Green National Highways Corridor Project Environmental Management Framework A Guidance Document to deal with Environmental Issues during Planning, Design and Construction of Roads Under the Project Revised Draft Version November 30, 2019 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Government of India List of Acronyms AMSL Above Mean Sea Level ASI Archaeological Survey of India BOD Biological Oxygen Demand BP Bharatmala Pariyojana BOQ Bill of Quantities CCE Chief Controller of Explosives CGWB Central Ground Water Board CoI Corridor of Impact CPCB Central Pollution Control Board CO Carbon Monoxide CO2 Carbon Dioxide COD Chemical Oxygen Demand CoI Corridor of Impact COP Conference of the Parties COPA Conditions of Particular Application CPCB Central Pollution Control Board CSC Construction Supervision Consultant CSR Corporate Social Responsibility CWW Chief Wildlife Warden dB(A) Decibel (A) DEAC District Expert Appraisal Committee DEIAA District Level Environmental Impact Assessment Authority DFO Divisional Forest Officer DPR Detailed Project Report E-coli Escherichia coli EC Environmental Clearance EHS Environmental, Health and Safety EA Environmental Assessment EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMF Environment Management Framework EMP Environment Management Plan EO Environmental Officer ESR Environmental Screening Report FIDIC Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils GHG Green House Gas GNHCP Green National Highways Corridor Project GoI Government of India IAHE Indian Academy of Highway Engineers ICB International Competitive Bidding IRC Indian Roads Congress IS Indian Standards K Potassium Km Kilometer LPI Logistics Performance Index m Meter Page 2 of 106 MDR Major District Road MoEFCC Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India MoRTH Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Govt. of India MT Metric Ton N Nitrogen NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards NBWL National Board for Wildlife NCB National Competitive Bidding NGHM National Green Highways Mission NGO Non-Governmental Organization NH National Highways NHDP National Highways Development Program NHAI National Highways Authority of India NHIIP National Highway Interconnectivity Improvement Project NOC No Objection Certificate NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide ODR Other District Road OP Operational Policies P Phosphorous PAP Project Affected Person Pb Lead PCU Passenger Car Units PDO Project Development Objective PIC Project-in-Charge PIU Project Implementation Unit PM10 Particulate Matter 10 PM2.5 Particulate Matter 2.5 PMC Project Management Cell PWD Public Works Department RAP Resettlement Action Plan RO Regional Officer, MoRTH RoW Right of Way SBD Standard Bidding Document SEAC State Expert Appraisal Committee SEIAA State Level Environmental Impact Assessment Authority SH State Highways SIA Social Impact Assessment SO2 Sulphur Dioxide SPCB State Pollution Control Board TA Technical Assistance ToR Terms of Reference WB The World Bank WMM Wet Mix Macadam Page 3 of 106 Table of Contents Executive Summary Chapter 1 - Project Background Chapter 2 - Policy, Legal and Administrative Framework Chapter 3 - Environmental Management - Approach and Tools Chapter 4 - Potential Environmental Impacts and Management Measures Chapter 5 - Institutional Arrangements Annexures Page 4 of 106 Executive Summary E.1 Background 1. India’s road network of 5.48 million kilometers is the second largest and most dense1 in the world. It carries 65 percent of freight traffic, 85 percent of the total passenger traffic in the country and comprises of a primary network of 116,000 km of National Highways (NH), a secondary network of 160,000 km of State Highways (SH) along with Major and Other District Roads (MDR & ODR), and a tertiary network of Rural Roads. The responsibility for planning, construction and maintenance of the primary network lies with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Govt. of India. The MoRTH also formulates national policies and legislations governing road transport. 2. In the last sixty years, the vehicle population grew at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.8 percent putting pressure on the road network. The current passenger traffic is 12,000 Billion passenger-kilometer (BPKM) and it is projected to grow at an annual rate of 15 percent and become 168,000 BPKM by 2032. The current freight traffic is 2,000 Billion ton-kilometer (BTKM) and it is projected to grow at an annual rate of 9.7 percent and become 13,000 BTKM by 2032. In contrast with these growth rates, the NH network, which comprise only 2 percent of the total road network but carries about 40 percent of the road traffic, has grown at a rate of only 2.2 percent over the last sixty years and about 40 percent of the network is in poor condition. 3. In 1998, the Govt. of India (GoI) launched the NHDP covering 56,000 km of NH for development, spread across 7 phases. It is the biggest program (of value about $50 billion) so far that has been taken up by MoRTH primarily through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), an independent entity under the aegis of the same ministry. It also consisted of four/six laning of the Golden Quadrilateral (the highways connecting the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata) and the North-South and East-West Corridors. 4. The national highways not covered under the NHDP form a part of non-NHDP network. Most of the roads that form this network are of poor quality and capacity (single/intermediate/two-lane width) and thereby present unsafe and poor traveling conditions. In the recent years, the Govt. of India has launched some specific programs to develop these roads as these connect the hinterland of the country and are key to the government’s objective of equitable and inclusive growth. These programs among others include the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project (NHIIP), funded by the World Bank and is currently under implementation. 5. Considering that the sector still faces major challenges in terms of efficient movement of goods, the MoRTH has recently launched the Bharatmala Pariyojana Program (BPP) which aims to enhance effectiveness of already built infrastructure; support multi-modal integration, bridging infrastructure gaps for seamless movement; augment inclusiveness by connecting 550 districts through highway linkages; improvement of Logistics Performance Index (LPI) of the country and; creation of jobs. It envisages development of about 26,000 km of economic corridors; 8,000 km of Inter-Corridors; 7,500 km of Feeder Roads; 1,800 km of Expressways; 1,300 km of Port- 1 At 1.66 km/sq km of area, which is higher than that of USA, China, Japan and Russia Page 5 of 106 Connectivity Roads; 2,000 km of Coastal Roads; 2,000 km of International Connectivity Roads; 3,300 km of border roads; 28 ring roads; 35 logistic parks; and improvement of 66 congestion points and 125 choke points. E.2 Green National Highways Corridor Project 6. Creation of infrastructure to meet the burgeoning transport demand has resulted in improved connectivity in India but a lot needs to be done for seamless movement of traffic and efficient movement of logistics. Focusing primarily on ramping up connectivity of the NH network, little attention has been given on enhancing effectiveness of the infrastructure being built. 7. Most of the non-NHDP network is not built on a trunk transport and feeder route corridor-based approach. In addition to capacity constraints, poor maintenance and disregard for extreme and routine climatic impacts on the built infrastructure are directly affecting Vehicle Operating Costs. Consequently, the cost of movement of logistics in India is one of the highest (about 14 percent of GDP as against about 8-9 percent in developed countries). The road network is not integrated well with other modes of transport resulting in choke points especially around cities and at main intersections. An integrated approach based on enabling the seamless flow of freight and passengers through transport network needs to be built. 8. The Green National Highways Corridor Project (GNHCP) through its support to the Govt. of India’s Bharatmala Pariyojana, will promote the vision of enhancing effectiveness of the transport network of India with cost and natural resources efficiency and safe high capacity highways. The list of roads (sub-projects) identified for inclusion in this project are given below: National Highway Sections Proposed for Inclusion under GNHCP Length Contract S.No. State Highway Section (in Districts Packages kms) (No.) Bowada to Vishakhapatnam and 1. Andhra Pradesh NH-516E 26.94 1 Vizianagram Vijaynagaram 2. Andhra Pradesh NH-516E Paderu to Araku 49.37 Vishakhapatnam 2 3. Andhra Pradesh NH-516E Koyyuru to Paderu 133.43 Vishakhapatnam 3 Poanta Sahib to 4. Himachal Pradesh NH-707 94.99 Sirmaur, Shimla 4 Gumma 5. Himachal Pradesh NH-707 Gumma to Fediz 9.80 Shimla 1 6. Himachal Pradesh NH 70 Hamirpur to Mandi 109.42 Hamirpur, Mandi 3 Pali, Ajmer, Rajsamand 7. Rajasthan NH-158 Ras-Beawar-Mandal 116.75 3 and Bilwara NH-730C Mainpuri, Faroukhabad, 8. Uttar Pradesh Bewar to Pilibhit 183.43 4 and NH-731K Shahjahanpur and Pilibhit 9. Uttar Pradesh NH-92 Bewar to Ettawa 57.35 Ettawa 2 9. The operation is also aligned with the Government of India’s objective of eliminating poverty and ensuring access to minimum standard of basic needs for all citizens through investing in growth enablers transport and connectivity Infrastructure. The basic proposition includes strengthening of road pavement in addition to widening to two-lane/two-lane with paved Page 6 of 106 shoulder standards and promoting/ demonstrating green and resilient approaches while doing so. 10. The project includes upgradation, improvement and maintenance of about 782 kms2 of selected existing national highways (nine sub-projects) in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These sections traverse through 15 districts and are likely to be processed for bidding through 23 different contract packages. 11. The proposed stretches of the national highways will be designed and implemented as corridors considering: (a) removal of choke points; (b) facilitating seamless movement of traffic and; (c) demonstrating resource efficiency, climate resilience, green and safety aspects in road design and construction. The design/Detailed Project Reports, Contract Documents and the Environmental Management Plans for these corridors could serve as models for the rest of the Bharatmala Pariyojana. Support to the National Green Highway Mission of the MoRTH will also be provided under this project. E.3 Project Development Objective 12. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to develop green and safe National Highway Corridors and enhancing the institutional capacity of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in mainstreaming green technologies. The proposed main indicators of the PDO will include the following: a) Natural resource efficiency gains in project highways b) Reduced carbon emissions in construction of project highways c) Climate resilience aspects incorporated in construction of project highways d) Reduced Vehicle Operating Costs on project highways e) Reduction of fatalities on project highways f) Policy, regulation and systems developed for mainstreaming the green solutions E.4 Project Components 13. The proposed Project will systematically institutionalize the development of green and safe NHs by implementing pilots, broadening the knowledge base and creating the capability to design, implement and maintain green and safe highways. The institutionalization process will be realized by: (a) Mainstreaming in NH development, the green innovation aspects, namely: • enhancing efficient use of scarce natural resources • reducing GHG emissions from construction and maintenance of highways, and • making the highways climate resilient; (b) Enhancing the road safety management of NHs; and (c) Building the policy framework for green highways development. Based on the foregoing, 2 The small variation in total length (about 5 kms) mentioned in different project documents is on account of reference to existing vs. design lengths, which primarily varies due to provision of bypasses and realignments. Page 7 of 106 and in line with the PDO, this operation will have the following three components. Component A: Green Highway Corridor Improvement and Maintenance Total Cost: US$ 1,001 million, including IBRD USD 423.95 million 14. This component includes upgradation and maintenance for 5 years of about 782 km of selected existing National Highways in the states of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh as Green Highways and includes pilots demonstrating resource efficiency, climate resilience, green and safety aspects. These highways will be designed and implemented as corridors to remove choke points and support seamless movement of traffic. The design and contract documents and the Environmental Management Plans that would be prepared for these pilot corridors could serve as models for the rest of the Bharatmala Pariyojana. 15. This component will include: (a) civil works for construction and maintenance; (b) consulting services for supervision during construction and maintenance periods; (c) consultants/non- governmental organizations to assist the MoRTH in the implementation of the Resettlement Action Plans; (d) consulting services for overall project management (Project Management Consultant); (e) a Technical Audit Consultancy for independent verification of Disbursement Linked Indicators and to perform an annual integrated performance audit covering, among others, engineering designs, management of environmental and social mitigation plans, quality assurance, and compliance with loan and contract conditions; (f) a Road User Satisfaction Survey consultant to carry out baseline, midterm, and end stage users’ perception of the positive/negative changes that the project brings about; and (g) land acquisition, resettlement & rehabilitation, shifting of utilities, implementation of Environmental Management Plans, tree cutting, afforestation and agency charges. The loan would provide 50 percent of the construction cost of civil works and 80 percent of cost of construction supervision during the construction period, the Project Management Consultancy and the Technical Audit Consultancy. All the remaining costs will be met through the government funds. Component B: Institutional Capacity Enhancement (Total Cost: US$ 34.5 million, including IBRD US$ 27.6 million) 16. This component will support capacity enhancement of MoRTH in its pursuit to conserve natural resources, improve climate vulnerability of National Highways network and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector, inter alia, by developing policies, guidelines and strategies, training, and mainstreaming the resource efficiency, climate resilience, green and safety aspects in the design, construction and maintenance of highways. This component will have the following five sub-components. (a) Sub-component B1: Development of a Climate Adaptation Policy, guidelines and mainstreaming climate resilience in National Highways design and construction processes (Total US$ 8 million, IBRD US$ 6.4 million): This sub-component will support disaster risk and impact assessment of about 5,000 km of the National Highway network, preparation of a Climate Adaptation Policy, updating key standards and manuals, and mainstream climate resilience in project design and implementation. (b) Sub-component B2: Development of policy, regulation and systems to reduce emissions from transport services (Total US$ 2 million, IBRD US$ 1.6 million): This involves Page 8 of 106 undertaking a study to map the freight volume and movement pattern on the entire National Highway network and identify constraints for efficient use of trucks, designing physical and digital freight management platforms for freight consolidation and interoperability, and recommend complementary innovative logistics solutions as well as transport operators’ and regulators’ coordination mechanism. (c) Sub-component B3: Research and Development for mainstreaming resource efficiency and green solutions in National Highways design and construction processes (Total US$ 21 million, IBRD US$ 16.8 million): This sub-component will support systematic monitoring and evaluation, and documentation of results of the pilot works undertaken in the project for a period of five years through reputed educational/research institutions or universities and inputs provided for updating relevant standards and manuals. (d) Sub-component B4: Development of guidelines and model documents for mainstreaming green and safe highways (Total US$ 1 million, IBRD US$ 0.8 million): This sub-component will support identifying gaps and documenting good practices in the design, implementation and maintenance stages for mainstreaming green and safe highways and preparation of documents, such as the template Terms of Reference for design and supervision of construction, bidding documents and project management process of the EPC contracts, including options for involvement of private sector in innovations in the design and construction aspects. (e) Sub-component B5: Mainstreaming green and safe highways initiatives in the development of highways (Total US$ 2.5 million, IBRD US$ 2 million): This sub-component will support MoRTH in mainstreaming green and safe initiatives by replicating these in about 2,500 km of National Highway network. Component C: Road Safety (Total Cost: US$ 59 million, including IBRD US$ 47.2 million) 17. This component will support capacity enhancement of the MoRTH in road safety management inter alia in the areas of crash database, operationalization of the lead agency for road safety, strengthening safety enforcement and emergency medical response on the National Highways, capacity building and training. This component will have the following four sub-components. (a) Sub-component C1. Support to the Integrated Road Accident Database Management System and the National Highway Safety System (Total US$ 37.5 million, IBRD US$ 30 million): This sub-component will support the ongoing road safety activities under the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project, upon its closure, in development and implementation of (a) the Integrated Road Accident Database Management System for recording and analysis of road accidents, (b) the National Highway Safety System for road safety enforcement, and (c) updating codes and manuals. (b) Sub-component C2. Support to operationalization of the National Road Safety Board (Total US$ 3 million, IBRD US$ 2.4 million): This sub-component will support the operationalization of the National Road Safety Board, and support its activities in the initial startup phase, through expert support as part of an interim secretariat. The activities will include (a) monitoring and evaluation, (b) drafting of rules for the MVAA, and (c) data analysis and recommendations. Page 9 of 106 (c) Sub-component C3. Strengthening highway patrol and emergency response along the project corridors (Total US$ 16.5 million, IBRD US$ 13.2 million): This sub-component will support establishment of combined enforcement and emergency response outposts at critical locations to improve enforcement and post-crash care. These outposts will be equipped with patrol vehicles, advanced life-saving ambulances, cranes, tow trucks, communication system, and surveillance and other enforcement equipment to deter speeding, drink driving and other risky user behaviors. (d) Sub-component C4: Capacity building & training (Total US$ 2 million, IBRD US$ 1.6 million). This sub-component will support training and capacity building of the officials of MoRTH, implementing agencies of MoRTH, and the NRSB in road safety management, crash investigation, safety audit, and monitoring and evaluation E.5 Project Benefits and Beneficiaries 18. The National Highways proposed for upgradation and maintenance have configuration of a single or intermediate or non-standard two-lane pavements. Several sections of the highways proposed under the project have poor horizontal and vertical geometrics, distressed or weak pavements, inadequate capacity, narrow and/or weak cross-drainage structures, steep gradients, formation levels below the High Flood Levels, poor riding quality and black spots prone to accidents. The scope of work under upgradation will include widening of formation width, pavement strengthening and widening, rehabilitation of existing structures, construction of new pavement, structures, drainage facilities, bypasses, realignments, improvement of junctions, provision of road safety features and maintenance for a period of five years after the construction. 19. The project will promote more efficient use of construction materials, which may help change practices in the sector, both within and outside India. Highway administration agencies, professional societies, and the academia will use the research outcomes to adopt resource efficient, energy efficient and GHG emission reducing design and construction standards. Moreover, the reduction in GHG emission will contribute to some degree in the coping-up mechanisms to deal with global warming risks. 20. The designs will incorporate road safety measures which include improvement of junctions, pedestrian facilities (footpaths, guardrails, crossings etc.), crash barriers, speed calming measures (rumble strips, barriers), street lighting, signs and markings, improvement of both horizontal and vertical geometrics of the road alignment, widening of all narrow culverts, improvement of sight distance, replacement of railings/parapets of existing bridges with crash barriers, and parapet walls. To ensure these provisions are implemented, these will be duly embedded in the contract documents, ensuring obligatory implementation as a payable item. Additionally, the contract documents will stipulate road safety audit by an independent Safety Consultant, inclusion of a Qualified Safety Officer and a Safety Supervisor in the Contractor’s working team, monthly reports with construction safety checklist, reporting of accidents, maintenance of insurances for the Contractor’s personnel and third-party, and penalties for not attending to repair of damaged safety items. E.6 Project Cost and Financing 21. The total project cost is USD 1095.75 million, out of which USD 500 million is IBRD financing and Page 10 of 106 the balance USD 595.75 million would be contribution of Government of India. The table below summarizes the financing by components. The total loan of US$500 million will be disbursed based on achievement of results linked to DLIs (in addition to statements of expenditure). 22. The lending instrument is an Investment Project Financing (IPF) with Disbursement Linked Indicators (IPF-DLI). Disbursements will be triggered by the documented execution of eligible expenditures and verification of achievement of the Disbursement Linked Indicators. The DLIs are aimed to provide incentives for achieving results. These are aligned with the PDO and results indicators and will disburse upon achievement of key results. Two factors have been considered in allocation of amounts against individual DLIs: (a) relative importance of the indicator in the entire set of indicators and; (b) the need to match disbursements with cash flows on project activities. 23. The eligible expenditure consists of project related investments (goods, works, non-consulting services, consulting services, training and operating costs) in the GNHCP project. These investments will include (a) cost of construction of National Highway infrastructure and their operational and maintenance costs during the project life time, (b) incentive scheme for private sector contractors, DPR consultants et al for fitting their design, construction and maintenance schedules with resource efficient and green technology, (c) technical assistance to support research and development and mainstreaming of resource efficiency and green solutions in design, construction and maintenance of National Highways by MoRTH, (d) improving road safety in design, construction, operation and maintenance of National Highways, some unfinished components of ongoing NHIIP project will be taken up (iRAD, NHSS) (e) project management support including office improvement, consultant/staff hiring and compensation, capacity on research and design for resource resilience and green solutions mainstreaming, office improvement, modern technological monitoring tools etc. E. 7 Environment Management Framework 24. In a situation, where sub-projects traversing multiple districts are located across four states with varying geographical, topographical and socio-economic conditions, a need was felt to prepare a document that will ‘guide’ the planning, design and construction elements of sub-projects and help in harmonizing environment management principles/approaches during preparation and execution of various sub-projects. In this context, an Environment Management Framework has been prepared for the project. To adequately cover and address the social issues, a separate/stand-alone Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) has been prepared. Purpose and Objectives of Environment Management Framework 25. Good environmental management practices are essential and integral elements of sound project preparation and implementation. From this perspective, more specifically, the Environment Management Framework (EMF) seeks to: 1) Establish clear procedures and methodologies for environmental planning, review, approval and implementation of sub-projects to be financed under the Project. 2) To provide practical guidance for planning, designing and implementing the environmental management measures. 3) Specify appropriate roles and responsibilities, and outline the necessary reporting Page 11 of 106 procedures, for managing and monitoring environmental and related social concerns and; 4) Determine the institutional arrangements, including those related to training and capacity building needed to successfully implement the provisions of the EMF. 26. The application and implementation of the EMF therefore, will: 1) Support the integration of environmental aspects into the decision-making process of all stages related to planning, design, execution, operation and maintenance of sub-projects, by identifying, avoiding and/or minimizing adverse environmental and related social impacts early-on in the project cycle. 2) Enhance the positive/sustainable environmental and social outcomes through improved/ sensitive planning, design and implementation of sub-project activities. 3) Minimize environmental degradation as a result of either individual sub-projects or through their indirect, induced and cumulative effects, as much as possible. 4) Protect human health and 5) Minimize impacts on cultural property. 27. The application of EMF during planning/design and its implementation during the construction stage will also support the achievement of compliance with applicable laws and regulations as well as with the requirements of relevant Bank policies on environmental aspects. Key Contents of the Environment Management Framework 28. The framework describes the principles, objectives and approach to be followed for selecting, avoiding, minimizing and/or mitigating the adverse environmental impacts that are likely to arise as a result of sub-project interventions. The framework details out the various policies, guidelines and procedures that should be integrated during the planning, design and implementation cycle of the project. It also outlines the indicative management measures required to effectively address or deal with the key issues that have been identified. The required institutional arrangements, including those for monitoring, training and capacity building for effective environment management have also been outlined as a part of this framework. More specifically, the Environmental Management Framework includes the following: 1) Information on GoI’s environmental legislations, standards and policies and World Bank safeguard policies that are relevant in the over-all project context. 2) Process to be followed for environmental screening to guide decision-making about proposed sub-projects. 3) Steps and process to be followed for conducting environmental impact assessment and preparation of Environmental Management Plans for selected sub-projects. 4) Preliminary assessment of anticipated environmental impacts in the context of broad/known project interventions. 5) Generic environment management measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate anticipated impacts. 