UNIT 5

CASE STUDIES

EIA CASE STUDIES PERTAINING TO INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been promoted as an instrument for preventive
environmental management in construction projects, but its performance in safeguarding the environment
through influencing project decision-making is questioned. This paper probes the underlying reasons
from a governance perspective as an important supplement to the regulatory and technical perspectives.
A framework, with process integration, professional governance, and public engagement being its key
components, is proposed to analyze the governance arrangements that enable or inhibit the effective
functioning of EIA, based on which a comparative study of three infrastructure projects in China, the
United States and Finland was conducted. The results reveal that, while the level of process integration
and public engagement of EIA determines the degree to which EIA influences project decisions, it is the
professional governance that controls the accountability of EIA.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a tool used to identify the environmental, social and
economic impacts of a project prior to decision-making. The process leads to the selection of the projects
on the principle of sustainable development, so that the adverse effects of the new developments are
mitigated through proactive and rational decisions making. Over the years, EIA has not been practiced
holistically in the developing countries and particularly in South Asian Nations. However in the last few
years Governments, environmentalists, researchers, media and communities of these countries have
formulated sufficient legislative and institutional frame work for the EIA.

ROAD / HIGH WAY PROJECT

The Environmental Impact Assessment is a systematic investigation of both positive and negative
impacts on the physical, biological socioeconomic environment, which would be caused or induced due
to a proposed project. EIA provides a plan to reduce the negative environmental effect of proposed
development project through alternative approaches, design modification and remedial measures.
Highway construction is a major activity of economic development countries. Road development is major
source of damage to the environment, including ecological destabilization, habitat disturbance and
damage to flora and fauna. In this study, environment impacts are analyzed. The studies concentrate on
the environmental impact assessment of the project in the light of the existing situation at the site. The
parameters covered in the study are socio-economic, biological, air, dust, water, and noise, accidental,
ecological and soil, sample of air, water and soil were taken to analyze their present condition. Data was
also collected from various government offices like the PWD (HARYANA) department. Noise levels
were found exceeded permissible limits. Drainage system of the stretch was found was very poor at some
locations. A minimum soil contamination was observed. Highway capacity was analyzed it was observed
that the present to lane highway insufficient to handle the current traffic volume so the section require
four laning immediately to accommodate more traffic. After analyzing different parameters and
discussing the probable impact suggestion are made regarding the mitigation measures that can be taken
at different stages in order to reduced the environmental impacts.

I. INTRODUCTION

Highway development enhances mobility and is critical to the economic growth of a community and a
country as a whole. Unfortunately, inappropriately planned, designed, and constructed highways can
aggravate the conditions of the poor, and harm the natural and socio-economic environment. The
common adverse impacts of highway development include damage of natural landscape, habitat and bio-
diversity, destruction of cultural and social structure of affected communities, creation of air and water
pollution, and generation of noise and vibration. To minimize adverse environmental and socio-economic
impacts, highway infrastructure must be built to a high quality and maintained to a high standard. This
can be achieved by integrating environmental considerations into highway development planning, design,
and construction. The process consists of three key elements:

1. Identification of the full range of possible impacts on the natural and socio- economic environment

2. Evaluation and quantification of these impacts.

3. Formulation of measures to avoid, mitigate and compensate for the anticipate impacts.

II. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION IN HIGHWAY PROJECTS

Roads impact on the environment in many different ways. This applies from the initial construction to
maintenance, upgrading and usage. Roads that impede drainage or cause run-off to be concentrated or
polluted, can seriously degrade the environment. Vehicles travelling on roads can add to ambient noise
and reduce air quality, which has the potential to affect people’s health. All road development proposals
must go through a process of consultation with other government agencies to identify possible impacts on
the Environment and the community. Depending on the size and potential impact of the project, a formal
assessment may be required under the Northern Territory’s Environmental Assessment Act. For example,
a large road project with potential for adverse environmental impact or public concern may be subject to
a Public Environmental Report (PER) or a more detailed examination through an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). Projects with limited environmental impact, such as the widening or duplication of a
road, require an environmental clearance from the Office of Environmental and Heritage, which
administers the Environmental Assessment Act Routine maintenance does not usually need
environmental assessment under the Act. The environmental impact of roads does not end with
construction and maintenance. Motor vehicles using roads can cause problems such as traffic noise,
reduce air quality, dust pollution and contamination of natural water resources as well as landscape
degradation and soil erosion. The environmental problems which are associated with the highways
strangulate the road system in most of the cases. The most common problems are:

