Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Project Number: 52167-001 December 2020 Regional: TAPI Gas Pipeline Project (Phase 1) Pakistan: Main (Part 6.4) Prepared by the TAPI Pipeline Company Limited for the Asian Development Bank. This environmental and social 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 on ADB’s 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. 6 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BASELINE 6.4 Physical Environment 6.4.1 Overview The objective of this section is to define physical environment baseline conditions, identify receptor sensitivities, and inform what is likely to be impacted by the Project activities. The following aspects are discussed: · Topography and geomorphology; · Soil and sub-surface geology conditions, including seismotectonic setting; · Groundwater and surface water resources; · Erosion and sedimentation dynamics; and · Flood risk. The physical environment baseline assessment provides a contextual overview of the area likely to be affected by the Project activities, known as the PAI as defined in Chapter 5. Impact Assessment Methodology, and summarizes available information on receptors’ conditions within the PAI. The extent of the PAI for physical environment receptors has been defined at the scoping stage, as follows: · Soil: - construction ROW, AGIs, camps, and pipe yards footprint; - rationale: the movement of any contaminants through the soil is assumed to be vertically downward; · Surface water resources: - extent of channels and rivers and downstream from the pipeline ROW at river crossings or AGIs where a dense network of shallow streams is present; - impacts expected up to 5 km in case of major volumes of spills (potentially during construction); - rationale: considering downstream transport of any chemicals and particulates occurring in channels and rivers; · Groundwater resources: - 1 km buffer on either side of the pipeline ROW and around AGIs, camps, and pipe yards; and - rationale: due to potential contaminants movement within groundwater bodies. ESIA_Pakistan_Chapter_6.4_Physical_Environment Page 6.4-1 6.4.2 Approach to Secondary Baseline Data Collection (Desktop Study) The physical environment baseline assessment includes a study of regional and local geology, hydrology, and hydrogeology within the PAI. A literature review has been carried out to determine the current conditions, which were used to define the sensitivities of the identified physical environment receptors based on the sensitivity criteria detailed in Chapter 5. Impact Assessment Methodology. Secondary data collected from the following publicly available sources of information have been used in this baseline assessment: · Geological Map of Pakistan (Geological Survey of Pakistan, 1964); · Slip Rates of Chaman Fault System, Pakistan (Huang and Khan, 2016); · Soil Survey in Pakistan, History, Achievement and Impact on Agriculture (Khan, 2012); · Groundwater Resource Management in Pakistan (PDMAP, 2017); · Pakistan Environment and Climate Change Outlook (UNEP, 2013); · Booklet on Hydrogeological Map of Pakistan (WAPDA/EUAD, 1989); and · Fault Creep Rates of the Chaman Fault (Afghanistan and Pakistan) (Barnhart, 2016). 6.4.3 Approach to Primary Baseline Data Collection (Field Survey) In May 2018, NAFTEC/MAB’s subcontractor carried out a physical environment survey along the pipeline corridor in 23 selected areas, including 7 areas within the Punjab Province and 16 areas within the Balochistan Province. Indicative coordinates of these 23 areas are presented in Table 6.4-1 and shown on Figure 6.4-1. The results of this physical environment survey are discussed in Sections 6.4.7 and 6.4.8. 6.4.3.1 Field Survey Strategy Primary baseline data on the identified physical environment receptors were collected by NAFTEC/MAB’s subcontractor by means of a visual survey of the ground surface, soil, topography, and geomorphology, and water sampling in selected areas within the PAI. No geotechnical survey data is available for the pipeline corridor. The physical environment survey focused on visual observations by means of taking notes, a photographic record, and indicative coordinates to characterize the baseline conditions within the 23 selected areas. The level of detail of the observations collected through the field survey was influenced by limitations summarized in Section 6.4.4. Limited water sampling and in-situ water quality measurements were undertaken at drinking water sources, including groundwater and surface water sources. In addition, water samples collected in the Punjab Province were also submitted for