India - Andhra Pradesh State Highways Project : environmental analysis (Vol. 1 of 4)

INDIA: PROPOSED ANDHRA PRADESH STATE HIGHWAY PROJECT E-I/6O 1 PUBLIC WORKS (ROADS & BUILDINGS) DEPARTMENT GOVERNMENT OF ANDHRA PRADESH INDIA Andhra Pradesh State Highways Project Project Coordination Consultancy ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS FILE C May 1996 SNOWY MOUNTAINS ENGINEERING CORPORATION PTY LTD AUSTRALIA In Association with CONSULTING ENGINEERING SERVICES (INDIA) PVT LTD  ,IFl Public Works (R&B) Department Government of Andhra Pradesh India "ffI1 Funded by International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Environmental Analysis -II1l for the ANDHRA PRADESH STATE HIGHWAYS PROJECT I Project Objective: To reduce the total cost of road transport in Andhra Pradesh, by improving AI i road condition and capacity, along with R&B's in-house capacity to design, manage and operate the road network. l 1 (*' "SMEC I Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (Australia) Ltd MAY 1996  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project Table of contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................... vi 1. INTRODUCTION .1-1 1.1 Project Background .1-1 1.2 Institutional, Legal and Policy Context .1-4 1.3 Study Area .1-7 1.4 Project Proposals .1-11 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS ALONG PROJECT ROADS .2-1 2.1 Bio-physical characteristics ................................. 2-1 'I 2.2 Socio-economic characteristics ................................. 2-8 2.3 Sensitive areas and priority issues ............................... 2-9 n 2.4 Project action areas ............... .................. 2-11 2.4.1 Road sections for design in Phase I .............. .......... 2-11 2.4.la Warangal to Raiputnarn ........................... 2-12 3 2.4.1b Addanki to Narketpalli .................... ........ 2-15 2.4.1c Cuddapah to Tadipatri .................... ........ 2-25 2.4.2 Road sections for design in Phase II ............ ........... 2-29 I 2.4.2a Lakshettipet to Gudihatnoor ............ ........... 2-29 2.4.2b Pericherala to Kumool ............................ 2-33 2.4.2c Cuddapah to the State Border ........... ........... 2-37 I 2.4.2d Warangal to Deepavali ............................ 2-40 2.4.2e Tadipatri to State Border ................ .......... 2-43 2.4.2f Bhimedolu to Kovvur ............................ 2-45 2.4.2g Madanapalle to Renigunta .2-47 2.4.2h Renigunta to Nayudupeta .2-52 * 3. ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS .3-1 3.1 Major Issues .3-1 3.2 Physical and Natural Environment ..3-2 3.2.1 Topography/Soil and Landform .3-2 i 3.2.2 Water .3-3 3.2.3 Air Quality .3-4 3.2.4 Flora and Fauna .3-5 I | 3.3 Human and Social Environment .3-8 3.3.1 Community Life and Economic Activity .3-8 SMEC International i Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project Table of contents Page rl 3.3.2 Land Acquisition and Resettlement .3-10 3.3.3 Indigenous and Traditional Populations .3-11 3.3.4 Cultural Heritage .3-11 rl 3.3.5 Aesthetics and Landscape .3-12 3.3.6 Road Safety .3-12 3.3.7 Urban Centres and Built-Up Areas .3-13 || 3.3.8 Occupational Health and Safety ........ ................... 3-16 3.3.9 Non-Motorised Transport ........... .................... 3-16 4. ALTERNATIVES ............................................... 4-1 4.1 Do-nothing ............................................... 4-1 4.2 Options considered .......................... 4-1 4.2.1 Geometric ............................................ 4-1 3 4.2.2 Design and Construction Methods ........ ................. 4-2 4.2.3 Bypasses ............................................. 4-2 5. MITIGATION AND ENHANCEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS .5-1 5.1 General .5-1 | 5.2 Construction contract Provisions ..5-1 5.3 Supplementary Mitigation ..5-4 5.3.1 Institutional .5-4 I 5.3.2 Increased Roadside Tree Planting .5-5 5.3.3 Integration of Road Improvements within Urban Settlements ... 5-5 5.3.4 Resumption and Resettlement .5-6 5.3.5 Non-Motorised Transport .5-6 5.4 Costs of Mitigation .5-7 6. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING .6-1 1 6.1 Institutional Recommendations .6-1 6.2 Recommended Training and Monitoring Activity .6-2 7. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PLAN ............................ 7-1 7.1 Baseline Studies and Key Parameters ............................ 7-1 ii 7.2 Audit and Mitigation Plans .......................... .... 7-1 S I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =s ~~SMF:CInternational ii Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  II Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project Table of contents fl Page LIST OF FIGURES Figure Title 1.1 Andhra Pradesh road system ......................................... 1-3 1.2 Roads and Buildings organisation chart ................................ 1-5 I 1.3 Population Distribution in Andhra Pradesh .............................. 1-8 2.1.1 Conservation areas of AP ................ ............................ 2-3 2.1.2 Forest areas of AP ........................ ......................... 2-4 I 1 1 2.1.3 Rivers and Waterways of AP ......................................... 2-5 2.1.4 Topographical features of AP ........................................ 2-6 2.1.5 Soils ofAP ....................................................... 2-7 2.3.1 Failed avenue planting ................... ........................... 2-11 2.3.2 Poor batter revegetation ................. ............................ 2-11 1 2.4.1 Locality Plan (Warangal to Raiputnam) ................................ 2-14 2.4.2 Singaraya Konda ................................................... 2-17 2.4.3 Cemetry near proposed bypass route at Nalgonda ......................... 2-19 1 2.4.4 Nalgonda bypass route options ....................................... 2-20 2.4.5 Temporary huts requiring R&R at Mirialguda ........................... 2-21 2.4.6 Mirialguda bypass route options ...................................... 2-22 I 2.4.7 Locality Plan (Addanki to Narkatpalli) ................................. 2-24 2.4.8 Encroachment and Non-motorised transport at Yerraguntla ................. 2-27 2.4.9 Accident zone . .................................................... 2-27 2.4.10 Locality Plan (Tadipatri to Cuddapah) ................................. 2-28 2.4.11 Cross-drainage structure in Kawal Sanctuary ............................ 2-30 2.4.12 Avenue planting at Gudihatnoor ...................................... 2-31 2.4.13 Locality Plan (Gudihatnoor to Lakshettipet) ............................. 