1. Air pollution

2. Noise pollution

3. Water pollution

4. Vibration

5. Discharge of effluents on the road sides

6. Wild life disturbance

7. Deforestation

8. Accidental data

9. Contamination of soil

10. Setting up of brick kilns and other industries along the highway.
III. CONCLUSIONS

1. From the analysis of traffic data it can be concluded that present two lane highway is insufficient to
handle the current traffic volume. NH-73 is a plain terrain as per IRC-SP-84, this section will require four
lane. From the public consultation it can be concluded that highway condition is not too much good.

2. From the testing of water, ground water near the Jagadhari shows the high TDS value which is greater
than the permissible values hence unfit for the drinking purposes.

3. Results of SPM testing are exceeding the permissible limits & the values of SO2, NO2 are below the
limits.

4. Noise values at the locations exceeded the permissible limits hence proper mitigation should be taken
during the construction phase to keep the noise values under the permissible limits.

5. There is no contamination with respect to soil, but there are many chances of occurrence of
contamination during construction Phase.

6. Traffic congestion is a major problem along the highways.

7. Pavement condition was very vulnerable proper drainage is required, at many places. During the
survey, various pot holes and cracking were found on the selected stretch. Some impacts are of short
duration it can be reduced by appropriate mitigation measures. Operation phase are also less magnitude
can be prevent from mitigation measures concludes that the proposed project will be environmental
friendly.

BRIDGE PROJECTS

1.GOAL & OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT:

Wazirabad Barrage is one of the 7 major links across river Yamuna connecting eastern and western parts
of Delhi with 2 lane carriageway for the bridge portion. Located on the northern end of the city, the barra
ge with two‐lane carriageway is crowded with high volume of traffic almost throughout the day. The func
tional importance of the road in terms of connectivity to eastern part of the city as well as various part of t
he state of Uttar Pradesh cannot be ignored, through the ISBT Bridge around 2kms away from the barrag
e along with connectivity of metro caters for a significant portion of traffic load. Besides the
barrage, the pontoon bridge located approximately 800m downstream of existing
barrages caters needs during fair weather months and it is dismantled during monsoon. Considering the la
rge recurring annual dismantling assembly cost and maintenance cost the feasibility of retaining the same
is quite doubtful.

Also the aim was to achieve the following:

Technical consideration for best location for the proposed bridge so that it has minimum width of the wat
erway.Merging and diverging traffic and its impact on intersection at Khajuri Khas and Wazirabad.
Smooth and uninterrupted traffic flow on the proposed bridge as well as along the Ring Road Azadpur to
ISBT.
Causing minimum environmental impact due to the construction of proposed bridge and approaches. Kee
ping rehabilitation and resettlement to minimum possible. Keeping land acquisition of the approach roads
as minimum as possible. Try to minimize dislocation of Utilities.

2.NEED OF THE PROJECT:

The Existing Wazirabad Bridge at Wazirabad on Yamuna is only two lane and heavy traffic congestion is
felt during peak hours. The second wazirabad bridge shall ease the traffic congestion. The traffic congesti
on ease shall result in savings of travel time and vehicle operation cost. The public community to east Del
hi shall be immensely benefitted. The present approaches of Wazirabad barrage bridge and bridge itself a
re saturated with service level.

The heavy traffic on existing bridge is causing congestion and increased accidents and coupled with redu
ced speed. The reduced traffic speed and congestion add to air and noise pollution. As a result, pollution l
evels shall remain consistently high on existing bridge.

