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Environmental Assessment and Report September 2012
AFG: Transport Network Development Investment Program, Tranche 2 (Lashkar Gah to Gereshk Road Improvements–Contract 2)
Prepared by the Ministry of Public Works of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS
(as of 7 September 2012)
Currency Unit – Afghani (AFN) AFN 1.00 = $ .01947
1 USD = 51.3595 AFN
ABBREVIATIONS
ADB - Asian Development Bank AH affected household ANDS Afghanistan National Development Strategy AP - affected People BIS Nahr-e Bughrā Irrigation System CRTN - Calculation of Road Traffic Noise DFID Department for International Development DMS detailed measurement survey EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment EMP - Environmental Management Plan GCC Gereshk Community Council GDP Gross Domestic Product GOA - Government of Afghanistan GRC Grievance Redress Committee HAVA Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority IEE - Initial Environmental Evaluation IPSA Initial Poverty and Social Assessment LARP Land Acquisition and Resettlement Plan MOD Ministry of Defence Road MPW - Ministry of Public Works N2O - Nitrous Oxide NEPA - National Environment Protection Agency NO2 - Nitrogen Dioxide NOX - Nitrogen Oxide PM - Particulate Matter PMU - Project Management Unit SEIA - Summary Environmental Impact Assessment SIEE - Summary Initial Environmental Evaluation SO2 - Sulfur Dioxide STABAD Stabilisation Advisors STD - Sexually Transmitted Disease UNEP United Nations Environment Program UNMACA - UN Mine Clearance Program for Afghanistan USAID - United States Agency for International Development USGS - US Geological Survey
UNITS
Cm - Centimeter C - Degree Celsius dB - A’ decibel Ha - Hectares Hr - Hour Kg - Kilogram Km - Kilometer M - Meter M2 - Square meter Mg/L - Milligram per Liter g/m3 - Microgram per cubic meter ppm - Parts per million
NOTE In this report, "$" refers to US dollars.
This Initial Environmental Examination is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB’s Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. Your attention is directed to the “terms of use” section of this website. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.
Chapter Title Page
Executive Summary
I. INTRODUCTION 1
A. Background ______________________________________________________________ 1B. Environmental Impact Assessment ___________________________________________ 1C. Initial Environmental Examination ____________________________________________ 2
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 4
A. Overview _________________________________________________________________ 4B. Route of Road and Scheme Design ___________________________________________ 4C. Need for Project ___________________________________________________________ 5
III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 6
A. Introduction ______________________________________________________________ 6B. Physical Resources ________________________________________________________ 71. Helmand _________________________________________________________________ 72. Atmosphere ______________________________________________________________ 73. Noise ____________________________________________________________________ 84. Topography and Soils ______________________________________________________ 85. Water Resources __________________________________________________________ 86. Geology and Seismology ___________________________________________________ 107. Landscape _______________________________________________________________ 118. Ecological Resources _____________________________________________________ 119. Economic Development ____________________________________________________ 1210. Social and Cultural Resources ______________________________________________ 1311. Alternatives to Project _____________________________________________________ 1512. Climate Change __________________________________________________________ 16
IV. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATIONS MEASURES 17
A. Environmental Impact and Assessment Methodology ___________________________ 171. General Approach ________________________________________________________ 17B. Physical Environment _____________________________________________________ 191. Soils and Materials ________________________________________________________ 192. Water Resources _________________________________________________________ 203. Air Quality _______________________________________________________________ 214. Contaminated Wastes and Unexploded Ordnance ______________________________ 225. Noise and Vibration _______________________________________________________ 236. Landuse _________________________________________________________________ 25
Table of Contents
7. Landscape _______________________________________________________________ 27C. Ecological Environment ____________________________________________________ 298. Ecology _________________________________________________________________ 29D. Socio-economic Environment _______________________________________________ 319. Archaeology and Cultural Heritage __________________________________________ 3110. Community Impacts _______________________________________________________ 3211. Health, Safety and Hygiene _________________________________________________ 3312. Combined and Cumulative Impact ___________________________________________ 33
V. INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 37
A. Environmental Impact and Assessment Methodology ___________________________ 37B. Summary of Impacts, Mitigation Measures, and Monitoring Tasks _________________ 371. Institutions and Their Roles ________________________________________________ 382. Environmental Monitoring Plan _____________________________________________ 383. Reporting and Documentation ______________________________________________ 394. Environmental Management Training ________________________________________ 395. Estimated Mitigation and Monitoring Costs____________________________________ 40
VI. PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE 41
VII. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 43
VIII. CONCLUSION 45
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. This Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) has been undertaken by Mott MacDonald for the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan (GoA). It presents the environmental assessment of a Scheme to upgrade and rehabilitate an existing road between Chah-e Anjir and Gereshk of approximately 31.6km (the Scheme). 2. The Scheme represents Contract 2 of the wider road improvement project between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk, with the overall aim of improving the administrative, trade and economic contacts between Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, and Gereshk, considered as the commercial capital of Helmand. An IEE was completed by Mott MacDonald for Contract 1 and Contract 2 together, with the final version submitted to ADB and the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) of Afghanistan in November 2010. This IEE has been prepared solely for Contract 2. It has been completed at the project design level to ensure that the proposed works take in to account environmental constraints. The environmental impact was considered for physical, environmental, ecological, social and cultural resources during the construction and operation phases.
3. For the purpose of Environmental Assessment, the ADB classifies Schemes into three categories. These are:
Category A – with potentially significant environmental impacts; Category B – with potentially less significant environmental impacts; and, Category C – unlikely to have significant environmental impacts.
4. The Chah-e Anjir to Gereshk Scheme has been determined as a Category B scheme, primarily due to the fact that it is a rehabilitation of an existing road. Subsequently, an IEE has been produced, to determine if the Scheme is likely to have any significant effects upon the environment. If a full EIA report is deemed necessary, further assessment will be undertaken.
5. The IEE identifies that that the Scheme does not pass through any environmentally sensitive areas. Overall, there would be some Slight Adverse impacts, the majority of which can be successfully mitigated by appropriate measures, as identified within this IEE and in the Environmental Management Plan (Appendix B). These Slight Adverse impacts include:
Potential for increased soil erosion and desertification; Pollution potential from contaminated road runoff, which may have an adverse impact
upon soils and materials, water resources and aquatic and terrestrial ecology; Temporary increased noise and air pollution during the construction phase; and, A temporary increase in stress on communities and existing infrastructure, local
landscape character and visual receptors.
6. There would also be a Moderate Adverse impact due to landtake required for the Scheme, although this would be for a temporary period during construction. 7. Benefits of the Scheme include:
Improved accessibility to and between settlements; Improved trade;
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Access to social services; and, Employment opportunities.
8. Overall, the benefits of the Scheme would outweigh the adverse impacts. This IEE concludes that, with the incorporation of appropriate mitigation measures, the Environmental Management Plan, and the implementation of a Land Acquisition and Resettlement Plan (LARP), the Scheme does not require a full Environmental Impact Assessment.
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I. INTRODUCTION
A. Background
1. This Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) has been undertaken by Mott MacDonald for the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan (GoA). It presents the environmental assessment of a Scheme to upgrade and rehabilitate an existing road between Chah-e Anjir and Gereshk of approximately 31.6km (the Scheme). The Scheme represents Contract 2 of the wider road improvement project between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk, with the overall aim of improving the administrative, trade and economic contacts between Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, and Gereshk considered as the commercial capital of Helmand. It will also directly contribute to economic growth and socio-economic benefits associated with improved road infrastructure. Contract 1 was progressed for the first 11km of the existing road between Lashkar Gah and Chah-e Anjir, and construction of this section is now near complete. The location of the Scheme is illustrated on the Environmental Constraints Drawing presented within Appendix A of this report. Contract 2 is labelled on this Drawing as commencing at Chāh-e Anjir.
2. An IEE was completed by Mott MacDonald for Contract 1 and Contract 2 together, with the final version submitted to ADB and the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) of Afghanistan in November 2010. The following IEE has been prepared solely for Contract 2. It has been completed at the project design level to ensure that the proposed works are environmentally feasible. The environmental impact was considered for physical, environmental, ecological, social and cultural resources during the construction and operation phases.
B. Environmental Impact Assessment
3. Prior to 2005, there was no formal Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in existence in Afghanistan, and there was no consistent application of EIA among donor agencies and international organisations working in the country. The Environmental Act of 2005 started to define environmental management guidelines and the Environmental Law of 2007 describes the process and instances for the submission and approval of environmental impact assessments for projects that are likely to have a significantly adverse effect on the environment (Article 13). It includes provisions for the approval of a preliminary assessment (Article 14); development of a mitigation plan (Article 15); a description of the approval process (Article 16); provisions for appeal (Article 17) and public consultation (Article 19); and the establishment of an Environmental Impact Assessment Board of Experts to provide guidance and expert advice (Article 20). In addition, the Environmental Law states in Article 22 that specific regulation will be prepared by NEPA for the implementation of this law.
4. Under the Environment Act and the resulting Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (2008), any project, plan, policy or activity shall submit to NEPA a brief containing enough information to enable NEPA to determine its potentially adverse effects upon the environment and any positive impacts. After reviewing the brief and acting on the advice of the EIA Board of Experts (yet to be established), NEPA may authorize the project, plan, policy or activity, provided its potential impact on the environment is unlikely to be significant. If NEPA considers that the environmental impacts will be significant, it may require the Scheme promoter to submit an environmental impact statement or a comprehensive mitigation plan.]\
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5. No specific periods for the review and approval of the preliminary assessment, the environmental impact statement or the comprehensive mitigation plan has been established in the Environmental Law. These procedural matters have been identified in the EIA Regulations (Official Gazette No. 939, March 2008).
6. Category 1, Schedule 1 of the 2008 Regulations identifies that an application will be required to be submitted to NEPA for road projects, where the construction or upgrading of a national or provincial highway or major road exceeds a total cost of US$ 800,000 and where the activities are likely to have significant adverse effects that are sensitive, diverse or unprecedented and affect an area broader than the sites or facilities subject to the physical works of the activity.
7. The EIA Regulations, 2008 states ‘environmental assessment should be consistent with international best practice’ (Regulation 7). However, a list of international best practice has not yet been established by NEPA. As a result, the guidance contained within the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Environmental Policy (November 2002) on the assessment of projects has been applied to the Scheme and attention has also been paid to the ADB Safeguard Policy Statement (June 2009), particularly Appendix A – Environment Safeguard Requirements. This level of assessment will meet the GoA’s requirements under the Environment Law 2007 to submit to NEPA a brief containing enough information to enable NEPA to determine any potentially adverse impacts upon the environment, and any positive impacts.
8. For the purpose of Environmental Assessment, the ADB classifies Schemes into three categories. These are:
Category A – with potentially significant environmental impacts; Category B – with potentially less significant environmental impacts; and, Category C – unlikely to have significant environmental impacts
9. For Category A projects, a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is required. For Category B projects, an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) is required, which would determine if the project is likely to have any significant effects upon the environment and would subsequently require further environmental assessment in the form of an EIA Report. No environmental assessment is required for Category C projects, although their environmental implications are required to be reviewed.
10. The Scheme has been determined as a Category B scheme, primarily due to the fact that the majority of the route would involve the rehabilitation of an existing road. Subsequently, an IEE would initially be produced, to determine if the Scheme is likely to have any significant effects upon the environment. If a full EIA report is deemed necessary, further assessment will be undertaken.
C. Initial Environmental Examination
11. An IEE is the ADB’s tool for incorporating environmental concerns at the project level. In accordance with the ADB’s Environment Policy, the general objectives of an IEE study should at least cover the following:
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Provide information about the general environmental settings of the project area as baseline data;
Provide information on potential impacts of the project and the characteristic of the impacts, magnitude, distribution, who will be the affected group, and their duration;
Provide information on potential mitigation measures to minimize the impact including mitigation costs;
Assess the best alternative project with most benefits and least costs in terms of financial, social, and environment; and,
Provide basic information for formulating a management and monitoring plan.
12. The IEE for the Scheme is written in compliance with the GoA’s requirements for Environmental Assessment, and in accordance with the ADB Safeguard Policy Statement (June 2009), particularly Appendix A – Environment Safeguard Requirements. The ADB’s Safeguard Policy describes the typical elements that an EIA report should contain. It also states that an IEE may have a narrower scope depending on the nature of the project. The ADB’s Environmental Assessment Guidelines of 2003 provides the following outline of an IEE, which has been followed within this Report:
Introduction; Description of the Project; Description of the Environment (physical resources, ecological resources, economic
development and social and cultural resources); Screening of Potential Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures; Institutional Requirements and Environmental Monitoring Plan; Public Consultation and Information Disclosure; Findings and Recommendations; and, Conclusions.
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II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
A. Overview
13. The Terms of Reference for the full Lashkar Gah to Gereshk Road Improvements (Contracts 1 and 2) state that the Scheme objective is to produce detailed design, safeguard (e.g., environmental, social) and bidding documents for the Lashkar Gah to Gereshk road that will meet requirements of the GoA’s national roads programme, the Provincial Governor’s priorities for infrastructure in Helmand and the ADB procurement rules.
B. Route of Road and Scheme Design
14. The existing road between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk is approximately 43km of mainly gravel road along flat low lying terrain. Provincial Highway 604 travels west out of Lashkar Gah crossing the Helmand River on the Bolan Bridge as well as four minor crossings of irrigation tributaries and canals of the Helmand River. The approved route for Contract 2 starts at Chāh-e Anjir and ends at Gereshk (Figure A of Appendix A).
15. After crossing the Chāh-e Anjir Māndah wadi on leaving the settlement, the Scheme turns north east towards the Nahr-e Bughrā Irrigation Canal. The Scheme then follows north east to east along the southern bank of the canal, crossing various irrigation sluices and culverts as well as the Lōy Māndah (wadi) where the irrigation canal enters an inverted siphon under the wadi. The Scheme also crosses over the Seh Rūd and Ābpāshak wadis where the canal enters inverted siphons. The Scheme ends where it meets Regional Highway 1 to the south of Gereshk adjacent to the bridge crossing the Nahr-e Bughrā Irrigation Canal locally referred to as ‘Bridge Dick’.
