China - Hubei Xiaogan - Xiangfan Highway Project : environmental assessment (Vol. 8 of 10) : Tunbao to Banqiao rural road

World Bank Financed Project | E584 Volume 8 Tunbao to Banqiao Rural Road Environmental Impact Assessment & Environmental Management Plan Hubei Provincial Communications Department March 2002 Wuhan China FILE COPY  Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction ......................................... ] 1.1 Project Background .........................................1 1.2 EA Category .......................................... 1.3 EA Objectives and Documentation .........................................2 1.4 Basis of EA .........................................2 1.5 Assessment Scope and Factors .........................................3 1.6 Assessment Standards .........................................4 Chapter 2 Project Description .........................................6 2.1 Project Justification .........................................6 2.2 Upgrading and Engineering Contents .........................................7 2.3 Construction Schedule .........................................8 2.4 Analysis of Alternatives .........................................8 Chapter 3 Environmental Baseline ........................................ 10 3.1 Physical Setting ........................................ 10 3.2 Social Environment ........................................ I 1 3.3 Ecological Environment ........................................ 12 3.4 Natural Resources ........................................ 13 3.5 Sensitive Receptors ........................................ 13 3.6 Baseline Environmental Quality ........................................ 15 Chapter 4 Environmental Impacts and Mitigation ........................................ 17 4.1 Air Impact and Mitigation ........................................ 17 4.2 Soil Erosion Impact and Mitigation ........................................ 18 4.3 Borrow Pits and Disposal Sites Impacts and Mitigation ........................................ 1 9 4.4 Noise Impact and Mitigation ........................................ 19 4.5 Water Impacts and Mitigation ........................................ 21 4.6 Impact on Traffic and Mitigation ........................................ 22 4.7 Construction Camps and Construction Management ........................................ 23 4.8 Social Impacts ........................................ 23 4.9 Indigenous People ........................................ 25 4.10 Environmental Benefits ........................................ 26 4.11 Other safeguard policies ........................................ 26 Chapter 5 Public Consultation ........................................ 28 5.1 Methodology ........................................ 28 5.2 Public Concerns and Responses ........................................ 31 5.3 Public Information Disclosure ........................................ 32 Chapter 6 EIA Summary ........................................ 34  Chapter 7 Environmcntal Management Plan ....................... 36 7.1 Composition of EMP .36 7.2 Environmental Management Organizations .38 7.3 Environmental Management and Impact Mitigation .40 7.4 Environmental Supervision Plan .44 7.5 Environmental Monitoring Plan .44 7.6 Personnel Training .45 7.7 Cost for Environmental Management .46 List of Table Table 1.6-1 Class 11 Air Quality Standards (GB3095-1966) mg/mi .............................................. . 4 Table 1.6-2 Noise Standards dB(A) ........................................4 Table 1.6-3 Construction Noise Standards dB(A) ..4 Table 1.6-4 Surface Water Quality Standards mg/L ..4 Table 1.6-5 Soil Erosion Categorization t/km2 a ..5 Table 2.1 -1 Existing Conditions of Tun-Ban Road ..6 Table 2.2-1 Key Technical Specifications for Tun-Ban Road Upgrading . . 8 Table 2.2-2 Project Engineering Scale ..8 Table 3.1-1 Rivers Intersected by Tun-Ban Road ..10 Table 3.2-1 Key economic indicators of Enshi City (RMB million) 1. . Table 3.3-1 Exiting Soil Erosion Conditions .12 Table 3.5-1 Sensitive Receptors along Tun-Ban Road .13 Table 3.5-1 Sensitive Receptors along Tun-Ban Road (Continued) .14 Table 3.6-1 Existing Surface Water Quality (mg/L) .15 Table 3.6-2 Existing Ambient Air Quality (mg/Nm3) ..................................... 15 Table 3.6-3 Existing Noise Levels at Sensitive Receptors (dB(A)) . .................................. 16 Table 4.1-1 The Effect of Watering for Dust Supression .18 Table 4.4-1 Traffic Noise Mitigation Measures .21 Table 4.8-I Economic Benefits from the Upgrading .24 Table 4.9-1 Ethnic Composition, 1990 xl000 .25 Table 5.1-1 People Participated in Public Consultation Program ................................................ 