6) Institutional arrangements for environment management, including monitoring and reporting. Page 12 of 106 E.8 Policy, Legal and Administrative Framework 29. All proposed sub-projects under GNHCP are to be consistent with applicable laws, regulations, notifications that are relevant in the context of the proposed sub-project interventions. It is the responsibility of the various Project Implementing Entities to ensure that proposed activities are consistent with the regulatory/legal framework, whether national, state or municipal/local. Additionally, since the project has been proposed for financial assistance from the World Bank, it will be ensured that various interventions/activities are consistent with the operational policies and guidelines of the said international institution. The section below summarizes the applicable regulatory framework to the over-all context of GNHCP. Key Applicable National Laws and Regulations 30. Salient features of some key laws, including amendments thereof, pertaining to environment, health and safety aspects that are applicable to proposed interventions under GNHCP are given below: a) Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and as amended b) The Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 and as amended c) Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 and subsequent amendments d) State Tree Preservation Act and/or Tree Cutting Rules, as may be in force e) Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and as amended f) The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1975 g) State Groundwater Act and Rules, as may be in force and the Guidelines for Groundwater Abstraction, 2012 h) Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and as amended i) The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1982 j) Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and as amended k) The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 l) Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016 m) Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016 n) The Explosives Act 1884 and the Explosives Rules, 2008 o) The Mines Act, 1952 and as amended; the Minor Mineral and Concession Rules, as amended and; the State Mineral (Rights and Taxation) Acts as may be in force Other Applicable National Laws and Regulations 31. Other key laws, including amendments thereof, pertaining to environment, health and safety aspects that are applicable to proposed interventions under GNHCP include: a) The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977, as amended b) The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Rules, 1978, as amended Page 13 of 106 c) Easement Act, 1882, as amended d) Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017 e) Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991, as amended f) The Public Liability Insurance Rules, 1991, as amended g) Notification for use of Fly Ash - November 3, 2009 and its amendment on January 25, 2016 h) Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules, 1996 i) Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals (Amendment) Rules, 2000, as amended j) Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, as amended k) Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, as amended l) Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001, as amended m) Petroleum Rules, 2002, as amended n) Gas Cylinder Rules, 2004, as amended o) The Insecticides Act, 1968 and Insecticides Rules, 1971 and as amended p) Motor Vehicle Act, 2019 (and State Motor Vehicle Act as may be in force) q) Motor Vehicle Rules, 2019 (and State Motor Vehicle Rules as may be in force) 32. Environmental issues during road construction stage generally involve equity, safety and public health issues. The following laws will also apply to GNHCP: a) Workmen's Compensation Act 1923: The Act provides for compensation in case of injury by accident arising out of and during employment. b) Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970: The Act provides for certain welfare measures to be provided by the contractor to contract labour. c) Minimum Wages Act, 1948: The employer is supposed to pay not less than the Minimum Wages fixed by appropriate Government as per provisions of the Act. d) Payment of Wages Act, 1936: It lays down as to by what date the wages are to be paid, when it will' be paid and what deductions can be made from the wages of the workers. e) Equal Remuneration Act, 1979: The Act provides for payment of equal wages for work of equal nature to Male and Female workers and not for making discrimination against Female employees. f) Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986: The Act prohibits employment of children below 14 years of age in certain occupations and processes and provides for regulation of employment of children in all other occupations and processes. Employment of child labour is prohibited in Building and Construction Industry. g) Inter-State Migrant Workmen’s (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979: The inter-state migrant workers, in an establishment to which this Act becomes applicable, are required to be provided certain facilities such as housing, medical aid, travelling expenses from home to the establishment and back, etc. Page 14 of 106 Applicable World Bank Policies 33. The objective of World Bank's environmental safeguard policies is to prevent and mitigate undue harm to people and the environment in the development process. These policies provide guidelines for the identification, preparation, and implementation of programs and projects. The following operational policies are relevant in context of GNHCP from an environmental viewpoint: Applicable Safeguard Policies of the World Bank World Bank Description Applicability Measures to be Taken Policy Environmental This policy is triggered if The project is likely • Application of EMF in project Assessment a project is likely to have to have impacts on planning, DPR preparation and significant adverse the environmental project implementation. OP 4.01 environmental impacts components such • EIAs and corridor specific in its area of influence. as on roadside tree EMPs to be prepared. For Category A projects, plantation, water a comprehensive EIA is bodies, water • Integration of EHS required with emphasis supply sources, requirements and EMPs in the on integrating sensitive receptors bidding documents (through environmental located along the schedules) to provide enabling measures in project roads and hill mechanisms for required planning, design, slopes in addition enforcement. implementation and to air and water operation. quality. Natural This policy supports the Some projects are • Use of environmental Habitats protection, likely to be in screening tool to identify maintenance and proximity to issues/concerns upstream in OP 4.04 rehabilitation of natural sensitive natural the decision-making process. habitats. The Bank habitats with • Conducting detailed EA to doesn’t finance projects wildlife crossing or determine the nature and that involve the movement. magnitude of impacts on conversion of While most of the sensitive and/or ecologically designated critical road corridors are rich areas. Natural Habitats. not located within • Appropriate measures to deal protected domains, with such findings to be one sub-project in incorporated in the Uttar Pradesh may engineering design and the require bridge bidding documents, including construction over a exclusion from the project, if protected habitat. application (in design/DPR) and implementation (during construction) is not found in adherence to norms. Page 15 of 106 World Bank Description Applicability Measures to be Taken Policy Forests Policy covers all projects Some projects are • Avoidance and minimization of OP 4.36 that affect natural or in close proximity forest land uptake by planted forests, to or traverse appropriate methods in the whether positively or forest areas. This engineering design; negatively. includes avenue • Forest Clearances prior to plantation declared award of works; as ‘protected’ such as in Uttar Pradesh. • Use of EMF and EMPs to address impacts as necessary All sub-projects will need diversion of • Compensatory Afforestation. small linear strips of forest land. Pest The policy promotes use The proposed • Requirements of a PMP for Management of biological or project includes such plantation works and OP 4.09 environmental control promulgation of other soft landscaping methods and reduces National Green activities are to be integrated reliance on synthetic Highways Policy, in the EMPs, depending upon chemical pesticides. It which has a thrust the nature and scale of also sets conditions on on tree plantation propositions the acquisition and use for creating carbon- • Selection of pesticides must of pesticides. sink and have negligible adverse human employment. In health impacts such a case, use of pest control • Pesticides to be labeled, methods is handled, stored and applied envisaged. according to standards acceptable to the Bank. Physical Assist in preserving PCR Implementation of • Identification during screening Cultural and in avoiding their sub-projects is • Detailed assessment during Resources destruction or damage. likely to affect EIA/SIA studies OP 4.11 Physical Cultural religious structures of local • Avoiding damage to PCRs with Resource includes significance. Also, appropriate planning at design resources of since civil works are stage. archaeological, paleontological, involved, ‘chance • Shifting and enhancement of historical, finds’ at work sites local religious structures after architectural, religious is a likely impact consultation and consent with (including graveyards that would have to the concerned and burial sites), be accounted and stakeholders/communities. aesthetic, or other managed. • Integration of appropriate cultural significance. provisions in the Contract Documents, including clauses dealing with ‘chance finds’. Page 16 of 106 World Bank Description Applicability Measures to be Taken Policy Access to • The policy governs For each sub- • Consultations during the Information public accessibility of project road, screening exercises. information in the comprehensive • Where reports from the Bank’s possession. consultations have consultations have been found The Bank allows been/are being to be insufficient, the Bank has access to any carried out during provided further guidance for information in its the planning and additional consultations with possession that is not design stages, to regard to ensuring on a list of determine the representativeness in both exceptions. baseline conditions number and categories of and issues; locally • Documents such as stakeholders, prior notification viable mitigation EMF, all EIAs and and methodology to adopt in measures for EMPs will be order to ensure usefulness of addressing disclosed both by the the consultations in terms of environmental Borrower and the design, planning, impacts; consensus Bank. implementation, supervision on engineering and maintenance of the road • The policy requires designs especially corridors under the project. the Borrower to where realignments consult Project and bypasses are • Consultations seeking Affected People and concerned and to consensus on road engineering local NGOs through provide for designs where realignments various phases of the community and and bypasses are proposed. project cycle. It stakeholder • Make EA summary available in requires that groups involvement in public domain (in local being consulted be designing sub- language) before project provided on-time, project appraisal. comprehensible and propositions. easily accessible information. E.9 Potential Environmental Issues and Impacts 34. Based on the findings from the screening exercises carried out for all roads, assessments for five sub-projects and preliminary assessment for remaining four sub-projects, the environmental category for the project has been classified as ‘A’. The following section summarizes the likely environmental impacts that could arise and presents possible ways of addressing them: Probable Adverse Impacts 35. The proposed expansion of the project roads and associated improvement works is likely to create adverse environmental impacts, particularly in case of road corridors that will involve realignments and bypasses, requiring land beyond the existing right of way (RoW). The direct, indirect and induced adverse impacts resulting as a result of upgrading of the project roads (Component 1) may cause adverse environmental impacts in the project area. The proposed Page 17 of 106 expansion of the project roads and associated rehabilitation works will have varying levels of impacts on the surrounding environment. 36. Project activities, if not properly managed and mitigated, could have adverse environmental impacts. These may include: a) Felling of roadside trees; b) Adverse impacts on water resources (water bodies/public water supply sources); c) Impairment to or worsening of the local/regional drainage; d) Issues related to cutting of slopes and management of debris (for hill/mountainous roads) e) Construction phase impacts, including those related to camp site operation, pollution from plants, machinery, and vehicles and disposal of debris/other construction wastes; f) Potential impacts on material sources and common property resources located along the road; g) Impact on environmentally sensitive receptors (such as schools and health facilities) located along the road corridors from increased noise and air pollution during the construction and operation stages; and h) Potential for poorly planned or managed development induced by the improved roads. 37. Uptake of fertile agricultural land, increased traffic from upgraded roads causing safety concerns for road-users and road-side residents, occupational health related risks faced by construction workers and construction stage nuisances such as dust and noise are a few other adverse impacts that are likely to arise on account of planned project interventions. Potential long-term impacts could include changes in land use patterns (from agriculture, natural habitats to real estate, or other non-farming purposes) and changes in occupational patterns. 38. More so, diversion of forest land is required for widening of the road for sub-projects such as NH-516E, NH-158, NH-70 and NH-707. For the other sub-projects (NH-92, NH-730C and NH- 731K), plantation along the avenue declared as ‘protected forest’ will also be affected due to cutting of trees for proposed road expansion/upgrading. 39. By and large, no roads have been proposed for financing in ecologically sensitive habitats such as national parks, tiger/elephant reserves and sanctuaries, except one bridge in NH-92 (Uttar Pradesh) that crosses over a protected area in River Chambal. However, the presence of wildlife habitats and/or crossings outside the protected environs has been identified in some cases. In case of NH-707 and NH-516E, the impact on wildlife in forest areas along/close to the road needs to be addressed through appropriate measures in the engineering design and through enabling provisions in the contract documents to avoid any unwarranted issues during the construction stage. 40. If not properly designed, improved roads could also have safety concerns during the operation phase, especially since design speed improvements are a key desired outcome of the project. 41. No significant change in the macro-climatic parameters (precipitation, temperature and wind) is envisaged due to the project but cutting of roadside trees, laying of paved surface and other construction activities are likely to temporarily affect the micro-climate. 42. India is the sixth most vulnerable nation to climate change impacts, according to a risk index released at COP23 by Berlin-based NGO German watch. In 2016, the country reported the Page 18 of 106 highest number of deaths due to extreme weather (2,119 fatalities) and suffered losses of more than INR 1.4 trillion (USD 21 billion) in property damage. This is almost 1% of India’s GDP of USD 2.5 trillion, and almost equivalent to the country’s whole health budget. It is important to ensure that the transport infrastructure that is created is resilient to the impacts of disasters and climate change induced extreme events. Already, many of the roads and bridges across the country get washed away during floods and sudden cloud bursts causing loss of critical road access to communities and costly repairs of the road infrastructure. The service life of the roads subjected to such events is also low, necessitating frequent reconstruction and maintenance. Weaknesses in engineering designs, construction quality and inadequate maintenance of the existing road network exacerbate the impact of climate/natural disaster events. Unless these aspects are addressed through appropriate infrastructure planning and engineering design in the on-going/new highway programs of the GoI, roads and highway infrastructure stand an increasing risk of losses and damages from these future weather-related events and disasters. Current IRC codes and guidelines do not adequately incorporate these aspects in planning and design. It may be useful to pilot construction of such climate resilient roads along with the use of new materials or technology and monitor the performance so that these aspects can then be mainstreamed into road construction. 43. Pavements are still designed traditionally, without the use of alternate materials. Consequently, natural resources required for road construction such as soil, aggregates and sand are becoming scarce – and increasingly being brought in over large distances from the construction site, leading to spiraling construction costs. The externalities associated with these could be minimized by use of local and marginal materials and industrial byproducts and green technologies by appropriately integrating them into the design of pavements and embankments. This can also generate economic benefits (up to about 25 percent reduction in construction cost specifically in areas where good quality stone is not locally available). 44. The details on the specific nature, magnitude and scale of such impacts will be covered in the analysis/assessment (EIA) for five sub-projects, for which design/DPRs have been prepared. For the remaining four road corridors, the same will be presented in the sub-project EIAs and EMPs once the engineering designs/DPRs are prepared and associated field assessments as part of environment impact studies are completed. Potential Positive Impacts 45. The proposed project will contribute to positive economic growth both locally in the project area and at the regional level by removing barriers to connectivity. Since most of the sub- projects serve as lifelines in the backward/less developed areas, the over-all positive project outcome of the project is expected to be beneficial. 46. The project is expected to have positive impacts in terms of providing better connectivity and improved access to population in less developed or remote areas to more advanced socio- economic centers. Local businesses and inhabitants in the area of influence of the project roads as well as users of the project roads will be direct beneficiaries of the project. These people will have improved access to higher service level highways and transport services. Benefit will also accrue from the savings in travel time and transportation costs. Other expected positive outcomes of the project include improved access to a larger number of economic opportunities, better health services, facilities and higher levels of education, and improved road safety. 47. The strengthened human capital from enhanced habitation connectivity and increased access Page 19 of 106 to employment centers is an important benefit that is expected from the project. Since a substantial part of the project road development is expected to be within the existing Right of Way (RoW), improvements are likely to outweigh the temporary disruptions to the surrounding environment. E.10 Key Principles for Minimizing/Managing Adverse Impacts 48. The over-all environment management strategy for the project involves: (i) an Environment Management Framework (EMF) for the over-all project to guide each key stage of the project cycle (this document); (ii) Environment Screening to identify key issues including those related to biodiversity/wildlife and consider those in the selection and design of sub-projects and; (iii) preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) along with preparation of Corridor- specific Environment Management Plan (EMP) for each sub-project to be financed under the project. An independent review of these documents has been/is being conducted concurrently by the Project Management Consultants (PMC) (appointed for NHIIP, also financed by the World Bank and currently under implementation) in order to ensure compliance with the World Bank Safeguard policies. 49. In order to avoid and minimize adverse environmental and social impacts at sub-project level, the following principles will be adopted for alignment finalization: a) The proposed right of way for bypasses will be 30 meters if the projected traffic is less than 15,000 PCUs in 2030 and 45m if the traffic is more than 15,000 PCUs in 2030. b) The alignment as far as possible will be confined to the available/existing right of way in forest areas. In case of exception, both options (within the existing right of way and the alignment proposal with forest land diversion) would be analyzed before a final decision is made. c) The corridor of impact (CoI) for the project will broadly range between 15m to 18 m to fit the typical cross sections, space for drains, roadside furniture and utilities. However, in specific locations, CoI of less than 15m will also be considered to minimize the impact on environmental and social features. Whereas, in urban areas, if the available land width is found more than the required to fit the cross section, entire available space may be paved from building line to building line to facilitate parking, provision of utility ducts etc. d) Decision on bypasses and realignments is to be taken based on a comparison of options with or without the proposed change in design on a case to case basis. 50. Biodiversity protection and management also forms the core of the over-all environment management approach in the project. There are two key elements of this strategy: (i) avoidance of impacts on critical/ecologically significant natural habitats through a carefully designed screening mechanism and; (b) comprehensive assessment and appropriate design of remaining sub-projects in cases where some diversion of forest land is required and/or where some wildlife corridors/habitats are involved. E.11 Measures to Avoid/Minimize and Mitigate Environmental Impacts 51. The key mitigation measure for the impacts on trees is the provision of compensatory afforestation of at least twice the number of trees cut, in compliance with the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, which would be executed by the Forest Department of concerned Page 20 of 106 state. 52. In addition to this, the Environmental Management Plans (EMPs) will provide for measures addressing construction-stage impacts such as: (a) air and noise pollution including dust generated from material transport, crushers, and asphalt plants; (b) water and soil pollution from spills of fuel, lubricants, and construction camp wastes; (d) operation and rehabilitation of borrow pits, quarries, and construction camps; (e) traffic safety and management; (f) worker’s health and safety and; (g) debris management. 53. Slope stabilization measures using vegetative material are to be proposed as part of design interventions to reduce soil erosion, siltation of water bodies and road maintenance cost apart from improving road aesthetics. 54. Saving water bodies/ponds adjacent to the roads, where these are in use has to be included as part of the engineering design. Other mitigation measures to be provided include the provision of toe wall protection for selected water bodies and provision for compensating the storage volume, in case such protection is not possible. Additional enhancement measures need to be proposed for selected locations based on site conditions and needs. 55. Since the project focuses on the safety of road users among other aspects, design of the roads shall include special provisions close to the settlements like traffic calming measures with signage, pedestrian crossings and other such interventions required in the site’s context. In addition, safe road use orientation training for people, especially children, living in the project area and in schools along the proposed roads is to be explored. 56. The identified potential adverse impacts can be largely mitigated through engineering designs, good construction practices accompanied by site-specific mitigation measures. These environmental management measures must be made a part of designs/DPRs. For impacts that are to be directly undertaken by the Contractor, relevant portions of the Environmental Management Plan will form a part of the bidding/contract document. 57. Further, integration of environmental concerns, specifically resource efficiency, green road elements and climate resilience within the design is an innovative feature of the project design. It has had clear benefits, for instance, with respect to use of alternative material – such as ash from power plants for the construction of embankment wherever it was found to be appropriate. 58. Recycled material from roadway cuts will be used in the project resulting in corresponding reduction in requirement of natural resources typically required for construction. 59. Climate change related impacts have been identified and where possible suitable mitigation measures are to be included as part of the design. 60. Surface runoff that may increase due to increase in the paved surface and overloading of existing drainage facilities can create localized flooding or water logging. For this, improvement of both longitudinal and cross drainage shall be done to avoid such problems. Additional culverts are to be designed to minimize erosion/flooding impacts. This includes provisions of cross drainage structures in place of causeways. Water harvesting structures will be included in the project design for ensuring groundwater recharge along all roads. Recharge pits for runoff water shall be constructed to facilitate the infiltration of water into the ground. 61. Bio-engineering measures are to be integrated into design, specifically to manage the risks of failure from cut slopes and damage caused by construction debris during development of hill Page 21 of 106 roads. 62. Other mitigation/enhancement measures such as the option of solid/vegetative noise barriers for sensitive receptors and avenue tree plantation (in addition to compensatory afforestation) have to be considered depending on the site’s context. 63. In summary, the designs are to confirm with the relevant codes of the Indian Roads Congress and will include green road aspects of natural resource efficiency, use of local materials and stabilization (cement, lime) techniques, use of cut material for embankment filling and pavement layers, use of industrial by-products/wastes (fly ash, waste plastic), recycling (asphalt and granular pavement), use of bio-engineering solutions (for treatment of embankment slopes and rehabilitation of dumping sites), water conservation (redevelopment/enhancement of ponds, water harvesting structures, water channelization structures to protect stream bed and store storm runoff), treatment/s for landslide zones, borrow area rehabilitation, plantation and use of renewable energy sources for lighting (solar). 64. Corridor specific EMP’s will be prepared in line with the EIA findings. The EMP will include mitigation/management measures to address the environmental impacts and these will be appropriately incorporated in the bid documents. The EMPs are to be provided with the necessary budget to carry out the required environmental works and monitoring. 65. The sub-project specific EMPs that have been prepared for GNHCP should be specific to the site conditions and proposed engineering interventions. They should clearly and concisely describe adverse impacts, selected management measures to bring it to an acceptable level and timelines for implementing the given measures. They are to cover the following: a) Potential Adverse Impacts Identified and Mitigation measures to be adopted, together with conditions within which one or other measure would apply and their integration with phases operations of road construction – Design, Pre-construction, Construction/ Implementation and Operation b) Enhancement plans for positive impacts c) Monitoring Plan with indicators, mechanisms, frequency, locations, d) Budgetary allocations for all the above activities e) Institutional arrangements for each activity and mitigation measures f) Implementation schedules for each activity and its integration with the sub-project implementation timelines g) Reporting procedures, including for redressing grievances related to environmental issues E.12 Institutional Arrangements for Environmental Management 66. The environmental management requirements/guidelines/plans need to be applied and implemented at all stages of the project. This requires an institutional mechanism to deal with various processes and requirements at each stage. Within the institutional framework proposed for the project, preparation, implementation, supervision and monitoring of environment functions, particularly the Environment Management Plans (EMP), will be carried out at the three levels - national center, state level and the project/community level with an inbuilt mechanism for coordinating activities between the said levels. Page 22 of 106 Implementation Structure 67. MoRTH is currently implementing the National Highways Inter-connectivity Improvement Project (NHIIP), which is also a Bank funded project for improving selected National Highway segments in states of Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Karnataka and West Bengal. The implementation arrangements for GNHCP will be the same as that for the ongoing World Bank funded NHIIP. 