The increased congestion on existing bridge shall result in:

 Increased Travel Time

 Increased Fuel Consumption

 Increased vehicle operating cost

 Higher air & noise pollution

 Increased accident

Hence, Keeping in view the dispersal and circulation of traffic on both sides the proposed east‐west corri
dor over River Yamuna will cater to the need of commuters from fast developing area of Yamuna Vihar,
Gokul Puri, Nand Nagri, and inter‐state traffic from Ghaziabad, Shahibabad, Loni on eastern side and Ti
marpur, Azadpur, Burari, Mukherjee Nagar, Mall Road etc on the western side.

The Construction of the proposed link will also call for improvement of key intersections within the influ
ence area, which has been considered from Majnu ka Tila to Khajuri khas intersection. This will help not
only to facilitate smooth movement to traffic across the river but also avoid creating bottlenecks at the int
ersections within the vicinity.

3.CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF SITE:

The site was selected based on maximum utilization of existing roads, various physical constraints in
approaches and construction activities, construction of making loops,
intersection roads, construction and obstructions to drains and other water bodies and finally
the requirement of acquisition of land from Private owners.

4. RESOURCE AND MANPOWER REQUIREMENT:

Overall the 69% of work has been completed using approximately 500 number of direct work force. To c
omplete the remaining work, approximately 250 numbers of labours per day is being engaged by the cont
ractor.

5. TIME FRAME OF THE PROJECT:

Balance work will take approximately 12‐14 months’ time to complete the construction and operate the b
ridge.

6. BRIEF DESCRFIPTION:

The Complete project had been conceived as Tourist Development and phase wise
development will be done. Bridge and its approaches have been taken up in 1st Phase and Tourist Destina
tion to be taken up in 2nd phase. EIA study has been done for 1st Phase only.

The construction of the project wills inclide the following activities:

 I. Main Bridge (Cable Stayed)
II. II. Eastern Approach
III. Western Approach
IV. IV. River Training Works V. Lower level Roads

The Total Length of the bridge is 675m including 100m of western approach adjoining main bridge. Prop
osed bridge will have five pillars on the eastern side and eight pillars on the western side. The proposed b
ridge will be a cable stayed bridge having main span of 251m.
Height of the single incline pylon is 154m with cable stay on one side and back stays on the other side. T
he approach spans shall be about 36m each. The bridge will have dual carriage
way of 4 lanes each (14m wide) with about 1.2m wide central verge space for anchoring
cables, maintainence walkway and crash barrier on either side of central verge. A part length about
100m of western approach adjoining main bridge will have same structural
arrangement as that of main bridge i.e. composite deck from aesthetic considerations as this
area is proposed to be developed as tourism destination. Western Approach will connect the bridge to NH
‐1 Delhi towards Amritsar and Eastern side connects to the Trans‐ Delhi area like
Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpura, Yamuna Vihar Etc.

Project Benefit This will provide easy traffic to and fro flow from NH 1 to trans Yamuna areas like
khajuri khas, bhajanpura etc. This will be worlds first unsymmetrical stay roped bridge and it will be an i
conic structure which will not only ease traffic but also boost tourism. It will decongest the exsting traffic
on the road from NH 1 to Trans Yamuna.
It will also regulate the uninterrupted flow of Yamuna. Plantation and Horticulture will beautify the area.
It will have a positive impact on the aesthetics of the area.

Introduction An efficient urban transport system matters to India on many counts. If improving “ease of
living’ is the key policy objective in India as increasingly being emphasized by the Hon’ble Prime
Minister of India, the state of urban transport infrastructure goes a long way in determining the livability.
An efficient urban transport is also critical for raising economic productivity and consequently making
Indian enterprise competitive. Admittedly, Mass Rapid Transportation systems (MRTS) is one of the
modes of urban mobility, its importance, especially when cities are seen as a growth node of an economic
region rises significantly as inclusive growth is determined not only by the state of transport system
within a city limit, but its connectivity to its periphery, rather is entire zone of influence. A clear
appreciation of the urban context in India at this stage of her development has the potential to inform our
decision on prioritizing investment towards MRTS, a sector which is under-invested. The urban context
and desirability of Investment in MrTS .

