Mormugao Port Trust

EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

CHAPTER -1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 GENERAL

The Mormugao port located in Goa, is a premier iron ore exporting port on the west coast of India. This port lies midway between the ports of Mumbai and New Mangalore. The port was commissioned in 1885 and is one amongst the 12 major ports of the country. The port is mainly an iron ore port and handling largest quantum of ore exports amongst all the Indian Ports. The Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) in its ongoing endeavor to considerably improve facilities and services within the Port wishes to develop a new harbor and breakwater to further develop cargo handling capacity and modernize port operations. The development will be seen as a boost to the commercial activity in the region. The proposed new breakwater is to be located to the west of the existing harbor. MPT envisions to provide expansion of the current port terminal functions through the proposed harbour. The facilities to be developed include a new Iron Ore export Terminal and facilities for receipt of barge and rail borne iron ore. The proposed development is envisaged with part icipation of the private sector.

1.2

LOCATION

The state of Goa is located on the Western Coast of India. The coordinates of Mormugao port are latitude 15 25 North and longitude 73 47 East. The major port for Goa is located at Mormugao in the center of the state at the Zuari River mouth. It handles 33.8 million tons per annum of iron ore exports originating at mines in South Goa and the neighboring state of Karnataka. The location of Mormugao port is shown as below:

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

Other significant cargoes include coal, ammonia and phosphoric acid fertilizer components, steel coil and slab, limestone, petroleum oil lubricants, molasses, and a small volume of containers. Non-cargo vessel calls include cruise ships, oilfield supply vessels, vessels of Navy, Coast Guard, NIO, Fisheries Survey of India etc. In addition, supplies for the Indian Antarctic expeditions are marshaled at Mormugao

Currently, Mormugao Port is highly congested with strong demand for its major commodities. Although there are plans to develop large tracts within the harbor, these developments can take place only after the encroachments in these areas are removed. Therefore, the port has planned development of the only remaining site which is west of the breakwater and which will require land reclamation and wave protection to become a successful marine terminal.

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

Mormugao Port Terminals

Six berths, plus a mechanized barge unloading facility are available at Mormugao Port for cargo handling. A new berth is being constructed at the Berth 7 location to increase the Ports capacity for import of metallurgical coal and coke. Western India Shipyard Ltd. operates a floating dry-dock and ship repair facility on the east of the existing brea kwater. Construction is also underway for a new non cargo berth along the breakwater and the mole. 1.3 NEED FOR THE PROJECT

The Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) wishes to extend the existing harbor complex to further develop cargo handling capacity and modernize port operations for use as a dedicated iron ore terminal. The development will be seen as a boost to the commercial activity in the region. MPT envisions this facility to provide much needed capacity addition for its iron ore handling. Mormugao Port c urrently handles iron ore at berth No.9 which is a dedicated iron ore handling berth. In addition to this iron ore is also handled at Mooring Dolphins and at anchorage.

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

The proposed development will be a dedicated iron ore handling facility. Mormugao Port is predominantly an iron ore handling port contributing to about 40% of the iron ore exports of the Nation. Last year about 33 million tons of iron ore was exported through Mormugao Port while the total exports from Goa was about 44 million tons. Major portion of the iron ore exported is mined from Goa, however about 6 million tons of ore from Bellary Hospet area finds also its way to Goa for exports.

Despite being favourably located to channelize exports of the Goan and Karnataka iron ore, there is only one dedicated iron ore handling berth at MPT, which is the most preferred location for handling ore, with a capacity of 11.50 million tons per annum. More than 50% of the iron ore is handled at anchorage where the handling conditions are not entirely safe. Further, operations have to be totally suspended during foul weather conditions.

The proposed facility at West of Breakwater will facilitate handling of ore in safe conditions throughout the year. 2 barge unloaders will be provided which will cater to the barge bound Goan iron ore. 2 wagon tipplers will also be provided which will take care of the ore from Karnataka region. This will be a great boon to exporters as at present, the Karnataka ore is unloaded at Sanvordem and transported by barges to river loading points and then barged to Mormugao Port.