2-32 2.4.14 View of Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam Sanctuary .......................... 2-35 1 2.4.15 Locality Plan (Guntur to Kumool) ..................................... 2-36 2.4.16 Nandular tank . .................................................... 2-38 2.4.17 Locality Plan (Cuddapah to State Border) ............................... 2-39 2.4.18 Locality Plan (Warangal to Pollacollu) ................................. 2-42 2.4.19 Locality Plan (Tadipatri to State Border) ................................ 2-44 2.4.20 Archway across road ................... ............................ 2-49 I | 2.4.21 Locality Plan (Madanapalle to Renigunta and Reniguntato Nayudupeta) ...... 2-51 3.2.1 Pavement damage caused by trees ..................................... 3-7 3.3.1 Pedestrian access along highway .3-9 3.3.2 Crop drying on highway. .o 3-9 I ij SMEC International iii Project 56112 Version 2.01 Ma)y1996  l!I Andhlra Pradesh State Highway Project Table of contents Page LIST OF TABLES r Table Title 1.1 Basic characteristics of the Divisions crossed by project roads ..... ......... 1-9 1.2 Scope of work .................................................. 1-11 3.3.7 Major centres along each route ................ ....................... 3-15 | LIST OF ANNEXURES Annex Title I Supplementray notes on APSHP Environmental Impact Assessment for Techno- Economic Fesibility Studies - Il 2. References 3. Environment/Road Data 3A. Endangered Species 3B. Nature Reserves 3C. Environmental Standards 3D. Environmental NGOs 4. Environment Unit Proposal 5. MOEF Submission Proforma (Draft) 6. Environmental Monitoring Proforma (Draft) 7. Terms of reference for a full environmental impact assessment on the APSHP 8. Contract related specifications relating to the environment I 9. Typical designed cross-sections for the upgraded roads 10. Line diagram of Project Roads showing major towns 11. Abbreviations 12. Report by World Wildlife Fund - Madanapalle - Chandragiri Road *SI I I I i ~~~SMEC International iv Project 56112 Version 2.03 August 1996  Andhtra Pradesh State Highway Project Table of contents liii This document is produced in accordance with the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation's Quality System as documented in the Corporate Quality Manual, Edition 4, Revision 1, dated July 1995. PREPARATION, REVIEW AND AUTHORISATION r This Report was prepared by: Signature \ Date: _ _ _ _ and reviewed and authorised for issue by: Signature e_______Date:__________ l Revision Date Amendments Prepared Authorised 2.02 25th July 1996 Page marked Version 2.02 2.03 29th August 1996 Page marked ____ ___ ___ _ _ ___ ___ ___ ___ V ersion 2.03__ ISSUE REGISTER Issued to Number Project Director I SMEC H & T Library, Cooma I Sydney Office R & B, Hyderabad 11 File (A copy of this page only) 1 U SAIEC International V Project 56112 Version? 2.03 Augzust 1996  l Andhra Pradesh State Highways Project Executive Summary Executive Summary An environmental review of the roads to be constructed under the Andhra Pradesh State Highways Project (APSHP) has been carried out by the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) as part of the services it has provided as the Project Coordinating Consultant (PCC). V The APSHP provides an opportunity for the establishment of environmentally sound road construction practices in Andhra Pradesh, at a time when expenditure on road infrastructure is expected to increase rapidly. The project is a rural roads project and will involve a new generation of highway construction technology and contracting procedures for Andhra Pradesh. It is- important, therefore, that adequate attention and resources are given to environmental concerns throughout the project cycle. i This report contains the findings of the environmental review together with recommendations for measures to mitigate the adverse impacts of the project and to enhance the positive impacts. The r report also makes recommendations that will allow the Roads and Buildings Departnent (R&B) to continue ecologically sound road improvements in the longer term. The roads assessed in this report are listed in Tablel. Table 1 Summary of Project Roads Length (km) Route Road Road Section fl ________________________ No Phase I Phase II Guntur to Bellary Road 2(b) Pericherla -Dornala-Kurnool 226.6 Puttur to Tadipatri Road I(c) Tadipatri-Cuddapah 104.0 2(c) Cuddapah-Renigunta-State border 172.0 Narketipalli to Addanki Road l(b) Addanki-Kondamed-Narketipalli 200.0 Gudihatnoor to Pollacolu Road 2(a) Gudihatnoor-Indenpalli-Laxettapet 108.6 1(a) Laxettepet-Karimnagar-Warangal 111.0 2(d) Warangal-Nalajerla-Pollacolu 345.6 Kovur to Elluru Road 2(f) Kovur-Bhirnedolu 48.5 Nellore to Bellary 2(e) Tadipatri-Gooty-State Border 101.6 3 Bangalore to NHS via Tirupathi 2(g) Madanapalle-Chandragiri-Renigunta 128.0 2(h) Renigunta-Sri Kal.-Nayudupeta 56.0 .MFA [ntor1nnfi,rnnl Vi Pr I,r I Sf 117'J Vaorvi,n l Af1 U IOO  'Ii r Andhlra Pradesh State Higlhways Project Executive Summary 'l l The proposed work under the project will involve repair of damaged pavements, strengthening, widening, drainage structures and furnishings, with a limited number of bypasses and minor realignments. Since the majority of the work is restricted to the existing Right-of-Way (ROW) the direct impact will be spatially restricted and limited land acquisition is expected. The improvements in road services will have, however, widespread impact in allowing development and improved access to a large part of the state. Positive benefits from reduced congestion will occur. A summary of anticipated levels of the impact of APSHP is given in Table 2. | Table 2 Summary of Environmental Impacts Impact Category 3 Road Section Soil Water Air Flora/ Land Displ. Fauna Acq. People 3 y Phase I a.Warangal-Kari.-Raiputnam Low Low Low Low 1 6ha Nil b.Narketipalli-Addanki Low Low Low Low 63ha na c.Tadpatri-Erra.-Cuddapah Med Low Low Low 5ha na * Phase If a.Lakshettipet-Gudihatnur Low Low Low High na na a bb.Guntur-Atuakur-Kumool Low Low Low High na na c.Cuddapah-Renigu.-Border Low Low Low Med 13ha na d.Warangal-Kham .-Nalajerla Low Med Low Med 81ha 60 e.Tadipatri-Gooty-Bellary Med Low Low Low Nil na flBhimedolu-Kovvur Low Low Low Low Nil Nil g. Madanapalli-Chandragiri-Renigunta Low Low Low Med na na * h. Renigunta-Navadupeta Low Low Low Low na na Based on the inspections undertaken and analysis of information available, the vast majority of the APSHP will not cause significant environmental degradation. The sites are generally highly modified, free of sensitive areas and with relatively clear Rights-of-Way, except in urban areas. 