68. The Externally-Aided Projects Cell (EAP-Cell) at MoRTH, supported by a Project Management Consultants (PMC), will have the overall project implementation responsibility. Both these entities are familiar and well exposed to World Bank's safeguard policy requirements on environment. This set-up will include a team comprising an Executive Engineer (EE) designated as an Environment and Social Officer (ESO) and a suitable number of technical and secretarial staff. The EE will ensure that all project activities are complied as per the EMF and EMPs. The PMC will include an Environment Specialist, to work with the EAP’s team. The PMC will be responsible for training, guidance, and recommendations for handling policy and implementation issues at the state and sub-project levels to comply with the EMF and requirements laid out in the EMPs. 69. In each project state, there will be an Environment Officer who will coordinate the preparation/implementation of EMPs. He/she will ensure that these comply with requirements laid out in the EMF for GNHCP and are implemented in accordance to provisions laid out in the contract documents. Finally, for each project road, the PIU will oversee day to day implementation of environment, health and safety plan, including on issues pertaining to tree cutting, plantation works, utility relocation and worksite safety management. 70. The Construction Supervision Consultant/Independent Engineer’s team will have Environment and Safety personnel for day-to-day supervision and monitoring. The Environmental and Safety Officer on the Contractor’s team are to ensure compliance with the environmental contractual clauses and will report on progress or challenges to the Construction Supervisory team, as per the requirements/obligations stated in the Contract Document. 71. Technical Audit Consultants would oversee the implementation of environment management, health and safety related aspects. This will determine whether the sub-projects are complying with regulatory performance standards and approved safeguard instruments. It entails a systematic, documented and periodic review of project implementation and could be a useful tool to improve project management performance on EHS aspects. MoRTH will be responsible for monitoring safeguards issues during implementation until the end of the design lifetime. Readiness Criteria, including Disclosure of Documents 72. The civil works contracts will be taken up for procurement based on a set of Readiness Criteria to avoid a variety of slippages that have routinely affecting similar projects. Use of such a filter is expected to minimize delays in sub-project implementation in the post-award phases and serve as an incentive to participating states to expedite various preparation and pre- construction activities under their jurisdiction. The Readiness Criteria includes a combination of technical, environmental, social and statutory requirements, which would have to be met prior to key procurement events, i.e., invitation of bids and award of contracts, as listed below: Prior to Invitation of Bids Page 23 of 106 1) Final Detailed Project Report (DPR) is approved by MoRTH 2) Application for Forest Land diversion is submitted to the Forest Department. 3) Tree Cutting estimates are prepared and sanctioned by MoRTH 4) All estimates of the line agencies involved with shifting of utilities are approved by MoRTH 5) General Arrangement Drawings for RoB (if any) is approved by the Railways 6) 3D notification for acquisition of land is published. 7) EMP provisions are integrated in the Bidding Document/Schedules Prior to Award of Contract 1) Safeguard documents/instruments, cleared by the Bank, along with the translation of executive summary in vernacular, are disclosed at least 120 days before award of works 2) Permission for forest land diversion is obtained 3) Consultancy contract for RAP-implementation awarded and its personnel mobilized 4) Supervision Consultancy Contract is awarded, and its personnel mobilized 5) Compensation for land owners and R&R assistance to eligible PAPs paid for milestone 1 6) Milestone 1 is made encumbrance-free Monitoring Arrangements for Effective Environmental Management 73. In order to ensure that the proposed mitigation measures have the intended results and comply with GoI and World Bank requirements, the EMF prepared for GNHCP provides guidance on developing an environmental performance monitoring program. The monitoring program consists of performance indicators, reporting formats and necessary budgetary provisions, most of which have been embedded in the estimates for civil works. For each environmental indicator, the plan specifies the parameter/s to be monitored, location, frequency and duration of monitoring. It also specifies the applicable standards, implementation and supervision responsibilities. 74. The application and implementation of EMF/EMPs will be closely monitored (using parameters prescribed in the EMPs) by qualified specialists (including those on the Independent Engineer’s team) who will report on a regular basis. A third-party audit/review agency will also be selected by MoRTH to evaluate the level of compliance with environment, health, and safety requirements and will share its reports. A comprehensive assessment report on environmental performance will be prepared by MoRTH at mid-term and end-term. 75. The project will develop electronic Project Management System (ePMS) that will help monitor physical and financial progress, backed with real time photos showing key construction aspects along with EMP/EHS compliance. Page 24 of 106 Environmental Management Framework Page 25 of 106 Chapter 1 PROJECT BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction India’s road network of 5.48 million kilometers is the second largest and most dense3 in the world. It carries 65 percent of freight traffic, 85 percent of the total passenger traffic in the country and comprises of a primary network of 116,000 km of National Highways (NH), a secondary network of 160,000 km of State Highways (SH) along with Major and Other District Roads (MDR & ODR), and a tertiary network of Rural Roads. The responsibility for planning, construction and maintenance of the primary network lies with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Govt. of India. The MoRTH also formulates national policies and legislations governing road transport. In the last sixty years, the vehicle population grew at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.8 percent putting pressure on the road network. The current passenger traffic is 12,000 Billion passenger-kilometer (BPKM) and it is projected to grow at an annual rate of 15 percent and become 168,000 BPKM by 2032. The current freight traffic is 2,000 Billion ton-kilometer (BTKM) and it is projected to grow at an annual rate of 9.7 percent and become 13,000 BTKM by 2032. In contrast with these growth rates, the NH network, which comprise only 2 percent of the total road network but carries about 40 percent of the road traffic, has grown at a rate of only 2.2 percent over the last sixty years and about 40 percent of the network is in poor condition. In 1998, the Govt. of India (GoI) launched the NHDP covering 56,000 km of NH for development, spread across 7 phases. It is the biggest program (of value about $50 billion) so far that has been taken up by MoRTH primarily through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), an independent entity under the aegis of the same ministry. It also consisted of four/six laning of the Golden Quadrilateral (the highways connecting the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata) and the North-South and East-West Corridors. The national highways not covered under the NHDP form a part of non-NHDP network. Most of the roads that form this network are of poor quality and capacity (single/intermediate/two-lane width) and thereby present unsafe and poor traveling conditions. In the recent years, the Govt. of India has launched some specific programs to develop these roads as these connect the hinterland of the country and are key to the government’s objective of equitable and inclusive growth. These programs among others include the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project (NHIIP), funded by the World Bank and is currently under implementation. Considering that the sector still faces major challenges in terms of efficient movement of goods, the MoRTH has recently launched the Bharatmala Pariyojana Program (BPP) which aims to enhance effectiveness of already built infrastructure; support multi-modal integration, bridging infrastructure gaps for seamless movement; augment inclusiveness by connecting 550 districts through highway linkages; improvement of Logistics Performance Index (LPI) of the country and; creation of jobs. It envisages development of about 26,000 km of economic corridors; 8,000 km of Inter-Corridors; 7,500 km of Feeder Roads; 1,800 km of Expressways; 1,300 km of Port-Connectivity Roads; 2,000 km of Coastal Roads; 2,000 km of International Connectivity Roads; 3,300 km of border roads; 28 ring roads; 3 At 1.66 km/sq km of area, which is higher than that of USA, China, Japan and Russia Page 26 of 106 35 logistic parks; and improvement of 66 congestion points and 125 choke points. A World Bank financed study supported MoRTH in formulation of this program. Phase 1 of this program, which is to develop 24,800 km of these highways in the next five years at a cost of $108 billion, has already been approved by the government and MoRTH has started its implementation. 1.2 Green National Highways Corridor Project Creation of infrastructure to meet the burgeoning transport demand has resulted in improved connectivity in India but a lot needs to be done for seamless movement of traffic and efficient movement of logistics. Focusing primarily on ramping up connectivity of the NH network, little attention has been given on enhancing effectiveness of the infrastructure being built. Most of the non-NHDP network is not built on a trunk transport and feeder route corridor-based approach. In addition to capacity constraints, poor maintenance and disregard for extreme and routine climatic impacts on the built infrastructure are directly affecting Vehicle Operating Costs. Consequently, the cost of movement of logistics in India is one of the highest (about 14 percent of GDP as against about 8-9 percent in developed countries). The road network is not integrated well with other modes of transport resulting in choke points especially around cities and at main intersections. An integrated approach based on enabling the seamless flow of freight and passengers through transport network needs to be built. The Green National Highways Corridor Project (GNHCP) through its support to the Govt. of India’s Bharatmala Pariyojana, will promote the vision of enhancing effectiveness of the transport network of India with cost and natural resources efficiency and safe high capacity highways. The list of roads (sub-projects) identified for inclusion in this project are given below: National Highway Sections Proposed for Inclusion under GNHCP Contract Length S.No. State Highway Section Districts Packages (in kms) (No.) Bowada to Vishakhapatnam and 1. Andhra Pradesh NH-516E 26.94 1 Vizianagram Vijaynagaram 2. Andhra Pradesh NH-516E Paderu to Araku 49.37 Vishakhapatnam 2 Koyyuru to 3. Andhra Pradesh NH-516E 133.43 Vishakhapatnam 3 Paderu Poanta Sahib to 4. Himachal Pradesh NH-707 94.99 Sirmaur, Shimla 4 Gumma 5. Himachal Pradesh NH-707 Gumma to Fediz 9.80 Shimla 1 Hamirpur to 6. Himachal Pradesh NH 70 109.42 Hamirpur, Mandi 3 Mandi Ras-Beawar- Pali, Ajmer, Rajsamand 7. Rajasthan NH-158 116.75 3 Mandal and Bilwara NH-730C Mainpuri, Faroukhabad, 8. Uttar Pradesh and Bewar to Pilibhit 183.43 Shahjahanpur and 4 NH-731K Pilibhit 9. Uttar Pradesh NH-92 Bewar to Ettawa 57.35 Ettawa 2 Page 27 of 106 The operation is also aligned with the Government of India’s objective of eliminating poverty and ensuring access to minimum standard of basic needs for all citizens through investing in growth enablers transport & connectivity Infrastructure. The basic proposition includes strengthening of road pavement in addition to widening to two-lane/two-lane with paved shoulder standards and promoting/ demonstrating green and resilient approaches while doing so. The project includes upgradation, improvement and maintenance of about 782 kms4 of selected existing national highways (nine sub-projects) in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These sections traverse through 15 districts and are likely to be processed for bidding through 23 different contract packages. The proposed stretches of the national highways will be designed and implemented as corridors considering: (a) removal of choke points; (b) facilitating seamless movement of traffic and; (c) demonstrating resource efficiency, climate resilience, green and safety aspects in road design and construction. The design/Detailed Project Reports, Contract Documents and the Environmental Management Plans for these corridors could serve as models for the rest of the Bharatmala Pariyojana. Support to the National Green Highway Mission of the MoRTH will also be provided under this project. 1.3 Project Development Objective The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to develop green and safe National Highway Corridors and enhancing the institutional capacity of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in mainstreaming green technologies. The proposed main indicators of the PDO will include the following: o Natural resource efficiency gains in project highways o Reduced carbon emissions in construction of project highways o Climate resilience aspects incorporated in construction of project highways o Reduced Vehicle Operating Costs on project highways o Reduction of fatalities on project highways o Policy, regulation and systems developed for mainstreaming the green solutions 1.4 Project Components The proposed Project will systematically institutionalize the development of green and safe NHs by implementing pilots, broadening the knowledge base and creating the capability to design, implement and maintain green and safe highways. The institutionalization process will be realized by: (a) Mainstreaming in NH development, the green innovation aspects, namely: • enhancing efficient use of scarce natural resources • reducing GHG emissions from construction and maintenance of highways, and • making the highways climate resilient; (b) Enhancing the road safety management of NHs; and (c) Building the policy framework for green highways development. Based on the foregoing, and in line with the PDO, this operation will have the following three components. 4 The small variation in total length (about 5 kms) mentioned in different project documents is on account of reference to existing vs. design lengths, which primarily varies due to provision of bypasses and realignments. Page 28 of 106 Component A: Green Highway Corridor Improvement and Maintenance Total Cost: US$ 1,001 million, including IBRD USD 423.95 million This component includes upgradation and maintenance for 5 years of about 782 km of selected existing National Highways in the states of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh as Green Highways and includes pilots demonstrating resource efficiency, climate resilience, green and safety aspects. These highways will be designed and implemented as corridors to remove choke points and support seamless movement of traffic. The design and contract documents and the Environmental Management Plans that would be prepared for these pilot corridors could serve as models for the rest of the Bharatmala Pariyojana. This component will include: (a) civil works for construction and maintenance; (b) consulting services for supervision during construction and maintenance periods; (c) consultants/non-governmental organizations to assist the MoRTH in the implementation of the Resettlement Action Plans; (d) consulting services for overall project management (Project Management Consultant); (e) a Technical Audit Consultancy for independent verification of Disbursement Linked Indicators and to perform an annual integrated performance audit covering, among others, engineering designs, management of environmental and social mitigation plans, quality assurance, and compliance with loan and contract conditions; (f) a Road User Satisfaction Survey consultant to carry out baseline, midterm, and end stage users’ perception of the positive/negative changes that the project brings about; and (g) land acquisition, resettlement & rehabilitation, shifting of utilities, implementation of Environmental Management Plans, tree cutting, afforestation and agency charges. The loan would provide 50 percent of the construction cost of civil works and 80 percent of cost of construction supervision during the construction period, the Project Management Consultancy and the Technical Audit Consultancy. All the remaining costs will be met through the government funds. Component B: Institutional Capacity Enhancement (Total Cost: US$ 34.5 million, including IBRD US$ 27.6 million) This component will support capacity enhancement of MoRTH in its pursuit to conserve natural resources, improve climate vulnerability of National Highways network and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector, inter alia, by developing policies, guidelines and strategies, training, and mainstreaming the resource efficiency, climate resilience, green and safety aspects in the design, construction and maintenance of highways. This component will have the following five sub-components. Sub-component B1: Development of a Climate Adaptation Policy, guidelines and mainstreaming climate resilience in National Highways design and construction processes (Total US$ 8 million, IBRD US$ 6.4 million): This sub-component will support disaster risk and impact assessment of about 5,000 km of the National Highway network, preparation of a Climate Adaptation Policy, updating key standards and manuals, and mainstream climate resilience in project design and implementation. Sub-component B2: Development of policy, regulation and systems to reduce emissions from transport services (Total US$ 2 million, IBRD US$ 1.6 million): This involves undertaking a study to map the freight volume and movement pattern on the entire National Highway network and identify constraints for efficient use of trucks, designing physical and digital freight management platforms for freight consolidation and interoperability, and recommend complementary innovative logistics solutions as well as transport operators’ and regulators’ coordination mechanism. Sub-component B3: Research and Development for mainstreaming resource efficiency and green solutions in National Highways design and construction processes (Total US$ 21 million, IBRD US$ 16.8 million): This sub-component will support systematic monitoring and evaluation, and documentation of results of the pilot works undertaken in the project for a period of five years through reputed Page 29 of 106 educational/research institutions or universities and inputs provided for updating relevant standards and manuals. Sub-component B4: Development of guidelines and model documents for mainstreaming green and safe highways (Total US$ 1 million, IBRD US$ 0.8 million): This sub-component will support identifying gaps and documenting good practices in the design, implementation and maintenance stages for mainstreaming green and safe highways and preparation of documents, such as the template Terms of Reference for design and supervision of construction, bidding documents and project management process of the EPC contracts, including options for involvement of private sector in innovations in the design and construction aspects. Sub-component B5: Mainstreaming green and safe highways initiatives in the development of highways (Total US$ 2.5 million, IBRD US$ 2 million): This sub-component will support MoRTH in mainstreaming green and safe initiatives by replicating these in about 2,500 km of National Highway network. Component C: Road Safety (Total Cost: US$ 59 million, including IBRD US$ 47.2 million) This component will support capacity enhancement of the MoRTH in road safety management inter alia in the areas of crash database, operationalization of the lead agency for road safety, strengthening safety enforcement and emergency medical response on the National Highways, capacity building and training. This component will have the following four sub-components. Sub-component C1. Support to the Integrated Road Accident Database Management System and the National Highway Safety System (Total US$ 37.5 million, IBRD US$ 30 million): This sub-component will support the ongoing road safety activities under the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project, upon its closure, in development and implementation of (a) the Integrated Road Accident Database Management System for recording and analysis of road accidents, (b) the National Highway Safety System for road safety enforcement, and (c) updating codes and manuals. Sub-component C2. Support to operationalization of the National Road Safety Board (Total US$ 3 million, IBRD US$ 2.4 million): This sub-component will support the operationalization of the National Road Safety Board, and support its activities in the initial startup phase, through expert support as part of an interim secretariat. The activities will include (a) monitoring and evaluation, (b) drafting of rules for the MVAA, and (c) data analysis and recommendations. Sub-component C3. Strengthening highway patrol and emergency response along the project corridors (Total US$ 16.5 million, IBRD US$ 13.2 million): This sub-component will support establishment of combined enforcement and emergency response outposts at critical locations to improve enforcement and post-crash care. These outposts will be equipped with patrol vehicles, advanced life-saving ambulances, cranes, tow trucks, communication system, and surveillance and other enforcement equipment to deter speeding, drink driving and other risky user behaviors. Sub-component C4: Capacity building & training (Total US$ 2 million, IBRD US$ 1.6 million). This sub- component will support training and capacity building of the officials of MoRTH, implementing agencies of MoRTH, and the NRSB in road safety management, crash investigation, safety audit, and monitoring and evaluation 1.5 Project Benefits and Beneficiaries The National Highways proposed for upgradation and maintenance have configuration of a single or intermediate or non-standard two-lane pavements. Several sections of the highways proposed under the project have poor horizontal and vertical geometrics, distressed or weak pavements, inadequate capacity, narrow and/or weak cross-drainage structures, steep gradients, formation levels below the Page 30 of 106 High Flood Levels, poor riding quality and black spots prone to accidents. The scope of work under upgradation will include widening of formation width, pavement strengthening and widening, rehabilitation of existing structures, construction of new pavement, structures, drainage facilities, bypasses, realignments, improvement of junctions, provision of road safety features and maintenance for a period of five years after the construction. The project will promote more efficient use of construction materials, which may help change practices in the sector, both within and outside India. Highway administration agencies, professional societies, and the academia will use the research outcomes to adopt resource efficient, energy efficient and GHG emission reducing design and construction standards. Moreover, the reduction in GHG emission will contribute to some degree in the coping-up mechanisms to deal with global warming risks. The designs will incorporate road safety measures which include improvement of junctions, pedestrian facilities (footpaths, guardrails, crossings etc.), crash barriers, speed calming measures (rumble strips, barriers), street lighting, signs and markings, improvement of both horizontal and vertical geometrics of the road alignment, widening of all narrow culverts, improvement of sight distance, replacement of railings/parapets of existing bridges with crash barriers, and parapet walls. To ensure these provisions are implemented, these will be duly embedded in the contract documents, ensuring obligatory implementation as a payable item. Additionally, the contract documents will stipulate road safety audit by an independent Safety Consultant, inclusion of a Qualified Safety Officer and a Safety Supervisor in the Contractor’s working team, monthly reports with construction safety checklist, reporting of accidents, maintenance of insurances for the Contractor’s personnel and third- party, and penalties for not attending to repair of damaged safety items. The primary beneficiary will be the population living within the influence area and the users of the road. The main benefit will be from efficient transportation and logistics services, which will be available at a lower transportation cost. Access to higher level of social services will take shorter time. The population will have reduced exposure to dust pollution from damaged road surfaces that can cause severe respiratory health problems. The enhanced levels of road safety measures will also save lives. The industry, agri-business, and service providers will benefit from the improved travel time and logistics through lower cost of transportation of goods and people. The project will create job opportunities for communities living in the influence area and for those involved in construction industry. Improvement of road condition will also help in supporting tourism. The project will also have positive impacts on the vulnerable population, such as women as the developed roads will improve accessibility to social, education and medical facilities, including pre and post-natal health care for themselves and their children. It will generate employment opportunities for women, and they can also get involved in small-scale road-side commercial operations. 