Hence the proposed facility will not have any significant impact on the traffic but will only create an environment for handling the ore in a much more efficient and safe manner.

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

Growth in the volumes and the possibility of improving rail transport of ore from mines in the neighboring State of Karnataka are seen as strong arguments for the development of an exclusive ore terminal at the development west of breakwater. The proposal for transport of ore by rakes is seen as an advantage as it will support round trip utilization of the rail wagons.

1.4

POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is prerequisite for obtaining Environmental Clearance. Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) has awarded the assignment of work for Environmental Impact Assessment Study for the proposed Development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa to WAPCOS Limited, A Government of India Undertaking under the Ministry of Water Resources. The Principal Environmental Regulatory Agency in India is the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF), Government of India. MOEF formulates environmental policies and accords environmental clearance for the projects. The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) accords No Objection Certificate (NOC) Consent for Establishment and consent for Operation for the projects. As per the guidelines pertaining to Environmental clearance issued by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) dated September 14, 2006, the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the EIA study is to be approved by MoEF. In this connection Form-I alongwith TOR in the prescribed format was submitted to MoEF. The same was received by the Environmental Appraisal Committee for Infrastructure Projects of MoEF. A presentation was made by Experts from Mormugao Port Trust and WAPCOS which was attended by the Experts of Environmental Appraisal Committee

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for Infrastructure projects of Ministry of Environment and Forests for TOR Clearance. The TOR was cleared by MoEF. While clearing the Terms of Reference (TOR), the present document outlines the findings of the EIA study for the proposed iron ore terminal at Mormugao Port, Goa. 1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objective of the Environmental Impact Assessment Study is to examine the likely effect of the second iron ore terminal will have on the existing quality of land, marine water, noise, air quality, marine as well as terrestrial ecology and socio-economic environment during construction and operation phases of the proposed terminal. These impacts will be ascertained by superimposing the impacts due to the planned activities on the baseline environmental status. An important objective of this analysis is to highlight the environmental benefits of the post project, which are likely to accrue as a result of handling of iron by mechanized plant and covered conveyor system. Mitigation measures in the form of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) have also been outlined as a part of the EIA report.

The key components of the EIA study are as follows: assessment of the existing status of physico-chemical, ecological (terrestrial and marine) and socio-economic aspects of environment identification of potential impacts on various environmenta l components due to activities envisaged during construction and operational phases of the proposed terminal. prediction of significant impacts on major environmental aspects. delineation of Environmental Management Plan (EMP) outlining measures to minimize adverse impacts during construction and operational phases of the proposed terminal. formulation of environmental quality monitoring programme for construction and operation phases.

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

1.6 METHODOLOGY FOR THE EIA STUDY The purpose of this section is to enumerate the methodology adopted to conduct the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study. The same is briefly described in the following paragraphs. Scoping Matrix A list of all likely impacts likely to accrue as a result of operation and construction of the proposed iron ore terminal has been prepared. As a next step, a manageable number of attributes which are likely to be affected as a result of the proposed project were selected. The various criteria applied for the selection of the important impacts are as follows: magnitude of impact extent of impact significance of impact special sensitivity of impact

Based on the preliminary site visit and applying the above mentioned criteria a Scoping Matrix was prepared for identification of impacts from as many sources possible on the different environmental aspects. The scoping matrix derived for the present EIA study is delineated in Table-1.2. TABLE-1.2 Scoping matrix for the proposed project -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------S. No. Activity Impacts -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I. Actions affecting coastal marine ecology 1. 2. Impacts on marine Ecology Disposal of dredging spoil in fisheries Reduction in primary productivity Impacts on fisheries

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

reproduction zones 3. Disposal of dredging spoil Loss of fragile/precious marine ecology Damage to marine ecology Impacts on marine ecology

4. 5.

Oil spill/leakage within terminal area Disposal of dredging spoil

B. Actions affecting Recreational/Resort/Beach along the Coastal Zone 1. Location of iron ore terminal close to the recreational areas Escape of liquid and solid wastes from the iron ore terminal Disposal of reclamation material which reaches the shoreline Visible turbidity or discoloring of beach waters Silt deposition along the shoreline Waste deposition along shoreline

2.