16. The upgraded road will be a National Highway and be built to the Major Roads Standard in accordance with the requirements of the Interim Road and Highways Standards (2007) developed by the Ministry of Public Works, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Aspects of the road design not covered by the interim standards will adopt internationally accepted standards. The minimum standard therefore applicable is that the road will be 2 lanes wide with a standard width of 3.5m for each lane, and upgrading to a major road requires a standard right of way in rural and built up areas of 15m. The temporary site clearance corridor for construction is likely to be an additional 5m on either side of the road, with the exception of where this width would be constrained by the large canal to the north of the carriageway.
17. There would be some minor deviations from the existing alignment, so as to reduce private land acquisition requirements and because there may be properties close to the existing road that could restrict the right of way and the road alignment. Where the 15m corridor cannot be accommodated in Chah-e Anjir due to the proximity of properties to the existing road, an alternative alignment to by-pass the settlement has been proposed.
18. Construction of the Scheme would require the use of a variety of construction plant, and the installation of Plant Yard, storage areas, camp sites, laboratories and accommodation, as well as borrow pits and quarries. A contractor has not yet been appointed for the Scheme, and as such, information regarding the location of borrow areas and specifics of construction are currently unknown. However, the Contract Specification (Contract 2: Chah-e Anjir to Gereshk,
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Part II(A) Employer’s Requirements - Section 6.2: Specification), clearly states requirements of the Contractor with regards to Environmental Protection for the implementation and decommissioning of construction roads, construction facilities, quarries, borrow pits and storage areas (Section 0108 of the Contract Specification). The Specification requires that impacts upon trees and other vegetation, erosion and water pollution shall be considered in locating these facilities, as well as taking into account construction mitigation measures recommended within this IEE.
C. Need for Project
19. Afghanistan has a total land area of 0.65 million km2 and it is estimated that the country has a total road network of 35-40,000 km including rural roads (more than 85 % of this road network is in bad condition and a major portion of which is not passable by motorised vehicles). The Regional, National and Provincial road network identified for development includes about 17,500 km (ADB, 2006).
20. The existing road between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk is approximately 48km passing through flat low lying terrain. In some rural sections it is only a gravel track, and is in an extremely poor condition. The Scheme will improve the administrative, trade and economic contacts between Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, and Gereshk considered as the commercial capital of Helmand. It will also directly contribute to economic growth and socio economic benefits associated with improved road infrastructure.
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III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT
A. Introduction
21. Information about the state of the environment in Afghanistan is scarce and what is available is not up to date. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the National Environmental Protection Agency of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (NEPA) in their 2008 State of the Environment Report summarises:
22. “Given the lack of information it is difficult to obtain a clear picture of the current state of the environment in Afghanistan. The lack of systematic observation of rivers, forests, wildlife, lands, climate and atmospheric conditions in the past prevents comparison of present conditions to the situation 5, 10 or even 30 years ago. There is much uncertainty about the sources of environmental pollution, its extent and transfer as well as linkages to public health and diseases. Little is known about the scope of erosion and contamination of land, as well as their economic consequences. Without sufficient data it is difficult to predict major floods, droughts and other natural hazards. Assessments of the quantity and quality of surface and ground water are varied and generally out of date. The need for data collection and exchange is consequently a major priority for effective environmental management.”
23. In addition to the above, the current security situation in Afghanistan has meant that ground surveys to establish baseline environmental conditions have not been possible. The threat of road side bombs and other insurgent activity poses too great a risk to personnel to allow information to be gathered first hand. The DFID Helmand Road and Power Projects – Environmental and Social Surveys – Approach Paper of 2nd October 2009, summarises the proposed way forward for environmental and social aspects of the Scheme in the context of the current security situation in country. Suggested methodologies for environmental surveys include:
Consult with NEPA (in Kabul and Lashkar Gah); Use photographic information gathered by DTM survey and through ground surveys1; Desktop information gathering exercise (internet and existing reports); and, Use local Stabilisation Advisors (STABADs) based in districts to provide as much
background information as possible to inform the assessments.
24. This approach paper has been approved by DFID and ADB. As a result, this IEE has been written making the best use of all available data, relying on desk based research, recent aerial and site photographs, information supplied by NEPA and any other available resource.
25. Although adopting robust methodology, in some instances, there is little environmental information to inform the baseline and subsequent assessment. This IEE therefore delivers as detailed an assessment as possible given the available data. The appointed Contractor and NEPA are advised that should further environmental information become available, or it
_________________________ 1 It should be noted that the extent of time allowed on the ground and the subsequent area covered for the photographic surveys
was less than would normally be desired for detailed environmental baseline surveys. This was entirely due to the current security situation in country. Mott MacDonald consulted with NEPA staff in Helmand and Kabul prior to the surveys being undertaken, and identified that NEPA did not have the capacity or resource to assist with surveys at the time.
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becomes apparent once works begin that the baseline is inaccurate, additional environmental assessment may be required.
26. Environmental constraints as determined from all available data sources are presented on Figure A of Appendix A.
B. Physical Resources
1. Helmand
27. The Helmand province is located in southwest Afghanistan covering an area of 61,829 km2 and representing about 9% of the country. It borders Pakistan to the south and is surrounded, clockwise starting on the west, by the provinces of Nimroz, Farah, Ghor, Uruzgan, and Kandahar in the East. The Helmand River, the largest river in the province, runs from Uruzgan in the northeast to Nimroz in the southwest, dividing Helmand in two halves. The northern third of the province is mountainous or semi-mountainous subject to heavy snows in winter. The other two thirds are formed of relatively flat desert plateaus with isolated rocky outcrops.
28. Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, is located in the lowland desert on the Helmand River at an elevation of about 775m above sea level.
2. Atmosphere
Air Quality
29. It is known that levels of air pollution are particularly high in several urban centres of Afghanistan (NEPA, 2008). A 2005 to 2006 study of the air quality in Kabul revealed that 60% of the population experience elevated exposure to concentrations of particulate matter PM10 (fine anthropogenic dust with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 micrometres), nitrous oxides (NOX) and sulphur dioxide (SO2). The primary sources of these pollutants have been attributed to transport emissions and residential generator emissions. However, there is no information available relating to the air quality in the vicinity of the Scheme.
30. The area is subject to extreme low temperatures during winter periods which commonly cause severe atmospheric inversions and stagnation of air masses for prolonged periods, trapping air pollutants in a low mixing height. Some areas are also prone to dust storms. These are located in the arid zones of southwestern Afghanistan, the Sistan deserts, Farah and Hirat provinces in the southwest, and Ghazni in the central portion.
Climate
31. Afghanistan is characterized by a continental climate, though the presence of mountains causes many local variations. Temperatures vary from - 10°C in winter to 34°C in summer. The annual distribution of rainfall shows a picture of an essentially arid country, with more than 50% of the territory receiving less than 300mm of rain annually. With the exception of the eastern border regions, which are at the far edges of monsoon influence, approximately 50% of the precipitation occurs in winter (January to March), much of which falls in the form of snow in the central mountainous regions. A further 30% falls in spring (April to June). The runoff from snow
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melt, in the spring and summer months when day temperatures are high, is the lifeblood of Afghan agriculture.
32. Glacier size has been decreasing in recent years due to increased air temperatures and droughts, which could have severe consequences on river regimes in future years. The Helmand river basin covers 45% of Afghanistan but only contributes 10% of the country’s total water resources. Helmand Province also relies heavily on ground water for irrigation, and so agriculture in the region is much dependant on the availability of water in karezes (groundwater supplies in shafts and tunnels) which fluctuates year on year.
33. Rainfall is between 50-200 mm per year in the area surrounding Gereshk and Lashkar Gah. However, rainfall is higher in the mountains in the north eastern parts of the Helmand Basin, between 300 and 500 mm per year (Geocart, 1994). This precipitation feeds the rivers of the basin. At high elevations, precipitation falls in the form of snow. Snowmelt waters are critical for the flow of the Helmand River and use for irrigation during the summer.
3. Noise
34. At present, there is little available information regarding baseline noise conditions from traffic and for Helmand. The majority of roads in the region are un-metalled and uneven which would in turn suggest low vehicle speeds and flows. There are a number of settlements outside of the main population centres of Lashkar Gah and Gereshk where background noise levels would be dominated by human activities. Elsewhere, although traffic noise would be evident, it is not likely to be a dominant feature of the noise climate.
4. Topography and Soils
35. The terrain of Afghanistan is dominated by rugged mountain ranges, which generally run from the northeast to the southwest. Mountains occupy all but the north-central and south-western regions of the country, which are dominated by plains. The topography around the project site forms part of the extensive flatlands in the southwest of the country, centred round the drainage basin of the Helmand River.
36. The main soil type for Lakshar Gah is bare sandy soil. As the Scheme approaches Chah-e Anjir, the soil is intermittently irrigated for agriculture, and passes through intensively irrigated areas along the Nahr-e Bughra canal. The soil type in Gereshk and the surrounding area is predominantly sandy soil.
5. Water Resources
37. Based on the hydrographic systems, the country can be divided into five zones of Amu Darya, Hari Rud, Kabul, Helmand and Farah Rud. The Scheme is located in the Helmand Basin which drains the southern regions of Afghanistan. It is the largest drainage basin in Afghanistan, covering 52% of the country’s area.
38. The Helmand Basin is an inland basin, draining to the Sistan Wetland in Iran. It extends from the southern Hindu Kush ranges to the north east, the East Iranian mountain range to the west, and the mountains in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan to the south and east. The
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headwaters of the Helmand River originate about 90 km west of Kabul on the western slopes of the Paghman Ranges. Here the mountains reach altitudes of 4,400 m (Whitney, 2006).
River Helmand
39. From its source, the Helmand River flows south-westward through the steep, narrow valleys of the Hazarajat Mountains before entering the vast open basin of Lower Helmand. The Arghandab is the largest tributary, joining the Helmand River near Lashkar Gah. Downstream of the confluence with the Arghandab, the Helmand flows through 500 km of the extremely arid lower Helmand Basin. The river terminates in the Sistan depression in an extensive complex of shallow wetlands and marshy lakes (known as hamuns).
40. Four wadis cross the proposed road to join the Helmand River. The Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority (HAVA), based in Lashkar Gah, has indicated that no water level data is available for the wadis. They have also confirmed that there is no formal information on water quality or ecological status of surface water, but they state that water quality is good.
41. These wadis rise in the mountains, which constitute the northern boundary of the Helmand Basin. The wadis cross open desert and are hydrologically complex, with indistinct catchments and frequently changing courses. Local knowledge (Personal Communication, Deputy Director of Public Works in Helmand) indicates that the wadis are predominantly fed by rain storm events rather than by snow, hence wadi flows are highly erratic.
Groundwater
42. Relatively little information is available regarding groundwater resources within the Helmand Basin. However, geological GIS shape files are held by GEO Cell (source unknown). This information indicates that the area in the vicinity of the road is underlain by Neogene clastic sediments. This is supported by a geological map of the lower Helmand Basin displayed in Whitney 2006 which shows the area in the vicinity of the proposed road being largely underlain by Neogene coarse gravels. Holocene fluvial sands and playa silt and clay underlie the Helmand River flood plain.
Irrigation
Tube well locations for the Helmand Basin are also available digitally from GEO Cell. The source and current validity of data is not known. However, the data shows that numerous tube wells are present across the Helmand Basin, indicating that groundwater is widely used. Oosterkamp (2003) estimates that there could be around 1,000 wells in Helmand province. The wells may pump around 100 million m3 of groundwater per year.
43. Four main types of irrigation systems exist in the Helmand Basin:
Formal irrigation systems, managed by HAVA or other government organizations; Traditional irrigation systems, comprising surface irrigation managed by communities; Karez irrigation systems, comprising groundwater supplies in shaft and tunnel systems;
and, Tube wells.
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44. Considerable uncertainty exists regarding the number of irrigation systems and the command areas. The Helmand Infrastructure Scoping Study (2008) suggests that irrigated areas could vary between 170,000 and 200,000 hectares in Helmand Province.
45. Data displayed in Favre, R and Kamal, G.M. (January 2004) indicates that surface water irrigation systems dominate in Helmand Province. However, it is important to note that this data is for 1967 and 1968. There may have been considerable changes in the use of groundwater for irrigation since the late 1960’s.
6. Geology and Seismology
46. The mountain ridges are composed of hard lithified rocks of pre-Palaeogene age dominated by meta-sediments (sandstones, slates, metaconglomerates, limestone, slates etc.). The rocks are faulted, folded and deformed. Geological GIS shape files are held by GEO Cell (source unknown). This information indicates that the area in the vicinity of the existing road is underlain by Neogene clastic sediments. This is supported by a geological map of the lower Helmand Basin displayed in Whitney 2006 which shows the area in the vicinity of the proposed road being largely underlain by Neogene coarse gravels. Holocene fluvial sands and playa silt and clay underlie the Helmand River flood plain.
47. Afghanistan is located in a geologically active part of the world where the northward-moving Indian plate is colliding with southern part of the Eurasian plate at a rate of about 1.7 inches per year (43 mm/yr). Earthquakes therefore represent a serious threat to the people, the infrastructure and the economy of Afghanistan. For that reason, the Seismic Hazard Mapping group of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has prepared a series of maps of the expected frequency and strength of earthquakes across Afghanistan. This demonstrates that earthquakes in Afghanistan are most frequent and likely in and near the north-eastern part of the country where the effects of the plate collision between India and Asia are most pronounced. As illustrated in Figure 3.1 below, the Chah-e Anjir to Gereshk Scheme is not situated near to this main fault area within Afghanistan (the Chaman Fault system), and Helmand Province is located in an area of relatively low risk of serious earthquakes.
Figure III.1: Generalized seismic hazard map of Afghanistan showing the level of shaking and the location of the Chaman Fault Line
Source:Data – Assessing the hazard contributes to reconstruction, USGS & USAID, April 2007. Graphic - Lashkar Gah Bost Airport and Agriculture Center Environmental Assessment, October 2008, Chemonics International, Inc.
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7. Landscape
48. Figure A of Appendix A identifies the landscape character baseline for the Scheme. The study area stretches broadly between the towns of Lashkar Gah to the South and Gereshk to the North. Both towns are located within the Helmand Province boundary, with smaller villages and scattered dwellings existing along the route and within a well defined grid pattern of roads and irrigation channels. The area between these towns is predominately flat farmland following the Helmand river basin, interspersed with open desert landscape, hills and mountains to the north. Trees and other vegetation grow along, but are not limited to, wadis and other watercourses which are used extensively in this area as irrigation for farming. Canals have been dug to the west of the Scheme area feeding the drainage channels, which drain into Helmand River.