1.6 Project Cost and Financing The total project cost is USD 1095.75 million, out of which USD 500 million is IBRD financing and the balance USD 595.75 million would be contribution of Government of India. The table below summarizes the financing by components. The total loan of US$500 million will be disbursed based on achievement of results linked to DLIs (in addition to statements of expenditure). The lending instrument is an Investment Project Financing (IPF) with Disbursement Linked Indicators (IPF-DLI). Disbursements will be triggered by the documented execution of eligible expenditures and verification of achievement of the Disbursement Linked Indicators. The DLIs are aimed to provide incentives for achieving results. These are aligned with the PDO and results indicators and will disburse upon achievement of key results. Two factors have been considered in allocation of amounts against individual DLIs: (a) relative importance of the indicator in the entire set of indicators and; (b) the need Page 31 of 106 to match disbursements with cash flows on project activities. Project Cost and Financing (USD Million) Project Components Project Cost IBRD financing IBRD financing (in %) 1. Green Highway Corridor 1001 423.95 42.35% Improvement and Maintenance 2. Institutional Capacity Enhancement 34.5 27.6 80% 3. Road Safety 59 47.2 80% 4. Front End Fee 1.25 1.25 0.25% Total Project Cost 1095.75 500 45.63% The eligible expenditure consists of project related investments (goods, works, non-consulting services, consulting services, training and operating costs) in the GNHCP project. These investments will include (a) cost of construction of National Highway infrastructure and their operational and maintenance costs during the project life time, (b) incentive scheme for private sector contractors, DPR consultants et al for fitting their design, construction and maintenance schedules with resource efficient and green technology, (c) technical assistance to support research and development and mainstreaming of resource efficiency and green solutions in design, construction and maintenance of National Highways by MoRTH, (d) improving road safety in design, construction, operation and maintenance of National Highways, some unfinished components of ongoing NHIIP project will be taken up (iRAD, NHSS) (e) project management support including office improvement, consultant/staff hiring and compensation, capacity on research and design for resource resilience and green solutions mainstreaming, office improvement, modern technological monitoring tools etc. 1.7 Need of Green and Resilient Highways Connectivity and efficiency are not the only requirements a transport network operation must fulfil, the third requirement is that of managing the ‘externalities’, i.e. the collateral damage suffered by the society or the cost imposed on it because of development and operation of the road network. The externalities, which are difficult to be quantitatively estimated, are health hazards (e.g. due to pollution), short and long-term effects of environmental degradation (e.g. depletion of natural resources) and adverse socio-economic impacts. Transport sector contributes 13 % of Global Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and three fourths of transport-related emissions are from road traffic. With an expanding NH network, it is expected that the emissions because of construction and maintenance activities would continue to rise. It will be critical to ensure that these emissions are limited by adopting construction and maintenance practices/ technologies/materials that are green i.e. resource efficient and low in terms of carbon footprint. Pavements are still designed traditionally, without the use of alternate materials. Consequently, natural resources required for road construction such as soil, aggregates and sand are becoming scarce – and increasingly being brought in over large distances from the construction site, leading to spiraling construction costs. Given its scale, the BPP would only exacerbate these issues across the country. The externalities associated with these could be Page 32 of 106 minimized by use of local and marginal materials and industrial byproducts and green technologies by appropriately integrating them into the design of pavements and embankments. The MoRTH has already launched a National Green Highways Mission (NGHM) following the promulgation of ‘Green Highways Policy’ in September 2015. The NGHM’s objectives include developing a systematic framework for integrated green corridor development along NHs and building resilient ecosystems in form of green corridors for combating climate change effects through GHG sequestration. The GoI plans to carry out plantation along the NHs with participation of the local communities, farmers, NGOs, private sector, government agencies and Forest Departments (state level). India is highly vulnerable to climate change risks and successive, increasingly frequent, extreme climate-related events have disrupted economic activity. India is the 6th most vulnerable nation to climate change impacts, according to a risk index released at COP23 by Berlin-based NGO German watch. It is important to ensure that the transport infrastructure that is created is resilient to the impacts of disasters and climate change induced extreme events. Weaknesses in engineering designs, construction quality and inadequate maintenance of the existing road network exacerbate the impact of these events. Unless these aspects are addressed through appropriate infrastructure planning and engineering design in the on-going/new highway programs of the GoI, roads and highway infrastructure stand an increasing risk of losses and damages from these future weather-related events and disasters. It may be useful to pilot construction of such climate resilient roads along with the use of new materials or technology and monitor the performance so that these aspects can then be mainstreamed into road construction. 1.8 Purpose and Objectives of Environment Management Framework Good environmental management practices are essential and integral elements of sound project preparation and implementation. More specifically, the Environment Management Framework (EMF) seeks to: 1. Establish clear procedures and methodologies for environmental planning, review, approval and implementation of subprojects to be financed under the Project. 2. To provide practical guidance for planning, designing and implementing the environmental management measures. 3. Specify appropriate roles and responsibilities, and outline the necessary reporting procedures, for managing and monitoring environmental and related social concerns of the sub-projects and; 4. Determine the institutional arrangements, including those related to training, capacity building and technical assistance (if required) needed to successfully implement the provisions of the EMF. Page 33 of 106 The application and implementation of the EMF therefore, will: 1) Support the integration of environmental aspects into the decision-making process of all stages related to planning, design, execution, operation and maintenance of sub- projects, by identifying, avoiding and/or minimizing adverse environmental impacts early-on in the project cycle. 2) Enhance the positive/sustainable environmental and social outcomes through improved/ sensitive planning, design and implementation of sub-activities. 3) Minimize environmental degradation as a result of either individual sub-projects or through their indirect, induced and cumulative effects, as much as possible. 4) Protect human health and 5) Minimize impacts on cultural property. The use / implementation of the EMF will also support the achievement of compliance with applicable laws and regulations as well as with the requirements of relevant Bank policies on environment aspects 1.9 Key Contents of the Environment Management Framework The framework describes the principles, objectives and approach to be followed for selecting, avoiding, minimizing and/or mitigating the adverse environmental impacts that are likely to arise due to the project. The framework details out the various policies, guidelines and procedures that need to be integrated during the planning, design and implementation cycle of the Bank-funded project. It also outlines the indicative management measures required to effectively address or deal with the key issues that have been identified. The required institutional arrangements for effective environment management have also been outlined as a part of this framework. Specifically, the Environmental Management Framework includes the following: • Information on country’s environmental legislations, standards and policies and World Bank safeguard policies that are relevant in the over-all project context. • Process to be followed for environmental screening to guide decision-making about proposed sub-projects • Steps and process to be followed for conducting environmental impact assessment and preparation of Environmental Management Plans for selected sub-projects • Preliminary assessment of anticipated environmental impacts in the context of broad/known project interventions. • Generic environment management measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate anticipated impacts • Institutional arrangements for environment management, including monitoring and Page 34 of 106 reporting. 1.10 Application of the EMF The EMF needs to be integrated into the preparation and implementation stages of the various project components. It is an essential ingredient aligned with the project/sub- project activities and is to be followed through the entire project cycle from planning, including site identification; design; implementation and operation/maintenance to attain the above outlined purpose and objectives. 1.11 Revision/Modification of the EMF The EMF will be an “up-to-date‟ or a “live document‟ enabling revision, when and where necessary. Unexpected situations and/or changes in the project or sub-component design would therefore be assessed and appropriate management measures will be incorporated by updating the Environment Management Framework. Such revisions will also cover and update any changes/modifications introduced in the legal/regulatory regime of the country/ state. Also, based on the experience of application and implementation of this framework, the provisions and procedures would be updated, as appropriate in consultation with the World Bank and the implementing agencies/ departments. Page 35 of 106 Chapter 2 POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK This chapter serves as a reminder that all activities under the proposed project must be consistent with all applicable laws, regulations, notifications that are relevant in the context of the proposed project interventions. It is the responsibility of the various Project Implementing Entities to ensure that proposed activities are consistent with the regulatory/legal framework, whether national, state or municipal/local. Additionally, it is also to be ensured that activities are consistent with World Bank’s Operational Policies and guidelines. This section is not a legal opinion on the applicability of the law but serves as guidance in the application of the law to the current project context. 2.1 Key Applicable National Laws and Regulation The applicable environmental rules and regulations are summarized and furnished in the table below: Summary of Environmental Legislation Applicable to the Proposed Project S. No. Act / Rules Purpose Reason for Applicability Authority 1. Environment To protect and It is umbrella legislation MoEF&CC, (Protection) improve overall for environmental SPCB Act- 1986 environment protection and management. Various notifications, rules and schedules are promulgated under this act. 2. Environmental Prior The project roads do not SEIAA/ Impact environmental require clearance under DEIAA Assessment clearance for the preview of EIA Notification, designated Notification, 2006 and 2006 & activities for subsequent subsequent Category A and B amendments. However, activities projects under for opening of new Environmental borrow areas and stone Impact Assessment quarry, prior Notification, 2006 environmental & subsequent clearance is required amendments from SEIAA/DEIAA. Page 36 of 106 S. No. Act / Rules Purpose Reason for Applicability Authority 3. Notification for Promote utilization Utilization of fly ash MORTH use of Fly ash, of fly ash and from the Coal Based November 3, discourage use of Thermal Power Plants 2009 and its top soils within a located within 300 km. amendment radius of 300 km of Fly ash can provide on 25th January a thermal power technically viable, 2016 plant for environmentally sound construction or & cost-effective even approval of alternative to natural design for borrow soil. construction of roads or flyover embankments. 4. Forest To check The road passing Dept. of Conservation deforestation by through forest area, Forest/MOEF& Act, 1980 restricting require prior forest CC conversion of clearance for diversion forested areas into of forest land for non- non- forested areas forest use. 5. The Schedule Recognition of In case any schedule District Tribes and Forest Rights of tribes and other Authority/ Other Schedule Tribes traditional forest Forest Traditional and Other dwellers, have been Department Forest Traditional Forest given forest rights for Dwellers Dwellers along the forest land to be (Recognition of sub project roads. diverted for the project Forest Rights) road. Act, 2006 6. The Wildlife To protect wildlife, This act is applicable for NBWL, Protection Act, if occurred along wildlife protection in MOEF&CC 1972 the project the Wildlife Sanctuary, National Park, wildlife corridors, etc. Page 37 of 106 S. No. Act / Rules Purpose Reason for Applicability Authority 7. Air (Prevention To control air This act is applicable for SPCB and Control of pollution & construction phase to Pollution) Act, controlling control stack/fugitive 1981 emissions of air emissions and to pollutants as per manage ambient air the prescribed quality at project site standards. and ancillary activities like crusher plant, hot mix plant, concrete batch mix plant, WMM Plants, DG Set etc, for the road The NAAQ standards for Ambient Air Quality have been promulgated by the MoEF&CC for various land uses. 8. Water To control water This act is applicable for SPCB Prevention and pollution by construction phase of Control of controlling the roads to manage to Pollution) Act, discharge of liquid liquid effluent 1974 pollutants as per discharges from worker the prescribed camp, concrete batch standards mix plant, etc. 9. Noise Pollution The standards for This act will be SPCB (Regulation noise for day and applicable for all and Control) night have been construction Rule 2000 promulgated by the equipment/ plant and MoEF&CC for machinery including various land uses. vehicles deployed for construction of the proposed roads to regulate ambient noise levels This act will be applicable to regulate noise nuisance during Page 38 of 106 S. No. Act / Rules Purpose Reason for Applicability Authority construction phase. 10. Hazardous and Protection to the The rules will be SPCB Other Wastes general public applicable to used oil (Management, against improper generated from & Trans- handling and construction boundary disposal of equipment/ machinery Movement) hazardous wastes during construction Rules, 2016 works. The rule includes and amended storage, handling, thereof transportation procedures and requirements for safe disposal of hazardous wastes. 11. Construction Safe disposal and This rule shall be Local Municipal and management of applicable to generation Corporation Demolition construction and of wastes resulting from Waste demolition wastes demolition of road Management sections, bridge and Rules, 2016 culvert structures and scarifying of surface of existing road and from road construction activities. 12. Solid Waste Collection and This rule is applicable to Local Municipal Management disposal of all forms/types of solid Corporation Rules 2016 municipal solid waste generated at waste construction activities, camp site, plant sites, etc.. 13. Guidelines to Regulate and NOC/Permission will be CGWA Regulate and control ground required for withdrawal Control water extraction of ground water Ground Water for various infrastructure and other Extraction in purpose. projects India, 2019 Page 39 of 106 S. No. Act / Rules Purpose Reason for Applicability Authority 14. Mines and This act has been The construction of DEIAA/ Minerals notified for safe project road will require SEIAA (Development and sound mining aggregate through and activity for borrow mining from quarries Regulation) earth, sand and and earth from borrow Amendment stone. areas. Act, 2015 15. Minor Mineral For opening new Regulate use of minor District and concession borrow / quarry minerals like stone, soil, Collector, Rules, 2015 river sand etc. DEIAA/ SEIAA 16. Ancient Protection of Applicable for Archaeological Monuments Archaeological archaeological Survey of India and Monuments Sites monuments located Archaeological and Remains within 300m of the sub- Sites and project and chance Remains Act, finds. 1958 17. Explosive Act, An Act to regulate If contractor open stone Chief 1984 the manufacture, quarry and use Controller of possession, use, explosive for stone Explosives sale, [transport, quarrying for sub import and export] projects. of Explosives 18. The Building To regulate the To ensure safety and State Labour and Other employment and welfare measures for Department Construction conditions of workers employed at Workers construction construction sites. (regulation of workers and to Compliance to employment provide for their provisions of health and and conditions safety, health and safety measures for the of service) Act, welfare measures construction workers in 1996 and for other conformity with BOCW matter incidental rule is necessary during thereto construction stage. Page 40 of 106 S. No. Act / Rules Purpose Reason for Applicability Authority 19. Bonded Labour An Act to provide Contractors shall State Labour System for the abolition of employ numbers of Department (Abolition) Act, bonded labour Labours during 1976 along system with a view Construction Phase. with Rules, to preventing the Contractor will ensure 1976 economic and that there is no Bonded physical Labour by him or sub- exploitation of the contractors. weaker sections of the people and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. 20. Contract The Object of this Contractors shall State Labour Labour regulation is to employ numbers of Department (Regulation prevent work-force during and Abolition) exploitation of Construction Phase. The Act 1970 along contract labour and Act applies to the with rules, also to introduce Principal Employer of an 1971 better conditions of Establishment and the work. Contractor where in 20 or more workmen are employed even for one day during preceding 12 months as Contract Labour. 21. Employees It is a beneficent It is applicable to State Labour Provident piece of social contractors, employing Department Funds and welfare legislation Workman more than 20 Miscellaneous aimed at promoting persons during Provisions Acts and securing the Construction Phase 1952 along well-being of the with EPF employees Scheme Rules and Forms Page 41 of 106 S. No. Act / Rules Purpose Reason for Applicability Authority 22. Employees Protect the interest It is applicable to State Labour State of workers in contractors, employing Department Insurance Act contingencies such labours for construction 1948 along as sickness, works which will include with Rules and maternity, both men and women. Regulations temporary or permanent physical disablement, death due to employment injury resulting in loss of wages or earning capacity. The Act also guarantees reasonably good medical care to workers and their immediate dependents. 23. Equal An Act to provide It is applicable to State Labour Remuneration for the payment of contractors, employing Department Act, 1976 equal labour for construction along with remuneration to works which will include allied Rules men and women both men and women. workers and for the prevention of discrimination, on the ground of sex, against women in the matter of employment and for matters, connected therewith or incidental thereto. Page 42 of 106 S. No. Act / Rules Purpose Reason for Applicability Authority 24. Inter State Act of the It is applicable to the State Labour Migrant Parliament of India contractor employing Department Workmen enacted to regulate workers from other (Regulation of the condition of states also. Employment service of inter- and Conditions state labourers in Service Act Indian labour law. The Act's purpose is to protect workers whose services are requisitioned outside their native states in India. Whenever an employer faces shortage of skills among the locally available workers, the act creates provision to employ better skilled workers available outside the state 25. Minimum To ensure that Under this act, payment State Labour Wages Act workman gets at of minimum wages for Department 1948 along least minimum workers employed for with Central wages as fixed by construction works will Rules 1950 Govt. Minimum be ensured. wages sets the lowest limit below which wages cannot be allowed to sink. Page 43 of 106 S. No. Act / Rules Purpose Reason for Applicability Authority 26. Central Motor The Act provides in This rule is applicable Motor Vehicle Vehicle Act detail the for drivers/ conductors Department 2019 legislative of vehicles, registration provisions of motor vehicles, regarding licensing control of motor of drivers/ vehicles through conductors, permits, traffic registration of regulations, control of motor vehicles, pollution from vehicles, control of motor insurance, liability, vehicles through penalties for violation permits, special and offences of traffic provisions relating rules. to state transport undertakings, traffic regulation, insurance, liability, offences and penalties. The following paragraphs highlight some salient features of select laws, which have a particularly important bearing on the design and implementation of the proposed project. 1. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and EIA Notification, 2006 The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 was introduced as an umbrella legislation that provides a holistic framework for the protection and improvement to the environment. In terms of responsibilities, the Act, the associated Rules and notifications issued time to time requires environmental clearances to be sought for specific types of new / expansion projects (addressed under Environmental Impact Assessment Notification) and for submission of an environmental statement to the State Pollution Control Board annually. As per EIA Notification 2006 and amendments thereafter, the MOEF&CC forms a State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and District Level Environmental Assessment Authority (DEIAA). All projects and activities are broadly categorized into two categories as Category A and B. All projects or activities included as Category “A‟ in the Schedule of EIA Notification 2006 and amendments thereafter, shall require prior environmental clearance from the MoEF&CC on the recommendations of an Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) constituted for appraisal of the environmental clearance for projects. Page 44 of 106 All projects or activities included as Category „B‟ in the Schedule, will require prior environmental clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and District Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA). The SEIAA/DEIAA shall base its decision on the recommendations of a State/District level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC/DEAC) as to be constituted for in this notification. Environment Clearance Procedure As per the EIA Notification dated 14th September 2006 and amended on August 22, 2013, the requirement of environmental clearance for the road project as given below: Category-A: i) New National Highway, ii) Expansion of National Highways greater than 100 km, involving additional right of way greater than 40 ma along existing alignment and 60 m for bypasses and realignments. Category-B: (i) All New State Highway Projects ii) State Highway expansion projects in hilly terrain (above 1,000m AMSL) and or ecologically sensitive area” General Condition: any project or activity specified in Category B will be treated as Category A if located in whole or in part within 10.0 km from the boundary of: i) protected areas notified under the Wild Life (protection) Act, 1972, ii) Critically polluted areas as notified by the Central Pollution Control Board from time to time, iii) Notified Eco-sensitive areas, and iv) Inter State Boundaries and International Boundaries. For obtaining prior environmental clearance, online application is submitted (both for Category A and B projects) on PARIVESH portal (https://parivesh.nic.in/) of MoEF&CC. PARIVESH (Pro Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive and Virtuous Environmental Single window Hub) is a web based, role based workflow application which has been developed for online submission and monitoring of the proposals submitted by the proponents for seeking Environment, Forest, Wildlife and CRZ Clearances from Central (MOEF&CC), State (SEIAA) and district level (DEIAA) authorities. It automates the entire tracking of proposals which includes online submission of a new proposal, editing/updating the details of proposals and displays status of the proposals at each stage of the workflow. 2. Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 pertains to the cases of diversion of Reserved, Protected, Unclassified and other forest areas. Depending on the size of the forest area to be diverted forest clearance are obtained from DFO (less than 1 ha), State Govt., Regional Office of MOEF&CC and MOEF&CC. Restrictions and clearance procedure proposed in the Forest (Conservation) Act applies wholly to the natural forest areas, even in case the protected/designated forest area does not have any vegetation cover. Feedback from the environmental screening exercise indicates that the some roads will require diversion of forest lands across various forest categories – reserve forests, protected forests such as notified roadside plantations, unclassified and other forest area. Under the Forest Conservation Act (1980) and Forest Conservation Rules (2003) forest land diversion Page 45 of 106 and tree felling on forest lands (including notified protected road-side plantations) requires a Forest Clearance and tree cutting permission from the State, and/or Central Government. Having adopted proactive environmentally conscious engineering design for road re- alignments, rehabilitation and up-gradation works, the potential result would be/should be relatively minimal diversion of forest and tree felling. Forest Clearance Procedure For obtaining prior forest clearance, online application is submitted on PARIVESH portal (https://parivesh.nic.in/) of MoEF&CC. It automates the entire tracking of forest proposals which includes online submission of a new proposal, editing/updating the details of forest proposals and displays status of the proposals at each stage of the workflow. 3) Water and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Acts Water Act and Air Acts provide for the prevention and control of water and air pollution respectively. These acts empower the State Pollution Control Boards to collect effluent and stack emission samples, entry to industrial units for inspection, power to prohibit on use of any water bodies for waste disposal and creation of new discharge outlets, provide consents to set up and operate certain facilities likely to create air and water pollution including power to give directions and prosecuting offenders. The Air and Water Act are particularly applicable to civil works activities. All construction work contractors need to obtain the Consent-To-Establish and Consent-To- Operate for plants i.e. concrete batching plant, WMM plants, stone crushers and hot mix plants required for the construction of roads. The prior Consents need to be obtained from the SPCB. Wherein the existing plants are used to procure the construction materials, the contractor shall ensure that all applicable consents are obtained for operating the plants/equipment. 4) Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017 These rules shall apply to the wetlands or wetlands complexes, namely: (a) wetlands categorised as 'Wetlands of International Importance' under the Ramsar Convention; (b) wetlands as notified by the Central Government, State Government and Union Territory Administration. The wetlands shall be conserved and managed in accordance with the principle of 'wise use' as determined by the Wetlands Authority. The activities, which are prohibited within the wetlands, are (i) conversion for non-wetland uses including encroachment of any kind; (ii) setting up of any industry and expansion of existing industries; (iii) manufacture or handling or storage or disposal of construction and demolition wastes, hazardous substances, electronic waste covered. solid waste dumping, discharge of untreated wastes and effluents, poaching, etc. 5) Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules, 1959 As per the Act, area within a radius of 100m and 300m from the “protected monuments” are designated as “protected area” and “controlled area” respectively. No development activity (including construction of road) is permitted in the “protected area” and all development Page 46 of 106 activities likely to damage the protected property are not permitted in the “controlled area” without prior permission of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Protected property entails the site/remains/ monuments are protected by ASI or the State Department of Archaeology. Activities in such protected areas, then the implementing agency needs to undertake the protected areas should not be undertaken. If activities are to be done in the controlled area of protected site, necessary clearances from ASI will be obtained. 