E-364 VIETNAM ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT COMMUNITY BASED RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE  VIET NAM Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment draft ENViRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT CONTENTS A. INTRODUCTION 1 B. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 1 C. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 2 The Physical and Ecological Environment 2 The Socio-Economic Environment 4 The Institutional Framework. 5 Environmental Laws and Regulations 6 Land Use Classification and Planning 6 Environmental Research and Monitoring Centers 7 D. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 8 Increased Access to and Degradation of Forest Resources 11 Impact on Ethnic Minorities 11 Resettlement and Land Acquisition 12 Increased Erosion Risk Due to Changes in Road Alignment 12 Increase in Diseases with a Water Born Vector Due to Irrigation Development 13 Ground Water Depletion 14 Degradation of Wetland Areas Due to Construction of Flood Protection Measures 14 E. RECOMMENDED MITIGATION MEASURES 15 Adapted List of Eligible Subprojects for Communes in Ecologically Fragile Zones 16 EA Procedure for Environmentally Sensitive Projects 16 Environmental Manual 17 Environmental Training 19 F. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING 19 G. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 20 APPENDICES 1. Protected areas in the project area 2. Wetlands in the project area 3. Communes in protected areas C \WINDOWS\TEMP\EA-Vie3.doc 14 02 00 6 4 c. ~o r oo 0 0 C1 f 4 VIET NANI Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment FINAL draft ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT of the Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project, Viet Nam A. INTRODUCTION 1. In this final draft Environmental Assessment (EA), the potential environmental impacts of the Viet Nam Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project are analyzed and mitigation measures are proposed. At the time of finalization of this draft EA, the project is still in the preparation phase and not all project features have been designed in final detail. Consequently, the draft EA can not yet present a final description of all environmental impacts and mitigation measures. However, after preparation and pre-appraisal, any further changes in the EA are expected to be minor. 2. The EA is written in accordance with WB Operational Policies 4.01 (Environmental Assessment) and 4.04 (Natural habitat), and Operational Directive 4.30 (Involuntary Resettlement). It is based on field observations and discussions with government officials, environmental experts, NGOs and villagers. The Environmental Assessment Sourcebook was used as a reference. It is proposed to classify the Viet Nam Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project as environmental category B. The proposed mitigation measures would be included in the final project design, and the current document would serve as final environmental assessment. B. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 3. Project objectives. The overall project objectives are: (i) provision of small-scale infrastructure works in poor communes in three regions (North and South Central Coast Regions and the North South East Region); (ii) enhancement of capacity for decentralized and participatory planning and management of development activities in these regions; and (iii) increase of off-farm employment opportunities. 4. Project scope. The three regions proposed for inclusion in the project comprise a total of 12 provinces and 91 districts. These include 527 communes that have been identified as "poor" based on the criteria developed by the Committee of Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas (CEMMA) and/or the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA). The project would address the population of these 527 communes, totaling an estimated 1.8 million people. The project would be implemented over five years with each commune and district to receive funding for infrastructure building over a period of at least three years. The total project costs are US$ 100 mln. A mission in Viet Nam was carried out from 24 May to 15 June 1999. The term 'project area' is used in the report to indicate the total of these 527 poor communes. C \WINDOWS.TEMP\EA-"e2dW HAMi0 VIET NAM. Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment 5. Project design. About 80% of the funds for small-scale infrastructure would be directly channeled to the communes and used for investing in infrastructure works identified through participatory planning process from a defined set of eligible infrastructure works. This would include the upgrading of village access roads, small suspension bridges, Irish crossings, small scale water supply and sanitation projects, small scale flood protection, electricity distribution nets and the construction of school and health center buildings. The communes would receive on average about US$140,000, depending on the number of inhabitants. The remaining 20% of the funds would be spent for a limited number of somewhat larger and more complex works (impacting two or more communes) to be carried out by the district. This includes construction and upgrading of district (inter-commune) roads and bridges, extension of the electricity grid to remote communes and rehabilitation or upgrading of existing irrigation schemes benefiting more than one commune. Depending on the number of poor communes in the district, a single district would receive about US$ 100,000 to US$ 200,000. 