28 Table 5.1-2 Public Consultation .28 Table 5.1-3 Public Response to Questions from the Questionnaire .30 Table 7.2-1 Major Environmental Management Organizations ............................................................ 40 Table 7.2-2 Major Environmental Supervision Organizations .40  Table 7.3-1 Environmental Management and impact Mitigation ......................................................... 41 Table 7.3-1 Environmental Management and impact Mitigation (Continued) ..................................... 42 Table 7.3-1 Environmental Management and impact Mitigation (Continued) ..................................... 43 Table 7.4-1 Environmental Supervision Plan .................................................................. 44 Table 7.5-1 Environmental Monitoring Program .................................................................. 44 Table 7.5-1 Environmental Monitoring Program (Continued) .............................................................. 45 Table 7.6-1 Environmental Training Program .................................................................. 46 Table 7.7-1 Estimated Costs for Environmental Management in Construction .................................... 46 Table 7.7-1 Estimated Costs for Environmental Management in Construction (Continued) ................ 47 Table 7.7-2 Estimated Costs for Environmental Management in Operation ......................................... 47 Environmental Impact Assessment & .................................................................. 52 List of Map Map I Location of Tun-Ban Road Map 2 The Alignment of Tun-ban Road Map 3 Environmental Sensitive Receptors along the Road Map 4 Location of Planned Monitoring Sites List of Abbreviations BP Best Procedure COD Chemical Oxygen Consumption (Demand) EA Environmental Assessment EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan EPB Environmental Protection Bureau GB National Standard GDP Gross Domestic Product GHZB National Environmental Quality Standard GP Good Practice HJ/T Environmental/Technical HPCD Hubei Provincial Communications Department HPRARI Hubei Provincial Relic & Archaeological Research Institute  LAeq Continuous Equivalent Sound A Level MOC Ministry of Communications NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide OD Operational Directive OP Operational Policy PRC the People's Republic of China SEPA State Environmental Protection Administration SS Suspended Solid THC .Tetrahydrocannabinol TSP Total Suspended Particle WBFPO World Bank Financed Project Office Tun-Ban Road Tunbao (township) to Banqiao (township) Road  Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Project Background The proposed Tunbao to Banqiao road (Tun-Ban road) upgrading is part of the rural road upgrading component in the World Bank financed Xiaogan to Xiangqian Expressway Project. Tun-Ban road is located in northwest part of Enshi city, capital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Region, Hubei province(see Map 1). With mountainous and complex terrain configurations, the road area is difficult to access. As the road transportation is the only modem ground transportation mode, approximately 99% of the goods and passengers to and from northwest Enshi is through Tun-Ban road. As such the road play an important role in economic and cultural life of the people of north Enshi city, as well as a prior condition for poverty alleviation for the mountainous region. Tun-Ban road is an existing country road with a total length of 64 km. The road extends through Tunbao, Mufu and Banqiao townships (Map 2) and through NH 318 and NH209 connects with the Enshi city proper. The existing gravel road is mostly Grade IV and below grade, and the very poor road quality has been seriously affecting the transportation capacity in the area. In order to alleviate the transportation bottleneck, promote the regional economic development, improve access to services and market, increase the standard of living and alleviate the poverty for the people in northwest Enshi, Enshi government has decided to upgrade the road along the original alignment, from below grade gravel road or barely Grade IV to full Grade IV road standards. Together with three other rural roads, Tun-Ban road has been included in the Hubei rural road upgrading component of the Xiaogan to Xiangfan Expressway Project to be partially financed by the World Bank. The roads in this component have been selected through the following four criteria, set out jointly by Hubei Provincial Communication Departments (HPCD) and the World Bank: * Minimum resettlement and relocation and the adverse impacts and compensation thus caused; * Minimum earth work and the resulting adverse impacts to the environment; * Maximum effect in improvement of poverty conditions of the rural residents along the roads; and * Maximum role in strengthening the mountain area road network. 