China - Guigang Multi-Purpose Navigation Project : environmental action plan and environmental monitoring plan (Vol. 2 of 12)

A-ti.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~jr Sv -2 \~~~SAIR NRONVA ANDog /~ ~ { w SUMM0ECNARY ENVIROAMENASLESAEND of the GlUIGANG MUILTI-PURPOSE NAVIGATION PROJECT GUANGXI, PEOPLE'S REPUTBLIC OF CHINA 7.0 Prepared Under the Supervision of the Guangxi Commuunications Department and Compiled in English by Environomi:s Consultants Co. Ltd. Beijing Jul 1995  CONTENT SEC7TION I SUMMARY ENVIRONMEKAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Regulatory Framework 1 1.2 EIA Report Prepaation 2 2. PROJECT DESCRIION 2 - 2.1 Objectives 2 2.2 Description 3 3. DESCRIPIMON OF THE ENVIRONMENT 8 3.1 Natural Envirnment 8 3.2 Socio-Economic Seting 9 4. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 11 4.1 Location Issues 1 4.2 Constuction Issues 16 4.3 Operation Issues 24 5. PROJECT ALTERNATIVES 25 6. - INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND TRAINING PROGRAM 25 6.1 Institutional Arrangements 25 6.2 Environmental Monitoring 29 6.3 Environmental Capacity Building and Traiing 34 7. ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN BUTDGET 34 8. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 36 APPENDIX KEY ELEMENTS OF TIE EAPIEMP FOR THE GUIGANG MULTIPURPOSE NAVIGATION PROJECT 37 SECTION H SUMMARY SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMFJVT 1. CURRENT SITATION 45 2. DETERMIATION OF THE RESERVOIR AREA 45  2.1 Determination of the Area for Resettlement and Land Acquisition 46 2.2 Flood Control 46 3. OVERSEEING BODY 47 3.1 Organization for Coordination and Supervision 47 3.2 Survey of Villages 49 3.3 Survey of Families and Individuals 50 3.4 Schedule 50 3-5 Reporting 50 3.6 Local Relocation Offices 50 4. T1E RESERVOIR COMPENSATION PROGRAM 51 4.1 Flood Protection 51 A2 Full Utilization of Available Resources 52 4.3 Enphasize Meeting hifrastncture and Resomce Needs 52 4.4 Envirormneal Protection 53 4.5 Socioeconomic Level of the Resettled Families 53 5 PLAN FOR AGRICULTURAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENlT 53 5.1 Development of Arable Land 53 5.2 DevelopmenLt of Fruit Production 54 5.3 -Development of Township and Village Entprises 54 5.4 Training Program 54 6. COSTS OF COMPENSATION AND RESET LE14ENT 54 7. OTHER FACILTES AFFECTED BY THE INJNDATION 55 7.1 Cultual and Historic Sites 55 7.2 Communication and Transmission Lines 55 7.3 Water Conservation and Electric Power Generating Installations 55 7.4 Transportation Installations 56 8. CONCLUSION 70  SECTION I SU 3MARY E.NVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT L. INTRODUCTION 1 The original Chinese EIA for the Guigang Multi-Puo iNavigation Project (GMPN) was prepared by the Guangxi Electric Industry Design Institute (GEID) between 1990 and 1991 as part of the Feasibility and Preliminary Design Report. The EIA was reviewed and conditionally approved by the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) in December 1991 A supplemental report was produced in early 1992 to satisfy addiional NEPA requirements and satisfy all Chinese EIA criteria 2. The Guangxi Comx.urnications Department (GCD) engaged the services of Environomics in mid-1993 to assist in the preparation of the project English language EIA report for submission to the World Bank. The Environomics scope of work included review of the Chinese ELA documnents, compilation and re-asssment of available background data and information, and drafting of the English EIA report. Due to time and resource constraints, te English EIA is based only on data collected during the original EIA and Feasibility Study and is supplemented with additional data provided by GPC. Environomics has attempted to validate available information with the original field data when feasible, and has sought clarification and amplification of material from GEIDI to meet as closely as possible Bank EIA requirements. 3. In addition to the main ELA report, Environomics has prepared a combined Environmental Action Plan (EAP) and Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP) under the direction of GCD. The latter two documents provide a rational program and schedule for mitigating and monitoring potential project environmental impacts within the technical and resource constraints of the project proponents. 4. A socio-econtomic impact study was completed by the Guangxi Electric Industry Design Institute and included in the original feasibility study for the project. It contains detailed information and statistics on socio-econiomic impacts of the projects. Based on this report a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) was developed, modified and fimalized in December 1994. 