8. Ecological Resources
Flora and Fauna
49. Afghanistan has a rich resource of habitats and species. In June 2009, NEPA officially released the first ever list of protected species for Afghanistan. Species on this list will now be protected against illegal hunting or harvest. The 33 species currently on the list include 20 mammals, seven birds, four plants, an amphibian and an insect. The list includes well known species such as the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), and the Grey wolf (Canis lupus), as well as lesser-known species such as the Paghman salamander (Paradactylodon mustersi), goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), Saker falcon (Falco cherrug), markhor (Capra falconeri), and the Himalayan elm tree (Ulmus wallichiana).
50. Little is known about many of the species within Afghanistan. Within Helmand Province, habitats have changed dramatically through agricultural activities and conflict, and the security situation within the province is such that no data has been received from this area for a number of years. However, it is thought that the following species are likely to be found within this region: Jungle cat (Felis chaus), Gray wolf (Canis lupus), Cape hare (Lepus capensis), Caracal (Caracal caracal), Corsac fox (Vulpes corsac) and MacQueens bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii) (Kanderia, 2009). Only 2.6% of the country remains wooded with much of the country now dominated by rangelands (grazing land) which makes up nearly 60% of the land use (Azimi & McCauley, 2002).
51. The habitats within the Helmand Province are primarily desert, arable and pasture habitat. The River Helmand and the Nahr-e Bughra canal flow through much of the region, enabling the surrounding land to become fertile for crop production and establish wetland habitats which are important for a variety of species. However, the River Helmand has the least diverse aquatic fauna in terms of number of species for all rivers in Afghanistan, and all species identified within the River Helmand fall under the IUNC red list taxon of “not evaluated” i.e., the species have not yet been evaluated against the criteria.
Protected Sites
52. A number of protected sites have been proposed within Afghanistan, to include one National Reserve, two Wildlife Reserves, four Waterfowl Sanctuaries, and other protected areas such as national heritage sites, wildlife managed reserves and landmarks. The Band-e-Amir
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National Park was designated in April 2009 as the only National Park in Afghanistan. It is located on the Hazarajat Plateau in the mountainous Hindu Kush (Wildlife Conservation Society {Online}, 2009; WDPA, 2009). None of the protected areas are located within or close to the proposed Scheme.
9. Economic Development
Afghanistan
53. The economic outlook in Afghanistan has improved considerably since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has shown a relatively strong growth at a rate of 11% since 2002, in spite of falling to 7.5% in 2005–2007. In Afghanistan’s case the growth is largely due to the reconstruction efforts supported by development assistance (international donors) and recovery in the agricultural sector. Aid (35%) and Agriculture (32%) are the main contributors to Afghanistan’s GDP (NEPA, 2008).
54. According to the International Monetary Fund, the opium sector represents about 40-50% of Afghanistan’s GDP. Although opium production is excluded from the economic calculations, this illegal activity has a significant overall impact on income and purchasing power. There are no major industries in the country but many small and medium enterprises exist such as an increasing number of small shops (NEPA, 2008).
55. Oil reserves are estimated at 15 million tonnes, while the current rate of domestic oil production is only 400 barrels a day. Natural gas holds the potential (proven reserves range from 30-400 billion m3) to become an important source of government revenue, though it suffers from a lack of investment. Consumption and production of gas has been declining from the 1990s because of deteriorating infrastructure. Additionally, about 30% of gas is lost during production and transmission. The coal industry is operating at low production rates, less than 100,000 tonnes a year due to devastation from war and years of neglect. There is also the possibility of developing hydroelectric, solar and wind power.
56. Parts of Afghanistan contain deposits of precious and semi precious stones, as well as copper, lead, lithium, gold and silver. Afghanistan is well placed to mine and export these commodities. The annual value of its mineral production could increase five-fold compared to the current US$50 million.
Land Use
57. In Afghanistan, 80% of the population is involved in agriculture. Thirty years ago Karakul fur, wool, cotton, grapes, raisins, nuts and forest products represented 80% of Afghan exports. Today, more than 0.5 million farmers are involved in horticultural production with a total export value of US$127 million. Principal crops cultivated include wheat, rice, maize barley and pulses. Wheat is the staple crop accounting for 83% of the total cereal consumption within Afghanistan. High value crops such as cumin, sesame linseed and sugarcane are cultivated where appropriate. There is also some horticultural potential, such as from the growth of apricots, pomegranates, onions and turnips (UNEP, 2003).
58. Livestock is integral to all farming systems in Afghanistan. Livestock numbers have increased since early 2001 after falling drastically in the late 1990s. While production is
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increasing, Afghanistan still imports live animals for meat and frozen meat including chicken, eggs, and wool. The meat industry is large, with the indicative value of meat consumption in Afghanistan per year at $800 million and with the capital value of livestock assets estimated at $3 billion.
59. In comparison Opium cultivation has a value of US$1-3 billion at farm gate prices (50% of GDP) and involves an estimated 3 million people contributing to some 75% of the global illegal supply. The opium poppy has been cultivated for many centuries in Afghanistan, but the period of conflict and Taliban rule has led to a massive expansion in production.
Helmand
60. The Helmand economy is 75-90% based on Agriculture, 15-20% on Livestock and 5% on services. Key agricultural activities are cultivation of cereal crops (Wheat, Mungbeans, Maize and Barley), vegetables (onions, cucumber and melons) and orchards. In addition, sheep, cows, goats and camels are kept as livestock, which according to the Head of the Agricultural Department, number as many as 20,000 animals.
61. In addition to 30 years of conflict, poppy cultivation and recurrent droughts have led to a reduced agricultural output during the last 10-15 years. In particular, Northern Helmand has been strongly affected by drought where agriculture is based on irrigation and groundwater. Southern Helmand has been less affected since irrigation relies on the use of surface water from the Helmand River.
Infrastructure
62. Infrastructure in the area is poor, especially in relation to roads, as well as a lack of electric power due to security issues, a shortage of skilled human resources, weak legal and regulatory regimes and most importantly corruption. Economic development has also been constrained due to a lack of financing mechanisms and institutions.
63. Helmand has a strong Taliban presence and the security situation in the province is very fragile.
64. Helmand’s key arteries are the Highway 1 (running west to east between Herat and Kandahar), and the national road (running north to south between Kajaki and Garmsir). These two routes intersect at Gereshk. Lashkar Gah is currently linked by highways with Kandahar to the east, Zaranj to the west and Herat to the north-west. Lashkar Gah is connected to the Kandahar-Herat Main Highway by a 45km asphalt road. A daily regular bus service is available from Lashkar Gah to the major cities of Kabul, Herat and Kandahar, as well as small taxis and mini-busses regularly running to other district centres.
10. Social and Cultural Resources
Population and Communities
65. Afghanistan’s total population is somewhere between 20–27 million with over 78% of the population living in rural areas. During the Taliban rule and prolonged periods of severe drought an estimated 5 million people resided outside the country (NEPA, 2008). However after the fall
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of the Taliban Government, more than three million Afghans have now returned. Almost over 50% of all returnees have resettled in the central region (UNEP, 2003).
66. Large cities and smaller towns are home to 20–30% of the country’s population and are experiencing major population growth and a development boom. The population of Kabul has increased six-fold in the last 40 years. Due to the lack of basic necessities, security, food and ongoing conflict, there is a continuous trend of rural-urban migration in addition to settlement in or around urban areas by returning refugees. In 2005 UN-HCR registered 85,000 such migrants in the Kabul area alone. The influx of population to urban areas has led to pressure on already fragile services, such as water and energy. Population data from 1986-2006 shows a 38% national population increase, whereas urban and rural populations increased by 65 and 36% respectively. According to UN-Habitat, Afghanistan is one of the most rapidly urbanising countries in the region. Demographic forecasts suggest that the urban population could increase by 5 million by 2015.
67. Afghanistan is culturally highly diverse, with around 20 distinct ethnic groups. Afghanistan is a Muslim country, with the majority of the population being Sunni (80%) and most of the remainder Shia Muslims (19%). Pashtuns make up the largest single ethnic group and live mainly in the wide belt of land south of the Hindu Kush. Four other minority ethnic groups – The Turkoman, Uzbek, Tajik and Kyrgyz extend into northern Afghanistan.
Socio-economic Conditions
68. Afghanistan is predominately a conservative society with strong traditions. The disparity between males and females starts early in life, at primary school, and continues in secondary and higher education. Discrimination has been perpetuated through social norms and cultural practices, particularly during the Taliban rule. The low status of women has made violence against women pervasive. The Afghan Government has taken steps towards gender equality by bringing about gender parity in the representation of women in decision making.
69. Typical gender issues in Afghanistan include:
Education and illiteracy; Lack of women’s rights; Lack of job opportunities; Domestic violence; Poverty; Home confinement; and, Forced marriage.
70. The largest issue faced by the women in Afghanistan, based on the survey of Afghanistan people conducted by the Asia Foundation (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011), is lack of education and illiteracy. The other key gender issue in Afghanistan is the lack of women’s rights. Women’s rights are a particularly significant issue since it leads to series of other social problems such as forced marriages, domestic violence, women being confined to their homes and lack of job opportunities.
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71. The Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), 2008 reports that Afghanistan’s human development indicators are among the lowest in the world, comparable to only a few of the poorest landlocked or war-torn countries of sub Saharan Africa. Poverty measurement in Afghanistan is severely constrained by a lack of quality data and available figures. Some 12 million Afghans, or 42% of the population, live below the poverty line with incomes of about $14 per month per capita, with a further 20% of the population only slightly above the poverty line, indicating high vulnerability. Food poverty (those unable to purchase sufficient food to guarantee the world standard minimum food intake of 2,100 calories per day) is estimated to affect about 45% of the population.
72. In addition, life expectancy in Afghanistan is under 45 years (at least 10 years below that of any other Asian country), and over 20% of all Afghan children die before the age of 5. Half of Afghanistan’s school-age children are not in school, although 57% of the population is under 18 years of age with few full-time employment opportunities. In much of the country over 80% of the population are illiterate, and gender inequality is evident across all sectors, resulting in particularly difficult circumstances for women.
73. At present the health status of Afghanistan is perhaps the poorest in the world. On the basis of data collated by Earth Trend (2007) the infant mortality rate for the year 2007 is 165 per 1000 live births, compared with 51 for Developing Countries and 47 for the whole world. Similarly the ‘under-five mortality’ is one of the highest in the world at 257 per 1000 compared to 74 for Developing Countries and 68 for the whole world. Life Expectancy at birth for 2005 was estimated at 43.5 for females and 43 for males, well below the global average of 67.3.
11. Alternatives to Project
74. The proposed Scheme is planned to predominantly follow the alignment of an existing unmade road between Cha-e Anjir and Gereshk. The Scheme forms Contract 2 of the phased Lashkar Gah to Gereshk road development, for which Contract 1 (Lashkar Gah to Cha-e Anjir) is currently near completion (May 2012). From Cha-e Anjir to Gereshk, the road is a gravel and sand track for the majority of the route. The alignment of the proposed road largely follows the current alignment of this existing unmade road, and no alternative route options have been considered beyond the “Do Nothing” scenario, where the proposed route would not be constructed. This is because the immediate priority for Helmand’s national road network is to construct an adequate road to connect Lashkar Gah, the administrative capital, with Gereshk, the commercial centre. Linking these two population centres would have significant benefits for access to markets in Helmand and beyond, and for freedom of movement for a large portion of the population. The economic benefits of a functioning market system in the Lashkar Gah-Gereshk hub would spread well beyond the immediate area into neighbouring provinces by way of the regional highway and into the outlying districts of Helmand. Contract 2 links directly to the near complete Contract 1 and the completion of both Contracts is the most viable option for achieving these objectives.
75. However, there are some sections along the route where the road would deviate from the current, unmade road. Locations where this would occur are limited to settled areas where the existing road passes through the settlement (such as Cha-e Anjir). The decision to deviate from the current alignment at certain locations has been made based upon the desire to avoid or limit the number of privately owned properties that would need to be demolished, and
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associated land acquisition and resettlement requirements. Therefore, an alternative option has been agreed upon, and the alignment would by-pass the settled areas as appropriate.
12. Climate Change
76. A study completed by the Stockholm Environment Institute on behalf of DFID (UK) on the Socio-Economic Impacts of Climate Change in Afghanistan (2009), has identified that Afghanistan presents a number of specific challenges in terms of climate change assessment. Climate projections for Afghanistan require significant refinement due to the lack of availability of reliable historic meteorological records. Complex topography in Afghanistan also means that local variations in response to global warming, particularly precipitation, are likely to be large and many areas may vary from the regional trends. In addition, sporadic and poor quality socio-economic data make econometric modelling or robust cost/benefit analysis of adaptation and mitigation policy nearly impossible. Poor national security also restricts the ability to undertake structured fieldwork to assess potential mitigation and adaptation options.
77. Current models indicate significant warming across all regions of Afghanistan with average predicted increases in temperature of between 2°C and 6.2°C by 2090s. In the short term, average rainfall is projected to show a small increase, although by little more than about 10-20mm. Mean annual rainfall changes in the 2090s show conditions are generally drier over much of Afghanistan. Much of the drying is due to decreases in spring rainfall. Winters are expected to be significantly drier in the South. The climate models suggest that Afghanistan will be confronted by a range of new and increased climatic hazards. The most likely adverse impacts of climate change in Afghanistan are drought related, including associated dynamics of desertification and land degradation. Drought is likely to be regarded as the norm by 2030, rather than as a temporary or cyclical event. Floods due to untimely rainfall and a general increase in temperature are of secondary importance. However, their impacts may by amplified due to more rapid spring snow melt as a result of higher temperatures, combined with the downstream effects of land degradation, loss of vegetative cover and land mismanagement.
78. The proposed Scheme is not thought likely to exacerbate any of these trends, although the consideration of flood adaptation measures in the design of the Scheme is thought necessary. This is because whilst high rainfall and wadi flows are infrequent events, increased intensity of flow of melt water is predicted and flash flooding at the location of wadi crossings could occur. This would be addressed through appropriate design of all wadi crossings to take account of high levels of flood flows.
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IV. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATIONS MEASURES
A. Environmental Impact and Assessment Methodology
1. General Approach
79. Legislation on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been implemented in Afghanistan since 2008 following the adoption of the EIA Regulations (March 2008) ‘to govern the process for environmental impact assessment’. The environmental assessment for this Scheme has been undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Law, 2007 (Article 22) as supplemented by the EIA Regulations (2008).