3 | Some trees will need to be removed but will be compensated for by a generous replanting programme. Normal construction controls will be used to limit any environmental damage to water, air or terrestrial ecosystems. 3 SMEC International vii Project 56112 Version 2.03 August 1996  r Andhra Pradesh State Highways Project Executive Summary There are however, two areas on the project roads that have the potential for significant conversion or degradation of critical, or other, natural habitats. The sensitive areas are: r . Kawal Sanctuary on Road 2(a) from Lakshettipet to Gudihatnoor. This is a tiger sanctuary. * Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam Sanctuary on Road 2(b) from Guntur to Kurnool. This is a tiger sanctuary. Tigers are listed on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species and as such their survival is of national and international importance. Each of the two sites may house other endangered species. In terms of World Bank classification, under Operational Directive 4.01, the project would therefore fall within Category A, and the two sensitive sites will require a full environmental impact assessment (EIA). Draft terms of reference for this EIA are included in the report. ii Other key outcomes of the environmental review are: Environmental input should continue throughout the project and be available for all future projects. This can best be done by establishment of an environment unit within R&B with specific assistance to that unit provided by domestic and international advisers. Road planning and design needs to ultimately integrate environmental factors as part of the normal planning and management process. The development of a full environmental unit will not occur immediately and will be a lonaterm objective An environmental officer should, howeverq be included in the proposed APSHP cell immediately. | * Enhancement of the environment through roadside planting is a potentially valuable I outcome of the APSHP. Details of roadside planting and landscaping will be included in the Contract Specifications. * Awareness of environmental issues in the road construction industry in AP is at a very early stage. Environrmental training is therefore recommended for a variety of personell involved in the construction of the project. ; * The 1995 IRC Road and Bridge Works specification provides a number of clauses which 3 | address protection of the environment concerns. A series of additional clauses are recommended to be included in the contract documentation for the project to ensure that adequate construction controls are available. These stress the erteIirements 3 | as well as raising concerns for pollution from construction camps and plant, control of dust, restoration of borrow areas, as well as occupational health and safety. SMEC Internation7al Viii Project 56112 1 e-rsion 2.03 August 1996  Andhlra Pradesh State Highways Project Executive Summary |l * The project will have a significant long tern impact on road safety, particularly with repect to non motorised transport (NMT). A pilot safety study to enhance the safety of fl NMT is recommended for inclusion in the project. The APSHP is a rural roads project and is not intended to deal with urban conditions. Bypasses of major urban areas require detailed study to determine the impacts on the environment, affected people, traffic, economics and the community as a whole. These studies are considered to be outside the PCC's scope of work. Subsequently, it is recommended that where urban areas are large, no work will occur inside towns. In smaller towns, where practical, the road will be strengthened to a width which minimises or preferably avoids the need for relocation of project affected people. * Local administrations and other service providers such as electricity and telephone authorities should be consulted as a matter of routine proceedure during the design of R&B projects. Summary of Initial Action Recommended In order to ensure that Government of India policies are addressed and environmental concerns are fully taken into account in the APSHP, the following recommendations are made for immediate action: I * Complete EIA on critical natural habitats and implement recommendations made in the EIA. The EIA has to be completed before project appraisal by the World Bank currently progranmmed for September 1996. It is recommended that a consultant is appointed to i carry out the work immediately. It is estimated that the EIA will take approximately 6 weeks to complete. I * Implement institutional reform recommendations within R&B. A programme for the implementation is included in the PCC's Draft Institutional Review Report. | * Include recommendations for enhancement and protection of the environment in the contract documents. This work should be carried out as part of the project documentation and should be completed by project appraisal. I -- ~~~SMEC Intern?ationzal iX IProject 56112 Version 2.03Augu/st /996  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Background In early 1994 the Roads and Buildings Department (R & B), on behalf of the Government of rl Andhra Pradesh (GoAP), commissioned 6 local consultants to identify sections of State Highways and Major District Roads, and to report where reduced carriageway width and/or pavement deterioration constrained traffic capacity. The consultants reports were combined into a Strategic rl Options Study in April 1994 in which some 3000 km of roads were identified as high priority. Following a World Bank (WB) agreement, four local consultants were commissioned in May 1995 to prepare detailed road inventories and feasibility studies for these priority roads. The IU study included the collection of environmental information necessary for an assessment of the environmental impact of the APSHP in accordance with Ministry of Environment (India) Guidelines, as well as land acquisition and resettlement plans. In June 1995 the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) signed a contract with the R & B on behalf of the GoAP to act as the Project Co-ordinating Consultant (PCC) to carry out an economic evaluation of the 3000 km of roads. From the economic evaluation 1400 km of road was identified for upgrade funded through a WB loan. SMEC is currently carrying out the survey 3 and detailed design of an initial 400 km of high priority road. Included in this consultancy is an environmental impact assessment which is contained in this report. In July 1995 the PCC issued a guideline document to the local consultants to supplement the Terms of Reference, outlining 3 the type of environmental information required (see Annexure 1). This was to complement Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) Guidelines and to ensure that environmental factors were considered in the recommendations for road improvement work and conceptual I designs. Subsequently, the World Bank sought a more substantial social assessment, in order to proceed to a Resettlement Action Plan. I The local consultant's Feasibility Study reports varied markedly, regarding the attention given to the specific environmental impacts of proposals and the extent of relevant baseline information. * The PCC's First Interim Report submitted in December 1995 identified which roads should be included in the 1400 km of project roads and included a draft Environmental Assessment of the | recommended roads. The Environmental Assessment second draft of the recommended 1400 km of road was submitted 3 to R&B in March 1995. Comments made on that draft have been addressed in this revision of the report. 