2.2 Key Statutory Clearance Requirements – Construction Stage During the construction stage, some of the key statutory requirements that need to be obtained by the Contractor as part of mobilization (pre-construction) have been listed in the table given below. Key Statutory Clearances to be Obtained by the Contractor S. Clearance/Consents Statute under which clearance is Statutory No. Required for required Authority 1. Stone Quarry and Borrow EIA Notification 2006 and DEIAA/SEIAA Area for Sand and Earth subsequent amendment there after 2. Hot mix plants, Crushers Air (Prevention and Control of State Pollution and Batch Mix Plants Pollution) Act, 1981 Control Board 3. Storage, Handling And Hazardous and Other Waste State Pollution Transport of Hazardous (Management and Transboundary Control Board Wastes Movement) Rules 2016 4. Storage and Handling Fuel Manufacture, Storage and Import of Chief Controller Oil (Like High Speed Hazardous Chemical (Amendment) of Explosives Diesel) Rules, 2000 (CCE) 5. Location, discharge of Water (Prevention and Control of emission, sewage/waste Pollution) Act, 1974 & Air State Pollution water discharge from (Prevention and Control of Control Board plant, labour camps and Pollution) Act, 1981 crushers sites 6. Permission for Central Ground Guidelines to Regulate and Control Withdrawal of Water Ground Water Extraction in India Groundwater for Authority (With effect from 01.06.2019 Construction (CGWA) 7. Disposal of Bituminous Construction and Demolition (C&D) Local Civic Wastes Waste Management Rules, 2016 Body Page 47 of 106 2.3 Applicable World Bank Policies The World Bank's environmental and social safeguard policies (ten of them) are a cornerstone of its support to sustainable poverty reduction. The objective of these policies is to prevent and mitigate undue harm to people and the environment in the development process. These policies provide guidelines for the identification, preparation, and implementation of programs and projects. The following operational policies are relevant in context of the Project from an environmental viewpoint: Applicable Safeguards Policies of the World Bank World Bank Measures to be Description Applicability Policy incorporated Environmental This policy is triggered if a The project may Application of EMF Assessment project is likely to have have impacts on the in project planning, OP 4.01 significant adverse environmental DPR preparation and environmental impacts in components such as project its area of influence. For on water bodies, implementation. Category A projects, a trees, and hill Integration of EHS comprehensive EIA is slopes. requirements in required with emphasis on standard bidding integrating environmental documents will measures in project provide enabling planning, design, mechanism for implementation and required operation. enforcement. Natural This policy supports the Some projects are Development of Habitats protection, maintenance likely to be in close environmental OP 4.04 and rehabilitation of proximity to screening tool and natural sensitive natural conducting the said habitats. The Bank doesn’t habitats. exercise to finance projects that determine the involve the conversion of nature and designated critical Natural magnitude of habitats. impacts on sensitive and ecologically critical areas. Appropriate measures to deal with such findings, including exclusion of some project roads, as may be necessary. Page 48 of 106 World Bank Measures to be Description Applicability Policy incorporated Forests Policy covers all projects Some projects are in Avoidance and/or that affect natural or close proximity to or minimization of OP 4.36 planted forests, whether traverse forest areas forest uptake by positively or negatively. and may need forest appropriate land diversion. methods in the engineering design; Forest Clearances prior to award of works; Use of EMF to address impacts as necessary; Compensatory Afforestation. Physical Assist in preserving PCR Implementation of Avoiding the Cultural and in avoiding their sub-projects is likely destruction or Resources destruction or damage. to affect religious damage to physical (PCR) PCR includes resources of structures of local cultural resources. archaeological, significance. Also, Shifting and OP 4.11 paleontological, historical, since civil works are enhancement of architectural, religious involved, ‘chance community (including graveyards and finds’ at work sites is structures after burial sites), aesthetic, or a likely impact that consultation and other cultural significance. would have to be consent. accounted and managed. Pest The policy promotes use of The proposed Requirements of a Management biological or project includes PMP for such environmental control promulgation of plantation works OP 4.09 methods and reduces National Green and other soft reliance on synthetic Highways Policy, landscaping chemical pesticides. It also which has a thrust activities are to be sets conditions on the on tree plantation integrated in the acquisition and use of for creating carbon- EMPs, depending pesticides. sink and upon the nature and employment. In scale of propositions such a case, use of Pesticides to be pest control labeled, handled, methods is stored and applied envisaged. according to standards acceptable to the Bank. Page 49 of 106 World Bank Measures to be Description Applicability Policy incorporated Consultation The policy requires the For each sub- Feasibility/DPR and Disclosure borrower to consult project road, consultants have Requirements Project Affected People comprehensive carried out (BP 17.50) and local NGOs through consultations will be consultations during the various phases of the required during the the screening project: before EIA TORs design, planning and exercises. Where are finalized and when the implementation reports from the draft EIA is available. It stages: to determine consultations have requires that groups being the baseline been found to be consulted be provided on- conditions/ issues; grossly insufficient, time, comprehensible and locally viable the Bank has easily accessible mitigation measures provided further information before for addressing guidance for consultations. The policy environmental additional also requires that the impacts; consensus consultations with borrower to make the EA on engineering regards to ensuring summary available in the designs especially representativeness state (in a local language) where realignments in both number and and a public places to all and bypasses are categories of the stakeholders prior to concerned; stakeholders, prior appraisal. community notification and involvement/ methodology to support for adopt in order to supervising and ensure usefulness of monitoring project the consultations to implementation. both the affected groups and the borrower in terms of design, planning, implementation, supervision and maintenance of the roads projects. Another important dimension of the consultations is with seeking consensus on road engineering designs where realignments and bypasses are concerned. Page 50 of 106 i. Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01) Environmental Assessment is used in the World Bank to identify, avoid, and mitigate the potential negative environmental impacts associated with Bank’s lending operations early- on in the project cycle. The policy states that Environment Assessment (EA) and mitigation plans are required for all projects having significant adverse environmental impacts or involuntary resettlement. Assessment should include analysis of alternative designs and sites, or consideration of “no option” and require public participation and information disclosure before the Bank approves the project. In World Bank operations, the purpose of Environmental Assessment is to improve decision making, to ensure that project options under consideration are sound and sustainable, and that potentially affected people have been properly consulted and their concerns addressed. The World Bank's environmental assessment policy and recommended processing are described in Operational Policy (OP)/Bank Procedure (BP) 4.01: Environmental Assessment. ii. Natural Habitat (OP 4.04) The policy implementation ensures that Bank-supported development projects consider the conservation of natural habitats, in order to safeguard their unique biodiversity and ensure the sustainability of the environmental services and products which natural habitats provide to human society. This policy is applicable when a project (including any subproject under a sector investment or financial intermediary loan) with the potential to cause significant conversion (loss) or degradation of natural habitats, whether directly (through construction) or indirectly (through human activities induced by the project). iii. Forest (OP 4.36) The implementation of the policy ensures that envisaged forest sector activities and other Bank sponsored interventions which have the potential to impact significantly upon forested areas: (a) Do not encroach upon significant natural forest areas that serve important social, environmental or local economic purposes. (b) Do not compromise the rights of local communities to continue their traditional use of forests in a sustainable fashion. (c) Do not finance commercial logging operations, in the case of primary tropical moist forest, nor any purchase of equipment for this purpose. iv. Physical Cultural Resources (OP 4.11) The World Bank Policy OP/BP 4.11 defines physical cultural resources as movable or immovable objects, sites, structures, groups of structures, natural features and landscapes that have archaeological, paleontological, historical, architectural, religious, aesthetic, or other cultural significance. Physical cultural resources may be located in urban or rural settings, and may be above or below ground, or under water. Their cultural interest may be Page 51 of 106 at the local, provincial or national level, or within the international community. The Bank assists countries to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts on physical cultural resources from development projects that it finances. The impacts on physical cultural resources resulting from project activities, including mitigating measures, may not contravene either the borrower’s national legislation, or its obligations under relevant international environmental treaties and agreements. The borrower addresses impacts on physical cultural resources in projects proposed for Bank financing, as an integral part of the environmental assessment (EA) process. 2.4 Applicable MoRTH and IRC Specifications All road works in India are to be in accordance with the MoRTH specifications for Road and Bridge works and guidelines of Indian Roads Congress (IRC). The MoRTH specifications have special provisions towards protection of environment under Clause 501, Annexure A and the contractor is to satisfy the provisions. Apart from the Annexure A to clause 501, there are provisions for control of erosion, drainage, dust suppression, borrow area and haul road management under relevant sections. Provisions of clause 501 Annexure A, cover the environmental aspects as: The contractor shall take all necessary measures and precautions to carry out the work in conformity with the statutory and regulatory environmental requirements. The contractor shall take all measures and precautions to avoid nuisance or disturbance from the work. It shall be precautionary measures than General abatement measures taken after generation of nuisance. In the event of any spoil, debris, waste or any deleterious material from site being deposited on adjacent land, the same shall be removed and affected area shall be restored to its original state. The contractor to devise and arrange methods to control dust, gaseous or other airborne emissions in such a way that adverse impacts on air quality are minimized. Dust shall be minimized from stored material and stockpiles by spraying water. Air Covering of material likely to generate dust during transportation is to be covered with tarpaulin. Spraying of water on haul roads, if found necessary. The contractor shall prevent any interference with supply/abstraction of water resources. Water used for dust suppression shall be reused after settlement of material in collected water. Liquid waste products to be disposed off such that it does not cause Page 52 of 106 pollution. Water No debris is to be deposited or disposed into/adjacent to water courses. Control of No uncontrolled disposal of wastes shall be permitted. The contractor shall wastes make specific provisions for disposal of all forms of fuel and engine oil, all types of bitumen, cement, surplus aggregate, gravels, bituminous mixtures etc. conforming to local regulations and acceptance of the engineer Noise The contractor shall use all necessary measures to reduce noise from construction equipment and maintain all silencing equipment in good condition. Emergency The contractor shall plan and provide for remedial measures in case of Response occurrence of emergencies as spillages of oil, bitumen or chemicals. In addition to the above conditions, avoidance measures and control of activities having potential for generation of environmental impacts are devised. These include: Section 111 Precautions for safeguarding the environment Clause 201.2 Preservation of Property/Amenities during clearing and grubbing Clause 301.3.2 Stripping and storing of topsoil for reuse during excavation for roadway and drains Clause 302.4 Restriction on timings for blasting operations Clause 304.3.6 Public safety near towns/villages where excavation is carried out Clause 305.2.2.2 Locations of borrowing and relevant regulations Clause 305.3.3 Stripping and storing of topsoil at borrow locations Section 306 Soil erosion and sedimentation control Clause 407.4.2 Provisions for turfing on median and islands Section 517 Recycling of bituminous pavement and excavated material Clause 701.2.1 Use of geo-textiles for control of soil erosion Section 810 Use of Metal beam crash barriers for safety, relevant regulations and specifications Clause 2501 Precautions during river training works 2.5 Other Relevant Technical Guidance Materials and Standards The guidelines endorsed by MoEF&CC for the application of Environmental Protection Act, 1986 for Highway Projects (including the Environmental Impact Assessment Guidance Manual for Highways, February 2010) and World Bank’s operational policies on environment shall be adopted/followed for the environment screening, conducting EIA and preparing/ Page 53 of 106 implementing the EMP. 2.6 IRC Codes Applicable with Respect to Environment Key Indian Road Congress (IRC) Codes applicable for the sub project roads with respect to environment are given below: S. IRC Code Theme Year Purpose No. 1. Recommendations for Road IRC:34-2011 Construction in water Construction in Areas Affected by logged areas Water Logging, Flooding and/or Salts Infestation 2. Recommended Practice for IRC:36-2010 Issues relating to Borrow Construction of Earth pits Embankments and Sub-Grade for Road Works (First Revision) 3. Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities IRC: 103 -1988 Safety of pedestrians 4. Recommended Practice for IRC:120-2015 For recycling of Recycling of Bituminous Pavements bituminous pavements 5. Guidelines for Use of Construction IRC:121-2017 Use of Construction and and Demolition Waste in Road Demolition Waste in Road Sector Sector 6. Guidelines on Landscaping and Tree IRC:SP:21-2009 Landscaping and Tree Plantation Plantation along of the road 7. Guidelines on Road Drainage IRC: SP: 42-1994 Drainage 8. Highway Safety Code IRC: SP: 44-1994 Highways safety 9. Guidelines for Use of Flyash in Road IRC:SP:58-2001 Use of Flyash in Road Embankments Embankments 10. Guidelines for Use of Geotextiles in IRC:SP:59-2002 Use of Geotextiles in Road Road Pavements and Associated Pavements and Works Associated Works 11. Guidelines for Soil and Granular IRC:SP-89-2010 Soil and Granular Material Material Stabilization Using Cement Stabilization Using Lime and Fly Ash Cement Lime and Fly Ash 12. Guidelines on Requirements for IRC:SP-93-2017 Requirements for Environmental Clearance for Road Environmental Clearance Projects for Road Projects 13. Guidelines for the use of Waste IRC:SP-98-2013 Use of waste plastic in hot Page 54 of 106 S. IRC Code Theme Year Purpose No. Plastic in Hot Bituminous Mixes (Dry bituminous mixes (dry Process) in Wearing Courses process) in wearing courses 14. Use of Cold Mix Technology in IRC:SP-100-2014 Use of Cold Mix Construction and Maintenance of Technology in Roads Using Bitumen Emulsion Construction and Maintenance of Roads Using Bitumen Emulsion 14. Interim Guidelines for Warm Mix IRC:SP-101-2014 Warm Mix Asphalt Asphalt 15. Guidelines on Preparation and IRC:SP-108-2015 Preparation and Implementation of Environment Implementation of EMP Management Plan 2.7 Environmental Standards Environmental standards applicable to the sub projects under GNHCP are as given below: • National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 2009 • Ambient Noise Standards • Stack Emissions of CPCB for Hot Mix Plant • Discharge Standards of CPCB for Disposal of Treated Sewage • Drinking Water Quality Standards-IS:10500:2012 • CPCB Standards for Surface Water Use 2.8 Ascertaining Applicability of Policy and Regulatory Requirements The applicability of any of the national/state level regulation and World Bank safeguard policy needs to be ascertained separately for each sub project/road considered in the GNHCP as each law/rule/regulation has its own legal implication and process for compliance. The regulatory framework as described in this EMF as serves as a guiding document and a quick point of reference on the applicable regulatory framework. The precise applicability of the regulations will ultimately depend on the location, proposed intervention and design of the sub-project and this will be determined during the detailed (sub-project specific) environmental assessment exercise. Should there be any changes in the provisions in the various acts rules or notifications enacted by the Government of India/concerned state Government during implementation of the project, then compliance to the amended rules and regulations as applicable on the sub-projects will become mandatory. Page 55 of 106 Chapter 3 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT - APPROACH AND TOOLS The chapter describes the principles and approach to be followed for selecting, avoiding, minimizing and/or mitigating the adverse environmental impacts that are likely to arise due to the project. Each of the sub-projects proposed under the project will follow the approach suggested here to achieve the objectives of environmental management. 3.1 Key Steps to be Followed A comprehensive environmental management approach for the project will involve the following key steps and processes: 1. Preliminary Environmental Screening 2. Detailed Environmental Screening 3. Environmental Impact Assessment 4. Environmental Management Plans 5. Environmental Monitoring (including Audits) and Reporting Preliminary knowledge of Preliminary Environmental Screening applicable National/state, legislations and local polices and regulations; and World Bank Safeguard Policies Environmental Screening Based on specific application of required policies and regulations, process, Environmental Impact timeframe and responsibility Assessment Environmental Management Plans Implementation of EMPs, - Monitoring, Auditing and Reporting Page 56 of 106 The following section aims to provide a description of the environment management approach and tools to evaluate the potential impacts from the proposed project interventions. The Environment Management tools aim to support at the early stages of planning and decision-making and selection of environmental measures including mitigation/technologies based on the nature and scale of identified potential impacts. Step 1: Preliminary Environmental Screening This step will involve an initial desk review of the available information about the road and the sub-project area. A preliminary environment and social screening format would be filled- up using such available information and field visits would be undertaken to understand the general overview in context of the scope of the proposed operation. The exercise will help in identifying the key/significant potential environmental impacts and in determining the project specific context and the focus required for carrying out the detailed environmental screening exercise. Without narrowing the focus of the detailed field investigations/assessments, having this knowledge provides an early sense on the spatial and temporal dimension about the likely issues on-hand. Step 2: Environmental Screening Detailed screening exercise is the second step in the EMF process. The purpose of environmental screening is to get an overview of the nature, scale and magnitude of the issues in order to determine the project feasibility and further if findings permit, it allows for proper scoping of the detailed EIA and SIA that would be subsequently carried out. After identifying key issues, the applicability of the Bank’s environment safeguard policies is to be established along with Country’s regulatory requirements. Based on this, boundaries and focus areas for the EIA along with the use of specific instruments would be determined. The key sub-steps involved in the screening process are outlined below: • Ascertain presence of any environmentally sensitive areas (as detailed in screening checklist) through primary/secondary information. • Confirm applicability of regulations and policies in context of broad sub-project interventions. • Conduct reconnaissance site visits for ground truthing and incorporate required/ additional information in the screening format. • Obtain details about land availability and broad categories of ownership (forest / govt./ private) • Preparation of a screening report as per the structure provided in Annex. The outcome of the screening process will help select and/or prioritize the various investments and where required, start the clearance process in a timely manner. Safeguards screening usually consist of checking and identifying environmental risks, impacts and opportunities and the requisite measures that are applicable within the local context for Page 57 of 106 addressing them. The findings from the screening will be used to determine ecological and as well as economic viability of the sub-projects. Particular focus will be required for the proposed realignments and bypasses. To ensure well targeted field assessment during the screening process, the World Bank has prepared a Guidance Note for use by the Consultants and the respective state executing agencies that outlines the steps and key data that is to be collected for determining the feasibility of the sub-project from an environmental stand point. The note provides detailed guidelines for collecting information on environmental, natural, biological, and physical and socio-economic conditions without which it becomes cumbersome to determine the likely potential impacts that may result from the project interventions. The process enables proper targeting of issues requiring further technical research and in-depth assessments during the EIA preparation. Without the proper screening, deficient planning and engineering design of sub-projects using unreliable information can result in weak arrangements to conserve critical natural ecosystems and may result in creating adverse environmental impacts. Key outputs of the detailed environmental screening would include: • determination (with a degree of confidence), of all national and state and local regulations and policies that will apply to the sub-projects • preliminary judgment on the sub-project category per the EIA Notification, 2006 (including subsequent amendments) • decision on the environmental categorization (A, B, or C) in line with World Bank’s safeguards policies; and • process, timeframe and responsibilities for securing the requisite clearances and permissions per GoI guidelines. It is critical at this stage for Consultants to review the list of applicable legislations or polices and regulations with the project proponent and the World Bank first to diffuse inconsistencies in understanding and second, to mobilize assistance both at the central and state levels to facilitate applications process. Based on the screening results, a decision can be made on whether the sub-project road would require clearance, consents and permissions and further field assessments and studies or not. The Guidance note also gives an outline for presenting data with necessary explanation for recording likely environmental impacts. The screening process enhances implementation by screening out or enhancing acceptability of sub-project proposals on the basis of environmental criteria. Apart from the screening of sub-projects for proposed inclusion in the project (GNHCP), the results/findings from this exercise would be used to determine the scope of Environmental (Impact) Assessment requirement. Page 58 of 106 Step 3: Environmental Impact Assessment An EIA consists of a comprehensive study that involves thorough documentation of existing conditions, and identification of impacts with a comparison of alternative project design options including without the project option. If implemented early, the EIA can be an excellent “preventative tool”. Usually, EIA has three objectives: assist decision makers in getting a clear picture of the potential impact on the overall environmental quality; provision of impact prevention and enhancement of benefits and minimization of impacts in the long term; and provide a forum that allows direct input from stakeholders in the managements of the project. Towards this end, the MoEF&CC has developed an EIA Guidance Manual for Highways, which will be used along with WB‟s operational policy notes. Ideally, an EIA will have: • A general information on highway project, requisite environmental clearance process and a gist of the project component • the location of the road corridor, map and topographical sheets including the potential benefits and need for the project, description of alignment options, implementation schedule and the projected costs for the project • characterize the relevant features of the current (“baseline”) state of the receiving environment biological, physical and socioeconomic description of the corridor and the region • description of the potential interactions between the intervention and the baseline environment • analysis of alternatives with particular reference to location of project corridor and the applicable engineering technologies • management measures to avoid, mitigate, compensate and monitor any potentially significant adverse impacts and cost of management measures in an environmental management plan • summarize significant concerns and recommend needed actions to address each concern • Conclusion – stating that either (a) the EIA is the completed environmental assessment for the intervention or (b) further assessment work is required and will be incorporated in a revised EIA. For example, project roads that would need follow up biodiversity assessments to track changes will be stated in the EIA • Disclosure of the Consultants that prepared the EIA The GoI EIA Guidance Manual for Highways clearly outlines the contents and comprehensive description of the chapters in an EIA. The manual also provides sample ToRs for EIAs, international best practice on road construction and management, codes of practices as advocated by the International Road Congress, India (IRC). Key steps will include the following: Page 59 of 106 • Define the scope of the EIA: In this case, the scope of the EIA study will be shaped by the findings from the environmental screening exercise and the TORs prepared by the MORTH. Where relevant, the World Bank OP’s will supplement/guide the information to be added and process to be followed. • Characterize the project interventions (type of project, location, need for the project, alignments, utilities to be shifted, activities, schedules, estimated budget, etc.), • Building on findings from screening exercise, identify likely interactions between the project and the environment especially where project roads are abutted by critical forest and river ecosystems • Establish an effective stakeholder participation program • Identify key environmental issues and assess range and potential severity of impacts on the existing environment (adverse; and beneficial, direct and indirect) by (i) project phase; (ii) engineering technologies and other non-built infrastructure mechanisms to be used and (ii) by ecological component, community and other sub-units of the study area • Assess the risks and implications of improper operation, failures, disasters and other (lower probability) events • Consider the implication of project alternatives with and without the interventions with respect to both location and technologies. Where realignments and bypasses are being considered, assess the feasible design options with inputs from the potential project affected people incorporated • Prepare an EMP, which is implementable program of measures to avoid, mitigate, manage and monitor adverse impacts and enhance benefits. • Assess the residual impacts remaining after implementation of EMP measures The following is the recommended table of contents of EIA: • Executive summary • Introduction • Project Description • Policy, Legal and Institutional Framework • Description Environment (Baseline Data) • Anticipated Environmental Impacts • Analysis of Alternatives • Consultations with Key Stakeholder • Environmental Management Plan • Annexures Page 60 of 106 The model outline does not explicitly provide section/subsection headings for many of EIA activities. Therefore DPR/feasibility consultants will create their own customized outline from this model that provides sections/subsections for EIA activity undertaken for the sub- project road under consideration. Step 4: Preparation of Environmental Management Plan (EMP) EMP is the next step in the EIA process after identifying potential impacts. It involves the identification and development of measures aimed at avoiding, mitigating, offsetting and/or reducing impacts to levels that are environmentally acceptable during implementation and operation of the project road. EMPs provide an essential link between the impacts predicted and mitigation measures