80. The main source of guidance for all assessments is drawn from the EIA Regulations (Official Gazette No.939, March 2008). The aim of this guidance is to provide advice which allows the assessment to reflect both legislative and best practice requirements. The objectives of the EIA Regulations are to provide a consistent approach to project based environmental assessment and its reporting, and to adopt an approach by which the Determining Authority (NEPA) can be assured that they have complied with relevant environmental regulations as well as their own policies and procedures.
81. Schedule 1 of the EIA Regulations outlines a number of development categories which, by virtue of their size or operational nature, necessitate a mandatory screening process. Regulation 5 states that:
82. “Screening in these Regulations means the assessment to determine whether or not there is a likelihood of significant adverse effects that require further investigation, or whether a decision can be made based on the information provided through the screening process.”
83. This assessment is based on the Technical Guidance for Screening Process (Schedule 3). Its purpose is to reach an understanding of the likely environmental effects of the Project and thus inform the final design and any further environmental assessments.
84. The result will report the significance of the effect using established significance criteria. A standardised approach has been applied for determining the significance for all environmental topics. This requires an assessment of the receptor or resource environmental value (or sensitivity) and the magnitude of project impact (change). The five significance categories are set out in Table 4.1 below. For the purposes of this assessment, impacts that are of Moderate Adverse or Beneficial and above are considered significant.
85. In Table 4.2 the magnitude of impact and environmental value “scores” are combined to determine the likely environmental effect. If the impact is negative then the effect is adverse; if the impact is positive then the effect is beneficial. Professional judgement was used to vary the predicted effect whence appropriate.
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Table IV.1: Descriptors of the Significance of Effect Categories
Significance category
Typical descriptors of effect
Neutral The proposed Scheme is likely to have no effects or those that are beneath levels of perception on key environmental resources and receptors.
Slight These adverse or beneficial effects are unlikely to be critical in the decision-making process, but need to be considered in the assessment process.
Moderate
These beneficial or adverse effects have the potential to effect key environmental resources and receptors at a local level. Decision making will be influenced if the cumulative effects of such factors lead to an increase in the overall adverse effect on a particular resource or receptor.
Large These beneficial effects will result in moderate improvement of a resource and/or receptor quality and adverse effects results in the change of the integrity of loss of part of the resources.
Very Large
These effects represent key factors in the decision making process. Adverse effects would lead to the loss or degradation of key environmental resources or receptors and beneficial impacts would result in major improvement in the quality of the resources and receptors
Table IV.2: Assessing Significance of Potential Effects
MAGNITUDE OF POTENTIAL IMPACT (DEGREE OF CHANGE)
EN
VIR
ON
ME
NT
AL
VA
LU
E (
SE
NS
ITIV
ITY
)
No change
Negligible Minor Moderate Major
Very High
Neutral Slight Moderate or
Large
Large or Very
Large
Very Large
High Neutral
Slight Slight or
Moderate
Moderate or
Large
Large or Very
Large
Medium Neutral Neutral or Slight
Slight Moderate Moderate or
Large
Low Neutral Neutral or Slight
Neutral or Slight
Slight Slight or
Moderate
Negligible Neutral Neutral Neutral or Slight
Neutral or Slight
Slight
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B. Physical Environment
1. Soils and Materials
86. The upgrading and improvements to the Chah-e Anjir to Gereshk road could potentially impact on the underlying soil and rock conditions as follows:
Excavations of cuttings and construction of embankments using excavated material; Potential removal and disposal of contaminated material; and, Increased soil erosion and desertification.
87. The depth and type of foundations of the bridges would be determined by the local soil properties and geology. Detailed information is not available on the soil profile, but based on the preliminary studies and published data, the soil type and lack of vegetation cover along the route of the Scheme, the potential for soil erosion is high.
Construction Phase:
88. A potential risk of the proposed works would be disturbance to the upper soil layer, thus making it more susceptible to increased erosion and runoff. Possible impacts would also include potential pollution of the soil profile from transportation of machinery and equipment and accidental spillages (i.e., chemicals, oil, and lubricants), erosion of temporary stockpiles during periods of heavy rainfall, disposal of contaminated and redundant equipment and re-suspension of dust during dry weather.
89. As the areas of disturbances would be likely to be great, potential impacts are considered to be Large Adverse and therefore significant both with respect to potential consequences and intensity. However, during the construction phase, all activities would be carried out in such a way that minimises the risk of contamination of the soil. Fuel storage and operational procedures for fuel transfer would follow best practice aimed at minimising the likelihood of any accidental spills. Site personnel would be trained in spill response procedures including in the use of spill kits. Emergency spill kits would be kept on site. In addition, an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) would be implemented for the Scheme, to be implemented during the construction stage, which would identify best practice methodology for pollution prevention control and measures to ensure that these are applied on site.
90. The implementation of appropriate mitigation measures would prevent or minimise the impacts, thus reducing the impact to Slight Adverse and therefore not significant.
Operation Phase:
91. The operation of the proposed Scheme would lead to contamination of soils through road runoff which may contain hydrocarbons, oils and heavy metals. This would result in the moderate degradation of soils surrounding the Scheme, considered to be a Moderate Adverse impact.
92. Hazardous substance spills from any accidents during operations could lead to a high pollution load on soils incorporated into the drainage scheme. However, in the event of significant spillages of contaminating substances, all contaminated soils would be collected and
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removed to an appropriate site to ensure that no long term source of contamination from operational activities remained on site. Soil removed would be replaced by uncontaminated material. There would be river-training works to prevent erosion at Wadi crossings. Areas disturbed during construction would be appropriately rehabilitated and re-vegetated. Rehabilitation of areas susceptible to erosion would also be undertaken and adequately protected by soil conservation measures. As such, the impacts of the Scheme at the operation stage can be adequately mitigated and reduced to Slight Adverse.
93. During operation of the Scheme, erosion of soils is possible where the road would be on embankment and from the movement of vehicles. However, there would be little embankment works associated with the Scheme. Where required, all material would be watered, mixed and compacted with suitable compaction equipment to give sufficient density to the material so that it would be capable of carrying traffic without undue wear or distress, resulting in a Neutral impact upon soils. In addition, wherever possible, fords would be constructed from rock fill or course material, and as such, there would be little soil erosion at these locations.
94. Overall, the impact of the Scheme on soils and materials is considered to be Slight Adverse with mitigation at the construction stage, and Slight Adverse with mitigation during operation. This is due to the potential for road runoff containing hydrocarbons, oils and heavy metals, but is not considered to be significant.
2. Water Resources
95. The proposed road is located on the Helmand Basin and crosses over four wadis. From east to west these are the Chah-e Anjir Wadi, the Luy Mandah Wadi, She Rud Wadi, and the Asak Mandam Wadi. The Scheme follows the left bank of the Nahr-e Bughrā canal. It skirts the northern edge of the Nahr-e Bughrā Irrigation System (BIS) for approximately 20 km from Gereshk to just beyond the Luy Mandah Wadi crossing. At this point, the route of the Scheme diverts from the canal and runs south within the BIS. The BIS has several branching canals and an extensive drainage network. Numerous drains and canals cross the proposed route.
Construction Phase:
96. As large scale construction activities have the potential to increase erosion rates, the turbidity of the surface water run-off can be potentially increased. Dust generation can also be a problem during dry periods, especially as the project area is an arid zone.
97. As the Scheme runs along the Nahr-e Bughrā canal and crosses wadis, water flows at the crossings can be restricted at times of high level of runoff, leading to increased areas of flooding upstream. The redirection of local drainage would affect the irrigation schemes or water supplies to local communities. The Scheme might also intercept karez systems used for irrigation.
98. As the areas of disturbances are likely to be great, potential impacts are considered to be Large Adverse. However, during the construction phase, all activities would be carried out in such a way that minimises the risk of pollution and runoff to water courses (refer to para. 89). The implementation of appropriate mitigation measures and implementation of an EMP would prevent or minimise the impacts, thus reducing the impact to Slight Adverse.
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99. All waste materials from the construction process, including waste oils and construction camp/compound effluent, would be contained and disposed of at authorised sites. Cement and other chemicals used in construction would also be stored in contained areas. All storage of fuels, oils and greases should be bonded to prevent any spread of hydrocarbon pollutants in the event of spillage. Refuelling and plant maintenance would be undertaken in designated refuelling and maintenance areas located away from watercourses.
Operation Phase:
100. During the operation phases, environmental impacts can manifest in the form of discharge of runoff polluted with contaminants from long term vehicle usage to existing drainage and watercourses during runoff events and pollution of watercourses as a result of road accidents. Impacts would be likely to be localised and subsequently Slight Adverse and therefore not significant. However, the new road must make adequate provision for road-runoff, taking account of water bodies used by the local population for domestic and livelihood uses. Measures would be taken to ensure that large stockpiles of earthworks materials are not located close to major water bodies such as the Nahr-e Bughrā canal, and laying/curing of asphalt would be interrupted during rain events to prevent the runoff of hydrocarbon pollutants from the asphalt to watercourses.
3. Air Quality
101. The proposed Scheme would pass through predominantly rural areas. The alignment is situated within close proximity to three villages and there are also a number of walled residences along the route which can be classed as sensitive receptors for local air quality. There is no information regarding local air quality in the region. However, considering land use and the topography of the area, it can be assumed that the existing air quality is good, as there are few sources of pollutants and then there is no inhibition of dispersion.
Construction Phase:
102. Construction activities can result in temporary effects from dust. ‘Dust’ is a generic term which usually refers to particulate matter in the size range 1-75 microns. Emissions of construction dust are predominantly associated with the movement and handling of minerals and therefore composed of the larger fractions of this range which do not penetrate far into the respiratory system. The primary air quality issue associated with construction phase dust emissions would therefore be loss of amenity and/or nuisance caused by, for example, soiling of buildings, vegetation and washing and reduced visibility. However, there is already a considerable amount of dust caused by vehicles using the existing, gravel road.
103. The distances from source of construction dust effects are dependent on the extent and nature of mitigation measures, prevailing wind conditions, rainfall and the presence of natural screening by, for example, vegetation or existing physical screening such as boundary walls on a site. However, research indicates that effects from construction activities that generate dust are generally limited to within 150-200 m of the construction site boundary.
104. Best practice mitigation measures that would be considered applicable for a Scheme of this size include planning the site layout, with machinery and dust causing activities located away from sensitive receptors, minimise dust generating activities, no idling vehicles, all loads
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entering and leaving site to be covered and no site runoff of water or mud. Water would be used as a dust suppressant and cutting equipment would use water as a suppressant or suitable local exhaust ventilation systems. Stockpiles would be enclosed or kept securely sheeted. Mitigation measures would be incorporated into the EMP and issued to the appointed Contractor to reduce construction impacts associated with the construction phase. Assuming these best practice measures are employed, the residual impacts at the construction phase for Air Quality would be likely to be Neutral and therefore not significant.
Operation Phase:
105. The Scheme would partially involve the rehabilitation of an existing road which is currently mainly composed of gravel. In operation there would be likely to be a reduction in the re-suspension of particles (i.e., dust), by virtue of the hard surfacing of the road, which would result in an overall Slight Beneficial impact. However, it is likely that there would be an increase in the number of vehicles (up to a maximum annual average daily traffic count of 13,000 using the road), which would result in an increase in the emissions of particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to 10 microns and Oxides of Nitrogen (PM10 and NO2). This would be exasperated further by the fact that the fleet in Afghanistan comprises old and poorly maintained vehicles which use fuel of poor quality. This would result in a Slight Adverse impact on local air quality. As a result, the on balance and overall impact of the Scheme can be considered to be Neutral and not significant in terms of local air quality.
4. Contaminated Wastes and Unexploded Ordnance
106. The Scheme passes through a predominantly rural area with minor areas of desert. Desk based surveys have identified no significantly potentially contaminative activities along or immediately adjacent to the route, and it is therefore not expected that significant areas of contamination would be encountered during the works. However, due to a lack of ground survey data (refer to paras. 21 and 22), and recent conflict, the potential presence of landmines throughout the route must therefore be assumed.
Construction Phase:
107. Given the undeveloped nature of the route corridor it is considered unlikely that significant areas of contamination would be encountered. It is anticipated that excavated spoil from the construction works can be re-used within the Scheme. The works themselves have the potential to introduce new pollutants to the environment during the construction period, such as from the transportation of machinery and equipment, and accidental spillages from the works (i.e., lubricants, oil, chemicals). The generation of small quantities of refuse or waste from the construction camps may also be anticipated, and would be considered to be a Slight Adverse and not significant impact.
108. Mitigation measures could include conducting equipment refuelling away from surface waters and placing containment bunds around field fuel tanks and transfer facilities. All hazardous wastes and hazardous materials, such as lubricating oil, solvents and fuels, would be stored within concrete or brick buildings properly designed for such storage facilities. Any spill or leak would be addressed immediately and the contaminated soil and material be disposed appropriately. The generation of small quantities of refuse or waste from the construction camps would need to be disposed of according to the EMP and waste management plan prepared by
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the Contractor. Special assessment and clearance will be needed for this area from the United Nations mine clearance programme for Afghanistan (UNMACA) before initiation of any project activity.
Operation Phase:
109. Should any contamination be encountered during the construction stage, remediation processes would be undertaken (refer to para. 92). Given the undeveloped nature of the route corridor it is considered unlikely that areas of contamination would be encountered. As a result, at operation, it is unlikely that contamination would present an environmental issue. However, there is potential for road runoff polluted with contaminants from long term vehicle usage to cause a contamination issue for land adjacent to the Scheme, although impacts would be localised, and any large scale spillage events would be fully remediated by the Ministry of Public Works. Subsequently, the impact of the Scheme at operation is considered to be Neutral and therefore not significant.
5. Noise and Vibration
110. The construction and subsequent use of the proposed Scheme has the potential to generate noise and vibration impacts.
111. In common with other environmental factors, an assessment of the impact of noise and vibration requires a comparison of the predicted noise levels resulting from the proposed Scheme with the pre-existing (baseline) noise levels. The predicted increases/decreases may then be judged against known subjective effects and quantified in terms of significance, with a view to minimising the impact of the Scheme and the design of suitable mitigation measures.
112. Road traffic noise at source is dependent on a number of variables such as road surface, speed, number of vehicles, percentage heavy goods vehicles and gradient. Further corrections may be made for factors affecting propagation such as distance, topographical features and barriers. The nature and source of traffic noise varies with speed so that at relatively low speeds engine/exhaust noise predominates, but as speed increases the tyre/road surface component of noise increases.