laboratory analysis of metals. Additional attention was given to AGIs (CSs and OSs) and particularly environmentally sensitive areas that may be impacted by the Project. ESIA_Pakistan_Chapter_6.4_Physical_Environment Page 6.4-2 Table 6.4-1: Indicative Physical Environment Survey Areas Area ID UTM Start End Zone Easting Northing Easting Northing 1 42N 262161.9 3421044.5 265235.7 3419853.2 2 42N 272830.3 3409728.9 277002.7 3406837.3 3 42N 280713.9 3402339.7 282364.7 3401871.4 4 42N 290809.9 3397196.1 292949.5 3395476.1 5 42N 294738.1 3394207.8 295137.1 3392362.3 6 42N 309481.3 3375840.2 314082.0 3375081.1 7 42N 320129.4 3376122.1 326871.0 3375775.0 8 42N 353209.5 3382819.6 361163.7 3381916.1 9 42N 392097.9 3379172.1 399106.0 3377338.2 10 42N 422881.3 3367925.9 430935.9 3364252.1 11 42N 450844.5 3361138.8 463178.1 3354833.7 12 42N 499897.6 3360076.9 505730.5 3359224.4 13 42N 537456.6 3372457.3 528666.8 3371675.5 14 42N 550070.9 3372176.4 554286.7 3370375.1 15 42N 567768.5 3372762.5 557908.5 3372036.2 16 42N 590888.5 3358931.6 598969.5 3353099.4 17 42N 617336.4 3343883.4 633981.3 3337841.3 18 42N 643941.7 3334381.8 657034.7 3332110.8 19 42N 678946.8 3328868.2 668297.8 3328352.8 20 42N 688133.8 3329461.3 677066.3 3327781.6 21 42N 707899.5 3333728.4 726348.7 3330491.1 22 43N 234061.6 3341450.4 224845.0 3338731.3 23 43N 362328.2 3358894.6 399192.3 3358482.6 Source: NAFTEC/MAB’s subcontractor, 2018 ESIA_Pakistan_Chapter_6.4_Physical_Environment Page 6.4-3 ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY C-PAK-TAPI-ESIA-REP-0001-07 CHAPTER 6. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BASELINE 09/12/2020 Figure 6.4-1: Physical Environment Survey Areas Source: Jacobs, 2020 ESIA_Pakistan_Chapter_6.4_Physical_Environment Page 6.4-4 ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY C-PAK-TAPI-ESIA-REP-0001-07 CHAPTER 6. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BASELINE 09/12/2020 6.4.3.2 Field Survey Methodology 6.4.3.2.1 Preliminary Desk-Based Research Satellite images, with areas of human settlement in particular, were reviewed to identify potentially sensitive receptors, wetlands, steep slopes, flood-prone areas, and possible air emission sources. 6.4.3.2.2 Field Survey Activities The physical environment survey comprised drive-through surveys (stop and go) along the pipeline corridor, within the PAI in general, and in potentially sensitive areas. The field team carried out data collection as described in Appendix B2. Field Work Action Plan. 6.4.3.2.3 Water Quality Parameters for Analysis In-situ water quality analyses for any recognized drinking water sources were required at a frequency of at least one hand pump, well, or tap for each physical environment survey area identified on Figure 6.4-1, plus at least one sample per village visited within the 500 m pipeline corridor. A total of 148 water samples, including 136 from groundwater sources and 12 from surface water bodies, were collected and analyzed along the PAI in May 2018. Coordinates were recorded for each sampling location, supported by groundwater well descriptions and photographs. Given the Project’s activities, in-situ water quality analyses as required by the NEQS for Drinking Water (Pak-EPA, 2010) and the PEQS for Drinking Water (Government of the Punjab, 2016), supported by visual observations, were considered the minimum requirement for the purpose of the ESIA study. The following water quality parameters were analyzed in-situ in all water samples collected, unless specified otherwise: · Temperature; · pH; · Odor; · Taste; · Color; · Turbidity; · Total hardness (in Punjab only); · Total dissolved solids (TDS); · Conductivity (in Balochistan only); and · Total and fecal coliforms. In addition, water samples collected within the Punjab Province were also analyzed for metals concentrations in a laboratory. All analytical results were provided to Jacobs for review. ESIA_Pakistan_Chapter_6.4_Physical_Environment Page 6.4-5 ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY C-PAK-TAPI-ESIA-REP-0001-07 CHAPTER 6. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BASELINE 09/12/2020 6.4.3.3 Permissions NAFTEC/MAB signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Pak-EPA in April 2018 with the aim of obtaining all necessary approvals for its local subcontractor to proceed with field activities. Moreover, an Introduction Letter was submitted to the Pak-EPA endorsing the appointed NAFTEC/MAB subcontractor (EMC) as the official project representative in Pakistan for undertaking field data collection, authority coordination, and stakeholder engagement. EMC then communicated with the