specified within the EIA and implementation and operation activities. Certain activities/interventions will have an impact on the natural environment, the scale of which would depend on the existing baseline conditions along the corridor and thus would require a specific plan to institute and monitor mitigation measures and take desired actions in a timely manner. An EMP must be sub-project specific, clearly describing adverse impacts and mitigation actions to be taken. The magnitude and temporal scale of the sub-project road will determine the contents/coverage of the EMP. Depending on extent of issues that are to be avoided, minimized and/or mitigated, the EMP will have concrete/specific mitigation actions, timelines and responsible persons. For each sub-project road, an EMP should address the following: • Mitigation, enhancement, protection and compensation measures for each phase including design pre-construction, construction, operation and maintenance • Mitigation performance monitoring (i.e. monitoring the operation and maintenance of mitigation measures and their targeted impacts) • PAP participation arrangements by project development phase • Disaster management contingency plan where applicable especially in areas with potential flooding, earthquake zones • Institutional arrangements for implementation, monitoring and reporting • Cost estimates for all EMP activities • Standard construction environmental safeguards clauses for engineering and civil works For developing the EMP, DPR consultants will consider findings from the stakeholder/ public consultation process, including suggestions from domain experts and Project Affected People (PAP) and vulnerable people. For GNHCP project roads, a standalone EMP will be needed for a sub-project. For Category A projects, World Bank guidelines require detailed EMPs. EMPs for the respective roads projects would be prepared using guidelines provided in the Annex C of OP 4.01 of the World Bank safeguards. Page 61 of 106 Below are the proposed elements of an EMP: Identified Impacts and Description of Mitigation Measures: Under this sub-heading, the EMP will describe the identified impacts that may result from the project interventions. With reference to each impact, it will describe feasible and cost effective measures to minimize impacts to acceptable levels. This section will also provide details on the conditions under which the mitigatory measures will be implemented whether as a routine or in the event of contingencies. The EMP will also distinguish between type of solution proposed (structural & non structural) and the phase in which it should become operable. Measures that can be taken to avoid, minimize or mitigate the extent of environmental damage have been detailed out in the annex. Enhancement Plans: Positive impacts or opportunities arising out of the project will be identified during the EA process. Some of these opportunities can be further developed to draw environmental benefits to local communities within the project road corridor and the sub-region. The EMP will identify such opportunities and develop a plan to systematically harness any such benefit. Monitoring Plan: In order to ensure that the proposed mitigatory measures have the intended results and comply with GoI and World Bank requirements, an environmental performance monitoring program will be included in the EMP with the following suggested details: • Monitoring indicators to be measured for evaluating the performance of each mitigatory measure. Indicators should include principles adopted for alignments, applicable GoI engineering standards for road widening, etc) • Monitoring mechanisms and methodologies • Monitoring frequency • Monitoring locations • Expected cost of monitoring • Responsibility Institutional Arrangements: Institutions/parties responsible for implementing mitigatory measures and for monitoring their performances will be clearly identified along with any legal instruments that define their obligations. Where necessary, mechanisms for institutional co-ordination will be identified as often monitoring tends to involve more than one institution. Implementation Schedules: Timing, frequency and duration of mitigation measures with links to overall implementation schedule of the project will be specified. Reporting Procedures: Feedback mechanisms to inform the relevant parties on the progress and effectiveness of the mitigatory measures and monitoring itself will be specified. Guidelines on the type of information wanted and the presentation of feedback information will also be highlighted. Page 62 of 106 Cost Estimates: Implementation of mitigatory measures mentioned in the EMP will involve an initial investment cost as well as recurrent costs. The EMP should include costs estimates for each measure and also identify sources of funding. 3.2 Key Principles/Guidelines for Engineering Design In order to avoid and minimize adverse environmental and social impacts at sub-project level, the following principles are being adopted for alignment finalization: 1. The proposed right of way for bypasses will be 30 meters if the projected traffic is less than 15,000 PCUs in 2030 and 45m if the traffic is more than 15,000 PCUs in 2030. 2. The alignment would as far as possible stay within the existing right of way in forest areas. In case of exception, both options (within the existing right of way and the alignment proposal with forest land diversion) would be analyzed before a final decision is made. 3. The corridor of impact (CoI) for the project will broadly range between 15m to 18 m to fit the typical cross sections, space for drains, roadside furniture and utilities. However, in specific locations, CoI of less than 15m will also be considered to minimize the impact on properties. Whereas, in urban areas, if the available land width is found more than the required to fit the cross section, entire available space may be paved from building line to building line to facilitate parking etc. 4. Decision on bypasses and realignments is being taken based on a comparison of options with or without the proposed change in design on a case to case basis. More so, findings from the environmental and social screening report provide the basis for developing engineering designs. In certain cases where results from the field assessments are not duly factored into project drawings, ecological footprints that could result from such proposed engineering designs are found to be significant. To eliminate such complexities, Highway Engineers will work hand in hand with the respective Environmental and Social Experts ensuring that proposed designs are environmentally, socially and economically viable. Until the EIAs are publicly disclosed and approved, engineering drawings would undergo a series of changes to incorporate all recommendations from the environmental and social stand point. 3.3 Consultation and Disclosure Requirements Consultation with key stakeholders in preparing the EIA/EMP is critical for Category A projects. For all Category A projects/sub-projects, the project proponent is expected to consult project-affected groups and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) about the project's environmental aspects and take their views into account. The project proponent should initiate such consultations at each stage of the project cycle. The disclosure of documents shall be as per requirements of GoI and World Bank procedures. All safeguard documents shall be disclosed at least 120 days prior to the award of works. Page 63 of 106 3.4 Integration of EMP into Bidding Documents Sections of EMP relevant for the construction stage will be integrated into the Bid Documents. More guidance has been provided in Annexures. Contract documents will need to be incorporated with clauses directly linked to the implementation of environmental management measures. Mechanisms such as linking the payment schedules to implementation of the said EMP clauses need to be explored and implemented, as appropriate. Page 64 of 106 Chapter 4 POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Overall, the project is classified as Environmental Category A as per World Bank’s Guidelines. This is based on the review of findings from the preliminary and detailed screening exercises. The following sections of the framework summarize possible environmental impacts that could arise and presents possible ways of addressing them. 4.1 Potential Environmental Issues and Impacts – An Over-view The proposed expansion of the project roads and associated improvement works is likely to create adverse environmental impacts, particularly in case of road corridors that will involve realignments and bypasses, requiring land beyond the existing right of way (RoW). The direct, indirect and induced adverse impacts resulting as a result of upgrading of the project roads (Component 1) may cause adverse environmental impacts in the project area. The proposed expansion of the project roads and associated rehabilitation works will have varying levels of impacts on the surrounding environment. Project activities, if not properly managed and mitigated, could have adverse environmental impacts. These may include: o Felling of roadside trees; o Adverse impacts on water resources (water bodies/public water supply sources); o Impairment to or worsening of the local/regional drainage; o Issues related to cutting of slopes and management of debris (for hill/mountainous roads) o Construction phase impacts, including those related to camp site operation, pollution from plants, machinery, and vehicles and disposal of debris/other construction wastes; o Potential impacts on material sources and common property resources located along the road; o Impact on environmentally sensitive receptors (such as schools and health facilities) located along the road corridors from increased noise and air pollution during the construction and operation stages; and o Potential for poorly planned or managed development induced by the improved roads. Uptake of fertile agricultural land, increased traffic from upgraded roads causing safety concerns for road-users and road-side residents, occupational health related risks faced by construction workers and construction stage nuisances such as dust and noise are a few other adverse impacts that are likely to arise on account of planned project interventions. Potential long-term impacts could include changes in land use patterns (from agriculture, natural habitats to real estate, or other non-farming purposes) and changes in occupational patterns. More so, diversion of forest land is required for widening of the road for sub-projects such as NH- 516E, NH-158, NH-70 and NH-707. For the other sub-projects (NH-92, NH-730C and NH-731K), plantation along the avenue declared as ‘protected forest’ will also be affected due to cutting of trees for proposed road expansion/upgrading. By and large, no roads have been proposed for financing in ecologically sensitive habitats such as national parks, tiger/elephant reserves and sanctuaries, except one bridge in NH-92 (Uttar Pradesh) Page 65 of 106 that crosses over a protected area in River Chambal. However, the presence of wildlife habitats and/or crossings outside the protected environs has been identified in some cases. In case of NH-707 and NH- 516E, the impact on wildlife in forest areas along/close to the road needs to be addressed through appropriate measures in the engineering design and through enabling provisions in the contract documents to avoid any unwarranted issues during the construction stage. If not properly designed, improved roads could also have safety concerns during the operation phase, especially since design speed improvements are a key desired outcome of the project. No significant change in the macro-climatic parameters (precipitation, temperature and wind) is envisaged due to the project but cutting of roadside trees, laying of paved surface and other construction activities are likely to temporarily affect the micro-climate. India is the sixth most vulnerable nation to climate change impacts, according to a risk index released at COP23 by Berlin-based NGO German watch. In 2016, the country reported the highest number of deaths due to extreme weather (2,119 fatalities) and suffered losses of more than INR 1.4 trillion (USD 21 billion) in property damage. This is almost 1% of India’s GDP of USD 2.5 trillion, and almost equivalent to the country’s whole health budget. It is important to ensure that the transport infrastructure that is created is resilient to the impacts of disasters and climate change induced extreme events. Already, many of the roads and bridges across the country get washed away during floods and sudden cloud bursts causing loss of critical road access to communities and costly repairs of the road infrastructure. The service life of the roads subjected to such events is also low, necessitating frequent reconstruction and maintenance. Weaknesses in engineering designs, construction quality and inadequate maintenance of the existing road network exacerbate the impact of climate/natural disaster events. Unless these aspects are addressed through appropriate infrastructure planning and engineering design in the on-going/new highway programs of the GoI, roads and highway infrastructure stand an increasing risk of losses and damages from these future weather-related events and disasters. Current IRC codes and guidelines do not adequately incorporate these aspects in planning and design. It may be useful to pilot construction of such climate resilient roads along with the use of new materials or technology and monitor the performance so that these aspects can then be mainstreamed into road construction. Pavements are still designed traditionally, without the use of alternate materials. Consequently, natural resources required for road construction such as soil, aggregates and sand are becoming scarce – and increasingly being brought in over large distances from the construction site, leading to spiraling construction costs. The externalities associated with these could be minimized by use of local and marginal materials and industrial byproducts and green technologies by appropriately integrating them into the design of pavements and embankments. This can also generate economic benefits (up to about 25 percent reduction in construction cost specifically in areas where good quality stone is not locally available). The details on the specific nature, magnitude and scale of such impacts will be covered in the analysis/assessment (EIA) for five sub-projects, for which design/DPRs have been prepared. For the remaining four road corridors, the same will be presented in the sub-project EIAs and EMPs once the engineering designs/DPRs are prepared and associated field assessments as part of environment impact studies are completed. 4.2 Potential Adverse Environmental Impacts The proposed upgradation of the project roads and associated rehabilitation works will have Page 66 of 106 varying levels of impacts on the surrounding environment – on natural and planted forests, on lands with agricultural, cultural and other socioeconomic and religious values, and to an extent on factors wildlife and wildlife habitats, particularly those located outside the designated protected areas such as National Parks and Sanctuaries. Observations during preliminary field visits, desk study and results from the screening exercise identified that potential impacts could range from immediate to long term, could be direct or indirect including induced development, reversible or irreversible, and or cumulative as a result of interaction with other development activities ongoing in the sub- region. The screening exercises also identified the environmental policies and regulations that are potentially triggered. Also, since most of the sub-projects serve as lifelines in the backward areas, the findings also indicate an over-all positive project outcome that is expected to be beneficial. However, the proposed expansion of the project roads and associated rehabilitation works will also create some adverse environmental and social impacts, particularly in project corridors involving realignments and bypasses beyond existing right of way (ROW). The exact quantum and significance of the likely environmental and social impacts will be determined after the completion of EIAs and SIAs, which are currently under preparation. Diversion of Forest Lands Some forest land diversion would be required to construct the road to a standard configuration. In most of the other cases, the road side/avenue plantation notified as ‘protected’, is likely to be affected in the process of road widening. However, the project is not likely to have a significant impact the health and quality of natural forests. The project would also seek to not impact the rights and welfare of people and their level of dependence upon the forests; or aim to bring about changes in the management, protection or utilization of natural forests. It is envisaged that engineering designs largely maintain road widening within the existing ROW limiting extent to which new land will be diverted except in built up stretches where realignments and bypasses are proposed as the most cost effective and environmentally benign alternative. Findings from field assessments show that in majority of the roads, lands abutting the carriage way within the ROW and the Direct Impact Zone are mostly forest lands except in built up areas. Forests are categorized as protected forests or reserve forests. Construction works will involve removing trees in the ROW and in specified locations for workers camps, temporal connecting roads, temporary storage sheds for construction materials, temporal diversion of routes, etc. Depending on expanse of contiguous area cleared, forest loss could affect soil characteristics and soil stability increasing dust pollution and potential erosion. Where roadside forests provide assist with connecting larger forests, tree removal could affect its value as wildlife corridors. Where road works involve bypasses or realigning existing carriageways, critical natural habitats such as protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries and reserves, under private or tribal Page 67 of 106 ownership could be impacted. Such roads will need more robust planning and design to avoid, minimize and manage adverse environmental impacts. From the screening reports, it is observed that forest land diversion will be required in many project roads. These sub-projects will be subjected to applicable forest clearance as required by MOEF&CC, Regional Office of MOEF&CC and the concerned state governments. For stretches that are in close proximity (within 10km) of wildlife sanctuaries or passing through pristine forest areas, biodiversity assessment will be carried in addition to results from environmental screening to ascertain potential direct and indirect impact on wildlife particularly where charismatic fauna and endangered species are involved. Uptake of Agricultural Lands In addition to diversion of forest lands for road construction, fertile agricultural lands could also be acquired. This may put pressure on less arable lands and could lead to environmental degradation of the area. Impact on Wildlife When project roads traverse close to natural forest reserves and wildlife sanctuaries (the road itself would be outside designated protected areas), construction process could increase noise levels, cause affect migration paths, impact availability and access to food especially for obligate herbivores and carnivorous faunal species. In corridors where surface water bodies usually used as watering holes by wildlife are affected, dependent wildlife will be affected. Transportation and hauling of material and increased vehicular activity within the road corridor may introduce invasive species, increase noise and air pollution associated destroy plants with conservation value. Extraction of raw material for construction such as gravel, sand, etc outside designated locations could create further disturbance to the ecosystem by degrading habitat conditions. Also, one of the risks would be the possibility of increased wildlife poaching during construction. Extraction and Management of Construction Materials Road construction will involve use of construction materials such as aggregates, sand, earth and water and other chemical inputs including bitumen, grease, oil, petrol, kerosene and other substance considered to hazardous to human health or the environment according to the Management Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals (MSIHC) Rules of India. Uncontrolled extraction practices such as river sand quarrying, water extraction from both underground and ground sources, earth excavation could result in irreversible effects including depressions that may demand huge restorative actions. Improper disposal of construction material waste could affect local water sources and agricultural lands with related health issues. Road Topography Topography of most of the road corridors are flat plains, undulating with mild slopes and to a small degree, rolling terrains and mountainous with steep slopes. The flat terrains affect Page 68 of 106 drainage conditions with increased potential for flooding, overtopping and soil erosion. Road works may thus involve raising the road to offset frequent overtopping. For road works that will involve slope cutting, concerns will evolve around increased potential for soil erosion, landslides especially during monsoonal seasons, debris storage, management and disposal. Demolition Exercise Bridge reconstruction works can generate debris which can obstruct waterways if not properly disposed. Other Impacts Increased traffic from upgraded roads may cause safety concerns for both road-users and road-side residents, occupational health related risks faced by construction workers and construction stage nuisances such as dust and noise. In towns with touristic sites and potential medium to large scale industrial plants/hubs, new commercial and public activities may lead to an increase in pressure on local and regional natural resources. Potential long- term impacts could include changes in land use patterns (from agriculture, natural habitats to real estate, or other non-farming purposes) and changes in occupational patterns. 4.3 Potential Positive Impacts The proposed project will contribute to positive economic growth both locally in the project area and at the regional level by removing barriers to connectivity. Since most of the sub-projects serve as lifelines in the backward/less developed areas, the over-all positive project outcome of the project is expected to be beneficial. The project is expected to have positive impacts in terms of providing better connectivity and improved access to population in less developed or remote areas to more advanced socio-economic centers. Local businesses and inhabitants in the area of influence of the project roads as well as users of the project roads will be direct beneficiaries of the project. These people will have improved access to higher service level highways and transport services. Benefit will also accrue from the savings in travel time and transportation costs. Other expected positive outcomes of the project include improved access to a larger number of economic opportunities, better health services, facilities and higher levels of education, and improved road safety. The strengthened human capital from enhanced habitation connectivity and increased access to employment centers is an important benefit that is expected from the project. Since a substantial part of the project road development is expected to be within the existing Right of Way (RoW), improvements are likely to outweigh the temporary disruptions to the surrounding environment. On the positive side, the project also seeks to mainstream wherever feasible in the project highway designs, 'green roads' approach that would consider promoting resource efficiency and sustainability measures from a menu of options such as pavement recycling, use of local materials, recycled aggregates, use of innovative materials, plantations along the corridor, soil and water conservation and new/alternative technologies. Strengthened human capital from enhanced habitation connectivity and increased access to employment centers is important benefits of the project. Over-all, the project is expected to have positive impacts in terms of providing better Page 69 of 106 connectivity and improved access to populations in less developed or remote areas to more advanced socio-economic centers. Local businesses and inhabitants in the area of influence of the project roads as well as users of the project roads will be direct beneficiaries of the project. These people will have improved access to higher service level highways and transport services. Benefit will also accrue from the savings in travel time and transportation costs. Other expected positive outcomes of the project include improved access to a larger number of economic opportunities, better health services, facilities and higher levels of education, and improved road safety. Page 70 of 106 Chapter 5 CONSULTATIONS WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS The stakeholder consultations form a very crucial part of development projects, including infrastructure and are usually carried out as a continuous process through the project cycle. Stakeholder consultations and workshops during the design and project planning stages provide the medium for sharing information about the project objectives and scope, alternative design options, and stakeholder perceptions regarding proposed investment plans. Ensuring an open and transparent information exchange about the project at this stage, lays a good foundation for an inclusive and participatory implementation process. In view of the scope of interventions giving reference to the GoI regulatory policies on EIAs along with provisions under the Bank's safeguard requirements, the project is generally categorized as A. It has triggered the World Bank O.P/B.P 4.01- Environmental Assessment. For a Category A operation, the World Bank’s safeguards policies require comprehensive consultations with all key stakeholders including communities residing in the project corridor particularly women, disabled, youth; NGOs; civil society groups; road users; private sector; local traditional leaders, district and state government officers involved in the project; and other categories of stakeholders that may be peculiar to the area under consideration such as scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, forest dwellers, etc. Conforming to the GoI Right to Information Act, 2005 and the World Bank Consultation and Disclosure Policy, and to meet the project’s needs for an inclusive participatory process during project planning, design, implementation, supervision and monitoring, MORTH with guidance and assistance from the World Bank will facilitate (public and focused group) consultations/workshop plan for each project road that covers the following key stages: • Preliminary consultative session at the very early stages of the project design when the first set of engineering designs are developed • Second round of consultations on the engineering design once recommendations from the first consultations have been considered in revised designs taking into considerations concerns about bypasses, realignments, land acquisitions, forest diversions, tribal forest land concerns • When the draft EIA TORs are complete • Public consultations on the draft EIAs with the respective SPCB (where an Environmental Clearance is required) • Once the final EIA are cleared for official release into the public domain During the first sets of public discussions, the DPR/Feasibility Consultants will carry out a series of stakeholder consultations in the project areas to present and to seek inputs and feedback on the project objectives, design options, activities plan, and to determine stakeholder interest to participate in project activities. Page 71 of 106 Before finalizing the EIA reports, another round of consultations would be carried out to ensure that all key stakeholders are well aware of the project, the potential impacts (positive and negative) and mitigation measures, and to lay out a plan for participation in monitoring, implementation and supervision/auditing. The active participatory process would ensure that the local communities, ultra poor groups in the communities and ethnic groups and women, in the project areas will not be worse off and that benefits or positive effects are well distributed. To ensure that consultations are useful to the affected groups, the client and the agency conducting it, this case the DPR consultants, the consultants will ensure an environment where participants, irrespective of social status, would be able to express their opinions and preferences freely. The consultants will provide relevant material in a timely manner prior to the consultations in a form and language that are comprehensible and accessible to the groups that are participating in the consultations. Over-all, the consultations would: • Learn about the community needs and preferences with respect to the project objective to improve connectivity through widening and rehabilitating project roads • Identify and agree on alignment options that have relatively lesser impact on affected people • Discuss the environmental and social safeguard implications/impacts that might be associated with the suggested alignment or bypass options, along with the impact mitigation guidelines and measures adopted in the EMF • Where voluntary lands are involved, identify the donors • Discuss compensatory afforestation plans • Have the community identify grievance and redress mechanisms for resolving project design and implementation concerns • Determine the main pillars of a communication/consultation strategy that will be adopted throughout the project phases • Determine options for engaging local community and NGOs in the operation Page 72 of 106 Chapter 6 IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 6.1 Institutional Capacity Towards delivering of environment and social policy and procedural requirements three levels of institutions - central, state, and sub-project/site level would be involved in the project. MoRTH will be the overall implementation agency and shall be responsible for preparing and implementing the project through Public Work Departments (national highway division) at the state level. While MoRTH has the prior experience of implementing World Bank funded projects and its safeguards policies, it has to depend on state departments/divisions and consultants. The capacity of states and the performance of consultants varies substantially. In some cases, finding relevant expertise in an efficient and timely manner both for project preparation and for construction supervision during execution, was noted as an issue under the on-going project (NHIIP). Also, there were some slackness in the inter-departmental coordination with Forest, Wildlife, Pollution Control Board, Power, Water Supply, Revenue, Urban and Rural Local Bodies in the initial years of project execution. Given the sensitization and capacity building carried out under the on-going project (NHIIP), it is encouraging to see the positive transition in MoRTH's policy and focus on issues pertaining to environmental sustainability and safety in the last few years. This includes the initiatives taken through the National Green Highways Policy/Mission and support to several new technical codes (through IRC) promoting recycling, use of waste/by-products, resilience and other forms of environmental management, making these mainstream elements in road design and implementation. 