3 In April 1996, R&B requested that three additional sections of road, not considered in the Feasibility Study reports undertaken by the local consultants in 1995, be included in the roads 3 | to be considered for construction as part of the project. The additional roads to be included are: I SMEC International 1-1 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1 996  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction *~ Madanapalli-Chandragiri-Renigunta (128 km) Renigunta-Nayadupeta (56 km) Puttur-State Border (22.5 km) At the time of writing, the economic and technical feasibility studies of the additional three roads, being undertaken by local consultants, had not been completed. The choice of the final 1400 km of road to be included in the project has therefore not been finalised. To allow early submission of this Environmental Analysis, all of the roads that will be considered for inclusion in the project (the originally recommended 1400 km plus the additional three roads) have been analysed for environmental impacts. This report presents an environmental impact assessment for each of these roads, based on the inventory material collected, inspection and supplementary analysis. A degree of emphasis is given to the 400 km being proposed under Phase I. The general purpose of the environmental assessment is to improve the decision making in the selection of priority roads, by including a valuation for mitigation measures, and to ensure that the environmental consequences are taken into account throughout the project cycle, and any adverse impacts are either minimised or eliminated. All the roads covered in this report were inspected with similar concerns and conditions applying to each section. Locations of the roads evaluated in this report are given in Figure 1.1. Clearly the coastal routes are currently the most accessible and the project roads are designed to complement the coastal road system by linking it with areas to the north and west. l l l I SME;CInternational 1-2 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction Figure 1.1 Andhra Pradesh Road System r l~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1 .hp. . I I l -> >chiltpaxnam~~~~~~Up- Stage 2 (IlOOOkm)-__ - | ~~~~SMEClInternational 1-3 Project 56112 Version 2. 01 May 1996 U _I  Andlhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction The State roads in Andhra Pradesh which have limited carriageway width and maintenance, will continue to deteriorate as traffic volumes and loads increase. Design speeds can rarely be maintained due to surface condition, congestion and encroachments. Vegetation growth on shoulders and the erosion of verges has reduced road serviceability, and contributes to a relatively high accident rate. The stated objective for the APSHP project is; To reduce the total cost of road transport in Andhra Pradesh by improving road conditions and capacity, along with R&Bs in-house capabilities to design, manage and operate the road network. Costs of vehicle damage, additional fuel usage and delays as a result of road condition and pt congestion are evaluated in the economic assessment for the project. 1.2 Institutional, Legal and Policy context 11 The Roads and Buildings Department (R&B), of the Andhra Pradesh Public Works Department, has responsibility for the construction and maintenance of 45,452 km of the state road network. The Engineer-in-Chief (A & E) currently has responsibilities for both National Highways (on behalf of the National Highways Authority), State and District roads, and has a headquarters in Hyderabad with a decentralised implementation structure based on District Circles. The APSHP focuses on State Highways and Major District Roads. At the present time, no planning win1g or specific environment unit exists within either R&B, nor the Ministry of Surface I Transport (MOST) which has national coordination functions. The Transport Department has licensing, vehicle registration and control functions. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the main public road transport operator in the state. The Police I Department has legal powers in relation to operations and activity on the road Right-of-Way (ROW). Local government, municipal and town development authorities may control road sections within built-up areas, and District Commissioners have overall administrative coordination and land control functions at the district level. In June 1994 the R&B Department had approximately 17,700 employees. Road construction and maintenance is managed through 12 Circles in the Roads Wing, each headed by a Superintending Engineer with up to 6 Executing Engineers controlling District operations. Separate Circles exist 3 | for ADB construction work and Cyclone Rehabilitation work. This APSHP project spans 13 of 21 Districts in Andhra Pradesh. Separate District administrations which are involved for each Circle, will be important to the APSHP project in terms of their coordination, land registration and general administrative control duties. A Chief Engineer (Design and Planning) position exists but advice was that this is primarily involved in national highways and building work. No policy statements nor corporate plans are known to exist. SMEC International 1-4 Project 56112 Version 2.02 July 1996  I Andlhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction Figure 1.2 Roads &Buildings Organisation Chart I MINISTER for ROADS & BUILDINGS I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PKfdp I seetetary TIR&9] Dept Seactwytu et ef Net * ;1:= _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ovei,t Ctie(Engi eer n.IC. heEgne CifnierCifEgne I ' __ | Enfineetr z b|| CniefEngintee | C (OLPI 'CR II HYN ADSMYrD | ____________ _ 3 OMonIe I n EXect Er,gineen34 OM D n I I a SpI NH 131 AOBuKOA . L ! I I VSP NL R I SRSPAM3L , DpV | DCE [R3 SE uecn I ri DMdcns I~~~~~~D'. 