultation and List of Participants – Absheron District iv Abbreviations CSC - construction supervision consultant EA - environmental assessment EA&MF - Environmental Assessment and Management Framework EIA - environmental impact assessment EHS - Environment, health and safety EMP - environmental management plan EP - environmental protection ESS - Ecology and Safety Sector HIV/AIDS - human immuno-deficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome IBA - Important Bird Areas IBRD - International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources LACMA - Law on Administrative Control on Municipality Activity MDG - Millenium Development Goal MENR - Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources MOH - Ministry of Health MOT - Ministry of Transport NGO - non government organization OP - operational policy PIU - project implementation unit RER - Regional Environmental Review ROW - right-of- way RPF - Resettlement Policy Framework RTSD - Road Transport Service Department SFF - State Forest Fund STD - sexually transmitted disease UNDP - United Nations Development Programme WB - World Bank Units of Measurement °C - degree Celsius km - kilometer km/h - km per hour 2 km - square kilometer m - meter 3 m - cubic meter mm - millimeter 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Introduction / Project Scope This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared for the proposed rehabilitation of the Baku-Shamakhi Road. This road section is a 124 km segment located between km 10 and km 134 of the Baku – Shamakhi – Yevlakh road, which is classified as category II. The proposed rehabilitation is one of the subprojects under the Azerbaijan Motorway Improvement and Development or 'Highway II' Project. It shall utilize the savings from a previous loan of the Government of Azerbaijan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for the preceding Azerbaijan Highway Project. The project proponent is the Road Transport Service Department (RTSD) of the Ministry of Transport (MOT). A Regional Environmental Review (RER), Environmental Assessment and Management Framework (EA&MF) and Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) have been prepared to facilitate implementation and to ensure that sub-projects included in the ‘Highway II’ Project will comply with Azerbaijan’s legislation, procedures and policies, international conventions and WB safeguard policies, in particular in terms of environment, resettlement and land acquisition. These tools have guided the conduct of the present EA study and provided the framework for the elaboration of the various impact mitigation measures and provisions for environmental management during project implementation. The objective of this EA is to address the environmental impacts and management issues associated with the proposed road rehabilitation. The EA Report, which includes an environmental management plan, addresses the needs of applicable laws and regulations of the Government of Azerbaijan including the provisions of the World Bank’s Operational Policy on Environmental Assessment: OP 4.01, January 1999. The preparation of this EA was undertaken through field investigations, consultations with RTSD, and Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (MENR) and stakeholder consultations. An assessment of tree plantations along the project corridor was also conducted in coordination with the State Forest Fund in Cengi. In addition to the RER, EA&MF and RPF, other references used for this EA are studies prepared by other consultants such as Finnroad Ltd. for Tovuz Bypass and Engconsult Ltd. for Yevlakh- Ganja Road Rehabilitation. Description of the Project The main objective of the Project is to reduce road transport costs and improve access, transit and safety within Azerbaijan’s East-West corridor, through the rehabilitation of the Project road. For road users, the Project would lead to better road quality meeting mid-term traffic projections, better safety standards, lower travel costs and a shorter travel time. All of the proposed works will be accommodated within the existing right of way (ROW), which extends 30 m to either side of the centerline of the road (i.e. 60 m wide in total). The proposed rehabilitation works will have the following features: (i) Upgrading of the first 12 km from two to four