1.2 EA Category As part of the project preparation and decision making process, an environmental assessment (EA) was conducted by Environmental Impact Assessment Institute of Geology University of China (the EA team) for Tun-Ban road. According to the relevant requirements for environmental impacts assessment for international  Map 1: The Location of Tun-ban Road Y - ' i w t [t ' t 4- - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Bti;~~~~~~~~~i- I -- j bPanai Vou,ty Ir t _:'f *h gt : i\an Municipality %L QuiriAinuiju RrAdI 4 5 i / / yisXCnt& 1% 9 > i -- - -\- J' She7'nWnigjia Forest Zone Legend 1- , ; s,---- ,_ Pru.Ns ld. t' r.i tew i /SJ Pro ,in Blrd,r<......'. il tCiunn tider '*t 1 anna > l,,,lighuoX -o _ I r' - Pr' neal Road Cuura% Road RRIP F fig 11 !- Bad,Councq u/ n _ w |i Yichn Ct 91 11 ghi m F0i 'V- 140,.  1:1 io ,oa ' - 3 . ' ,., , ., ;a ~~ ! ~34 / r p. I 0,000 I ~~~~~~~"i e a A ,.; .* -..* *~ , , - *' V .- ** . , aao - 4| X \ ; *- ^ r . . >--~ ~~~~* i;'i I ';'a, ^^ t. .. 3 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4 * . z 4 UVt- AP. . ; s 1 w r /9 llq w w \; ; - i 1 | ; S t 12 II " Map 2: The Alignment of Tun-Ban Road 2 :. t. /s., / " t * I a . - 44 *a ta  financial institution financed projects from the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) and operational policies of the World Bank, this project has been designated as Category A project. 1.3 EA Objectives and Documentation The project EA is to investigate, monitor and analyze the natural and socio- economic environment baseline and quality, assess quantitatively and qualitatively various impacts from the project construction and operation, and design measures for mitigating adverse impacts and prepare environmental management plan. More specifically, the objectives of the EA are to: * Support project decision-making to ensure the project is environmentally sound and appropriate; * Identify the environmental consequences of the project in early project preparation stage so that appropriate actions can be incorporated into the project design; and * Design measures for adverse impacts prevention, mitigation and reduction to minimum levels as well as compensation for avoided significant impacts according to the result of impact assessment and prediction. EA results are presented in this Environmental Impacts Assessment (EIA) report. A stand alone report on Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has also prepared as part of the EA documentation. Finally, an EA Sumnmary is prepared which presents concisely the main findings of all three Project components of the Xiaogan to Xiangfan Expressway Project: the main expressway, connecting roads and rural road upgrading in which Tun-Ban road is a part of. The original EIA report in Chinese has been submitted to relevant authorities for approval and the current document is the English translation. The EA team certify that although there are some minor discrepancies in expressions due to differences in English and Chinese languages, there is no critical difference of substance between the two versions. The preliminary results of the EA (draft report) have been released to the public. The EA team is committed to again making public release of the final report once it is approved by SEPA and the World Bank through distribution in the public accessible places along the road such as primary schools, libraries and public information centers for public review. 1.4 Basis of EA The EA has been prepared based on the following regulatory framework: * Environmental Protection Law of PRC of December 26, 1989; 2  * Land Management Law of PRC of August 29, 1998; * Water and Soil Conservation Law of PRC of June 29, 1991; * Water Pollution Prevention Law of PRC of May 15, 1996; * Noise Pollution Prevention Law of PRC of October 29, 1996; * Air Pollution Prevention Law of PRC of April 29, 2000; * Rules of Environmental Protection Management for Construction Projects, issued by the State Council of PRC; * Measures Concerning with the Environmental Protection and Management for Transportation Construction Projects, issued by MOC; * The Technical Rules for Environmental Impact Assessment (HJ/T2.1-2.3- 93,HJ/T2.4-1995,IJ/T19-1997); issued by SEPA; * Notice to Strengthen the Environmental Impact Assessment and Management of Construction Projects Financed by Loan from International Financial Organizations, jointly issued by SEPA, the State Planning Commission, the Ministry of Finance and the People' s Bank of China; and * Hubei Provincial Environmental Management Methods for Construction Projects, issued by Hubei EPB, 1993. As this is a World Bank financed project, key safeguards policies from the Bank are also part of the EA basis. The policies which may be applied in full or simply in a screening process include: * Environmental Assessment (OP/BP/GP4.01); * Forestry (OP/GP4.36); * Natural Habitats (OP/BP4.04); * Involuntary Resettlement (OD4.30); * Indigenous People (OD4.20); and * Cultural Property (OPN 11.03 and soon to be OP4. 