6.2 Project Implementation Structure The Environment Management Framework needs to be applied and implemented at all stages of the project. This requires an institutional mechanism to deal with various processes and issues. The over-all proposed project implementation structure is depicted in the following diagram: Page 73 of 106 GNHCP - EMP Implementation Arrangements and Responsibilities GNHCP - EMP Implementation Arrangements and Responsibilities Within the institutional framework proposed for the project, preparation, implementation, supervision and monitoring of environment functions, particularly the Environment Management Plans (EMP), will be carried out at the three levels – national center, state level and the project/community level with an inbuilt mechanism for coordinating activities at all levels. Specific functions will be delegated to the Environmental Experts assigned to the MORTH at the national center (Project Implementation Cell), the National Highways wings of the respective state Public Works Departments (Project Implementation Unit), Construction Supervision Consultants, and the civil works engineering contractors, some Non- Page 74 of 106 Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other local civil society bodies. National Level At the central level, the Project Implementation Cell within the MORTH will serve as a facilitator, overseeing overall responsibilities spanning policy development, fund disbursement, learning coordination and information sharing as well as monitoring and evaluation. Specifically, towards managing environmental issues, the PIC will contract a Project Management Consultant (PMC) with a designated Environment Expert who will provide advisory services to the MoRTH’s (PIC) National Level Nodal Environmental Officer. The PMC Environment Officer will support PIC on critical issues and provide up to date guidance and recommendations for effectively managing environment related project activities at the state and project levels. The PMC EO will facilitate cross learning between state PIUs and civil contractors and enhance coordinated reporting on progress with implementation of the EMP. The PMC EO will liaise with the Social and engineering Experts on the PMC to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach to the EMPs. State Level For each state, a Project Implementation Unit (PIU) will be created in the State (PWD) with a multidisciplinary staff expertise in environment and social safeguards, project management, monitoring and supervision, procurement and fiduciary issues. Institutional structures for the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) may differ relatively to reflect the unique requirements of the state. The Environment Officer (EO) designated to the PIU will over-see and co- ordinate various aspects related to the environment management as envisaged under each sub-project. The EO will provide specific guidance on policy and regulatory requirements specific to the state and local setting to the DPR consultants. The EO will also provide guidance on the process and steps for obtaining any requisite clearances. The Environment /Forest Officers will support in terms of building PIU team capacity for incorporating environmental concerns in design, implementation and operation of the sub-project. The EO will collaborate strongly with counterpart social and engineering specialist on the PIU as well as the Construction Supervision consultant and will report to the Project Management Consultant through the PIC. Where there are multiple sub- project roads within one state, separate sub- PIUs will be established within the State PWD to reduce overburdening with implementing multiple sub- projects. Together with the Social Expert on the PIU, the Environment/Forest Officer will: • ensure integration of the EIA and resulting EMP into the sub-project design and implementation plans (contract documents) • monitor implementation of the mitigation measures by the Contractors • assist the engineers at site by providing appropriate environmental advice, and developing/revising environmental mitigation measures for the sub-projects • assist the PIU to carry out participatory consultation during planning, design and Page 75 of 106 implementation of sub-project • document experiences associated with and lessons learned from environmental mitigation and prepare useful training materials for both internal and external capacity building • prepare regular periodic progress reports on the implementation of the EMP throughout project implementation Project Level Actual civil works and reconstruction of the project roads will be carried out by the Construction Consultants/Contractors under the direct supervision of Construction Supervision Consultants. The Environmental Expert on the Contractor team will ensure strict compliance with the environmental contractual clauses and will report on progress or challenges to the Construction Supervisory team. 6.2 Monitoring Arrangements for Effective Environmental Management In order to ensure that the proposed mitigatory measures have the intended results and complies with GoI and World Bank requirements, an environmental performance monitoring program would be carried out. This could be achieved through daily and more sequenced monitoring by the Environment Experts on the contractor, CSC and PMC respectively. Construction Phase Monitoring In selecting the monitoring parameters, care will be taken to choose parameters according to the characteristic features of the existing environmental baseline conditions ensuring that parameters are both cost effective and viable for identifying changes that deviate from predetermined impacts. The plan will be designed on the premise that civil works and related activities will have relatively less significant effects on existing conditions and residual impacts will be controlled using the EMP. Results from the monitoring the environmental parameters will be compared to MOEF&CC and CPCB/SPCB prescribed limits. Operational Phase Monitoring It is envisaged that operation of the reconstructed highways will present fewer environmental impacts compared to the construction phase. Monitoring indicators for the operation phase will be based on feedback from local surveys and from planned social responsibility/peripheral development activities. Monitoring during the operational phase will be carried out more frequently especially during the first year of operation to ensure that any complaints about the road operation is readily captured and resolved. Auditing A Third Party Audit will review the effectiveness of the implementation of environmental management plan. Primarily the auditing exercise will determine whether the sub- projects comply with all environmental regulatory performance standards in addition to any GoI stipulated highway construction and operation standards. Auditing process will test the accuracy of reports from field assessments and cost effectiveness of management measures. Page 76 of 106 It entails a systematic, documented and periodic review of project implementation and could be a very useful tool to improve project management performance. Instituted environmental audits at the project road level and at the overall operation level is critical for an operation of this dimension. In this regard, the operation will incorporate a series of independent verification and audit mechanisms both at design and implementation phases. At the preparation phase, the project will launch a one- time independent technical audit of the EMF and the EIAs. During the construction phase, GNHCP will contract chartered accounting firms to conduct bi-annual or annual performance audit that will include financial management, procurement and safeguard compliance. As Integrated Environmental and Social Performance Auditor, the firm(s) will review all sub-project documents and visit a representative sample of project roads for validation of safeguards compliance. These will complement system enhancements that are aimed at monitoring efficiency and quality of expenditure within the GNHCP project. With respect to environmental issues, the performance audits will: • collect, analyze and interpret monitoring results to detect changes related to implementation and operation of specific activities • verify if monitoring parameters are in compliance with national set standards • compare the predicted impacts with actual impacts and evaluate the accuracy of predictions in view of proposed mitigation measures • evaluate the effectiveness of implementation of the EMP • loop back into the EMP, any short comings identified from the auditing • identify and report if there is non-compliance with the EMP and where applicable identify replicable lessons from the monitoring To facilitate auditing process, auditors may first develop a structured questionnaire based on the EMP and this can be administered to state officers involved in the project, construction engineers, PAP, etc. Depending on specific characteristics of the sub-project road, audits can be carried out at regular intervals or on ad hoc basis or when mitigation is not carried out as defined by the EMP leading to public concern. 6.3 Measures to Introduce/Strengthen Institutional Capacity To meet the multiple and varied nature of environment challenges that the project poses, capacity needs will be built at the central, state and project levels responsible for planning and designing and implementing the sub-projects and the EMPs. In this respect, GNHCP will also initiate some key activities with MORTH and the participating states as enumerated below: a) Capacity Building and Mainstreaming Environmental Dimensions in the Technical Standards: The existing limited implementation capacity can affect environmental outcomes despite safeguard provisions. This dearth in capacity will be addressed through enhanced technical assistance and training, and sharing of environmental and Page 77 of 106 social lessons from similar national highway projects. Technical assistance component (TA) and training on the management of key environmental issues of highway roads development program, such as planning, design and/or construction of roads in ecologically sensitive areas; drainage design and management; slopes and debris management in hilly terrain and materials management, will be provided to the engineers and contractors. The GNHCP may provide assistance in revising IRC codes on highway construction. This can also include a manual towards creation of „green highways‟. b) Integration of Environmental Aspects in the Operations Manual: The Operations Manual of GNHCP (a key document that lays out the detailed procedures) will be prepared to reflect the environmental management procedure that will govern the operation c) Integration of EHS requirements in the Standard Bidding Document: Inappropriate construction practices can cause adverse environmental, health and safety (EHS) impacts, especially from the improper scheduling of works, unsafe handling of hazardous materials and haphazard dumping of construction wastes (including earth cuts in hills). To ensure improved environmental management during the construction stage, a section clearly specifying preventive and mitigation measures to be taken by the contractor will be introduced in the Standard Bidding Document (SBD). Compliance with these specifications will be supervised as part of project technical supervision. 6.4 EMP Implementation Budget In view of the environmental management measures suggested above and factoring in the limited implementation capacity of the state PIUs, necessary budgetary provisions should be made for different sub-projects. Tentative budget for each of the sub-projects should include environmental management cost, monitoring cost. Page 78 of 106 ANNEXURES Page 79 of 106 Annexure 1 Guidance Note for Incorporation of Environment Management Plan into Bidding/Contract Documents The purpose of the annex is to provide some guidance on the integration of the EMP/ GEMP into the contract documents of a sub-project. Environment requirements in the pre-bid documents The project implementing agency, i.e. PIU / the Line Departments issue the pre-bid documents to shortlist a few contractors, based on their expression of interest and capability. While details on environmental requirements are really not required in the pre- bid stage, it is useful to mention that the contractor is expected to have good environmental management capability or experience. 1. Incorporating EMP in the Bid Document The project implementing agency (line department) issues the bid documents to the pre- qualified contractors. There are two kinds of bid documents, for International Competitive Bids (ICB) and National Competitive Bids (NCB). In Bank projects, these documents are prepared based on templates (separate for ICB and NCB) provided by the Bank. The ICB documents are based on the FIDIC (i.e., an acronym for the International Institute of Consulting Engineers) guidelines, while the NCB is closer to the national contracting procedures, i.e. the Central PWD contract documents in India. The bid documents contain separate volumes. For instance, a typical ICB document contains: (i) General Conditions of Contract, which is based on the FIDIC; (ii) Technical Specifications, which is based on the applicable specifications in India for similar infrastructure related works; (iii) Bill of Quantities and (iv) Drawings. The EMP parts/sections should be included in the relevant locations of the bid documents in the following way: ➢ Mitigation/Enhancement measures & monitoring requirements tables The cross-reference to these tables should be included in the “conditions of particular application (COPA)”, which is a part of the General Conditions of Contract (e.g. Section IV, Item 19.1 of the ICB). As a standard practice, there is an over-all reference to the laws that have to be followed in this section/item. The relevant laws need to be mentioned here. In addition, the adherence to the mitigation/enhancement measures and table on monitoring requirements should be included. The two tables will have to be added as Annexes or the entire EMP (without cost and drawings) as a whole should be attached. Either the Annexes or the appropriate section in the EMP should be cross-referred in the description of this item. Page 80 of 106 ➢ Modifications/additions to the technical specifications Due to the mitigation/enhancement measures included in the EMP, there may be (a) additions/alterations required to the applicable specifications and/or (b) there may be a need to add new specification/s. These are to be referred in the section on “Supplementary Specifications” in the Technical Specifications Volume of the bid document. Generally, the GoI applicable specifications are already referred/listed and are not repeated in the bid documents. However, changes and additions to these specifications are made through the inclusion of a section “Supplementary Specifications.” This section should also include additional technical specifications related to the EMP or should provide a cross- reference to the specific section of the EMP. ➢ Cost table All the items in the EMP cost table relevant to the contractor have to be referred in the Bill of Quantities (BoQ) table, which is a separate volume of the bid documents. It is to be noted that the BoQ table in the bid document includes the various tasks to be done by the contractor under different categories. Against each task, the contractor will have to indicate a unit rate while completing the bid documents. ➢ Drawings All EMP drawings are to be reflected in the „Drawings‟ volume of the Bid document. If the drawings are included in the EMP, then a cross-reference should be provided in the Drawings Volume. 2. Developing the EMP to Suit the Bid/Contract Document As one of the intentions is to integrate the EMP requirements into the bid documents/contract Agreement, the EMP should be developed keeping the following in mind: a. Mitigation/enhancement measures: In the Mitigation/Enhancement Measures table, the text describing each measure should not include/repeat what is already covered under the technical specification/s, and this should only be cross- referred. The text should be short, clear and succinct. The description should focus on “what” and “where” of the mitigation / enhancement measure as the “how” of the measure is covered under the specification. b. Monitoring requirements table: There are certain monitoring requirements for the contractor. While developing the Monitoring Requirement table, those that pertain to the contractor should be clearly mentioned. c. Technical specifications: The modifications to the specifications and the additional specifications should be separately listed. These should be included as Annexure in the EMP. The (added or modified) technical specifications should be adequately detailed to avoid problems (including that of interpretations) at site. Page 81 of 106 d. Drawings: The modifications to the drawings and the additional drawings should be included as Annexure in the EMP. It is important to note that all drawings included/ added should be “execution drawings” detailed as per requirement of the particular item so as to execute at site with adequate quality control and workmanship. Also, it is important to note that the quality of BoQ [or cost estimate] and technical specifications part of the contract document depends on the degree of detailing in the drawings. e. Cost table: The items pertaining to the contractor should be clearly separated from the expenditures that are to be incurred by the project implementing agency, supervision consultant and/or any other agency/organization. f. Timing for finalizing EMP: It is best to finalize the EMP before the finalizing the bid documents. This is required to fully reflect the sections of the EMP relevant to the contractor in the bid document and to ensure its proper integration. 3. Other Notes Once the completed bids have been received from prospective contractors, the project implementing agency takes a decision based on the costs and the technical merit of the bids. Following the decision, the implementing agency and the chosen contractor sign and counter-sign the completed bid documents. It becomes the contract agreement thereafter. If issues have been missed in the bid documents, it cannot be amended at the time of signing the contract agreement stage unless there is a really strong justification for the same. If there is an EMP cost item that is not reflected in the BoQ of the signed contract agreement, the supervision consultant/engineer may issue a variation order, if such case has merit. Contractor will quote a rate and the task gets done. This issue of variation orders is a standard practice and can be used, if found necessary. However, the intent of the good contracting practices should be to minimize variation orders and therefore EMP should be carefully prepared and integrated in the bid document. Page 82 of 106 Annexure 2 Potential Environmental Impacts Activity Potential Impacts Construction Environmental impacts during construction include: Workforce • Tensions between outside workers and local communities • Affected living standard and income of local residents due to occupation of farmland • Market distortion due to temporary inputs to local economy • Unemployment of local labor • Disruption to livelihoods, cultural activities, and wellbeing of locals Competition for employment with locals. Worker’s Camp and Environmental Impacts during construction include: Site Installation • Generation of significant volumes of wastewater and solid waste. • Stockpiling of waste and illegal dumping • Contamination of land, surface water and groundwater caused by spillage and leakage from storage of hazardous materials including petroleum products, chemicals, hazardous substances or hazardous wastes. • Water courses, nearby rice paddies, and agricultural land can be easily contaminated with wastewater and solid wastes. Erosion and Roadbed and side slopes digging, roadbed filling, road surface Sedimentation paving, bridge foundation treatment, materials stack, concrete plants, construction machinery operation etc. can: • Destroy surface vegetation • Aggravate soil erosion • Weakened soil conservation capacity • Temporarily change water flow patterns Page 83 of 106 Activity Potential Impacts Emissions and Dust Sources or air pollution during construction that can be a nuisance (Air Quality) and cause health problems are: • Fugitive dust emissions due to exposure of slope surface, uncovered stockpiling area, earth moving and excavation activities • Dust emission due to blasting of rock • Dust from vehicles and unpaved roads • Wind blow during transportation of material by vehicles and when transporting on unpaved access roads • Gases emissions from batching plants and concrete mixing stations • Gases emissions during payment of road surface by asphalt plant; and • Air pollutant emissions from exhaust of construction plant and vehicles such as CO, CO2, NO2, and SO2. • Air pollution problems during the operation phase are: • Exhaust from vehicles (e.g. CO, NO2) that may deteriorate air quality in tunnel and at nearby sensitive receptor locations; and • Gases emissions during road maintenance and re-surfacing of road surface (e.g. asphalt plant). Noise and Vibration Disturbances to livelihoods and damage to structures can be cause by: • Operation of the various equipment during construction (air compressor, concrete mixers, powered mechanical equipment, bulldozers, excavators, etc); • Vehicles transporting materials within construction site and beyond the construction boundary; • Piling activities during construction of foundations / piers; • Ventilation systems during tunnel construction; • Blasting and vibration during tunnel construction • During the operation phase, noise may be generated by: • Traffic noise from road and horning of vehicles; • Noise from service areas and car parking areas; and • Construction plant during road maintenance. Page 84 of 106 Activity Potential Impacts Earthworks, Fill Environmental impacts include: Slopes, Cuts, Borrow • Loss of topsoil affecting productive land. Pits, Quarries, Disposal sites, • Land instability from incorrect earth removal or unstable Stockpiles deposition of spoil, leading to landslides or erosion events. • Discharge of sediments into watercourses, rice paddies, drainages, and irrigation canals. • Erosion of riverbanks, slopes, and productive land • Noise and vibration • Dust emissions affecting health. • Disturbances or damage to physical cultural resources. • Damage to agricultural land and native vegetation • Visual Impacts Disposal of Debris, Environmental Impacts include: Demolition of • Damage of local forest areas, contamination of drainage Structures watercourses and impacts on land by improper disposition of construction and Demolition waste • Injure of workers and the general population by falling debris and flying objects Clearing of Large-scale moving activities, disturbance of soil profile and Construction Areas removal of vegetation can result in: • Soil erosion and visual impact • Loss of productive plots / trees affecting livelihoods and habitat • Loss of habitat and vegetation for animals • Discharging sediment and vegetation material into water courses affecting in-stream habitat • Discharging sediment and vegetation material into rice paddies, and irrigation canals Landscape, Visual Landscape and visual impacts during construction can result from: Impacts and Site • Poor/inadequate aesthetic design and landscaping design of the Restoration proposed road structures Page 85 of 106 Activity Potential Impacts • Poorly implemented temporary mitigation measures and slope protection measures during excavation and slope work. After the completion of construction and before operation of the project, landscape and visual impact may occur because of: • Lack of appropriate compensatory planting at the end of construction or non-native species • Planting of species visually incompatible to the background environment; • Lack of proper maintenance/watering of newly planted vegetation during the post-construction period. • Lack of proper restoration of cleared areas, such as borrow pits, stockpiles and disposal areas, construction camp areas, areas under bridges, and any areas occupied temporarily Water Quality • Pollution of watercourses, groundwater, natural habitats and productive land caused by: • Wastewater generated from construction equipment (e.g. uncontrolled release of bentonite from tunnel drilling machine); • Wastewater from bored piling locations. Re-suspension of bottom sediment and mud caused by cut-trench river crossings and construction of bridge foundation within rivers; • Soil erosion / flush away from uncovered stockpiling locations, uncovered excavation site and unprotected slope surface during adverse weather conditions; • Uncontrolled surface water run-off carrying sediment laden discharges directly into natural water bodies such as streams, ponds, rivers and local irrigation channels; • Domestic sewage generated by construction workers, such as kitchen, shower, campsite, etc. Main water quality issues during operation phase are: • Wastewater generated during routine road surface cleaning and surface runoff from road surface during heavy rain falls; • Pollution of nearby water body due to vehicle accidents leaking fuel, hydraulic oil, toxic materials or dangerous goods; and Wastewater discharge from service areas, car parking and toll station Page 86 of 106 Activity Potential Impacts Solid Waste, Damage to local forest areas, pollution of drainage watercourses Hazardous and and natural habitats, and impact on agricultural land caused by: Chemical Waste • Surplus excavated materials requiring disposal due to earth moving activities and slope cutting; • Disposal of used wooden boards for trenching works, scaffolding steel material, site hoarding, packaging materials, containers of fuel, lubricant and paint; • Waste generated by demolition of existing houses / buildings affected by the project or breaking of existing concrete surface; • Domestic solid waste generated by construction workers, construction campsite, kitchen, toiletries, • Improper disposition of hazardous wastes such as waste oil, spent lubricant, solvents, and contaminated materials resulting from leakage of oil and fuel. • Improper handling and storage of hazardous and chemical substances and construction materials Work on Bridges • Discharges of sediment into water courses affecting in- stream