3 Omtiontj 3 QM&dcnt * ! ENC 2 EE's OMtiont l KtA j VSP i SRFC w ! S i l ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ELR Spl NH VJIA jN nl3 | ~~~~ ~~~ONR NH 2 DSdgn _ | , 4 I e~~~~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~ DMttons NH [O6atP3H NLR NI-f(OLP)HYD a m iD ont 3 m0ans ii t SE [OLP] SEfOC 4IOMdont i'i | ~~~~4 EE't 3 DMriont s KNL A Ddons I SMEC International 1-5 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) has overall responsibility for administration and implementation of government policy in respect to conservation, ecologically sustainable development and pollution control. The government concern for the environment has been promulgated through the National Conservation Strategy, National Forest Policy and the Policy for Abatement of Pollution (1992). MOEF which is responsible for various action plans and 5 programs, research, funding and guidelines has representation in Andhra Pradesh. India is a signatory to all the major international Conventions and Protocols with respect to the environment, and was a major participant at UNCED 92. Key domestic legislation includes; * . * The Environmental Protection Act, 1986 The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 1 * The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 _ . The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 " * The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 A key document under the Environmental (Protection) Act (No.29 of 1986) is the Handbook of Environmental Procedures and Guidelines (1994) which outlines the requirements for environmental clearance of new development proposals, as part of the New Industrial Policy. This states that, under Schedule I, "Highway" development projects require environmental clearance from the Central Government. A specific Environmental Guidelines for Rail/Road/Highway Projects was promulgated by MOEF in 1989, in conjunction with MOST, and includes a summary questionnaire for submission purposes. This earlier guide document is 3 generally used as the basis of EIA for domestic road project clearance purposes. It provides some absolute standards but is primarily a checklist and is limited in the depth and detail of information. Under the TOR for the domestic consultant Techno-Economic Feasibility Studies, I these guidelines were to be used for EIA purposes. The Indian Roads Congress has also issued a guideline document for EIA (1988) and this provides general issue and impact guidance. X | In practice, the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) have been established for implementation of the rules and procedures. In Andhra Pradesh the SPCB will act as the initial contact point for environmental clearance purposes. The project may, however, need to be environmentally cleared at both state and federal level, and will be submitted to both concurrently by R&B. Draft summary documents for each of the proposed road sections are given at Annex 5 for submission 3 | purposes. Standards for the discharge of environmental pollutants have been notified under the I Environmental Protection Act for various classes of recipient waters and noise standards for vehicles also exist (see Annex 3). Whilst the primary intention of standards, to date, has been for the control of industrial sourced pollution, the same rules apply to road construction activity. I J Legal action has been taken on environmental damage in India and sufficient legal precedence exists to expect that domestic legislation is adequately effective. Many of the SPCBs are being strengthened through donor assistance with AusAID commencing such a project in Andhra SMEC International 1-6 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  l Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction Pradesh. This complements earlier Swiss support of the Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI). An important associated consideration in relation to the APSHP is that of forest protection and arboriculture. Any arboriculture activities in relation to roads have generally been undertaken by the AP Forest department on behalf of R&B and it has supplied seedlings for roadside planting, but no regular links nor roadside planting programmes exist. Little attention has been given to the development of road reserves as biodiversity stores and only limited arboriculture work occurs on construction work, with no policy on species selection. The Chief Conservator of Forests has control powers in relation to the removal of trees or tree products in any Forest Reserve areas, but these powers under the Andhra Pradesh Forest Act (1967), for road reserve areas at least, were delegated to the R&B Engineers by Gazettal (Issue 20, 19 December 1991). This allows the Chief Engineer to exercise Chief Conservator powers in relation to protection of trees in the ROW, and grants Superintending and Assistant Executive Engineers the ability to exercise Conservator and Divisional forest Officer functions respectively. This means that R&B owns trees on the ROW and has the legal right to approve the removal and disposal of trees in the ROW, although the District Collector, and the District Committee, would generally exercise some veto power. Increasing forest resources in AP appears to have been a priority with massive reforestation programmes implemented under the Forest Department, using World Bank support, and any resumption of Forest Reserves now requires central government clearance under the Forest Conservation Act. Such a process is expected to be lengthy and a compensation policy, of four trees to one, exists. The value of reserves for wildlife conservation has also been recognised as important with the Wildlife Act 1972. A series of 75 National Parks and 421 Sanctuary areas have been declared in India to protect species threatened with extinction and a number of these are to be found in AP (see Annex 3). Parallel to GOI requirements, for World Bank funding, are those under Operational Directive OD4.01 Annex A (October 1989) on Environmental Assessment. These require that environmental issues are fully considered throughout the project cycle and due provision given to mitigation and monitoring. This report is structured in accordance with these latter guidelines. It is the borrower's responsibility to prepare TORs for the EA or other analysis, and to obtain necessary expertise. 