MASS RAPID TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS IN INDIA

• As the pressure on natural resources is increasing, sustainability of cities has emerged as a major
concern. It’s a common knowledge that a shift towards public transport would significantly reduce
energy footprint of the city as well as release of pollutants. Among various modes, a shift towards rail
based electric mobility is amongst a preferred solution, if not an ideal solution. Environmental
sustainability of Indian cities is therefore a major imperative for guiding efficient urbanisation. MrTS and
goal of Inclusive development

• MRTS projects are capital intensive and often earn an unfair criticism of their being elitist. To realise
the vision of the Prime Minister of India, aptly encapsulated in “Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikaash, it is
important to realise the crucial role that MRTS can play in cities of India which are far from compact.

• One of the biggest developmental challenges and quite contrary to perception held in many quarters is
to address the observed phenomenon of low pace of urbanisation in India. About 377 million Indians
comprising of about 31% of the country’s population, lived in urban areas according to Census 2011.
This is a smaller proportion compared to other large developing countries.

• The fact that core of large Indian cities are not attracting population to the extent, their growth potential
is symptomatic of a rather exclusionary character to Indian cities, notwithstanding the attempt by
municipal authorities to take measures for the benefit of urban poor. There are many reasons such as
strict land use pattern and regulation, artificially high prices of urbanland in the core of city, and so on.
Of those, lack of an efficient urban transport system is a major one. In order to correct this imbalance,
while in long run, India has to drastically alter the way it determines the land use pattern and has to shift
towards strategic densification of cities, especially in favor of mandating sufficient land in the core to
affordable housing and other such amenities which directly benefits the urban poor in the short and
medium run, it has to invest heavily in MRTS to provide a reliable, fast and affordable transport to
people living on the periphery or in the influence zone of Indian cities.
 CATEGORY OF MRTS, RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AND FACTORS
AFFECTING THEIR CHOICE

The mass transit systems in cities/ urban agglomeration can be broadly

classified into the following five categories:

•Bus-ways and Bus Rapid Transit System(BRTS): Bus-ways are physically demarcated bus
lanes along the main carriageway with a segregated corridor for movement of buses only. At the
intersections, the buses may be given priority over other modes through a signaling system. BRTS is an
enhanced form of a bus-way which incorporates features such as facilities for pedestrians, Non-Motorised
Vehicles (NMV) and many other associated infrastructures including operations and control mechanism.
•Light Rail Transit (LRT): LRT is generally at-grade rail based mass transit system which is generally
segregated from the main carriageway.

•Tramways: These are at-grade rail based system that are not segregated and often move in mixed
traffic conditions.

•Metro rail: Metro rail is a fully segregated rail based mass transit system, which could be at grade,
elevated or underground. Due to its physical segregation and system technology, metro rail can have a
very high capacity of 40,000– 80,000 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD). Metro systems also
include monorails, which, however, has lower capacities and higher maintenance cost.

• regional rail: Regional rail caters to passenger services within a larger urban agglomerate or
metropolitan area connecting the outskirts to the centre of the city. The services have greater number of
halts at smaller distances compared to long distance railways but fewer halts and higher speeds compared
to metro rail. Regional rail are common in large metropolitan cities and help in decongesting the city
centre by providing safe, and speedy access to the city centre for commuters residing in less congested
suburbs.

FINANCING AND STRUCTURING OF MRTS PROJECT A) INVESTMENT REQUIREMENT

IN MRTS AND TREND ELSEWHERE

• Projection of investment requirement in urban transport in general and MRTS in particular is quite
difficult as the result varies significantly with the assumption regarding the emerging portfolio of cities as
well as compactness of the city which again is, to a large extent determined by the urban planning and
attendant land use regulations. Since capital intensity per passenger kilometer of different modes of urban
transport varies, the investment estimates are dependent on choice of mode of urban transport. In
addition, if cities emerge as hubs of economic activity, serving the region around it, urban transport
requirement would have to cater for mobility in the region and not simply within the limits of the cities or
the metropolitan area, but the zone of socio-economic influence of the city.