3.

C. Actions affecting physico-chemical aspects 1. Ship movement and construction activities Noise pollution, and adverse impacts on aquatic fauna Increase in noise levels leading to distress to the locals Increased chances of spills due to increase in maritime traffic 2. Groundwater abstraction Increase in salt water intrusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------S. No. Activity Impacts -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Disposal of sewage Water pollution and adverse and solid wastes impacts on marine ecology 4. Increase in vehicular traffic Air and noise pollution leading to discomfort to the population in the adjoining area

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

D. Factors affecting the socio-economic environment 1. Increased ship traffic in the area Boost to local economy Improvement in employment potential Upgradation of infrastructure facilities Occupational health problems 2. Land acquisition Loss of agricultural land and other properties Acquisition of other infrastructural facilities Impact on historical/culture/religious monuments/sites, if any 3. Increase in traffic Traffic congestion Disruption of transit patterns

Pedestrian hazards due to increased traffic movement ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above mentioned Scoping Matrix has been used as a guideline for collection of data for various aspects of Environment to ascertain the baseline status as a part of the EIA study. Environmental Baseline Status Before the start of the project, it is essential to ascertain the baseline levels of appropriate environmental parameters which could be significantly affected by the implementation of the project. The planning of baseline survey emanated from short listing of impacts prepared during identification. The baseline study involved both field work and review of existing documents, which is necessary for identification of data which may already have been collected for other purposes.

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

As per the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MOEF) guidelines, the Study Area for the EIA study has been considered as the 10 km radius keeping the proposed iron ore terminal site at the centre. The baseline data on various environmental parameters like land use pattern, water quality, noise, meteorology, air quality, demography and socio-economics, terrestrial ecology and marine ecology was collected through field studies, review working plans of the area by the Forest Department. The methodology adopted for various aspects of data collection is briefly described in the following paragraphs: Marine Ecology

The marine ecological survey was conducted in the month of March 2008. The surface as well bottom water samples were collected using mechanized vessels. Each location was fixed on benchmark and after reaching the site, the vessel was anchored. Parameters like temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen were

estimated by an YSI temperature, salinity oxygen meter respectively at the site itself. Plankton samples were collected by filtering a known volume of water by a plankton net of <60 mesh size bolting silk. Surface water was collected using a clean bucket without causing any disturbances. Likewise, the bottom water samples were collected by Nansen bottle. Sediment samples were collected by a grab sampler operated from the vessel. The data on various aspects like major aquatic floral and faunal species, rare and endangered species, fisheries, crabs, prawns, mangroves, etc. was also collected as a part of primary data collection. Apart fro m this, the secondary data/information as available from the reported literature have been appropriately utilized in the EIA report.

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Terrestrial ecology

The major activities will be concentrated near water front and marine ecology has been given more emphasis for data collection and impact analysis. However, the data on major species of flora and fauna within the study area has been also collected from the Working Plan of the area prepared by the Forest Department. Ambient Air quality

Ambient air quality monitoring was conducted at various locations in the study area as a part of the field work from December 2007 to March 2008. The data for the same has been incorporated in the present EIA study conducted for the iron ore terminal. The frequency of monitoring was twice a week for 12 consecutive weeks. The parameters monitored were RPM, SPM, SO2 and NOx. The data for ambient air quality is being collected as per the November 16 th notification of MoEF regarding ambient air quality. Noise Environment

Noise leve ls in the study area were recorded with A-weighted noise level meter at various sampling locations in the study area in the month of March 2008. The readings were taken during day and night time and equivalent noise levels were estimated and used in the EIA report. Socio -economic Aspects

The data on demography, socio-economics was collected from secondary data sources like Census handbook, Statistical handbook, and revenue records, etc.

Landuse pattern

The landuse pattern of the study area has been studied using IRS-P6, LISS III digital satellite data, procured from National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Hyderabad.