1.3 Study Area The State of Andhra Pradesh lies between 13 and 20 degrees North latitude and longitude 77 and 84 degrees. It covers an area of 275,070 sq.km (8.4% of India) and the 1991 Census recorded a population of 66.5 million people (7.9% of India). Of these the female/male ratio was 972/1000, and the urban population was 26.9%. The Scheduled Tribal population was 6.31%, and the overall literacy rate was 44.09%. I SMEC International 1-7 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction As the fifth largest area state in India it is a complex and diverse study area. With an average population density of 242 per square kilometre (1991 Census) it is a highly productive state. It is a major producer of rice, groundnut, cotton and tobacco, and has developed a large ferro-alloy, cement, cigarette and mineral production base. In 1990 it had the largest number of registered factories (16,007) of any state and per capita electricity consumption was 312 kWh (7th rank) in 1992-93. All the rural population is covered by electricity supply. Figure 1.3 Population Distribution in Andhra Pradesh r *-tk k TOWNS-1971 0~~~~~~% ; 8 @ t X @ @ @ , 9 & ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~971 n~~~~~~~~~~~~ N~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~eW 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~INDEX OF URBANIZATION AP is administratively organised under 21 Districts with District Commissioners having powers for land and general administration, reporting to the State Secretariat. Districts are broken down SMEC International 1-8 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  InI Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction into 112 Municipalities and 19,497 Gram-Panchayats. In 1992-93 there were 353 separate property registration offices. Table 1.1 gives an outline of the Districts affected by the road proposals. Some difficulty was experienced by the local consultants in defining the exact influence and catchment areas of the 3 road proposals. This depends on the feeder network, alternative routes and the approach of the local consultants varied from assuming the whole District crossed to a 40 km band, with one also including the influences of adjacent states. This dilemma is appreciated, particularly where J selected state roads are considered in isolation of the national and local road systems. Without more detailed mapping or aerial photographs being available it is difficult to predict expected catchments, and only District level data is readily available (although village level data exists under national census collations). 3 Table 1.1 Basic characteristics of the Divisions crossed by the proposed project roads 3 West Godavari 7700 1764.1 1753.5 20.7 53.4 1931 Guntur 11400 2084.5 2022.5 28.9 46.4 3664 31 Prakasam 17600 1400.5 1358.7 16.5 40.3 2375 Nellore 13100 1208.4 1183.9 23.8 47.8 3184 3 Kumool 17700 1522.6 1450.4 25.8 39.9 3678 Anantapur 19100 1636.0 1547.8 23.5 42.2 2936 3 Cuddapah 15400 1159.9 1107.8 24.0 48.1 1792 Chittor 15200 1658.5 1602.6 19.8 49.7 2907 l Ranga Reddy 7500 1314.6 1237.4 47.2 49.1 1845 Nizamabad 8000 1010.0 1027.6 20.3 34.2 1350 | Medak 9700 1152.1 1117.7 14.5 32.4 1646 Mahbubnagar 18400 1559.6 1517.4 11.1 29.6 2004 3 Nalgonda 14200 1453.9 1398.2 11.9 38.0 2607 Warrangal 12900 1436.7 1382.2 19.4 39.3 1813 3 | P Khammam 16000 1130.0 1085.8 20.2 40.5 2734 Karimnagar 11800 1529.8 1507.7 20.6 37.2 1677 3 | | Adilabad 16100 1052.0 1030.5 23.1 32.9 2027 Source: AP Statistical Abstract 1993 S SMEC International .1-9 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  Anidlira Pradesh State Higlhway Project 1. In2troduction The AP road system comprises 2,587 km of national highways, 8,651 km of State Highways, 25,463 km of major district roads, 46,713 km of Zilla-Praja-Parishad Roads, 42,509 km of Panchayat roads, 5,407 km of urban roads and 7,581 of Project roads (1993 Census). In terms of road length per unit area it ranked number 12 among Indian states. In 1991 Andhra Pradesh was ranked 14th in terms of vehicle ownership with 1.46 million vehicles registered for use, including r 79,600 cars, 34,180 Jeeps, 20,889 buses (15,000 are APSRTC) and 92,900 Trucks, but 5th in terms of total petroleum product consumption. Annual funding for PWD roads in recent years has been primarily utilised for the externally aided Rajiv Rahandari road between Hyderabad and Ramagundam, and the Kakinada-Rajanagaram road, as well as for cyclone restoration along the coast. The State Government has stated that it aims to increase road funding in the future. Motor vehicle accidents have been increasing rapidly with 16,941 recorded by the Police in 1992, many involving goods vehicles and buses, but much greater numbers are expected to have occurred and not recorded. Few details of accidents are available but the cost in life, delay and fl damage is likely to be high. The rail system is extensive with 5,086km of railway lines, of four gauges, under four systems fi and AP state ranks 11th in terms of distance per unit area. All major centres are served by regular train connections with 650 stations in Andhra Pradesh. The port system is based on 1O seaports with major ports at Vishakhapatnam and at Kakinda (handling 1.56 million tonnes in 1992-93) and Machilipatnam with 7 mini-ports, including Krishnapatnam. Principal exports are iron ore and iron/steel, with imports of cooking coal and II oil predominating. Kakinda is receiving ADB support. Around 2,747km of inland waterway is suitable for transport, with coal the major commodity moved. | Airports with Regular Passenger Transport (RPT) services are limited, with only Hyderabad having daily jet services, although 8 civil aerodromes and other military bases do exist throughout the state. Indian Airlines and VIF currently operate 'skeleton' intra-state services to Rajahmundry, Tirupati and Vishakapatnam. In 1992 approximately 25 million domestic and 37,000 foreign tourists arrived in Andhra Pradesh. 