5. This Summuary Environmental and Socio-economic Impact Assessment (SESIA) repor. is divided into two sections and provides a synopsis of the findings and proposed monitoring and mitigation actions related to Section I: Environmental and Section 11: Socio- Economic impacts of the GMPN project implementation. 1.1 Regulatory Framework 6. In August 1987, Guangixi Autonomous Region Construction Committee submitted Document No. 85 to the Ministry of Communications proposing the GMPN project. The Ministry approved the location for the project and authorized the expedited completion of the preliminary project design. In January 1990, Guangxi Communications  Department Document No. 008 assigned the responsibility for performing the EIA to GEIDI which completed the report in 1991. 7. Originally the GMPN project was proposed as part of a domestically funded multi-component infrastructure coistruction project and had received approval for implementation. The ELA for the entire project was prepared in 1990 and approved by NEPA in 1991. However, due to funding constraints, only the bridge component which is p?rt of the Guigang urban ifrastructure program and is substntially financed by the city was tiated and is now nearig completion. 1 he remaning components which are included in the inkind water way program were re-packaged and submitted to the State Plnning Commission (SPC) and approved for intemational fmancirg. 1.2 EIA Report Preparaton 8. The Chinese EIA was prepared with reference to the following regulations and stands: a. Environmental Protection of Law of P.R.C. b. Water Pollution Prevention Law of P.R.C. c. Fishing Law of P.R.C. d. Water Law of P.R.C. e. Surface Water Environmental Quality Stndard. f. Air-Environmental Quality Standard. g Urban Envirommental Noise Standard. h. EIA Standard of Hydropower from Ministry of Electncity and Hydrology. 9- The English language EIA report was prepared based on the onginal Chinese EIA data to meet as closely as possible the reporting format of the World Bank. In the period between 1991 and 1994 substantial changes occurred in environmental requirements witiun China and the World Bank, the English language EIA and supporting documents have auempted where possible to upgrade the assessment to address the new requirements. 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.1 Objectives 10. The prmiary objective of the proposed GMPN project is to improve the navigability of the Yujiang river between the Xijin dam and Guigang city. The project wili ensure a minimum navigable water depth during dry seasons, thus guaranteeing an uninterrupted flow of shipping and the reclassification of the niver to a 3rd Class waterway accessible to 100 ton barges. Tie upgrading will make the Yujiaag river the backbone of the Xijiang river system tansportation strategy and thus facilitate economic development in Guangxi and the adjacent provinces. 1 i . The main physical components of the project mclude (i) construction of a dam, ship lock, and hydropower station at Guigang, and (ii) small-scale removal of rock shoals at three locations by blasting. Originally the GMPN project was proposed as part of a domesuically funded multi-component infrastucture constcion project and had received 2  approval for implementationi. An EIA for the entire project was prepared in 1990 and approved by the Natioral Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) in 1991. However, due to funding constaints, only the bridge component which is part of the Guigang urban inasrure program and is substantially financed by the city was iaitiated and is now nearng completion. The remaining components which are included in the inland water way program were re-packaged and submitted to the State Planning Commission (SPC) and approved for international financing. 12 Additional benefits of the proposed GMPN project include hvdropower generation and increased availability of irrigauon water. Guiang city and to a lesser extent the upstream Hengxina county are currently constrained in their development due to a shortage of electric power. The project will have the capacity to generate 120 MW of hyd:o- electric power to supplement area supplies. A mininmm capaciy of approximately 36 MW is guaranteed during the dry season which amounts to an average 590 GW.h r.nnual power generation. It is also anticipated that several hundred hectares of medium productivity land will be brought under cultivation following project completion due to the increased availability of high quality irrigation water. The irrigaiion scheme has not yet been determined, but a preliminary estimate indicated that the amount of irrigation water would be very small compared with river water flow even in the dry season. Nevertheless, individual irrigation projects will be subject to EIAs in the future in accordance with Chinese regulations. 