6. The approval of commune level subprojects would be the responsibility of the District People's Council. Technical viability would be cleared by suitably qualified staff working at the district level or by approved engineering consultants. Similarly, the final approval authority for district level subprojects will rest with the Provincial People's Council with technical aspects to be cleared by the provincial technical staff or approved engineering consultants. Districts, communes and villages would receive field manuals with sample designs and guidelines for costing, planning and construction supervision. Selected staff from the district would be trained to act as community facilitators (CFs) which would provide organizational support to the communes and ensure the equal participation of different villages and different groups within the community. 7. The project would be implemented under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). Within MPI a relatively small Central Project Management Unit (CPMU) would be established, which would coordinate the activities in the different regions. C. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT The Physical and Ecological Environment 8. Climate. The climate in Viet Nam varies strongly with both latitude and altitude. The mean annual temperature in the southern provinces of the project area is 27oC while in the northern provinces this is 23oC. In most provinces, the average annual rainfall is in the range of 1500 to 2000 mm. Lam Dong is the wettest province with an annual rainfall of about 3000 mm, whereas the coastal provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan receive only some 1000 mm per year. Rain falls predominantly during the summer monsoon, from about March to November. 9. Geology and soils. In the North South East Region, the geology consists of Paleozoic granite and basaltic baserocks. In the highlands, the most common soil types are Orthic Acrisols and Acric, Orthic and Rhodic Ferralsols. These soils are generally of low natural fertility (acidic, low CEC, high iron content), but with good possibilities for rubber and coffee in particularly the Acrisols and the Rhodic and Orthic Ferralsols developed in basaltic parent material. In the North and South Central Coastal Regions, soils include Acrisols and Ferralsols developed in basaltic and C \WINDOWSiTEMP:EA-Vie3.doc 14 02.00 VIET NAM. Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Envtronmental Assessment granite parent material, and Luvisols and Fluvisols which have developed in alluvial and marine deposits. The latter two soil types can be used for paddy and a variety of food and cash crops. Locally, moving sand dunes occur, which have been partly stabilized by the establishment of Casuarina equisetifolia plantations. 10. Vegetation and land use. Out of the 19 million ha classified as forest land in Viet Nam, only about 6 million ha of forest remains, of which about 1 million ha of dense primary or secondary forest. Deforestation is estimated at 120,000 ha a year. Most of the remaining forests in Viet Nam are located in the Central Highlands, the North South East Region and the North and South Central Coastal Zone. Forest land is divided into Production, Protection and Special use forest. Production forests are divided into concessions and commercially exploited. Protection forests are under the control of the Forest Protection Department which is responsible for protecting the forest cover and biodiversity through the control of shifting cultivation, illegal cutting and fires. Special use forests are managed by a Board with the intention of protecting of the environmental (e.g. watershed management), scenic, scientific or cultural value of the forest. I1. As the area available for shifting cultivators has decreased with the strong population growth in the highlands of Viet Nam, fallow periods have decreased significantly (to less than 5 years in large parts of the North South East Region) and shifting cultivation is contributing to the ongoing degradation of soils and forests. In the North South East Region, extensive areas of industrial tree crops (especially hevea and coffee) have been developed. A significant part of the project area is classified as barren land. However, in many cases, land classified as barren is under shifting cultivation, especially of upland rice, maize and cassava, or used for grazing. 12. Biodiversity. Viet Nam has a high biodiversity with a large number of endemic species, mainly confined to the remaining primary forest. Remarkable is the recent discovery of two new species of mammals in the Central Highlands: the Giant muntjak and the Saola. In general, the biodiversity in Viet Nam is highly threatened (see table 1) due to deforestation, poaching and logging of forests, and because of the on-going destruction of coral reefs. Table 1. Biodiversity in Viet Nam, as Categorized in the Viet Nam Red Book Taxa Number Percentage Endangered Vulnerable Threatened Rare of of global species biodiversity Mammals 276 6.8 30 23 1 24 Birds 800 8.8 14 6 32 31 Reptiles/ 260 2.5 8 19 16 11 Amphibians Fish 2470 3.0 6 24 13 29 Plants 7000 3.2 Source: Government of Viet Nam, 1994: Biodiversity Action Plan for Viet Nam. 13. Protected areas. The Vietnamese system of protected areas includes national parks, nature reserves, species and habitat reserves and landscape reserves. National parks are established for the purposes of nature conservation, research and tourism. They are managed by the Forest C.