China - Gansu Hexi Corridor Project - environmental impact assessment (Vol. 2 of 2) : Summary report

Hlexi Corridor (Shule River)Project of Gansu Province PRC SUMMERY OF ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT Northwest Investigation Design & Research Institute Ministry of Electricity PRC Gansu Provice Hydroelectricity Exploration & Design Institute Ministry of Waler Resources PRC June 1995  Contents of IEIA ,SunueCTY 1. Background &Objectives of project study Z. Work method and proces's 2 3. Generat survey of tic project :4 4. Current environment situation of project area 5 5. Environnient impact & counter measures8 6. Program on environment management 14 7. Conclusion 16 a. Attac.,hed m~aps 18 S.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.  , : , . - ~ ~ ~-: -F 0 , Summery of Environment- Impact Assessment:- i. Background and objectives of project-study 1.1 China's Cansu Province- is located iF the WidddLe or the AsiaS Continent.- The middle part or tbe province is- dry and in shortage of rainfall, the soutbern part of tbe province -is higt, :cold and humid; and it is difficult for some farmers to drcss warmly and eat thbeir fi - I H .lex! Corridor Project Area of the provitce has vast recLamabl-e laiJs, with rich Light and heat resource; but- being in siortage o-. labour force.Altoough this regiou is dry and in shortage of rainfall sbide liver,alb inland river ,travets througb tie Project Arca.fle river , Being replenished ty wetted snow ,jlacier and rainfatt as the. river sources,is rich i* water;at presett only 41.7% ofZthe river water is being utilized.The project pLans to build Changmpa Reservoir on thc upper reaches of the Shule River to regulate aid store water ,and t o -irrigate 51.65 k ha rectlaiable land il the tower. reacbhes .There are 0. Z million fa:iers from the middle and soctiern part ov Satsu Provice. will bh immigrated to tic Project Area for devetopment .There an 3 advautages:(1)farers can get rid-of povcrty.(Zjvirgin Lands of tie project Area can be developed and the regios will become a commercial grain production base of the province .C3)Tfe - weak ecological environment of the region will become an agricuLture ecological eavionaent wihb high efficiencs in good circutation.The purpose for the environment impact assessment is ,tbat:to bring out environment protection objectives in deveLopmeRt pcriod;o work ou. remedy S deduction measures [or alteviating adverse environmeat affects,zake the - project deveLopmenut reach unification of social benefit ,eonomic beEefit and envirownent benefit 1 .2 In accorEance witb"Appendix A No .4 of the World Bank Environment Assessment fork Guide'aud 'Cbina's Hydroelectric Engincering Envi ronment Impact assessment Specificatiot',the Envi ronuent Impact Assessment of China's &ansu Province Rexi Corridor Project was performed. The Environment AssessaeVt(bereinafter as EIA)was jointly compiLed by Northwest Investigation Design lesearch Institute of 1  Ministry of lydroelectricity PIG mnd *Gaasu ProvinciaL Hydroelctric ExpLoration & Design [nstitate.- 1.3 There ire. 18 ptopLe in totaltparticipated: in compilationl -of ti e -EIAA aid 35 people participated in coipilation.of the 7 sub-projects ,including: seniormnivironment experts , hydrologists,bydrogeologists - ,ecologists.,experts onuwater quality and poLlution anatysis,, experts on t census ,exptrts on soil ,engineers ou watcr:pollution controt,doctors and reteVnnt professeonats on environment iipact assessment etc There are 150 people/times participited int: examination aid consuLting on the Etvironment Impact Assessment of thec project.Many or them are national Famous scholars and experts-~ enjoyintg high;- prestige * and commanding universal respect . It is the important assurance- for the 'Elk' to achieve high quatlty. Z.,ork methodology & process: Lt h EIA' of the project is divided into 4 Stas:to d is tinguish environmeRt impact ; to work out tye w rkoutline ; ' write an exinine the study sub-project reports;and to compile .amd exainte the 1EIV.DetaIlcd statement are as foLlows: 7. Distinguuishg enviroament impact: Prior to the project euvirouent. ii;pact assessment, by mcans of fugineerang analysis , -it is betieved that: a. Construction of Chaugma Reservoir it the upper rcaches o r SiuLe River wiLL change seasotat and spatial distribution of ground water resources, meanwhile the reLationship betwecn supply- aid drainage of causc change of water tabLe . this is tore sensitive in. arid arcas b. In sOiL improvement period Leaching and drainage witl cause variation of water qualitY Lad water tabLe in the tispsoat areas c. Change of water - table wiLl cause variation of growing coadit,ons for.ground. plants. d.Rectanation of waste Land and crop irrisation wiLL aLso promote change of regional ecoLgy. c. Resettlement of O.Z EilLion people in the Project Arca Wilt bring great changes to Local economy , ecology education & culture ,sanitaion , public health and resources utilizat-ion Variation of thesc etviroument factors wilt not only affect each other but also restrait eacT otter . They are the key contents to be studied for hbe project tLvirounmet impact assessment 2  - ~~*f - t- s':: ; | f e Z.Z Working out cxamining the work outlinei-:.- Work procedures of the project envirotment inpact assessment- a r - as folLows: organizing professionals to go to the project wren. fo6'r coitecting information on the region?. environment background , social economic situation etc . to test surface water quality of the region , to inspect ecolgy of the- :egion ,- initing -officials of Local environment protection depaitments and --xperts -interested in:: ti e- project for consutting i inviting social -orga;ization , ' group and . masses for talks .On the basis. or tie above - nenfioaedr points , we .- worked out fie work outLine of the EI&l, and deterained k2jectives ,mebhadoLody and submitted ressuls- of the assessment- *IN JIly of 1991, Clina's State Envrironment Protection Bureau organized 55 nationaL and provinciatl experts to examine the uo rk outliae, and gave deftinte opinions -on approval . In September of 1991' ,the head of World Bank Mission ,Mr L S Tay also- gave affirmative - - remarks on tie work outtlire . . 2.3 Assessment & examination on the sub- projects : The project has 7 study sub - projects the assessment. o2tbadology strived to quantitative and scientific aspectsc:. Fo-r- example : In terms of prediction of water tablte, non -wtable ptain dual dimension hydrogeology model for calcuLation was adopted . In terms of surface water quatity , sitgle factor comparison method was used to dettrmite types of water quality. Interms of variation ona saLied- soil Improvement , the seccessfut experience of the region was- appotied to establish improvraeat [mdex system , then to predict trend of soi! dedrction-by- seans of analysis and comparison. As far as change of bioLngy is concerned, analogy and teandency anaLysis was adopted , ot the bases of scientific experinent data , to sakc prediction on. various affective page and degree of ecoc3y.As far as feasibilityi and necessity of resettlement is concerned , systematic dynalic metlod was rsed to estabLish resettiement cevironment capacity forecasti.g model. in Icly of 199Z ,thic comprehensive report compiling unit. organized 49 experts of Gansu province performcd examination o n methodology of each study sub -- projects and test data-, and confirmed the basic inforsation and assessrent conclLusion of each sub -project. There car be used as the grounds. for competing the 'EIA'. 2.4 Cpmpitation & examination on thc 'EIA 1 3  + e - - - - ' 0~~~~~~- =7 a= r - in terms -of the compiplng form of 'th Environment- -Imact- Assessment is concerned, the special coutents of "App&nrdix A No. of the Worle Hank Environment Assessment York Guide