11); Because of its nature and scope, the project does not involve the issues covered by other safeguards policies, which are not applicable to this project. Finally the EA is carried out based on other relevant project documents including Feasibility study report for the World Bank Financed Rural Road Upgrading Project Tun-Ban Road by HPCD, March 2002, Cultural Relics Report by HPRARI, March 2002 and Social Assessment Report for the road, completed in 2002. 1.5 Assessment Scope and Factors The scope of the EA covers 200 m on both sides of Tun-Ban road. The scope may be extended when it comes to assessment of social environment, standard of living, ecosystem and sources of pollution. 3  According to the EA TOR and past experience with EA of similar road projects, the key environmental factors covered by the EA include: * Noise: Leq; * Ambient air: NOR, NO2, TSP; * Water environment: SS, COD, Oil; * Ecosystem: Vegetation, soil erosion; * Socio-economic enviromnent: Social economics, standard of living, and cultural properties. 1.6 Assessment Standards The environmental quality and impact assessment are based on applicable state and provincial standards. The applicable classification and categorization of the standards are designated by relevant state and provincial regulatory agencies. More stringent standards may be applied to sensitive receptors. Air (Air Quality Standards, GB3095-1966): Table 1.6-1 Class II Air Quality Standards (GB3095-196 ) mg/m 3 Item NOQ NO, TSP Daily average 0.1 0.12 0.3 1 hr. average 0.15 0.24 Noise (Urban Area Environmental Noise Standards GB3096-93 for operation and Construction Site Boundary Noise Limits, GB12523-90 for construction): Table 1.6-2 Noise Standards dB(A) Category Day time Night Applicable Area 1 55 45 Schools, hospitals, seniors houses l ll 60 50 Villages, townships Table 1.6-3 Construction Noise Standards dB(A) Construction stage Noise sources Noise limit (Day) Noise limit (night) Earth work Bulldozer, excavator, loader 75 55 Piling Piling/driving machine 85 Not allowed Structure Concrete mixer, vibrator 70 55 Finishing Cranes, lifts I_ I Surface water (Category III Surface Water Quality Standards, GHZB1-1999): Table 1.64 Surface Water Quality Standards mg/L Items Concentrations COD < 20 Oil < 0.05 SS < 150 NH3-N < 0.5 4  Soil erosion (Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment of Road Construction Project, Interim): Table 1.6-5 Soil Erosion Categorization t/km2 a Categorization Soil Erosion Intensity Slight erosion 1000 Light erosion 1000 -2500 Medium erosion 2500-5000 Heavy erosion 5000- 8000 Very heavy erosion 8000- 15000 Severe erosion > 15000 5  Chapter 2 Project Description 2.1 Project Justification Tun-Ban road is the most important road for the northwest part of Enshi city and is one of the key gateways for the whole region. The indigenous products and selenium rich green vegetable exclusively from the mountain area of Enshi rely on Tun-Ban to reach outside markets. The both ends of Tun-Ban road was constructed in the 1950' s while the middle sections in the 1960' s. Over the years of construction and upgrading, the whole road was finally completed in 1991. Now Tun-Ban road was surfaced with gravel/clay with adequate drainage system. Except a small section which barely meets Grade III standards, most parts are Grade IV or below grade road. The current conditions of the road are summarized in Table 2.1-1. Table 2.1-1 Existing Conditions of Tun-Ban Road No. Item Technical specifications I Classifications Grade IV/below grade 2 Vehicle lane width 3.5-7 m 3 Road base width 6.5-7.5 m 4 Minimum surface curve radius 12 m 5 Maximum slope gradient 10% 6 Minimum horizontal radius 80 m 7 Minimum vertical radius 90 m 9 Vehicle stop visual distance 18 m The table shows that the existing road conditions are poor due to the narrow lane, sharp turns and high slopes (see following photos). As Enshi has high precipitation, average of nearly 1300 mm per year, the poor conditions often halt and interrupt the traffic resulting in closure of part or even whole road during drain and snow storms. The traffic interruption forces the vehicles to detour a much longer road. Based on the recent statistics, the average distance driven by motor vehicles between Tunbao and Banqiao is 82.6 km at average speed of 20 km/hr. for the actual Tun-Ban road length of 64 km, due to the detours during traffic