Construction Phase:
113. In the absence of surveyed background noise levels it is not possible to quantify the impact due to operation or construction of the Scheme at this stage. However, given the probable level of existing background noise level and proximity of settlements to the route corridor, it is likely that, in the absence of mitigation, Moderate to Large Adverse temporary impacts would occur at some locations.
114. It is currently not possible to indicate whether impacts due to vibration would occur, although given the proximity of some buildings to the route there is the potential for impacts from vibration due to construction activities. The propagation of vibration through the ground is dependent on geology, density, stiffness, water content and damping. Furthermore, the effect on any particular building may be dependent on type of foundation and structure.
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115. In general the distribution of noise sources during the construction phase would be of local and short term character. Mitigation measures which would be adopted during construction are:
Planned hours of working such that account is taken of surrounding receptors; Control of noise at source where possible; Site permanent items of plant away from sensitive receptors; Consideration of the use of temporary screening where appropriate; and, Use of alternative piling methodology if used to minimise both noise and vibration.
116. Providing these measures are employed during the construction, impacts can reasonably be reduced to Slight Adverse.
117. In the absence of any geological data, it is presently not possible to confirm if blasting is required for bridge foundations, although it is unlikely. A number of small villages and settlements are found along the Scheme, which would be affected by the blasting. If required, blasting would be undertaken using a pre-established and agreed schedule to minimise disturbance.
Operation Phase: Noise
118. Since future noise levels cannot be measured directly, they must be calculated from the Scheme design and forecast traffic flows. The proposed road improvements are designed for an annual average daily traffic flow of 13000. Indicative future traffic noise levels have been predicted using the empirical calculation procedure defined in the UK standard methodology ‘Calculation of Road Traffic Noise’ (CRTN) and forecast traffic flows for the Scheme. To enable a comparison of traffic noise, the baseline levels adjacent to the proposed scheme should be determined using the same method, or if that is not possible, a noise survey.
119. Using CRTN, at design speeds of 50kph, noise levels at 20m from the carriageway edge would be 68dB LA10, 18hour. Without existing noise levels against which to make a comparison, the impact cannot be precisely determined. However, as discussed in the baseline section (Paragraph 3.2.8), it is likely that background noise levels are not dominated by traffic noise, thus it is anticipated that for those dwellings close to the proposed Scheme and in the absence of mitigation, Major Adverse and therefore significant impacts are likely.
120. The principal noise mitigation measures which may be adopted during operation are barriers/bunds, and/ or traffic speed reduction, and if these are employed, then noise impacts may be reduced, potentially to Slight Adverse and not significant. An alternative approach to mitigation might be to route the proposed Scheme further away from the proximity of some dwellings.
Operation Phase: Vibration
121. Vibration due to road traffic may occur in two forms: ground-borne and airborne.
122. Ground-borne vibration may be generated by the dynamic interaction of vehicle wheels on road surface irregularities and may be transmitted to adjacent buildings (generally 8–20 Hz). This is a complex function of road surface profile, vehicle speed, weight and suspension
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characteristics, pavement construction and underlying geology, and there exists no simple model for predicting such impacts. It may reasonably be assumed, however, that newly constructed carriageways are unlikely to generate significant levels of such vibration. Therefore, this impact has not been considered further for this assessment.
123. Airborne-induced vibration may be generated by high levels of low-frequency noise (20–100 Hz) from vehicle exhausts, which can induce vibration in nearby building elements. This may be perceptible and/or in turn generate noise at different frequencies.
124. A broad method for predicting and assessing airborne vibration relies on surveys which have indicated that the relationship between airborne vibration and nuisance follows a similar relationship as that for noise, albeit lower. These surveys were restricted to properties within 40m of the carriageways where there were no noise barriers or other screening. A number of dwellings adjacent to the proposed Scheme would satisfy these criteria, although the surveys were based on conventional European-type dwelling construction. In the absence of background data against which to provide a reference, or information on building type, it is anticipated that in steady state conditions, 19% of people living within 40m of the carriageway (where there is no screening) would be disturbed by airborne vibration.
125. Vibration due to ground-borne operation is likely to be Neutral and therefore not significant.
126. Vibration due to airborne vibration is likely to be Slight Adverse and therefore not significant subject to further assessment once baseline conditions are known.
6. Landuse
127. The Scheme passes through a predominantly agricultural environment of mixed farming with well defined field patterns bounded by trees and hedgerows, and some larger, more open fields. In some areas, residential buildings including small markets are observed from recent aerial photography adjacent to the Scheme. It is has been ascertained by DFID that the land along the Nahr-e Bughrā Irrigation Canal is owned by HAVA (Helmand Arghandab Valley Authority) / GoA.
128. A Land Acquisition and Resettlement Plan (LARP) will be produced for the Scheme. The LARP will deliver a strategy for addressing resettlement impacts to international standards within an emergency context. It will contain estimates of the affected households (AH) and affected persons (APs), types of impacts, and compensation procedures. Resettlement impacts will be estimated for land (including agricultural, residential, commercial and non-agricultural land that would be owned privately or by the government), buildings, business and income and loss of crops. However, given the current security situation in Afghanistan, a household asset census and detailed measurement survey (DMS) has not been completed to date, and the LARP is likely to require regular updates as and when further information is available.
129. In the absence of a detailed design for the full Scheme, the precise area of land to be acquired is currently unknown. It is therefore not presently possible to fully determine the impact of the Scheme in the construction and operation phase at this stage. However, the following assumptions will be used to guide calculations of land loss and temporary land loss that will be included within the LARP:
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Land up to 3m either side of the road alignment shown on the design will be required; or, Land up to any building or structure within this 3m buffer will be required for the Scheme.
130. In addition, the LARP will include an assumption that where rip-rap would be required to stabilise wadis at four bridge locations along the Scheme, as well within drainage and irrigation channels, the land will be classified as land take of Government/unknown ownership.
Construction Phase:
131. Land that would temporarily be required for the construction of the road would be restored to its prior use wherever possible. Therefore, the impact of the Scheme for this land is considered to be Moderate Adverse, but for a temporary period. Similarly, compounds used by the Contractor during construction would have a Moderate Adverse impact for a temporary period on land use, particularly for the central and northern sections of the Scheme where land to either side of the route is predominately agricultural.
132. Local access issues may be apparent during construction and it is likely that there would be a temporary change in some access arrangements to agricultural land along the route. Although temporary this will be a Slight Adverse impact. The following mitigation measures would help to reduce this impact, although overall, the construction impacts for landuse would be Moderate Adverse and therefore significant, but for a temporary period:
New access arrangements may be considered pre-construction; Construction site compounds should be positioned where they will avoid
unnecessary or permanent damage to agricultural land. Adverse impacts may be avoided by maintaining access to agricultural land throughout the construction phase; and,
Severance of fields should be considered on an individual basis, consulting the land owners, and avoided wherever possible.
Operation Phase:
133. As the majority of the Scheme follows the existing alignment of a gravel road, and aims to improve access between the regional hubs of Lashkar Gah and Gereshk, and all settlements between, the Scheme would be likely to have a Moderate Beneficial impact on local access to farmland and associated properties once operational. However, permanent land acquisition from privately owned land (to include agricultural) would be required to accommodate the Scheme. Without mitigation, this would result in a Large Adverse impact for agricultural land due to viable land being taken out of productive use. Within the LARP, it will specify that for the permanent loss of agricultural land, compensation in the form of the provision of land of equivalent productive value acceptable to APs would be provided. If land is not available, cash compensation at market rate (free of taxes, registration and transfer costs) should be provided. In addition, the new road surface would be a solid, asphalt surface which would reduce the impact from dust pollution (see 4.2.19), and therefore have a Slight to Moderate Beneficial impact on adjacent agricultural land.
134. As part of the Land Acquisition process, it has been identified that there would be likely impacts associated with the height of the road and use of retaining walls (which have been
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included within the design so as to minimise the likely land acquisition requirements of the Scheme), which would affect access to properties and farmland. Without mitigation, this would result in a Large Adverse impact for some properties, where journey times would be increased due to the implementation of the road and retaining walls, or access is not provided for at all. However, mitigation measures such as adjustment to property entrances, and/ or provision of alternative accesses to affected properties and farms would act to mitigate this impact. On balance, this would result in an overall Slight Adverse to Neutral impact for landuse at operation.
7. Landscape
Landscape Character:
135. Landscape character describes what makes an area distinctive. However, Afghanistan has no formal procedure for identifying landscape character. For the Scheme, the Afghanistan Land Cover map (UNOSAT, 2002) has therefore been used as a basis for identifying landscape types within Helmand. Reference to satellite images and recent aerial photographs have been used to describe these areas, and indicative locations of landscape character are shown on Figure A of Appendix A.
136. Character types within the study area include:
Alluvial Soils – Alluvial soils are evident along the Helmand River corridor. The area is fed by wadis and canals used for irrigation of the adjacent farmland.
Sand Covered Areas – The southern section of the proposed road passes through sand covered areas with evidence of abandoned settlement and farming activity. Desertification is also evident to the north and west of Nahr-e Bughra (canal), south and east of Helmand River, north and south of Arghandab River. This area has little or no vegetation.
Intermittently irrigated – Areas of intermittent irrigation are evident in the area between Helmand and Arghandab River. These areas are typified by the presence of scattered buildings and arable fields adjacent to drainage channels and natural streams.
Intensively irrigated – The majority of the study area has been given over to intense mixed farming production, fed by man-made canals and natural watercourses draining into the Helmand River. Currently, the main crops cultivated are wheat, corn, opium poppy, fruits and nuts. Areas of farming are clearly defined, bounded by hedgerows, trees, watercourses and roads.
Bare soil – Areas of bare soil are present throughout the study area, particularly to the north of the Nahr-e Baghra canal and south of the study area.
Water – Helmand and Arghandal Rivers are to the east of the study area. The northern section of the Scheme runs parallel to the Nahr-e Bughra (Canal). Watercourses within the study area are clearly defined by existing vegetation.
Visual amenity:
137. The Scheme would pass through landscape that is intensively irrigated and largely open and flat in nature, thus affording far reaching views. The southern section of the Scheme would pass through open desert with little or no existing vegetation, with the central and northern sections of the Scheme more constrained by existing vegetation. There would be some
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interruptions to views from incidental trees and hedgerows that are apparent along streams, drainage channels, canals and field boundaries.
138. Key visual receptors within the landscape have been identified as local residents of towns and villages along the full length of the Scheme. Dwellings are largely set within high walled courtyards for security reasons, and residents look inward with limited external views. As a result, the sensitivity of these receptors can reasonably be downgraded from high to medium or low. A second group of receptors has been identified as workers and farmers. These users have been categorised as being of medium sensitivity due to close working proximity to the Scheme.
Construction Phase:
139. The character of the Scheme corridor is predominantly rural. It would be expected that there would be an adverse impact upon visual and audible tranquillity during construction. However, the Scheme proposals are largely set within the context of the existing road corridor, and construction activities would be for a temporary period only. Best practice methodologies would also be employed so as to minimise the impacts of construction noise (refer to para. 154).
140. It is unlikely that the new proposals would have a significant adverse impact on existing vegetation as the majority of the route would be constructed along the existing highway and bare or agricultural land adjacent to it. However, there are some locations where the Scheme would require vegetation clearance to facilitate the construction of the road. Wherever possible, removed vegetation will be replaced with species of local provenance. On balance, the impact of construction activity upon local landscape character types and visual amenity is assessed as Slight Adverse.
Operational Phase:
141. At operation, the Scheme is designed to accommodate 13,000 Average Daily Traffic. As a result, is likely to have an adverse impact upon landscape character and visual amenity due to the increase in traffic in the area. However, as the Scheme proposals are predominantly set within the context of the existing road corridor, this impact is likely to be Slight Adverse and therefore not significant.
142. There are some locations where the Scheme would deviate from the existing road alignment. One such place of interest is where the Scheme commences at Chāh-e Anjir, where the route would by-pass the settlement. The Scheme alignment would require landtake from agricultural land at this location, and therefore would have a Slight Adverse impact upon landscape character and visual amenity at operation, although key receptors have been identified as being of medium to low sensitivity. Such impacts at this location and along the full Scheme alignment may be mitigated by the following measures:
Integration of the route with the landform and minimising field severance and fragmentation;
Screening of route with planting where practicable (local species of native provenance); Retaining local landscape features and vegetation where possible; and, Replacing lost features such as hedges and stonewalls.
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143. There are some locations along the route where earthworks (embankments) and bridge construction would be required to span the wadis and canal. Locations include a wadi crossing at Chāh-e Anjir and Bridges 15, 17 and 20 (refer to Figure A of Appendix A). For the bridge locations, the structures would be unlikely to integrate well with the local landscape character, and there would be interruptions to far reaching views, although these may be buffered by existing vegetation and mitigation planting. At these locations, impacts would be Moderate Adverse at operation.
144. Due to its proximity to the settlement of Chāh-e Anjir, the wadi crossing at this location would have an adverse impact upon landscape character and visual amenity. Although retaining walls would limit the area of land required for the construction of this crossing, the structure would still be substantial and would restrict views from the settlement to the landscape beyond. The sensitivity of receptors at this location have been downgraded from high to medium or low however, and as such the impact is considered to be reduced from Large to Moderate Adverse due to the inward looking nature of properties.
145. Overall, due to the low sensitivity of key receptors and with mitigation, the impact of the Scheme and associated traffic on landscape character and visual receptors is assessed as Slight Adverse
C. Ecological Environment
8. Ecology
146. The current security situation in Afghanistan has meant that ground surveys to establish baseline ecological conditions have not been possible. In addition, there is little ecological data available to inform the ecological baseline for Afghanistan. As such, this assessment has been undertaken based on the assumption that protected species known to be within the Helmand Region are likely to be present within the route corridor, and that much of the land take required to widen the road to the 15m right of way corridor would include areas of vegetation, such as along the banks of canals and along field boundaries.