habitat. • Erosion of river banks • Introduction of invasive species. • Changing water course paths blocking fish passage and affecting in-stream habitat from fallen debris from the construction process • Discharges of oil and fuel to water courses affecting water quality. Ecological Environmental impacts during construction include: Considerations • Destruction of native vegetation and land outside proposed (Fauna and Flora) working areas • Damage of forest areas • Loss of habitat and vegetation for animals due to site clearance • Temporary destruction or disturbance of aquatic life due to bridge works Page 87 of 106 Activity Potential Impacts • Land occupation at ecological sensitive areas • Damage of forests and waterways adjacent to camps and work areas. • Illegal hunting of wild animals by construction workers • Lack of re-construction of lost habitats and re-creation of diverse ecosystems. Environmental impacts during operation phase include: • Traffic noise and lighting can force wildlife to leave their natural habitats • Lack of evaluation of the success of recreation of habitat and identification of further measures to improve ecological conditions • Traffic accidents with wildlife crossing the expressway Construction Site Environmental impacts include: Safety • Risk associated with working in enclosed environment such as inadequate ventilation and fire fighting within tunnel / tunnel shaft • Seepage of water into tunnel during the tunnel construction; • Collapse within tunnel when drilling through geologically unstable ground layers • Risk of falling objects and unstable working platform • Risk associated with blasting and fire • Risk associated with equipment and traffic movements, on and off the construction sites. Traffic Management Environmental impacts include: • Traffic congestion during construction due to the increase of heavy traffic (of the construction itself and from traffic detours) in high traffic avenues and exit ramps, community roads; • degradation of local roads due to heavy equipment machinery and traffic detours; • Pedestrian safety specially for school children during construction; • Increase in traffic accidents Page 88 of 106 Activity Potential Impacts Access and Linking Environmental impacts include: Roads • Increase noise, dust t and air pollutants caused by construction vehicles that will use existing local and provincial roads; • Pedestrian safety specially for children and pupils • Additional vehicles used for transportation of materials may cause traffic jams and accidents in existing access roads which already exceed traffic capacity • Newly developed access roads may impact water quality, destroy existing vegetation cover, cause changes in the landform in certain areas, impact and create bare surface more prone to erosion Community Relations Lack of communication and consultation with local communities can lead to an opposition to a road project, delays in the construction process increased costs and unsatisfactory solutions. Health Issues Environmental impacts include: • Spread of disease due to poor housekeeping and accumulation of domestic waste within the construction site • Stagnant water may result in mosquitoes breeding. • HIV/AID risk to the local communities. • Illnesses brought by outside construction workers. Page 89 of 106 Annexure 3 Environmental Guidelines for Developing Environment Management Plans General Issues Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Measures Mitigation Standard Water supply Camp to provide its own ▪ Any water supply sources affecting ecology or water supply that does not should be located so that it neighboring affect village water supply. does not adversely affect the community water villages supply. supply. ▪ The intake of water from streams for water supplies should leave residual flows in the watercourses. ▪ Storage tanks should be used to buffer water supplies. Wastewater Wastewater to be treated Sewerage disposal methods prior to discharge. should be designed to the Discharges affecting standards outlined by the water quality Vietnamese government Solid waste polluting No waste to be burnt or All solid wastes shall be removed the environment and buried on site. from site and disposed of at a municipal landfill. causing health hazards Camps using local Refer to section on Village services and impacts resources, at the expense of villagers. Workers intruding on Refer to section on Village village life and impacts disrespecting traditional cultural values. Page 90 of 106 General Construction Issues Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Measures Mitigation Standard Noise of machinery Noise must not ▪ Keep a current list of all noise associated with unreasonably intrude producing machinery and noisy construction activities on traditional village activities life. ▪ Operate machinery only during designated hours in agreement with local communities ▪ Adopt a complaint mechanism Dust generation from Dust must not cause a ▪ Dusty operations to occur only during construction activities hazard or nuisance to designated hours. village life. ▪ Adopt complaint mechanism ▪ Concrete batching plants and other dusty equipment to be located as far as practical from settlements. Vibration disturbance Vibration must not ▪ Keeps a list of all vibration producing from construction unreasonably intrude machinery and activities causing activities on traditional village vibration. life. ▪ This machinery operation to occur only during designated hours (to be confirmed by contractor in agreement with villages). ▪ Use of complaints register and procedures to address issues as they arise. Increased utilization of There should be no ▪ Road upgrades, including signage, roads by traffic significant increased speed humps, re-grading. associated with risk to local ▪ Training of locals regarding the construction activities populations from hazards of traffic. traffic associated with ▪ Training of vehicle drivers regarding the development. the driving risks through villages and along remote roads. ▪ Use of complaints register and procedures to address issues as they arise. Pollution risk activities Develop appropriate ▪ Keeps a current list of all potentially occurring on site storage, transport and contaminating materials used on site. use practices for ▪ Develop and implement appropriate storage and handling storage, transport and use practices Page 91 of 106 Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Measures Mitigation Standard of mixed classes of to recognized standards. dangerous goods in ▪ Solid waste disposal shall be taken off packages and site. intermediate bulk containers. There shall be no solid or liquid waste disposal directly or indirectly to any water course (whether flowing or not). Excavation and Blasting Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Mitigation Measures Standard Noise disturbance of Noise must not unreasonably ▪ Keep lists of all noise local populations intrude on traditional village producing equipment. life. ▪ This machinery operation to occur only during designated hours (to be confirmed by contractor in agreement with villages). ▪ Blasting to occur at the same time each day, and / or a warning siren should sound prior to blasting. Vibration disturbance Vibration must not ▪ Keep current lists of all of local populations unreasonably intrude on vibration producing machinery traditional village life. ▪ This machinery operation to occur only during designated hours (to be confirmed by contractor in agreement with villages). ▪ Blasting to occur at the same time each day, and / or a warning siren should sound prior to blasting. Page 92 of 106 Construction Material Stockpiling Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Mitigation Measures Standard Runoff of suspended Stockpiling activities should ▪ No direct discharge of sediments from not give rise to storm water sediment laden water without stockpiles containing elevated treatment. suspended solids. ▪ Stockpiles should be compacted as much as practical and not be exposed for extended periods. that will enable capturing and addressing issues upfront ▪ Work to be carried out in daylight, in typical working hours. ▪ Concrete batching plants and other noisy equipment to be located as far as practical from settlements ▪ Storm water should be diverted around stockpiles. Provide treatment to achieve 75% reduction in suspended solids. Dust generation from Dust must not cause a hazard ▪ Stockpiles should be stockpiles or nuisance to village life. compacted and not exposed for extended periods. ▪ Stockpiles should be reused as soon as practicable. Soil / Overburden Removal and Placement Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Minimum Mitigation Measures Standard Generation of Development activities should ▪ No direct discharge of suspended solids from not give rise to storm water sediment laden water without bare ground and containing elevated treatment. Page 93 of 106 runoff into suspended solids. ▪ Earthworks and land clearance watercourses should be minimized and phased. Provide treatment to achieve ▪ Any discharges to 75% reduction in suspended watercourses should occur solids. during high flow and / or discharged as close to the outfall as possible to maximize mixing. ▪ Stockpiling should occur at least 10m from a water course. ▪ Re-vegetation of exposed areas as soon as practicable. ▪ Timing of works around the drier seasons where possible. ▪ Provision of storm water cut off drains wherever possible. Disturbance of Soils should be reused where ▪ Stockpile and reuse soils possible in the development – before natural habitats to reduce the need for spoil ▪ excavating new soils / for spoil / alluvial sites and the need to import alluvium. material. fill. Efficiency of Control measures should ▪ Earthworks control measures continue to work should be inspected and control measures appropriately throughout the maintained in efficient over time construction period. operating condition over the construction period. Concrete Mixing Plant Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Minimum Mitigation Measures Standard Contaminants in ▪ No direct discharges of ▪ Settlement ponds and / or water discharged concrete batching water to sediment infiltration gallery. from concrete any water course. ▪ Monitoring immediately manufacturing, ▪ Provide treatment prior to upstream and 50m including rise in pH. discharge to achieve 75% downstream of the discharge reduction in suspended with a clarity tube to estimate Page 94 of 106 solids. any effects on clarity; for pH to detect alkali discharges. ▪ Any storm water discharges to watercourses should occur during high flow and / or discharged as close to the outfall as possible to maximize mixing. ▪ Water to be reused where possible in the process. ▪ Procedures for handling of un- hydrated cement material and wet cement to avoid spills. Community nuisances. Noise and dust must not ▪ Concrete batching plants and unreasonably intrude on other noisy / dusty equipment traditional village life. to be located as far as practical from villages. Fuel Storage and Use Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Minimum Mitigation Measures Standard Pollution risk No oil, lubricants, fuels or ▪ Keep a current list of all fuels associated with the containers should be drained stored on site. storage and use of or dumped to ground or ▪ Keep the Safety Data Sheet of fuels for all plant, waterways. all hazardous materials used generators and on site. vehicles Accidental spills shall be ▪ Develop appropriate storage, minimized, and procedures transport and use practices to put in place to clean up the recognized standards. environmental damage. ▪ Diesel to be stored in truck tankers or in overhead tanks to a maximum of 5000 liters. ▪ Diesel to be stored on flat ground, and 100m away from a waterway. ▪ Dikes to capture 100% of fuel Page 95 of 106 Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Minimum Mitigation Measures Standard must be placed around fuel storage areas. ▪ All refueling of vehicles and plant to be done on flat ground. ▪ All significant vehicle and plant maintenance shall be undertaken offsite where possible. ▪ Spill kits and emergency procedures should be used and staff trained. ▪ There shall be no deliberate discharge of oil, diesel, petrol or other hazardous materials to the surrounding soils and waterways. Works in and near Rivers Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Minimum Mitigation Measures Standard Sediment discharges Work in the wetted area of ▪ Stabilize works at the end of arising from working in the riverbed should be each working day and prior to and near the river. minimized, and only in storm events. relation to the construction For blasting in or near ▪ Do the work during low flow of bridges and culverts at the river, refer to the periods. stream crossings. blasting issues, above. ▪ Works shall be minimized. ▪ Diversion of the river around the work area where possible. ▪ Construction of Coffer Dam Page 96 of 106 Village impacts Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Minimum Mitigation Measures Standard Key Considerations for Communication channels ▪ Set up a communication a Communication are established between network for discussing issues Strategy to avoid Villagers, Construction between Construction deterioration of Supervisors, and state PCUs supervisors Contractors and current quality of life to facilitate information flow the villagers and the state and traditional and easier process for PCUs built on recognized livelihoods lodging complaints negotiation structures ▪ Construction Supervision Consultant and the Contractors will have an Environmental Specialist on site to ensure daily conformance with environmental health and safety guidelines and to respond to complaints ▪ A Health Program to be included in the Contractor’s Construction and Workers Camp Management Plan. This will be made available to the communities ▪ Education and orientation of outside workers to local culture and social norms before the start of work. ▪ Camps to be self sufficient in resources and services. (refer to the workers camp table below) ▪ Villagers shall be adequately informed of all potential hazards to health and safety with regards to increased traffic, blasting, machinery operation. Page 97 of 106 Issue Key Principle / Mitigation Minimum Mitigation Measures Standard Traffic causing safety Construction traffic will be ▪ Signage to be used to identify risks to road users managed to minimize the current risks to road users. impact on existing road ▪ Construction Supervision users. consultancy and Contractors to discuss major traffic issues with village representatives prior to the event to discuss course of action. ▪ Heavy traffic to avoid the hours when school children walk to and from school. Sediment affecting Sediment discharges to the ▪ Refer to the sections above river water uses. river shall be minimized. discussing erosion and sediment control. Page 98 of 106 Annexure 4 Environmental Aspects and Management Measures Considered for GNHCP A. Addressing Environmental Concerns during DPR Preparation S.No. Activity Aspects to Consider Measures to Address Concern/Issue A. Road Construction 1.0 Environmental Trees • Inventory preparation of all key Inventory Forests environmental features • Avoidance, design modifications to minimize Wildlife Sanctuary/ adverse environmental impacts National Park/ Notified Protected Areas • Incorporating community concerns into finalizing alignment Rivers / water crossings Water bodies Wetland Grazing lands Cultural properties Utilities Community facilities Major junctions 2.0 Detailed Surveys Geological, • Stability analysis and measures to address geo-technical studies slope instability, bridge works, etc. Topographical surveys • Detailing of features • Identification of flood prone areas and Hydrological surveys in measures to avoid afflux flood prone areas • Identification of use of land 3.0 Identification of • Utilizing alternative materials material sources • Minimize requirements through design Borrow material modifications • Location criteria • Utilizing alternative materials Quarry material • Material extraction from existing quarries • Identification of community/private sources • Scheduling construction to suit water Water availability availability • Utilizing community water sources without conflict of uses • Provision of silt fencing Water bodies • Rehabilitation of water bodies Stability of slopes • Measures for slope stabilization Soil erosion • Erosion control measures Land use changes • Land use control measures adjacent to road Page 99 of 106 S.No. Activity Aspects to Consider Measures to Address Concern/Issue • Avoid setting-up construction camps, borrow areas Agriculture lands • Conservation of top soil (if unavoidable) • Site restoration after construction • Avoidance through design modifications Cultural properties • Planning for Relocation & rehabilitation • Avoidance through design modification Common Property Resources • Planning for Relocation of consultation with community • Provision of adequate number of Cross Drainage Drainage Structures • Compensatory plantation and arrangements Trees for roadside plantation • Avoidance through design modifications Forest areas • Environment Management Measures during construction • Avoidance through design modification or Natural Habitats formulating additional measures for avoiding impacts 5.0 Precautionary Top soil • Stockpiling of topsoil and its preservation measures during • Provision of pollution control measures construction to avoid • Measures to ensure public and worker’s Construction sites environmental health/safety impacts • Water Management • Criteria for identification of sites and Infrastructure arrangements Construction camps • Safe disposal of all wastes • Enforcement of pollution control measures • Arrangements with land owners to include Borrow areas redevelopment • Rehabilitation of quarry areas if new Quarry areas quarries are opened • Personal Protective Equipment to be provided Public/workers health & • Public safety at construction sites to be safety undertaken • Measures for worker’s health & hygiene at construction camps 6.0 Consultations with • Agreement to include borrow area Land for borrowing community rehabilitation • Agreements with owners/community for Water for construction utilizing water Site for construction • Rehabilitation of the land after construction camps Page 100 of 106 S.No. Activity Aspects to Consider Measures to Address Concern/Issue Removal of trees • Compensation for the trees cut • Relocation costs to be covered in the project • Relocation costs to be covered in the project Traffic during • Provision of alternate routes or prior notice construction to the users 7.0 Finalization of Concerns of community • Community concerns to be incorporated alignment Environmental impacts • Impacts identified are to be mitigated by identified incorporation of provisions as per guidelines • Impacts that can be mitigated through Design aspects design modifications should be incorporated 8.0 Preparation of All concerns/impacts • Designs for enhancements and mitigation detailed drawings identified measures including cost provisions 9.0 Monitoring All environmental aspects • Monitoring implementation of identified environmental measures B. Environmental Concerns to be Addressed during Execution of Works S.No. Activity Impact/s Measure/s A Pre-Construction Stage A1.0 Alignment marking None • Co-ordination with Revenue Department A2.0 Relocation of Disruption of services of current • Identification of relocation site in advance utilities use • Scheduling the activity in consonance with the community usage pattern A3.0 Tree Felling Compliance with Forest Act in • Avoid felling of trees with nests and those case trees are on forest land used for perching by birds (Roadside trees are notified • Avoid felling during nesting season Protected Forests in states like • Prior clearance from Forest Department Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan) Loss of canopy and warming • Compensatory plantation effect A4.0 Clearance of land Impact on standing crops • Scheduling of activity and coordination Impact on cultural properties • Relocation of the cultural properties Impact on natural habitats • No clearance of vegetation beyond proposed RoW. A5.0 Diversion of forest Compliance with Forest Act • Activity scheduling to avoid delays, land conformance to legal requirements Impact on vegetation • Precautionary measures during construction in forest areas Pollution from construction • Precautions while operating activities equipment/machinery A6.0 Transfer of land Grievances from community • Addressal through Grievance Redressal ownership Mechanisms & Consultations Page 101 of 106 S.No. Activity Impact/s Measure/s A7.0 Location of Storage Pollution from construction • Location criteria to be adopted Yards, labour camps, storage yards & labour • Obtain NOC from State PCB camps, and camps construction sites Pressure on local infrastructure • Infrastructure arrangements to be as per EMF/EMP guidelines A8.0 Procurement of Machinery likely to cause • Machinery to be procured shall be in equipment and pollution at settlements and conformance with emission standards of machinery natural habitats CPCB Safety concerns in machinery • Safety equipment for workers operation • Tool box talks • Training on safe operations A9.0 Identification and Conflict of uses in case of • Consultations and arrangements at Selection of water individual/community level Material Sources • Documentation of agreement Borrowing causes depressed • Consultations and arrangements at lands individual/community level • Documentation of agreement Pollution due to material • Precautionary measures during siting of extraction from borrow and borrow areas and quarry areas quarry areas to surrounding environment Disturbance to Natural • Avoidance of location of material sources Habitats in Natural Habitats A10.0 Identification of Pollution due to location close • Site selection in conformance to criteria designated to settlements, water bodies & provided locations for waste other sensitive areas disposal B Construction Stage B1.0 Site Clearance B1.1 Clearing and Effect on roadside vegetation • Restricting movement of machinery/ Grubbing equipment Debris generation creating • Disposal / storage of grubbing waste and unsightly conditions possible reuse B1.2 Dismantling of Generation of Debris creating • Disposal of waste and likely reuse existing culverts unsightly conditions and structures Flooding due to interception to • Provision of diversion channels and/or drainage paths scheduling construction of culverts in dry months B2.0 Planning Traffic Trampling of vegetation along • Activity scheduling, identification of diversions and traffic diversions alternative track Detours Page 102 of 106 S.No. Activity Impact/s Measure/s B3.0 Material Loss of topsoil • Stripping and proper storage of topsoil Procurement Formation of stagnant water • Rehabilitation plan for borrow areas & pools due to quarry areas borrowing/quarrying Illegal quarrying / sand mining • Conformance of quarries selected to the SPCB requirements, including quarry rehabilitation plans Uncontrolled blasting at • Controlled blasting to the extent required. quarries Conformance to blasting rules as per the Indian Explosives Act B4.0 Transport of Fugitive emissions from • Covering of material with tarpaulin or use materials to site transport trucks of covered box trucks during transport Dust emissions from haul roads • Haul road management B5.0 Materials handling at site B5.1 Storage of Contamination to water • Provision of impervious base to storage materials sources, leaching into ground areas water B5.2 Handling of earth Dust rising and increase in • Use of dust suppressants particulate concentration in ambient air B5.3 Handling of fly ash Increase of particulate • Use of dust suppressants concentration and contamination of nearby areas B5.4 Handling of Risk of injury to workers • Use of Personal Protective Equipment granular material B5.5 Handling of Leaching of materials, • Provision of impervious base at bitumen bituminous contamination of water storage areas materials sources Air pollution • Control of emissions from mixing B5.6 Handling of Contamination from accidental • Prevention of accidental spills, affecting oil/diesel spills cleaning immediately after spill Pollution due to incomplete • Use of pollution control equipment burning B5.7 Waste Littering of debris at • Waste to be disposed at disposal locations management construction site only Contamination of surroundings • Prevention of runoff from entering water due to runoff from bodies construction site B5.8 Operation of Air and Noise pollution • Conformance to Emission standards and construction norms Page 103 of 106 S.No. Activity Impact/s Measure/s equipment and Operational safety of workers • Conformance to Safety concerns of the machinery road users and workers in operation • First aid provision • Mandatory provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) B5.9 Movement of Trampling of vegetation • Restriction of movement within ROW Machinery Damage to flora • Minimizing impact on vegetation • Minimizing impacts on private and Damage to road side common properties, including religious properties structures B6.0 Earthworks B6.1 Cutting Uncontrolled blasting in case • Controlled blasting to be made mandatory of rock cutting Loss of topsoil • Preservation of topsoil for reuse Waste generation • Safe disposal of waste & possible reuse B6.2 Embankment Interruption to drainage • Drainage channels to be provided with construction culverts in advance to embankment construction Dust Rising • Dust suppression with water Excess water/material usage • Minimising height of embankment Erosion causing impact on • Slope stabilization measures as seeding, embankment/slope stability mulching & bio-engineering techniques Formation of rills / gullies • Construction of temporary erosion control structures as per requirements Contamination of water • Control measures as silt fencing, vegetative bodies/ water courses barriers etc • Avoiding disposal of liquid wastes into natural water courses B6.3 Maintenance at Collection of rainwater in • Temporary drains during construction construction camp construction camp Waste water from labour camp • Disposal of waste water into soak pits Contamination of soil • Removal of oil / other chemical spills & wastes B6.4 Cutting Impact on the drainage flows • Restoration of drainage channels embankments of in and out of the water body water bodies Embankment stability • Design of slopes of the water bodies, slope protection etc B7.0 Sub-Base and Base courses B7.1 Granular sub-base Extensive extraction of quarry • Use of locally available materials materials Page 104 of 106 S.No. Activity Impact/s Measure/s B7.2 Wet mix macadam Extensive water requirement • Scheduling the activity in wet months • Avoiding conflict of uses due to water extraction from construction B7.3 Shoulders Movement of Machinery for • Restricting movement on adjacent lands treatment compaction B8.0 Culverts and Minor Interruption to water flow • Provision of diversion channels Bridge Works Pollution of water channels • Control of sediment runoff during construction Safety of Workers • Mandatory use of Personal Protective Equipment B9.0 Surfacing B9.1 Bituminous surface Worker’s safety during • Mandatory use of Personal Protective handling of hot mix Equipment Damage to vegetation • No use of wood as fuel for heating bitumen (burning/ cutting) • Hot mix plant location on waste lands Contamination due to • Safe disposal of bituminous wastes bituminous wastes Impacts on Air quality • Ensuring compliance of hot-mix plants with the CPCB emission standards B9.2 Concrete surfacing Contamination of surroundings • Mixing concrete at designated locations for roads crossing due to concrete mixing away from habitation and agriculture lands built up areas B10.0 Road furniture/ None • To be provided as per design Signage • Follow safety precautions during installation B11.0 Shoulder Requires material extraction • Use locally available material protection from quarries • Ensure that all shoulders are clear of debris or construction materials B12.0 Enhancements None • To be included in DPR • Follow standard precautions during works B13.0 Monitoring None • To be as per EMF/EMP C Post Construction Stage C1.0 Clearing of construction camps C1.1 Dismantling of Waste generation at the • Disposal of waste at designated locations campsite construction site • Restoration of site to original or better condition C1.2 Campsite Change of land use due to • Campsite to be restored to its original rehabilitation setting up of construction condition as per the rehabilitation plan camp • Restoration of top soil Page 105 of 106 S.No. Activity Impact/s Measure/s C2.0 Clearing of Water Generation of debris and silt • Reuse in civil works as provided in the Channels, side design/contract document drains and culverts • Removal of debris and disposal at designated/pre-approved locations C3.0 Rehabilitation of None • Top soil restoration, revegetation borrow areas Page 106 of 106