3 Forest cover in Andhra Pradesh is above the Indian average with a cover of 22.8 percent, or some 62.7 lakh hectares. This is organised under 10 Circles with Reserved Forests, Protected Land and unclassified areas, producing teak, eucalyptus, casuarina, cashew, Red Sanders, Sandalwood, 5 Bamboo and other species. The Adilabad, Warangal, Khamman and Rajahmundry Circles are major timber producing areas. I SMfEC international 1-10 Project 56112 Version2.02 July 1996  n Andhira Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction II 1.4 Project proposals The Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project is a rehabilitation and maintenance project, based on existing road alignments with relatively minor realignment and bypass provision expected. As such the risk of significant environmental damage is low, but this depends on the sensitivity of 3 the areas traversed, and the imposition of appropriate mitigation and control measures. Under World Bank categorisation, it would normally be classified as Category B, requiring more limited environmental analysis, and for which appropriate environrmental management might be readily 5 specified. However three roads proposed in Phase II of the project may cause significant environmental degradation and subsequently the project will be classified as Category A. It is recommended that a full EIA be carried out on the sensitive sections of these three roads which 3 will eventually be added as an addendum to this document. The terms of reference for the EIA are presented in Annex 7. I Table 1.2 presents the construction work that would be undertaken for the roads assessed in this report. I Table 1.2 Scope of work in project road proposals . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~........................ . . .. a.-..:.................. . . .. : _ .. :>: :. -::::::::: B: . :::: - :engthX::- --::::-::: ::.a . meuzB::S.t: -- -ement .aypass/le t = gya.< E :-: ~~......... ...... ::::: ...................................... . .. Phase I - For Detailed Design a. Warangal - Karimnagar - Raiputnam 110.8 yes yes Nil b. Narketpalli-Nalgonda-Piduguralla-Addanki 200.0 yes yes 2 (or 3) l _ bypasses c. Tadipatri-Erraguntla-Cuddapah 104 yes yes Nil Phase II - Proposed a.Lakshettipet-Utnur-Tocham-Gudihatnur 108.65 yes yes minor E | b.Pericherla-Narasaraopet-Atmakur-Kurnool 226.6 yes yes Nil c.Cuddapah-Rajampet-Renigunta-State Border 172.0 yes limited Nil I d.Warangal-Khammam-Nalajerla-Pollacolu 345.6 yes yes yes e.Tadipatri-Gooty-Guntakal-State Border 101.6 yes yes Nil f.Bhimedolu-Kovvur 48.5 yes limited Nil g. Madanapalli-Chandragiri-Renigunta 128.0 yes yes Nil h. Renigunta-Sri Kalahasti-Nayadupeta 56.0 yes yes Nil Details as available from domestic consultant reports and site assessments SMEC International 1-11 Project 56112 Version 2.02 July 1996  Andlhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction aII The initial 400km proposed for detailed design are; | * SH7/SH1: Warangul (km6) - Karimnagar (km67/kml 64) - RaiputnamlNH#1 6 (km218) Total length: 110.8km - excludes Karimnagar town Warangal/Karimnagar Districts 3 * SH19/MDR1/MDR81/SH2/MDR3004: Narketpalli (kmOO) - Nalgonda (km2O/00) - Mirialguda (km43) - Piduguralla (km236/0) - Addanki (kmlO) Total length: 200.0km - plus bypasses of Nalgonda and Mirialguda and possibly 1 Piduguralla Nalgonda/Guntur/Prakasam Districts s * MDRl: Tadipatri (kml04)- Cuddapah (km 00) m Total length: 104km Anantpur/Cuddapah Districts Designs for Phase I will not be finalised until July/August 1996 so exact details of the work for each road will not be available until that time. To date, however, a standard 7 m wide pavement and 2.5m wide shoulders (1.5 m sealed) has been adopted with a design speed of 80 to 100kmlhr (refer Annex 9). Modified IRC Geometric design standards are to be used. Phase II work is to be progressivelv designed and implemented over a five year project period following project loan 3 approvals. Three bypasses on roads being designed in Phase I were recommended by the domestic * consultants in the Feasibility Study reports. All three of the bypasses are on the Narketpalli- Addanki road around the towns of Nalgonda, Mirialguda and Piduguralla. 5 To determine the feasibility, location and impacts of each bypass, a full social, economic and environmental investigation of each bypass site should be carried out to ensure that the bypasses are integrated into the urban road system of each town to minimise adverse affects and to determine the extent of benefits. The studies to determine the requirement for and the design of bypasses is considered to be outside the PCC's scope of work. However, preliminary investigations for each of the three bypasses to identify possible alignments have been carried out by the PCC's design team using engineering (constructability) criteria and with the added aim of minimising the number of structures and agricultural land affected by the road. Environmental assessments of the preliminary alignments resulting from the bypass investigations have been undertaken. Delays to the project may occur because of land acquisition requirements on bypasses. It is therefore recommended that the studies of the bypasses on the roads being designed in Phase I U are carried out early in Phase II of the project. Through larger towns the road surface will be smoothed and strengthened in such a manner to I avoid impacts on structures. I SMEC International 1 -12 Project 56112 Version 2.02 July 1 996 =U  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 1. Introduction Some realignment of low radius curves will also be undertaken, mostly within the ROW but some will require land acquisition. r1~ It is important to stress that road improvements, once identified and agreed, will be implemented by Contractors working on behalf of R&B, and not by R&B directly. As such, the specification of the work can be strictly enforced and will be closely supervised by consultants in conjunction with local R&B staff. For the majority of the road sections, the work will be confined to the existing Right-of-Ways (ROW) and on existing horizontal alignments. It will primarily consist of; * Rehabilitation activities - where distressed pavement areas will be identified and replaced, or strengthened by a new pavement structure the design of which is based on forecast traffic needs. * Widening of Pavements and shoulders - where the pavement width is below 7 metres and shoulders are less than 2.5 metre, widening will occur to provide a safe and consistent width, provided feasible. This will be done on one side where necessary, to minimise disruption and loss of roadside planting. * Widening, or replacement if necessary, of drainage structures to ensure clearances and traffic safety, and fl * Asphaltic concrete surfacing of all pavement areas to provide a smooth wearing course, with regular crossfall and lateral drainage. IS I R I SMEClInternational 1-13 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  Andlhra Pradesh State Highway Project 2. Existing Conditions 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS ALONG PROJECT ROADS 2.1 Bio-Physical Characteristics Andhra Pradesh is a large state with a variety of physical and ecological characteristics. It is a highly modified environment, affected by centuries of habitation and use, but a number of areas have