Construction Phase:
147. The proposed Scheme would cross a number of watercourses and irrigation channels, and as a result, it is possible that pollution incidents could occur during construction of the road, especially during bridge construction. The Helmand River is an important water source for the region, feeding into a number of lakes with extensive tributaries. Therefore, any pollution incidents could have a Moderate Adverse impact upon habitats and species beyond the works area. However, measures to reduce this likely impact would be implemented at the construction stage. This would include, for example, interrupting the laying/curing of asphalt during rainfall to prevent the runoff of hydrocarbon pollutants from the asphalt to watercourses (Paragraph 4.2.15 of this report). In addition, an EMP should be implemented for the Scheme, which would identify best practice methodology for pollution prevention control and measures to ensure that these are applied on site. The residual impact upon the aquatic environment at the construction stage is therefore likely to be Slight Adverse.
148. Widening of the existing road to 11m, and to allow for a 15m right of way corridor would be likely to involve land take throughout the entire length of the road. Land take would also be
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required for the areas where the Scheme would deviate from the existing road. Some of this land take would include areas of vegetation, especially near to watercourses and peripheral vegetation separating crops. The LARP that will be produced for the Scheme will provide estimates and broad categories of potential landtake (agricultural, residential, commercial and non-agricultural land), but in the absence of any ground vegetation survey it is not possible to quantify the potential loss for vegetation. However, due to the general barren nature of this region, it is likely that any vegetation will be an important refuge for birds and other species in the area. In addition, permanent removal of vegetation could lead to increased desertification and destabilisation of river banks. Over time this can lead to infilling of waterways and movement of sand dunes into vegetated areas, causing further depletion of wildlife habitats (Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, 2006). However, the majority of the proposed route would follow the existing road alignment which on the whole, passes through barren land. As a result, vegetation loss is likely to be minimal. Measures to reduce the impact such as minimising the loss of vegetation wherever practicable and providing replacement planting with species of local provenance should be undertaken. For wadi crossings, stabilisation of the wadi bed may be implemented through the use of rip-rap. At some locations, this would result in further vegetation loss beyond the Scheme footprint, and measures should be included to encourage re-colonisation wherever practicable in such areas. Providing these measures are implemented, the impact of the Scheme would be Slight Adverse and not significant.
149. It should also be noted that poaching and hunting of protected species is a serious issue in Afghanistan. The presence of construction workers may lead to an increase in poaching and hunting which would impact upon local wildlife. Although problematic to quantify and police, training for construction workers should be implemented as part of the Environmental Management Plan (Appendix B of this report), which would reduce the impact to Neutral and therefore not significant.
Operation Phase:
150. Fragmentation of habitats is one of the greatest global threats to wildlife. Despite the lack of high valued habitats along the route, agricultural land and grasslands provide important habitat for a number of species. At present the percentage of fragmentation within Afghanistan is relatively low (NEPA, 2008). Despite the existing gravel road, the introduction of a surfaced road and loss of vegetation from widening the road, as well as the locations where the alignment would deviate from the existing route, would be likely to result in ecosystems becoming more fragmented. However, mitigation measures would be employed to reduce the likely impact of this fragmentation. Where vegetation is required to be removed as a result of the Scheme, it would be replanted using similar native stock, to ensure connectivity and provide appropriate food resources and shelter for native species. The overall impact of fragmentation of habitats is therefore likely to be Slight Adverse for a temporary period.
151. The proposed Scheme would be wider and smoother than the current gravel road, which would allow for greater traffic and faster speeds. This impact upon habitats and protected species is likely to be Slight Adverse due to increased road mortality for protected species known within the Helmand region such as Cape hare (Lepus capensis), Caracal (Caracal caracal) and Corsac fox (Vulpes corsac), and from pollution from increased traffic which could cause an adverse impact upon vegetation and watercourses adjacent to the road. However, re-surfacing of the existing sand and gravel track would cause a reduction in dust pollution, which would have a Slight Beneficial impact upon roadside vegetation and watercourses, especially
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the Nahr-e Bughra canal. Overall, the impact of the Scheme at the Operation Phase for Ecological resources is likely to be Slight Adverse and therefore not significant.
D. Socio-economic Environment
9. Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
152. In order to determine the impact of the Scheme on archaeology and cultural heritage resources, sites identified from aerial photographs and information supplied by NEPA within the following ADB categories has been assessed:
Sacred sites, including burial sites and sites of religious and spiritual significance; Archaeological sites, including pre-historic sites, such as mounds, middens and caves; Historical sites such as historic roads, bridges, dams, and other water works,
fortifications and walls; Engineering and industrial sites, such as C19th industrial sites; Architecture and town planning, including monumental architecture, indigenous or
vernacular architecture, historic settlements and town centres; and, Historic landscapes, to include cultural landscapes, historic parks and gardens, trade
routes, monuments and remains.
153. Although Afghanistan is rich in heritage, desk based surveys suggest that there are few sites of heritage interest within the study area of 300m from the centreline of the Scheme. However, potential features of local importance include (refer to Figure A of Appendix A):
Fort at Gereshk (ruin); Cemetery to the south west of Abpashak Mandah Wadi (Bridge 17), with associated
burial mounds adjacent to the road; Numerous sites marked as ruins on maps exist along the Scheme alignment, and for
which further information is unknown; and, A possible monument/memorial exists approximately 5km along the route from Gereshk.
Construction Phase:
154. The proposed road improvements predominantly follow the alignment of an existing gravel road, and few archaeological or heritage features have been identified. As a result, it is not anticipated that the Scheme would result in the destruction or loss of any sites of archaeological or heritage importance. However, a cemetery to the south west of Abpashak Mandah Wadi (Bridge 17), has been identified, with associated burial mounds adjacent to the road, and as such, it is recommended that the Scheme is constructed under the supervision of an archaeological watching brief in this locality. In addition, the Scheme would be constructed as close as possible to the canal in this locality, so as to avoid damage and disturbance to the cemetery. Any archaeological remains that are disturbed or uncovered during construction, throughout the entire route, would be excavated and recorded by a qualified archaeologist. Providing these measures are employed, the impact of the Scheme on archaeology and cultural heritage at the construction phase is considered to be Neutral and not significant.
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Operation Phase:
155. No additional impacts are anticipated on features of cultural heritage and archaeological interest during operation. The impact of the Scheme is therefore likely to be Neutral and not significant.
10. Community Impacts
Construction Phase:
156. Construction would require the demolition of a number of properties and some landtake from productive agricultural land, which would result in a Large Adverse impact upon associated communities (refer to paras. 127 to 134). However, a LARP is to be produced for the Scheme, which will provide the framework for full resettlement and compensation plans to be put in place for AHs and APs. Although not all of the adverse impacts associated with the loss of land and property can be fully mitigated or compensated, the resettlement arrangements may benefit some households, and would certainly lessen the impact. Further details will be available within the LARP for the Scheme once complete.
157. Traffic passing along the existing unmade road would face temporary disruption during construction. Construction worksites may temporarily restrict access to nearby villages, as well as place stress on the resources and infrastructure of nearby communities. The scale of the project is large and hence these impacts would be Moderate Adverse. It would be the responsibility of the Contractor to avoid any conflict between residents and workers, and to provide temporary alternative access to the affected villages. It is also recommended that the Contractor undertakes community consultation regarding the schedule and intensity of the construction phase, as well as the location of construction sites and access routes. By implementing such measures, it is likely that the impact of the Scheme on the local community at the construction phase can be reduced to Slight Adverse.
158. In addition, considerable labour would be required for the activities associated with the construction of the Scheme. It would therefore be expected that the Scheme would create both construction and maintenance employment opportunities, and support the development of the regional and national construction industry, which would be a Large Beneficial and therefore significant community impact during the construction stage. On balance, the overall construction impact for community impacts would therefore be Moderate Beneficial.
Operation Phase:
159. Once the Scheme is fully operational, it is expected that there will be Large Beneficial impacts for the community, in terms socio-economic benefits, to include skills transfer and development opportunities and benefits associated with improved road infrastructure. The Scheme would have significant benefits for access to markets in Helmand and beyond, allowing for freedom of movement between core population centres and smaller settlements.
160. The economic benefits of a functioning market system in the Lashkar Gah - Gereshk hub would spread well beyond the immediate area into neighbouring provinces by way of the regional highway and into the outlying districts of Helmand, particularly if implemented in parallel
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with provincial and rural programmes. Employment would also be generated for local people for maintenance of the road. Economic development would also underpin a reduction in violent conflict. It would enable viable alternatives to criminality and reliance on the opium industry. An increased confidence in the ability of the Government to provide economic opportunities would undermine the attraction of the insurgency.
161. Construction of roads and providing access to surface transportation to local cities and local areas will be non-discriminatory and it is not expected to cause any specific cultural or social impact on, or exclude any socio-economic group, including women, from benefiting from the Scheme.
162. Further information on the Social and Poverty assessment undertaken for the Scheme will be provided within the Initial Poverty and Social Assessment (IPSA) and LARP to be prepared for the Scheme
11. Health, Safety and Hygiene
163. During construction, workers would be exposed to various risks and hazards, and the construction sites are also likely to have impacts on public health, resulting in a Moderate Adverse impact. However, it is recommended that the Contractor recruits a Health and Safety Manager during the construction phase, and the following mitigation measures should be employed:
Provision of adequate sanitation and waste disposal at construction sites; Provision of first-aid facilities and adequate healthcare for workers at construction sites; Provision of Personal Protection Equipment for workers, such as safety boots, helmets,
gloves, goggles and ear protection; Use of safety barriers and marking of hazardous areas to ensure protection of the
general public; Proper training, instruction and supervision to project staff and workers to ensure
workforce safety during construction activities; Ensure clean drinking water is made available to all workers; and, All construction workers will be provided with training in basic sanitation and healthcare
issues to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
164. Providing all these measures are implemented, the impact of the Scheme for health, safety and hygiene is likely to be Slight Adverse and therefore not significant.
12. Combined and Cumulative Impact
165. This section combines the results of each of the topics of this IEE to identify and assess the combined impacts of the Scheme, and the cumulative effects of the Scheme in association with other existing or potential development proposals within the study area.
Combined
166. The significance of construction and operational phase environmental impacts are brought forward from the preceding sections of this IEE into matrices (Tables 4.3 and 4.4), providing a summary of potential impacts. The significance of the combined impact upon
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environmental receptors is then determined, based upon the overall balance of significance scores. At construction, the combined impact of all environmental impacts would be Slight Adverse after mitigation. This is largely due to potential runoff containing contaminants that could impact upon water resources, ecology and soils and materials, and the impact of temporary landtake required during construction. However, at operation, the Scheme is likely to deliver a Slight Beneficial combined impact as a result of the Large Beneficial community impacts offsetting certain Slight Adverse effects associated with the Scheme.
Cumulative
167. This cumulative effects assessment involves the identification of incremental changes likely to be caused by other future developments together with the proposed Scheme. Impacts may arise from the action of a number of different projects, cumulative with the project being assessed. This can include multiple impacts of the same or similar type from a number of projects upon the same receptor/resource.
168. Little is known about proposed developments within the study area. However, NEPA have advised that they are aware of the Bolan to Nad-e'Ali / Marjah by MRRD, which has recently been upgraded and connects Contract 1 of the Scheme near to Lashkar Gah, as well as the proposed Ministry of Defence Road (MoD) ‘Babaji Road’. The MoD link road is planned to pass through the towns of Sur Gol Khan Kalay and Lakshak Kalay as an inter village route, but no further details are available. However, although the environmental impacts associated with the link road would need to be assessed prior to construction, the cumulative effects of the link road and the proposed Chāh-e Anjir to Gereshk Scheme would be likely to be beneficial in terms of community impacts. Improved infrastructure within this region would benefit the local population in terms of socio-economic development, access to resources, trade and employment opportunities.
169. There may be adverse environmental impacts associated with the cumulative impact of the two Schemes for water resources, ecology, landscape and soils and materials. In addition, the introduction of the Scheme is likely to encourage further development between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk. This region of Helmand has already been subjected to severe deforestation and many species and habitats have been lost as a result. An increase in development could lead to further to desertification and loss of species. However, vegetation loss would be kept to a minimum during construction, and if the mitigation measures that are detailed within this IEE and the EMP (Appendix B) are incorporated, then the cumulative impact of other potential developments with the Scheme is likely to be Slight Beneficial.
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Table IV.3: Combined Impacts - Construction
Receptors Soils
and Materials
Water Resour
ces
Air
Quality
Contaminated
Land
Noise and
Vibration
Landuse Landscape Ecology Cultural Heritage
Community Impacts
Health Safety
and Hygiene
Combined Effects
Climate � �
Landuse - - - - -
Landscape - � -/ �
Heritage Features
- - � -
Communities - � - - - - - � ++ - -
Water Environment
- - - - -
Ecology - � - - -
Overall combined impacts for Scheme construction: Slight Adverse
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Table 4.4: Combined Impacts - Operation
Receptors Soils and Materials
Water Resources
Air Quality Contaminated Land
Noise and
Vibration
Landuse Landscape Ecology Cultural Heritage
Community Impacts
Combined Effects
Climate � �
Landuse - � - �
Landscape - � -
Heritage Features
- � �
Communities - � � - - - � +++ ++
Water Environment
- - � - -
Ecology - � - -
Overall combined impacts for Scheme operation: Slight Beneficial
Key: Blank = No effect � = Negligible/ Neutral - /- - /- - - = slight, moderate, large adverse effect + / ++ / +++ = slight, moderate, large beneficial effect
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V. INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
A. Environmental Impact and Assessment Methodology
170. An important objective of environmental assessment is to develop procedures and plans to ensure that the mitigation measures and monitoring requirements included within the assessment will actually be carried out in subsequent stages of the project. As a result, the ADB requires that an EMP is produced as part of the EIA and IEE process.
B. Summary of Impacts, Mitigation Measures, and Monitoring Tasks
171. Appendix B of this report is the Draft EMP for the Scheme. It presents a summary of the potential project related impacts for the construction and operation phases, as well as associated mitigation measures. Monitoring requirements for the Scheme are summarised in Appendix B. The EMP ensures that all identified impacts as a result of the Scheme would be avoided, or reduced to Neutral or Slight Adverse and therefore not significant level. This would be achieved through informed project design, mitigation measures and monitoring tasks.