• A further complexity is added due to the critical role played by urban transport in the economy of the
country. Firstly, cities in India contribute more than 60% of its GDP. Secondly, urban transport in terms
of value is a significant contributor in GDP both directly i.e. Value added in the urban transport sector
itself and secondly, it being an enabling condition for large number of economic enterprises in a city. •
Indeed a desired framework to assess the investment requirement should be to first assess the requirement
of the transport infrastructure against an acceptable service level benchmark, and then make addition to
the enabling role of urban transport in increasing economic productivity as well as the potential of a
suitable mass rapid transit system to impart sustainability to city from environmental point of view, i.e.
its investment decision ought to be based on the Economic Internal Rate of Return (which accounts for
monetized value of social benefits like reduction in congestion, saving of commute time, reduction in
pollution as well as energy footprint of the city and health benefits) instead of exclusively dependent on
Financial Internal Rate of Return ( FIRR).

• Given these limitations, one can indeed argue against any attempt to make investment projection.
However, even with these complexities an estimate helps in understanding the order of the investment
required which itself can give rise to policy implications. In recent years, while there are different
estimates, due to paucity of space, one may refer to following: » The National Transport Development
Policy Committee (NTDPC)-2014 constituted a Working Group which projected the investment
requirement between 2010 to 2030 under three scenarios.

 Hyper Loop It envisages a series of pod inside an evacuated tube. Reduced wind resistance inside
the tube promises the speed to exceed 750 miles per hour. However, at this stage, its commercial
prototype is not ready.
 Pod Taxi System On an elevated rail, pods having capacity of about 5-6 passengers is claimed to
be an ideal replacement of cars. However, since the capacity of pod is just 5-6 passengers, it is
not suitable for trunk transport infrastructure like buses or metro rail unless one imagines a series
 of pods. As unlike buses, capacity of a pod is only 5-6 persons and hence is suitable for point to
point traffic where number of passenger at a time is less. However, the Indian cities have high
population density which can support transport systems requiring greater number of passengers
with a much affordable rate of passenger km.
 Electric/Hybrid Vehicle It is important to realize that MRTS (including the conventional metro
rail systems and sub-urban railways) are one of the mainstays of electric mobility in a city and
region though much of the attention in public perception is given to desirability of replacing the
Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) bus system by hybrid or fully electric buses and/or promotion
of electric cars or two wheelers. Since the focus of the paper is MRTS, only general issues are
noted: Firstly, at this stage, the cost of electric vehicles is higher than the ICE ones. Unless
funding is arranged, the poor finances of city governments, especially in India would continue to
pose a serious constraint in adopting this technology.

AIRPORT PROJECTS

CASE STUDY: BENGALURU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

How the Indian airport was built in just thirty three months. By ASC Staff12 July 2010.

After a decade-long postponement, a prestigious airport was built in India in just thirty three months.
Siemens provided the new airport with airport-specific equipment as well as with safety and security
technology and power supply and distribution – and played its part for the timely completion of the
project.

Construction of Bengaluru International Airport began in July 2005, roughly 35 kilometres north of
Bangalore city centre, just off National Highway 7, the Bangalore-Hyderabad Highway. And flights
began on 23 May, 2008 just before midnight when a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai landed - on what
was formally a red-clay wasteland of sand and rocks. Minutes later an Indian Airlines flight to Singapore
became the first-ever plane to take-off from Bengaluru International and within its first twenty four
hours, the airport had handled an incredible three hundred and forty one flights.