2.2 Description 13. The proposed GMPN project is an integral part of the Guangxi Autonomous Region's economic development strattegy which includes inprovement of its railway, highway and waterway tranWortation infrastructure. Guangxi is located in central south western China and is bordered by Vietnam to the south; and Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces to the south east, east, north and west respectively, By virtue of its location, Guangxi is a transit route for goods and conumerce within south westem China, and an important link for the region's international trade. 14. The Guangxi road and rail network is currentiy poorly developed and lacks the capacity to efficiently transport goods to potential markets. Traditionally, waterways have been a rnajor mod& of transportation in Guangxi and are currently used for shipment of bulk commodities and raw materials between the interior and coastal areas. The proposed GMPN project is designed to increase the transportation capacity of the Yujiang river which flows approximately west to east in souLherm Guangxi and is a major transportation route for the entire region. 15. The Yujiang river is part of the Xijiang river system which drains an approximate area of 90,800 hTi and discharges into the Pearl river delta in the east. The river system is a major route for the transportation of raw materials and manufactured goods from as far inland as Sichuan, and thus occupies a vitai position in the economy of the region. The improvement of th-is waterway, comr,ined with other proposed infrastructure projects shall provide the transportation neetwork required to meet the anticipated demands of increasing trade between Guangxi, adjacent provinces, Vietnam and tLe ports of Hong Kong and Macau. 3  i6. The proposed GMPN project consists of a low head concrete impoundment and lock system planned for the mid to lower reaches of the Yujiang river, approximately six kilometers upstream of Guigang City (Figure 2-2.1). 'he area is in the historic flood plain of the menering Yujiang river, characterized by flat topography with occasional limestone outcrops, and deep. fertile fluvial soils. The project site is located in a smight length of the river which follows a wide turn and continues along the same course through Guigang city. (Figure 2.2.2) The Yujiang river is approximately 400 meters wide at this location and is confined within an eroded channel by unstable earth banks which are marked with drainage gullies and show evidence of erosion and slumping. 17. The Yujiang river is presently regulated by the low head coDcrete Xijin dam. approximately 104 kilometers upstream of the project site, and at 110 kilometers downstream by the Guipimg dam. The dams were constructed in the 1960's and the 1980's respectively to enhane the navigability of the river, provide hydro-power and to imp ve inigation and fisheries. The river is currently designated a 6th Class waterway (Table 1), navigable for 100 ton barges. While there is capacity for larger barge traffic durng the wet season, the river flow between Xijin dam and the proposed project site is reduced significantly during the dry season, exposing some 22 shaaflow and rocky areas which hinder navigation and increase the hazard to shipping. The increased water depth resulting from the project construction will render all but three shoals harmless by submersion. The remaining three- shoals located at Jier, Difu and Fubo (Figure 2.2.1) consist of rock outcrops which shall be removed by blasting as part of the project implementation. (i) Infrastrucmre 18. The land transportation system in the proje^t area consists of a network of dirt and gravel roads interlacing the ccntryside and connecting with paved two lane Class I1 or Class III highways. National Road 209 located on the northern plane of the Yujiang river is the major trunk road in the project vicinity. This road which is poorly maintained and very congested carries the bulk of the highway passenger and goods traffic in the region. The railway system in the Yujiang river area is relatively undeveloped; its main function is for hauling bulk materials to small loading facilities along the river which tansfer the materials to barges for tasportation to dowtream locations. 19. The Xijin dam is the major source of electric power for Hengxian County. Several low-head dams along thX tributaries of the Yujiang river also provide power to isolated communities or commercial operations. Guigang City receives its power from the regionai electricity grid which is networked to both thermal and hydro-power plants. Currently, the Yujiang river area is constrained in its development due to a lack of electricity. This is particularly true of Guigang City, which suffers from acute power shortages, requiring major industries to generate electricity on site. 4  GM PN sut -- un C'j..j..effXAX..2X-X : Dih Shol i A I-leilgxiatl counlty \,>/.'