Proposed mitigation:
172. Full mitigation measures are detailed within the EMP (Appendix B). Examples include:
Update EMP during detailed design phase and incorporate mitigation in project design;
Allocate and revise budget estimates for EMP and monitoring plan; Update relevant specifications in tender documents for bidders; Prepare environmental contract clauses for contractors; Considered designed for road drainage; Provision of minor drainage control works; Camber road to slope away from canals; Treatment/disposal of waste construction material; Proper storage of environmentally hazardous material such as fuels during
construction; Containment of spillages immediately with remediation material available; Plan site layout, minimising and locating all dust causing activities away from
sensitive receptors; Use water as dust suppressant; Work hours to be decided following consultation with local communities; Use of alternative piling methodology to minimise noise and vibration; Temporary screening for sensitive noise areas; Special assistance and clearance required from United Nations mine clearance
programme; Planting of native vegetation to replace lost habitats; Toolbox talks for workforce on environmental issues; and, Any archaeological remains to be excavated and recorded by qualified
archaeologist.
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1. Institutions and Their Roles
173. NEPA is the main institution mandated to formulate environmental policies, plans and programmes at the national level. Acting on the advice of the EIA Board of Experts, it is also charged with the responsibility of authorising any project, plan, policy or activity with or without conditions.
174. Institutions responsible for executing and monitoring the environmental aspects of this project are:
The Ministry of Public Works (MPW) is responsible for the construction, operation
and protection of roads and bridges in Afghanistan (MPW, 2008). It is recommended that a Project Management Unit (PMU) is formed through the MPW, which would be in charge of project management to ensure that contract provisions are properly maintained in the construction phase.
The PMU must employ at least one Environmental Specialist. This professional will receive and interpret environmental monitoring reports to be prepared by the Contractor and submitted to MPW. Furthermore, this specialist will also compile and write an annual/ bi-annual environmental monitoring report, to be submitted to ADB.
MPW and the district/regional authorities will also undertake routine monitoring of environmental plans identified in this IEE.
In the event of non-compliance incidents or unforeseen accidents occurring during construction and operational phases of the Scheme, MPW should immediately inform and consult with NEPA.
175. NEPA would ensure that all bidding and contract documents contain the mitigation measures identified in the EMP (Appendix B of this report), and that the mitigation measures are implemented by the Contractor. MPW in cooperation with the district/regional administration would undertake monitoring and analysis of samples as scheduled in the Environmental Monitoring Plan.
2. Environmental Monitoring Plan
176. Environmental monitoring is an important aspect pf environmental management during the construction and operation phases of the Scheme. It is an ongoing component of the environmental assessment process, and the subsequent environmental management and mitigation activities. Compliance monitoring, undertaken by MPW and NEPA would be conducted to ensure that specific conditions and standards identified in the Environmental Monitoring Plan (Appendix C) are met. Aspects that should be monitored are:
Pre-construction Monitoring: Environmental status will be updated for specific sites
where the impacts are assessed to be potentially significant prior to mitigation. The Environmental Monitoring Plan will be updated during the detailed design stage and environmental clauses will be included in bid and contract documents;
Construction Monitoring: Compliance monitoring of contractors with regards to mitigation measures for waste disposal, pollution prevention measures, material storage and worker’s safety; and,
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Operation Monitoring: Monitoring of environmental effects including surface water and groundwater quality, air quality, soil erosion and contamination.
3. Reporting and Documentation
177. MPWs will be required to submit the following environmental reporting documentation to ADB and NEPA:
Baseline Monitoring Report: This report will be submitted prior to the
commencement of the civil works and will include baseline environmental data, a detailed Environmental Management Plan and relevant standards.
Environmental Monitoring Reports: The monitoring reports will include environmental mitigation measures, details and analysis of environmental monitoring data collected, environmental training conducted and environmental non-compliance violations and actions taken. The monitoring reports will be submitted at most twice a year to ADB by the MPW during the construction period, and twice annually for three years after completion of the Scheme.
The Contractor is to submit monthly reports to the Implementing Agency which in this case is the MPW.
Project Completion Monitoring Report: A year after the completion of the Scheme, a Project Completion Environmental Monitoring Report will be submitted by MPW to ADB which will summarise the overall environmental impacts of the Scheme.
178. As part of the Environmental Monitoring Plan, monthly monitoring reports should be produced by MPW and submitted to NEPA. Environmental monitoring reports should contain the following:
Description and results of environmental monitoring activities undertaken during the
month; Key environmental issues encountered and actions taken; Status of the implementation of mitigation measures identified in the Environmental
Monitoring Plan; and, Summary of any environmental non-compliance incidents and actions taken.
4. Environmental Management Training
179. MPW has limited environmental capacity and experience of environmental and social management and monitoring. It is recommended that training of designated staff is undertaken with NEPA’s involvement to achieve a better understanding of highways related environmental issues, implementation of identified mitigation measures and monitoring requirements.
180. The implementation of the project mitigation and monitoring measures will ultimately be the responsibility of the Construction and Operation Contractors. In the absence of the appointed Contractor, MPW will undertake these tasks. The relevant specifications and special provisions will be set out as environmental clauses in contract documents. Under the supervision of an environmental consultant, the Contractor will be responsible for ensuring that the mitigation measures and monitoring activities identified in the IEE and subsequent environmental assessments are implemented. It is therefore recommended that the Contractor
40
appoints an environmental officer to oversee the implementation of the EMP and Environmental Monitoring Plan.
181. The Contractor will be provided with training at the construction site, and training will be extended to aid civil society capacity building and enabling local Non-Government Organisations to become actively involved and qualified to conduct their own environmental audits.
5. Estimated Mitigation and Monitoring Costs
Item Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Costs (in US $)
Quantity Unit Cost Total
Environmental Costs-Civil Works
Water Quality Monitoring 4000
Air Quality Monitoring 2500
Noise and Vibration Monitoring 2500
Soil erosion prevention 2500
Dust Suppression Methods 10,000
Worker and Storage Compounds* 5,000
Provision of Health and Safety and Environmental Manager 30,000
Subtotal 56,500
Environmental Management and Monitoring (during design and construction)
Environmental Monitoring of Project (during operation for 3 years)
Water Contamination Monitoring 2500
Air Quality Monitoring NIL
Noise and Vibration NIL
Soil Contamination 5,000
Safety 30,000
Environmental Monitoring Reports (construction and operation) 15,000
Project Completion Environmental Reports 1000
Subtotal 53,500
Environmental and Social Management Training
Environmental Training (Water Quality, Air and Noise Quality, Waste Disposal etc) : International and Domestic
6 individuals
100 10,000
Social Assessment Training: International and Domestic 10,000
International Travel 10,000
Trainees Allowance 5,000
Logistics and Others 2500
Subtotal 37,500
(%) Overheads 30%
Grand Total 147,500
* Includes an Estimate of Security Cost
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VI. PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE
182. After some thirty years of war, Afghanistan is attempting to rebuild itself, but ongoing conflict makes operating in the country difficult for security reasons. Under the current security situation, it is not possible to conduct effective community consultation. In order to ensure that the public are not isolated, and are ensured some involvement during the pre-construction and construction phase, the Contractor would be required to undertake consultation with affected communities.
183. Table 6.1 outlines the proposed consultation and participation activities and approaches during the early development stages of the Scheme.
Table VI.1: Proposed Consultation and design activities
184. In addition to the recommended processes, a Grievance Redress Mechanism for environmental complaints should be formed alongside the environmental management procedures undertaken for the Scheme. This will ensure that Public Consultation and disclosure
Stakeholder Group
Kinds of inputs /decisions required of stakeholders
Level of participation envisaged (information sharing; consultation; collaboration; empowerment)
Potential participatory methods / capacity building approaches
Active involvement
Residents and businesses to be resettled
Input into site selection decisions; agreement of land sale or compensation; input into livelihood restoration activities.
Consultation – Collaboration.
Briefings on legal resettlement process and land transfer procedures and consultation on entitlements.
Gereshk Community Council (GCC)
Facilitating two way communications between community members (especially poor and socially excluded groups) and the Project; aligning project with local development strategies.
Information sharing and Consultation.
Presentation of the Scheme given to Community Council, and then presented by the Community Council at a local Shura in GSK. A Focus group held with key Community Council Members. Provincial Reconstruction Governance team is working to improve the capacity and training of GCC representatives to host them and reach out to poor and socially excluded groups.
Passive Involvement
NGOs and civil society
Comments on draft assessment.
Information sharing.
Disclosure of assessment information, invitation to future public meetings, opportunity to comment in writing. Industry /
Business
Community and social service providers
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of information is an ongoing process throughout the construction and post-construction monitoring period.
185. Environmental complaints may include issues of damage to property or livelihood from deposition of dust, pollution of watercourses, contamination of lands or damage to crops. The Grievance Redress Mechanism for environmental complaints should be aligned with the Grievance Redress Mechanism contained within the LARP for the Scheme, which will ensure that all APs will have the right to file complaints and/or queries on any aspects of land acquisition compensation, resettlement and environmental complaints. Subsequently, and in order to ensure that grievances and complaints are addressed in a timely and satisfactory manner and that all possible avenues are available to APs to air their grievances, the following four stage mechanism for environmental complaints should be set up:
Stage 1 - Complaints are to be filed at the District Governor offices. The district
government with the help from local community groups (the Shuras) and the PMU’s Environmental Specialist, is obliged to reply and explain the decision within 30 days from the date the complaint was received. The Grievance Redress Committee (GRC) will assist the District Governor offices in the mediation and resolution of any conflict arising from environmental complaints, such as damage to property or livelihoods.
Stage 2 - If the AP is unsatisfied or has no reply from the District Governor office, grievances can then be lodged with the Provincial Governor offices. The Provincial Governor office will issue the final decision within 45 days.
Stage 3 - If the AP is unsatisfied or has no reply from the Provincial Governor office, grievances can then be lodged with General Governor office in Kabul. The General Governor office will issue the final decision within 60 days.
Stage 4 - The AP always has final recourse through Afghanistan’s legal channels and can refer to the appropriate courts. However, every effort will be made to avoid this since the system is presently critically weak. Nonetheless, should the AP want to pursue legal recourse, MPW through its due diligence team will ensure that support is given to the AP to prepare a case.
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VII. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
186. This Chapter highlights the key findings and recommendations of the IEE. It identifies that construction activities are likely to result in some adverse impacts on the environment, such as through noise and vibration impacts, pollution of surface and groundwater and an increase in desertification and soil erosion. Land take and property demolition required for the Scheme would result in some significant adverse impacts. As a result, a Land Acquisition and Resettlement Plan (LARP) is to be prepared for the Scheme, which will identify measures to mitigate and compensate for these negative impacts. However, it is currently not possible to fully assess the likely impacts at the construction stage as full construction details are yet to be determined. Sites for temporary work activities and compounds have not been identified and the construction strategy and period has not been finalised. This IEE has been undertaken based on the best available information supplied from NEPA, DFID, ADB, recent aerial and site photographs and any other available resources.
187. At the operational stage, the greatest impact of the Scheme is overall improved road infrastructure between Lashkar Gah and Gereskh (the Scheme would link with the already completed section of formal road between Chah-e Anjir and Lashkar Gah), which would result in Large Beneficial impacts in terms of socio-economic benefits, to include skills transfer and development opportunities. The Scheme would have benefits for access to markets in Helmand and beyond, allowing for freedom of movement between population centres and smaller settlements. The economic benefits of a functioning market system in the Lashkar Gah to Gereshk hub would spread beyond the immediate area into neighbouring provinces by way of the regional highway and into the outlying districts of Helmand, leading to increased markets for domestic produce, reduce input costs, and facilitating regional transit and trade. For other environmental considerations, the Scheme would be likely to have a Neutral impact at operation for cultural heritage and contaminated land. In terms of local air quality, the overall impact would be likely to be Neutral, but there would be a Slight Beneficial impact due to the hard surfacing, which would inhibit the re-suspension of dust due to vehicles, as is the current situation with the existing gravel road. This would also result in a Slight Beneficial impact on agricultural land (landuse), which would balance out a Large Adverse impact due to the loss of productive land associated with landtake for the Scheme and severance issues, to give an overall Slight Adverse to Neutral impact for landuse.
188. The overall impact of the Scheme for soils and materials at operation is thought to be Slight Adverse with mitigation, due to the potential for road runoff containing hydrocarbons, oils and heavy metals. For Noise, it is likely that background noise levels are not dominated by traffic noise, thus it is anticipated that Slight Adverse impacts are possible (with mitigation) for those dwellings close to the proposed Scheme. In addition, runoff may have an impact upon existing drainage and watercourses, and as such, this IEE identifies that impacts for water resources are likely to be Slight Adverse. For ecological resources, the impact upon habitats and protected species is likely to be Slight Adverse due to increased road mortality for protected species known within the Helmand region, as well as due to pollution from increased traffic which could cause an adverse impact upon vegetation and watercourses adjacent to the road.
189. This IEE identifies the need for a detailed Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and Environmental Monitoring, building upon those supplied in Appendix B and Appendix C of this report. It is recommended that MPW officials, who will be responsible for all environmental
44
management and monitoring until a Scheme Contractor is appointed, are provided with appropriate training to enable them to adequately facilitate this task. Providing the measures detailed in the EMP, and requirements for Environmental Monitoring and reporting to NEPA are fully implemented, the overall environmental impact of the Scheme from construction is likely to be Slight Adverse for a temporary period. Once the Scheme is operational, the significant socio-economic benefits would offset some of the Slight Adverse impacts identified, so that overall it is expected that there would be a Slight Beneficial impact.
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VIII. CONCLUSION
190. An IEE is ADB’s tool for incorporating environmental concerns at the project level. For the purpose of Environmental Assessment, the ADB classifies Schemes into three categories - Category A (with potentially significant environmental impacts), Category B (with potentially less significant environmental impacts), and Category C (unlikely to have significant environmental impacts).
191. This IEE has been undertaken by Mott MacDonald for DFID and ADB. It presents the environmental assessments of a Scheme to rehabilitate and improve an existing road between Chah-e Anjir and Gereshk of approximately 31.6km (the Scheme). The Scheme forms Contract 2 of the wider Lashkar Gah to Gereshk road improvement Scheme, for which Contract 1 (Lashkar gah to Chah-e Anjir) has already been completed.
192. The Chah-e Anjir to Gereshk Scheme has been determined as a Category B scheme, primarily due to the fact that it is a rehabilitation of an existing road. Subsequently, an IEE has been produced, to determine if the Scheme is likely to have any significant effects upon the environment. If a full EIA report is deemed necessary, further assessment will be undertaken.