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

Detailed ground truth studies were conducted for formulation of signature data set. A supervised classification was then conducted using the Erdas Imagine processing software. The landuse pattern has been also studied with use of revenue data (Census handbook). The summary of data collected from various sources as a part of the EIA study is outlined in Table -1.3. TABLE-1.3 Summary of data collection from various sources Mode of Parameters Frequency Data monitored collection Meteorology Secondary Temperature, humidity, rainfall Water quality Primary Physico-chemical Once biological parameters Ambient air Primary RPM, SPM, SO2, Twice a week quality Nox for twelve consecutive weeks Noise Primary Hourly noise and Once equivalent noise level Landuse Primary and Landuse pattern Secondary Terrestrial Secondary Inventory of major Ecology sources floral and faunal species Rare and endangered species, if any Marine Primary and Presence and Once Ecology Secondary abundance of various species SocioSecondary Demographic and economic data socio-economic, aspects Public health cultural aspects Aspect

Source(s)

India Meteorological Department Field studies

Field studies

Field studies

NRSA and Ground truth studies Forest Department and literature review

Field studies, and literature review Revenue Department and Literature review

Assessment of Impacts With knowledge of the baseline conditions, project characteristics, the intensity of construction and operation activities and current critical conditions, detailed

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projections were made for the influence of the proposed project on physico-chemical, biological and social environment in the area. The impacts on environment due to construction and operation activities of the proposed project were identified. The various aspects of the environment covered as a part of the Impact Assessment were: Land Environment Air Environment Noise Environment Terres trial Environment Aquatic Ecology Socio-Economic Aspects.

As a part of the EIA study, emphasis was made to predict quantitatively to the extent possible. However, for non-tangible impacts, qualitative assessment has been done. Environmental Management Plan The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) was delineated to ensure that the adverse impacts likely to accrue are altogether removed or minimized to the extent possible. After selection of suitable and feasible environmental mitigation measures, the cost required for implementation of various environmental management measures has been estimated to have an idea of their cost-effectiveness. Environmental Monitoring Programme An environmental monitoring programme for implementation during project construction and operation phases has been suggested to oversee the environmental safeguards, to ascertain the agreement between prediction and reality and to suggest the remedial measures not foreseen during the planning stage but during the operation phase and to generate data for further use. The monitoring equipment, cost required for the implementation of environmental monitoring programme have also been covered as a part of the EIA Report.

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EIA Study for development of Waterfront West of Breakwater at Mormugao Port, Goa

1.7

OUTLINE OF THE REPORT

The contents of the EIA report are arranged as follows: Chapter 1: The chapter gives an overview of the need for the project, objectives and need for EIA study etc. Chapter 2: A brief write-up on various project appurtenances in this Chapter. Chapter 3: Baseline environmental conditions including physical, biological and socio-economic parameters, resource base and infrastructure have been described in this chapter. Before the start of the project, it is essential to ascertain the baseline conditions of appropriate environmental parameters which could be significantly affected by the implementation of the project. The planning of baseline survey emanated from short listing of impacts prepared during identification. The baseline study involves both field work and review of existing documents, which is necessary for identification of data which may already have been collected for other purposes. Chapter 4: Anticipated positive and negative impacts as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed iron ore terminal project were assessed in the Chapter. An attempt has been made to predict future environmental conditions quantitatively to the extent possible. But for certain parameters which cannot be quantified, the general approach is to discuss such intangible impacts in qualitative terms so that planners and decision-makers are aware of their existence as well as their possible implications. Chapter 5: An Environmental Management Plan has been presented in this Chapter for amelioration of anticipated adverse impacts likely to accrue as a result of the proposed coal terminal. The approach for formulation of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is to maximize the positive environmental impacts and

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minimize the negative ones. After selection of suitable environmental mitigation measures, cost required for implementation of various management measures is also estimated. Chapter 6: Environmental Monitoring Programme for implementation during project construction and operation phases has been delineated in this Chapter. The objective of the Environmental Monitoring Programme is to assess the adequacy of various environmental safeguards and to compare the predicted and actual scenario during construction and operation phases to suggest remedial measures not foreseen during the planning stage but arising during these phases and to generate data for further use. Chapter 7: Cost required for implementation of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and the Environmental Monitoring Programme has been summarized in this Chapter.

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