\WINDOWS\TEMP\EA-Vie3.doc 14.02.00 VIET NAM. CommunitN Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment Protection Department (FPD), located within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and usually consist of different zones: strictly protected areas, ecological rehabilitation zones and buffer zones. Nature reserves are protected for scientific and nature conservation purposes. Nature reserves, as well as species and habitat reserves and landscape reserves are managed by either FPD or provincial authorities. The term protected area is used throughout this report to indicate the combination of national parks, nature reserves, species and habitat reserves and landscape reserves. 14. In many protected areas, lack of funds and limited local capacity hinder the effective protection and management of the park itself or it's buffer zone. In the Vietnamese Biodiversity Action Plan, a buffer zone has been defined for some parks but with a number of exceptions including the five internationally funded park management projects, no demarcation of buffer zones or formulation of buffer zone management plans has yet been undertaken. The Socio-Economic Environment 15. Population. In the North and South Central Coastal Region, the rural population comprises about 75% of the total population. The North South East Region contains the former Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, with most people living in rural conditions, and the urbanized province of Ho Chi Minh. The total population of poor communes in the selected provinces in the three regions (CEMMA + MOLISA list combined) is about 1.8 million (see table 2). Large parts of the North and South Central Coastal Region, as well as the North South East provinces of Binh Phuoc and Lam Dong belong to the poorest provinces of the country, with about 28% of population living under the poverty line, which compares to 18% for the whole country. Table 2. Population Characteristics (1994) Region Population in Total rural Area (region) Rural population poor population (1000 ha) density (persons/km) communes North Central Coast 1.045,003 8.330,000 4374 190 South Central Coast 567,717 5,610.000 4217 133 North South East 231,581 - - - Total 1.844,301 - Source: Rural statistics of Viet Nam. 1995 16. Ethnic groups The majority ethnic group of Viet Nam is the Kinh, who form 89% of the population. The Kinh dominate in the Red River and the Mekong Delta and in the relatively narrow Coastal Zone. The Central Highlands, the upland parts of the North South East Region and the uplands of the North and South Central Coastal Regions are inhabited by a large number of ethnic minorities such as Thai, Gia Rai, Ba Na, etc. There is great heterogeneity within the ethnic groups, both culturally and in terms of participation in mainstream economy. Some ethnic groups, such as the Thai, are well integrated in Viet Nam, even though they may maintain a different language, customs, dress or housing style. Other groups, such as the Ba Na and the Khmer, have a more distinct culture and livelihood system and may have less access to development opportunities. C:\WINDOWS\TEMPiEA-Vie3 doc 14 02 00 VIET NAM: Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment 17. Many ethnic minorities are in a relatively disadvantaged position. This is caused by the following: (i) most upland minorities have limited experience with private property and individual ownership of land; (ii) most ethnic minorities rely on slash and burn agriculture which is officially banned in Viet Nam and does not give any right to land titles; (iii) sedentarized agriculture requires investment and it can be very difficult for minorities to obtain (and pay back) the funds needed; (iv) land is allocated on the basis of a household's perceived ability and stated willingness to "develop" it, favoring relatively rich and better connected households. 18. Migration trends. Kinh migration into the Central Highlands started in the beginning of the 20th century. Prime motivation for the migration was the availability of extensive natural resources (forests, agricultural land). From 1990 to 1994 nearly 100,000 spontaneous migrants settled in Dak Lak and over 90,000 in Lam Dong. Many of these people are from the Northern Mountainous Region, especially Cao Bang, and are themselves ethnic minorities such as Nung and Thai. By 1995, the total population of the Central Highlands and the upland parts of the North South East Region was about 2.5 million, with Kinh accounting for 71% and ethnic minorities (including minorities from the Northern Mountainous Region) comprising 29% of the total population. 19. Migrants under the various resettlement programs implemented in the Central Highlands and upland parts of the North South East Region have been clustered in hamlets or villages. For spontaneous migrants there is usually also a certain clustering as their migration pattern has been determined by road access, availability of arable land, and possibly the presence of previous migrants. Therefore, there are still many hamlets, villages and districts where ethnic minorities constitute the large majority of the population. The Institutional Framework. 20. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) was formed in 1995 through the merging of the Ministries of Agriculture and Food Industry, Water Resources, and Fisheries and Aquatic Products. The Department of Agriculture and Forestry Extension (DAFE) is responsible for agricultural extension at the province and district level. The Forest Protection Department (FPD) is responsible for the formulation and enforcement of policy and regulations concerning forest protection and management and transport of forest products. 21. The water supply sector is currently being reorganized with the definition of a new National Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Strategy (RWSS). MARD is formally responsible for the management of water resources and for the implementation of the strategy, with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Construction involved in water supply and sanitation in urban areas. Under the new RWSS, the provincial DARDs will prepare an assessment of locally available water resources and formulate long term operational and short term action plans. 22. Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE) was established in October 1992. MOSTE's main mandate is to set Rambo, T.. 1995: Perspectives on defining highland development challenges in Viet Nam. In: The challenges of Highland Development in Viet Nam. East-West Center. Hawaii. C:\WINDOWSiTEMP'EA-Vie3.doc 14.02.00 VIET NANI: Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment policies and guidelines for environmental management, develop standards, coordinate research, provide technical back up and support to the line ministries, and provide support and training to the provinces. MOSTE is divided into a number of divisions dealing with planning, EIA, pollution control, waste management, environmental monitoring, inspection, information and training. Within MOSTE, the National Environment Agency (NEA) is responsible for EIA review and for providing technical guidance to the process of conducting EIAs. NEA's Environmental Monitoring Division is responsible for managing and coordinating the National Environment Monitoring Network and for preparing the annual State of the Environment Report. 23. Provincial level institutions. At the provincial level, the Departments of Science, Technology and Environment (DOSTE) have recently been instructed to add environmental protection to their mandate. However, most provincial institutions lack the capacity to conduct systematic EIAs and environmental monitoring, especially of the more complex projects, and have to rely on national institutions. The provincial DOSTEs are funded from provincial budgets and report directly to the People's Committees. Environmental staff at DOSTE average four persons. Provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARDs) coordinate agricultural, forestry, inland fisheries and water resource activities at the provincial level. Forest Protection Branches have been created at provincial and district level and fall under the Forest Protection Department. 24. The NGOs. Public involvement in environmental issues is not yet well organized in Viet Nam. The few Vietnamese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with environmental objectives generally lack technical expertise, and there are no formally established channels for them to receive environmental information or lobby against adverse environmental impacts. However, a large number of international NGOs are active in Viet Nam, including WWF, IUCN, Oxfam, etc. Environmental Laws and Regulations 25. The National Law on Environmental Protection (NLEP). The NLEP was enacted in December 1993. The NLEP (i) sets out the responsibilities of the central and provincial Government with regards to pollution control and environmental protection; (ii) provides for development of environmental criteria (standards) and submission of environmental impact assessment reports on new and existing facilities; (iii) provides for responsible parties to pay compensation for environmental damage (polluter pays principle); (iv) establishes the right of individuals and organizations to petition for enforcement of environmental regulations; and (v) calls for civil and criminal penalties for violations. 26. Other relevant laws. The Investment Law of 1987 requires foreign investors to provide for environmental and occupational health protection. The new Land Law of 1993 enhances the role of markets in allocating and transferring land, provides for valuation of land for purposes of allocation and taxation, calls for an annual tax for all land, similar to the current agricultural land tax, provides for transfer of land use rights, limits land allocations to individual households, and identifies state land management functions. 