193. The current security situation in Afghanistan has meant that ground surveys to establish baseline environmental conditions in support of this IEE have not been possible. As a result, this IEE has been predominately written based on desk based research, recent aerial and site photographs, information supplied by NEPA and any other available resources. It is recommended that should further environmental information become available, the Ministry of Public Works in their responsibility for the construction, operation and protection of roads and bridges in Afghanistan, and/or the Contractor, revisits this environmental assessment and updates the Environmental Management Plan (Appendix B) as appropriate.
194. The IEE has considered physical, ecological, social and cultural impacts that may occur as a result of the construction and operation of the Scheme. It identifies that that the Scheme does not pass through any environmentally sensitive areas (see Figure A of Appendix A). Overall, there would be some Slight Adverse impacts associated with the Scheme, including potential for increased soil erosion and desertification, pollution potential from contaminated road runoff, which may have an adverse impact upon soils and materials, water resources and aquatic and terrestrial ecology, temporary increased noise and air pollution during the construction phase, and a temporary increase in stress on communities and existing infrastructure, local landscape character and visual receptors. There would also be a Moderate Adverse impact due to landtake required for the Scheme, although this would be for a temporary period during construction.
195. The majority of these impacts can be successfully mitigated by appropriate measures, as identified within this IEE and in the Environmental Management Plan (Appendix B). To ensure that these mitigation measures are implemented, mitigation should be specified within contract documents for the Scheme.
196. The beneficial impacts of the Scheme include improved accessibility to and between settlements, which will have far reaching social and economic implications in terms of improved trade bolstering the local economy, access to social services and employment opportunities. In
46
addition, local people are likely to benefit from employment opportunities specifically associated with the Scheme during the construction period. Benefits are associated with improved Air Quality from reduced dust nuisances as a result of higher quality road surface, and for improved access to agricultural land.
197. Overall, the benefits of the Scheme would outweigh the adverse impacts. This IEE concludes that, with the incorporation of appropriate mitigation measures, the Environmental Management Plan, and the implementation of a Land Acquisition and Resettlement Plan (LARP), the Scheme does not require a full Environmental Impact Assessment.
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REFERENCES
Environment Act 2005: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050016_en_1
EIA Regulations 2008: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20082093_en_1
ADB Environment Policy Nov 2002: http://www.adb.org/documents/policies/environment/environment_policy.pdf
The Ministry of Public Works Strategy for Afghanistan National Development Strategy:
http://www.undp.org.af/publications/KeyDocuments/ANDS_Full_Eng.pdf Post Conflict Environmental Assessment:
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/afghanistanpcajanuary2003.pdf
Favre, R and Kamal, G.M. (January 2004): http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADN729.pdf
Economic Reconstruction in Afghanistan: Developmental and Security Implications:
http://www.nato-pa.int/Default.asp?SHORTCUT=1473
A survey of the Afghan people, Asia Foundation: http://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/TAF2011AGSurvey.pdf
Afghanistan’s environment 2008, UNEP:
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/afg_soe_E.pdf
DMRB Volume 11: http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol11/section3/hd21311.pdf
Calculation for Road Traffic Noise: http://resource.npl.co.uk/acoustics/techguides/crtn/
UNOSAT Afghanistan maps: http://unosat.web.cern.ch/unosat/asp/prod_free.asp?id=13
Afghanistan Conflict Monitor. 2009. Afghanistan's Natural Environment A Victim Of War.
Agence France Presse, 5 June 2008. [Online]. Available at http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/environment/
Afghanistan Online. 2009. Environment. [Online]. Available at http://www.afghan-
web.com/environment/ [Accessed 20 October 2009].
Azimi, A & McCauley, D., 2002. Afghanistan's environment in transition. Manila : Asian Development Bank.
Hutchinson, L. 2009. Record of Meeting with National Environment Protection Agency.
13th October 2009.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 2009. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [Online]. Available at http://www.iucnredlist.org/ [Accessed 19 October 2009].
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Kanderia, N., [email protected], 2009. Env Queries for Helmand Infrastructure
projects. [E-mail] Message to L. Hutchinson ([email protected]). Sent 04 October 2009 17:36.
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. 2006. National Report of Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan on the Implementation of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Kabul: Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.
National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA). 2008. Afghanistan Environment
2008. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). 2009. Government of Afghanistan Releases Its First-Ever List of Protected Species (Press releases). [Online]. Available at http://www.wcs.org/press/press-releases/government-of-afghanistan-releases-its-first-ever-list-of-protected-species.aspx [Accessed 21 October 2009].
World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). 2009. Protected Areas of Afghanistan.
[Online]. Available at http://www.wdpa.org/QuickSearch.aspx [Accessed 27 October 2009]. http://protectedplanet.net/search?country_id=1
Mott Macdonald Ltd. November 2010. Lashkar Gah to Gereshk Road Initial
Environmental Examination (Contract 1 and 2).
Chemonics International Inc. October 2008, Lashkar Gah Bost Airport and Agriculture Center Helmand Province, Afghanistan Environmental Assessment.
DFID CNTR 08 8507, Stockholm Environment Institute March 2009, Socio-Economic
Impacts of Climate Change in Afghanistan; A Report to the Department of International Development
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Appendix A
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS PLAN
50
Appendix B
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
This Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been prepared to guide implementation of mitigation measures and monitoring requirements. It includes institutions and their roles, environmental management activities, environmental management organisational structure and budget for mitigation measures.
The Ministry of Public Works (MPW), with project support, will be responsible for the implementation of mitigation measures and for the monitoring plan. The framework for implementing the EMP is shown in the following table.
Table B.1 presents the Draft EMP for the Scheme. The Project Management Unit within the MPW must have at least one Environmental Specialist. This professional will receive and interpret the environmental monitoring reports submitted by the contractors of both contracts (sections). This specialist will also compile and draft the biannual (or annual) environmental monitoring reports to be submitted to ADB.
Table B.1: Draft Environmental Management Plan
Potential Environmental Impact/
issue
Mitigation Measures Responsibility Time Scale
Pre-Construction Phase
1 Updating of EMP and Monitoring Plan during Detailed Design
Updating of EMP during detailed design phase and incorporation of mitigation measures in the project design.
Allocate and revise budget estimates for the EMP and monitoring Plan.
MPW and Engineering and Construction Contractor.
Design Phase
2 Updating of Environmental Specifications for Contractor in Bid Documents and Environmental clauses for Contractors
Updating relevant specifications in the tender documents for bidders.
Prepare Environmental contract clauses for contractors.
NEPA and MPW and Mott MacDonald Designer
Design Phase and Operation Phase
Environmental Impacts
1 Ground and surface water quality (Restricting Informed design for road drainage to Engineering Contractor, Design Phase
51
Potential Environmental Impact/
issue
Mitigation Measures Responsibility Time Scale
flows at crossings, redirection or interception of local drainage, discharge of runoff polluted with contaminants, pollution of watercourses as a result of road accidents)
ensure runoff is properly treated prior to discharge to ground outside the site.
Provision of minor drainage control works and/or replacement works or infrastructure.
Prevention of road runoff entering the canals by cambering of road to slope away from the canals.
Safety barriers along canal bank to reduce risks of vehicles entering into the canal following an accident.
Soak way trenches at road crossings to prevent direct discharge of runoff into canals.
Proper treatment or disposal of waste materials from the construction process, including waste oils and construction compound effluents.
Measures to be taken to ensure stockpiles of earthworks materials are not located close to major water bodies to proven sediment laden runoff from works.
Proper storage of fuels, oils and greases to prevent spread of hydrocarbon pollutants in the event of spillages.
Provisions for containment of spillages in refuelling and maintenance areas.
MPW (Construction and Operation Contractor) and Mott MacDonald Designer
and Construction Phase
2 Air Quality Plan site layout – machinery and dust causing activities should be located
MPW (Construction and Operation Contractors)
Construction Phase
52
Potential Environmental Impact/
issue
Mitigation Measures Responsibility Time Scale
away from sensitive receptors.
All vehicles to switch off engines – no idling vehicles.
All loads entering and leaving construction site to be covered.
Use water as dust suppressant.
Cutting equipment to use water as suppressant or suitable local exhaust ventilation systems.
Minimise dust generating activities.
Enclose stockpiles or keep them securely sheeted.
3 Noise and vibration Work hours to be decided in consultation with the local community and to avoid Prayer times.
Use of alternative piling methodology to minimise both noise and vibration.
Blasting, if required to be carried out following a pre-established schedule.
Where possible, static plant such as generators should be situated away from noise-sensitive areas.
Consider temporary screening in noise-sensitive areas.
MPW (Construction and Operation Contractors)
Construction Phase
4 Land Contamination and Unexploded Ordnance: (areas of potentially hazardous oily odorous or fibrous materials encountered, introduction of new pollutants to the environment during construction)
Sound environmental practice, including storage of hazardous materials and wastes within properly designed storage facilities.
Oil spill clean-up materials to be made
MPW (Construction and Operation Contractors)
Construction and Operation Phase
53
Potential Environmental Impact/
issue
Mitigation Measures Responsibility Time Scale
available on site.
Any spill or leak to be addressed immediately and the contaminated soil and material be disposed appropriately.
Demine the proposed construction /maintenance workshops before starting any construction works.
Special assistance and clearance will be needed from the United Nations mine clearance programme for Afghanistan (UNMACA) before initiation of any project activity.
5 Flora: (clearing of vegetation near to watercourses and peripheral vegetation separating crops, permanent removal of vegetation on river banks leading to increased desertification and destabilisation)
Re-plantation of native vegetation to replace the habitats lost.
Screening of vegetation or habitat close to works from any dust or pollution.
Minimise the construction areas where possible, and implement measures to prevent spillage of concrete and other substances that can destroy vegetation.
Consideration of recommendations proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to combat desertification.
Engineering Contractor and MPW (Construction and Operation Contractor) and Mott MacDonald Designer
Construction Phase
6 Fauna: (Destruction or pollution of habitats, Increased Poaching and hunting, disturbances to species due to increased dust and noise pollution)
Educate construction workers about wildlife conservation and conduct the work while following the best environmental practices.
Increase public awareness about protected species.
Engineering Contractor and MPW (Construction and Operation Contractor)
Construction and Operation Phase
54
Potential Environmental Impact/
issue
Mitigation Measures Responsibility Time Scale
7 Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (Archaeological remains discovered on site during construction)
Any remains discovered on site during construction should be excavated and recorded by a qualified archaeologist.
The route proposal’s vertical alignment and associated earthworks should be designed in such a way so that any unearthed archaeological remains are not disturbed.
Care to be taken to locate any proposed planting/mitigation measures in order to minimise damage to archaeological features.
MPW Design and Construction Phase
8 Landuse (Change in landuse, field fragmentation)
Return landuse to agriculture wherever possible
Minimise landtake, field severance and fragmentation wherever possible
Engineering Contractor and MPW (Construction and Operation Contractor)
Design and Construction Phase
9 Landscape (Alteration of the visual amenity and landscape character of the area, disturbances to overall tranquillity due to increased traffic,
Retaining local landscape features and vegetation.
Screening of route with planting (local vegetation species of national provenance) that reflects local patterns.
Engineering Contractor Design and Construction Phase
Socio-economic impacts
1 Employment opportunities Hiring of local labour, use of labour- intensive construction methods where feasible.
Employment of staff should be undertaken according to the rules and regulations of the Ministry of Work and
MPW and NEPA Construction Phase
55
Potential Environmental Impact/
issue
Mitigation Measures Responsibility Time Scale
Social Affairs.
2 Community Impacts Provision of alternative temporary access routes.
Restriction of working hours to minimise disturbances to community.
MPW Construction Phase
3 Health , Safety and Hygiene Provide adequate sanitation and waste disposal at construction sites.
Provision of first-aid facilities and adequate healthcare for workers at construction sites.
Provision of Personal Protection Equipment for workers, such as safety boots, helmets, gloves, goggles and ear protection.
Use of safety barriers and marking of hazardous areas to ensure protection of the general public.
Proper training, instruction and supervision to project staff and workers to ensure workforce safety during construction activities.
Ensure clean drinking water is made available to all workers.
All construction workers will be provided with training in basic sanitation and healthcare issues, and education in drugs and alcohol abuse.
MPW and Operational Contractors
Construction Phase
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Appendix C
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PLAN
Environmental monitoring is an important aspect pf environmental management during the construction and operation phases of the Scheme. It is an ongoing component of the environmental assessment process, and the subsequent environmental management and mitigation activities. Table C.1 presents the Draft Environmental Monitoring Plan for the Scheme
Table C.1: Draft Environmental Monitoring Plan
Environmental Monitoring Task
Monitoring Details Timings Reporting responsibility
Pre-Construction Phase
1 Updating of EMP during Detailed Design
Compliance check for updated EMP during detailed design phase and incorporation of mitigation measures in the project design.
For inclusion in bid documentation and environmental clauses in contracts.
MPW and Engineering and Construction Contractor and Designer
2 Detailed environmental planning of the route
Compliance with provision of key environmental inputs and maintaining safe distance from sensitive receptors and high risk/impact areas.
Detailed project planning Phase
Designer
Construction Phase
1
Ground and surface water quality
Water Quality Sampling at local wells followed by compliance inspection for signs of increased pollution at local wells, and change in water flows of irrigation systems
Pre-construction and monthly
Engineering Contractor, MPW (Construction and Operation Contractor)
2 Air Quality Compliance inspection at construction sites, visual inspection for signs of dust pollution during dry periods.
Monthly Operation Contractor
3 Noise and vibration Compliance inspection at construction sites of noise pollution restrictions and any physical effects of vibration.
Monthly Operation Contractor
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Environmental Monitoring Task
Monitoring Details Timings Reporting responsibility
4 Land Contamination and Unexploded Ordnance
Inspection for mines before starting of any project activity.
Compliance inspection at sites and camps, general cleanliness.
Before construction and monthly
MPW (Construction and Operation Contractor)
5 Flora and Fauna Onsite supervision in sensitive ecological areas As required Engineering Contractor and MPW (Construction and Operation Contractor)
Socio-economic impacts
1 Employment opportunities
Not Applicable MPW and NEPA
2 Community Impacts Visual inspection and community meetings Monthly MPW
3 Health , Safety and Hygiene
Compliance inspection at construction sites (checking of safe conditions to work, total number of work-related accidents and availability of safety gear and personal protective equipment)
Monthly MPW
Operation Phase
4 Surface and ground water
Water quality sampling at local wells and visual inspections of discharge points during routine engineering inspections especially in periods of heavy rainfall
Every three months for 3 years post construction and later as part of regular maintenance plant of the road.
Operation contractor (MPW)