been set aside for conservation purposes, ranging from 3568 sq.km sections down to 1.4 sq.km. The Forest and sanctuary areas are an important asset that are understandably guarded and I! a number of reforestation projects are proceeding. There are 20 Sanctuaries in the State with the Sri Venkateswara Sanctuary recently reclassified as a National Park. Andhra Pradesh has a number of tiger sanctuaries that have been set up as part of Project Tiger. The Indravati and Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam Sanctuaries, of 2048 and 3000 sq.km respectively, are the more important conservation areas in Andhra Pradesh. The location and relative size of each conservation area in Andhra Pradesh are shown in Figure 2.1.1. Over 2,500 plant species have been identified in forest areas but the emphasis for forest fl management is on exploiting about 12 commercial species in plantations. The forest areas are shown in Figure 2.1.2. Since a number of the project roads cross forest reserve areas it will be important to advise the Chief Conservator of Forests of the road proposals. Under the Forest rl Conservation Act 1980, Reserve Forest land cannot be diverted to other use, including roads, without Gol approval. fl Physically the state is dominated by three major rivers - the Godavari, Krishna and Pennar.The basins of these three rivers cover 73% of the state. These rivers, and their tributaries, drain the state to the Bay of Bengal, along with a number of shorter rivers such as the Nagavali, N!l Vamsadhara, Gundlakamma and Swarnamukhi (Figure 2.1.3). The coastline is long, at around 900km, and the adjacent sea is relatively shallow. l Physiologically AP can be classified into three regions; || * The Coastal Plains, between 0 and 150 m above sea level and around 3.7km wide in the north to 72km wide in the delta areas to 22km in the south, with a clear escarpment of up to 600 m. It is dotted with lakes such as the Koleru and Pulical. It covers nine districts. | * Eastern Ghats, a chain of broken hills some 610 to 1200 m above MSL, stretching from Srikakulam district in the north east to the Cuddapah range in the south-west, and * Western Peneplains, or Deccan Plateau, a savannah area with scattered hillocks and open shrubland, covering Kurnool, Anantapur and the greater Telanga region (some ten I districts). This is an old plain, made up of deeply dissected plateau of Archaen gneisses and granites with hills of small relief. Tor and boulder forms are conmnon. These regions are illustrated in Figure 2.1.4. I SMEC International 2-1 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  l Andhira Pradesh State Highway Project 2. Existing Conditions - | Numerous tanks and lakes cover the state, having irrigation and conservation value. Project roads either cross or are adjacent to a number of water reservoirs and particular care will be taken in maintaining water quality. Since the project roads follow existing alignments, few new bridges will be required but widening of existing crossings and provision of additional cross drainage for low sections will be involved. The climate is generally tropical, with temperatures between the mid 40s and around 1 6C, with both the south-west (June to September) and the north-east (October to December) monsoon I | affecting the state. Rainfall varies from 140 cm annually in the far north to less than 60 cm in the south west. The south-western and central areas, where hot steppe conditions occur, are water deficient and drought prone. Cyclones from the Bay of Bengal may cross the coast in October to December but these rapidly lose intensity. if Geologically Andhra Pradesh contains a wide variety of formations, from the oldest Dharwar (Lower Pre Cambian) Schists to recent alluvium. Remnant volcanic formations are common and rock types are reflected in relief character. Soil types present make AP naturally fertile so that regeneration capacity is high. The general soil classification applied is shown in Figure 2.1.5 and consists of; ; | * Zonal Soils - red sandy, loamy and lateritic soils l i * Intra-Zonal Soils - including deep black soils and mixed soils, following the main rivers, and | * Azonal Soils - including deltaic and coastal alluvial, sandy and skeletal soils. Erosion is not a major issue but sediment loadings of streams can be high. Wasteland l l | development has, however, received attention and maximum use of land resources is pursued. High fluoride levels are a common water problem in AP as a result of rock composition. ii Each of the proposed roads has been inspected and specific problems or issues are identified under section 2.3. As a result of centuries of dense habitation and development the landscape retains little of what might be called the original environment, and population densities continue to place major demands on the natural ecosystems. Aerial photographs or recent topographic maps were not available but 1:250,000 land use maps produced by the National Remote Sensing Agency were used to confirm general development patterns. The major environmental problems facing AP are those related to air and water pollution, 3 primarily industry sourced, and urban deterioration under the pressure of urban drift and overpopulation. l SMEC International 2-2 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 2. Existing Conditions Figure 2.1.1 Conservation areas of Andhra Pradesh I\ ADILABAD \ WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES AND .KAKAL,f nr ) NATIONAL PARKS OF o R I S S A 2a 3PRAMu ANDHRA PRADESH |. S f ARAM -\MADHYA P R A D E S H - | a 5 S t \) r ~~KARIMNAG ' - f r - ,I-/ 2 < t iD At 5w s T vY;2DAK ( 3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ G . O/ U | TURNAKASAM8N ~~~~~\ \,N~~~~~~~~~~~~~\"V 4 2(e) - RNGAL 'iIN-E'ROADGAUGE I -o _ " < 'RIS"^-I*4A lG*r t c 1( C ),,,* ~~~~~~~~ F] RIVERS ,LAKES AL APTNA INDEX PRAKA ~~~~~~~BOUJNDARIES: STATE,DISTRICT-- BROAD GAUGE METRE GAUGE 18. 3\ /A2(e) HIGHWOCC rAY 2b AERODROME A1 LANKAiALLESHWA HEAD QUARTERS: STATE, DIST. 0 0 I KAN ARA ANANAR ~R ~UL AAWILD LIFE SANCTUARIES ~~ ------'~~~~~-~~. ~PROPOSED WILD LIFE SANCTrUARIES 9 * ~ > (\ \\ DD~ ~5X~' - RIVERS, LAKES ,_. 1,N ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NATIONAL PARKS-0 2(c) ~~~~~~~~Project road 2(b) I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~L KARNATAKA ~* CITO _OTAMILN A D U SMEC international 2-3 Project 56112 Version 2.01 May 1996  Andhra Pradesh State Highway Project 2. Existing Conditions Figure 2.1.2 Forest areas of Andhra Pradesh M A H A R A S H I R A .9 ~ ~ W-. *9t M A D H Y A A , r.i 4,Cif_' W , P A D E S H, - IM. .AIIARMUN(AA ; 4 - ||^s 8