27. EIA requirements. The EIA requirements of the Government of Viet Nam are explained in the NLEP and in more detail in Government decree 175/CP (October 1994). This decree is enacted in order to 'provide guidance for the implementation of the NLEP', and includes a specification of C \WINDOWS'TEMP\EA-Vie3 doc 14 02 00 VIET NAM: Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment the EIA procedures. The Decree indicates that an EIA is required for (i) 'economic, scientific, social and defense projects' and for (ii) 'projects carried out with funds invested, granted or contributed by foreign or international organizations'. For the currently proposed project, this EA would serve as environmental assessment of the overall project. Land Use Classification and Planning 28. At the national level, land use planning in Viet Nam is undertaken only in the form of broad zoning and indication of development priorities. The actual responsibility for land use planning is highly decentralized and rests for a large part with the communes and districts. The provincial Department of Land Administration is responsible for surveys, mappings and the provision of land allocation titles. 29. A program for the allocation of state forest and agricultural land to different organizations, mainly to co-operatives, was started in 1968. With the land law of 1993 and Government Decree N 02/CP (January 1994) the allocation of land to individuals, households and organizations (including management boards for special use forests, state forest enterprises, army units, and 'social and economic organizations') became possible. Currently, about 6 million ha have been allocated, of which about 30% to households. Although most of the agricultural lowland in Viet Nam has been allocated, only some 6% of the area classified as forest land has been allocated. Allocation is in the form of long term, renewable leases, up to 50 years for perennial crops and up to 20 years for annual crops. 30. Ethnic minorities generally use traditional land allocation systems, usually based on family and kinship, but these land titles are not recognized in the Vietnamese legal system. The allocation of land to a community, which in many cases would match better with the traditional agricultural system of ethnic minorities, is not possible according to current national law (even though in a very limited number of cases provinces or districts have tried this on a pilot bases). Therefore, it is relatively easy for migrants to obtain land, especially if ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the commune authorities who are responsible for the allocation of land. Environmental Research and Monitoring Centers 31. Viet Nam has a number of generally well equipped environmental research and monitoring organizations and laboratories. They are located in Hanoi, HCMC and Hai Phong. 32. Center for Natural Resources and Environment Studies (CREST). CREST is located within the University of Hanoi and has a cooperation program with the East West Center, Hawaii. CREST has a professional staff of about 25 and has relatively extensive experience with the environmental issues related to highland development and ethnic minorities. 33. Environment Protection Center (EPC). This center was established in 1984 in HCMC with At the national level, the discussions on the definition of social and economic organisations are still ongoing. At the moment they are generally thought to include companies and cooperatives (and not groups of villagers interested in communal managementof forest land). In practise, it is often the District or Provincial authorit) which decides which definition of social and economic organization to use. C.\WINDOWS\TEMP\EA-Vie3.doc 14.02.00 VIET NAM Communmty Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment assistance from UNDP and WHO. The EPC has 35 staff of which 25 are professionals and 17 have overseas training. The Center has experience with EIA and is involved in environmental monitoring activities for the NEA in central Viet Nam. 34. The Center for Environmental Science and Technology (CEST). CEST is part of the university of Hanoi and conducts research and training in environmental protection for industry. CEST laboratories have facilities for the analysis of drinking water, including analysis of bacteriological contents, COD and BOD. CEST has 23 professional staff who undertake EIAs for industrial activities and act as consultants. 35. The Center for Environmental Engineering of Towns and Industrial Areas (CEETIA). This Center is located within the Hanoi University and has 30 professional staff. It provides consulting services on environmental quality, EIA and pollution management. It also designs treatment technologies for air, water and solid waste management, and installs water supply systems. The Center has facilities for analysis of drinking and waste water using calorimetric methods and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. 36. National Institute for Soil Fertility (NISF). The NISF was established in 1969 and currently has a professional staff of about 140. The main compound is located in Hanoi, with additional research and extension centers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bac Giang and Dak Lak. Activities are focused around four programs: (i) upland soil management; (ii) fertilizer use; (iii) soil erosion; and (iv) soil pollution. NISF has experience with soil surveys and mapping, soil fertility analysis and soil suitability analysis, and has set up demonstration sites for watershed management and rehabilitation of degraded barren lands. D. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 37. The potential environmental impacts of the currently proposed project have been identified on the basis of field observations and discussions with villagers, NGOs, environmental experts and government officials at the commune, district, provincial and national level. The relevant WB guidelines (OP 4.01, OP 4.04 and OD 4.30) and the Environmental Assessment Sourcebook have been used as a reference. As the concrete activities of the project would be demand driven and decided during the implementation phase, only the overall, non site-specific potential environmental impacts can be assessed. 38. Particular attention has been given to: (i) degradation of forest resources; (ii) the impact on ethnic minorities; (iii) resettlement related to the building of new infrastructure; (iv) erosion of new infrastructure; (v) increase in diseases with a water born vector due to irrigation development; (vi) degradation of wetlands due to the construction of flood protection measures; and (vii) groundwater depletion. The potential impact on ethnic minorities has been assessed in detail in a Social Assessment, conducted by the NGO OXFAM Hong Kong, and this EA presents only a summary of the issue. 39. As district level investments will generally be of larger scale than commune level investments, the impacts of these investments have been assessed separately. For both district and commune level investments, only issues (i) and (ii) have been classified as relatively significant potential impacts. An overview of the potential environmental impacts of the project is given in tables 3 C:\WINDOWS.TEMP EA-Vie3.doc 14.02.00 VIET NAM: Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment (district level infrastructure) and 4 (commune level infrastructure), with a more detailed description provided in the paragraphs below. Mitigation measures are proposed in chapter E. C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\EA-Vie3.doc 14 02 00 VIET NAM: Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment Table 3. Potential Environmental Impact - District Level Infrastructure. Infrastructure Potential Impact Potential Impact per Region* considerable potential impact, * = low potential impact) South N + S Explanation Eastern Central Region Coast Transport Increased access ** ** Although many forested areas in Viet Nam ai heavily Upgrading and to and degraded, patches of relatively intact forests and a construction of commune degradation of number of natural parks are located in or near the project access roads, including forest resources. area. One of the main reasons for the conservation of bridge repair, "Irish these forests has been their inaccessibility bridge"-type river crossings and new bridges. Increased ** * In the project area, this presents a considerable risk only immigration as a in Lam Dong, where spontaneous migration is still result of improved continuing. access. Resettlement and * In current project design it is envisaged to exclude all land acquisition projects involving resettlement but, probably limited, land acquisition may be required Erosion of new * * If road upgrading requires changes in alignment or road roads. width, erosion may increase in the absence of proper road construction Irrigation Increase in * Malaria and dengue fever are endemic and wide spread in Improvement and diseases with a the area Construction of water bodies such as irrigation construction of small water born vector reservoirs may increase the breeding opportunities for the reservoirs and river mosquito species acting as vector for these diseases diversion schemes with gabions and stone masonry. Land acquisition * In current project design it is envisaged to exclude all for new irrigation projects involving resettlement but, probably limited, reservoirs. land acquisition may be required. Flood Control Flood control * The area contains a number of wetlandswhich have Construction and measures may been identified as having high biodiversity in the rehabilitation of existing affect coastal or National Biodiversity Action Plan. embankments (diking) inland wetlands Electrification No significant Extension of the national environmental electricity grid to one or a impact anticipated group of communes Rural sanitation No significant Provision of public toilets environmental and water supply to existing impact anticipated markets in district centers * Specific interventions and sites of the project are not known at the time of the EA, and table 3 only illustrates the likely differences in potential environmental impact of the various interventions in the different regions. C \WINDOWSiTEMP\EA-Vie3 doc 14 02.00 VIET NAM: Community Based Rural Infrastructure Project Draft Environmental Assessment Table 4. Potential Environmental Impact - Commune Level Infrastructure. Infrastructure Potential Impact Potential Impact per Region* = considerable potential impact, * =low potential impact) South N + S Explanation Eastern Central Region Coast Transport Improvement Increased access to ** ** Although many forested areas in Viet Nam are heavily and upgrading of existing and degradation of degraded, patches of relatively intact forests and a number roads by improvements of forest resources. of natural parks are located in or near the project area. One critical sections with gravel, of the main reasons for the conservation of these forests drains, culverts, Irish has been their inaccessibility. crossings (<50m), single span bridges and truss bridges (