interruptions on the road. Clearly, such detours have caused significant wastage in fuels, time and transportation efficiencies. The poor road conditions not only cause traffic interruption, it also is the main reasons for over a dozen of traffic accidents on the road every year, causing on average RMB2500 loss per vehicle involved in the accidents. Furtherrnore, the road is dusty in the dry days and muddy in the rainy days, constantly affecting the surrounding environment and/or the driving conditions. At the same time, the traffic has been increasing at a rate of 12% per year with goods, passenger and agricultural vehicles. It is the most critical gateway for the movement of goods and people in the region, as well as local agricultural 6  activities. The poor conditions are affecting the economic development of the area, quality of access to markets and services, and improvement of standard of living. Therefore, Tun-Ban road must be upgraded to resolve the bottleneck the regional transportation and development. Existing Road Conditions 2.2 Upgrading and Engineering Contents The project is primarily upgrading of the existing road to widen the road base, increase the drainage capacity, construct or extend bridges and culverts and upgrade surface pavement. More specifically, the upgrading will include: * Earth work (cut and fill) to expand and widen the road base; * Straightening and reduction of sharp tums; * Elimination of steep slopes and reduction of gradients; * Construction of drainage and other protection facilities along the road; * Leveling of the road surface; * Asphalt pavement of the entire road and * Installation of road control and safety signage. According to project design documents, the upgrading will not involve any resettlement or relocation. There will not be enough materials from excavation to satisfy the need for fill through materials balance, the project will need 7  approximately extra 24,444 m3 earth and stone works as fill materials. These materials will be excavated from the project area in 2 borrow pits. The disposal materials are in small quantity (about 15,000 m3). According to the latest traffic forecast, the traffic volume of the Tun-Ban road will be 774 to 789 per day by 2010 and 1667 to 1676 per day by 2025. Therefore, it was decided to upgrade the existing road to Grade IV standards with two lanes and a traffic capacity of 200 - 1500 medium truck equivalent per day. The key technical specifications of the Grade IV road are summarized in Table 2.2-1 and the project scale, in Table 2.2-2. Table 2.2-1 Key Technical Specifications for Tun-Ban Road Upgrading No. Items Standards l Road classification IV 2 Design motor vehicle speed 30 km/hr. 3 Road driving lane width 6 m 4 Road base width 7 m 6 Minimum curve radius 15 m 7 Maximum slope gradient 9% 8 Design motor vehicle load 20 - 100 Table 2.2-2 Project Engineeri ng Scale Engineering items Unit Quantity Length km 64 Earth work & Stone work m3 593,300 Protection & Drainage works m3 180,100 New bridge m/no. 170/4 Culverts No. 195 Road pavement xl000 m2 385.5 The total capital cost for the Tun-Ban road upgrading is RMB89.87 million. The funding will partially be from a World Bank loan and partially from the local government. 2.3 Construction Schedule According to Project Implementation Plan of HPCD, construction for the proposed road is planned to commence in August 2003. The project will be completed in July 2005. The construction period is about two years. 2.4 Analysis of Alternatives The upgrading is carried out entirely on existing Tun-Ban road. An alternative is to build the road partially or entirely on new alignment. However, the new alignment approach will involve occupation of land, resettlement and relocation, damage of vegetation, more earth work, increased soil erosion as well as higher 8  engineering cost. Socially, over the years rural residents have built their communities with the consideration of the using the existing road. A rural road on a new alignment might not provide the same level of convenience and access as the existing one. Furthermore, the project area is mountainous and there is not much alternative transportation corridor for road construction without the extensive mountain cut and fill. Clearly, a selection of upgrading/construction the rural road on the new alignment would have much higher environmental and social adverse impacts than the upgrading on the existing road. The final selection for the project is the upgrading of existing Tun-Ban road and the following EA focuses primarily this alternative. 9  Chapter 3 Environmental Baseline 3.1 Physical Setting Project Locatin Enshi city where Tun-Ban road is located is situated in east longitude 109'4' to 109058' and north latitude 29