The airport currently handles over 9 million passengers a year with around 27 aircraft movements per
hour. Operating at maximum capacity, the airport is capable of handling 720 aircraft movements in a day
and 11.5 million passengers per year.
Siemens was largely responsible for the resounding technological success behind Bengaluru (also known
as ‘Bangalore’ ) International Airport, supplying and installing all the technical systems for the massive,
ongoing project.

V. P. Baligar, Principal Secretary of the Indian Government, Infrastructure Development, said: “An
international airport was very much needed in a city like Bangalore which is the technical capital of India
- the “Silicone Valley” of Asia. We were looking for someone who offers more than only technical
installations. We were looking for a reliable partner - and a long-term relationship. Someone who could
provide financial security, technical know-how and, of course, timely completion.”

Today, this prestigious airport serves fifteen, major international and ten, national airlines and the
average number of aircraft movements has risen to over four hundred each day.

EIA FOR IRRIGATION PROJECTS

Development of irrigation schemes is explicit objective of the national policy. These schemes comprise
of two phases. In the first phase the water is stored, diverted or lifted by construction a dam / reservoir,
diversion work or wells. The second phase consists of conveying water to fields through a canal network.
Completion of irrigation schemes requires heavy expenditure, time and workmanship. Hence it is
essential to study the impact of these structures on the environment in planning stage itself, so that by
proper management, its adverse effect on the environment in planning stage itself, so that by proper
management, its adverse effect on the environment can be reduced and an overall reduction in the cost of
development can be achieved without creating a large ecological imbalance.

The implementation of large scale water resources management projects, especially Dams, has been a
matter of wide dispute between environmentalists, sociologists, developers, and governmental agencies.
This debate is expected to continue regardless of where or when the intended project is going to be
carried out. Usually the situation evolves a confrontation between two points of view. The first includes
calls for preserving the natural ecological balance of the untapped water resources and the region of
influence of the project, protecting the legitimate rights of local residents, safeguarding against
deterioration of water quality and threats to biodiversity, changes in soil fertility, etc. Whereas the second
opinion, on the other hand, diverts the attention to the benefits of flood control, drought management,
clean energy generation, expansion in agriculture sector, flow regulation, increment in GOP, ... etc.
Highly diversified concerns encompass the situation, not to mention the political will, which usually
over-rules in many incidents.

Conflicts and disputes related to environmental issues may arise over strategies for resource management,
expected environmental impacts of the new project or development plan, operation of existing projects
(such as dams), and environmental restoration efforts for degraded resources.

Although agriculture is usually associated with its positive impacts on human life, irrigation practices
may be associated with adverse impacts on environmental conditions, which may eventually curtail the
sustainability of irrigation projects. ' For this reason, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been
recognized as an integral part of the early planning studies of irrigation projects in-order to identify any
expected negative impacts andsuggest the necessary actions to curb these impacts. In the process, EIA
can demonstrate the positive and negative impacts of different design alternatives for the project as an
essential step for better decision making in implementing irrigation projects.

EIA studies evolved primarily from cost-benefit analysis due to the growing necessity of including social
and ecological impacts while planning for development projects. In this context, EIA is meant to predict
the future changes in environmental quality and to evaluate these changes. Ultimately, this aims at
protecting the environment including the human welfare and health from any foreseen negative impacts
as well as to elaborate on the positive impacts of the project.

Available EIA techniques for irrigation projects range from simple checklists to sophisticated simulation
models. In fact, the accuracy and scope of each technique varies according to the intended purpose as
well as the targeted user. A fundamental objective of any method remains; however, to determine all
potential positive and negative impacts in a manner that facilitates the comparison between available
project alternatives. In addition, it should identify those impacts that need an evaluation by a specialist.
Advanced techniques provide wider scope of objectives that may support the decision making by
weighing environmental effects on common basis with economic costs and benefits. Accordingly,
targeted users for the different techniques vary to include specialists and non-specialists planners,
designers and decision-makers

IMPLICATION OF IRRIGATION SCHEMES

The implication of irrigation schemes on the environment are presented from the view point of physico-
chemical, ecological and socio-economic aspects. These effects may be divided as long term or short
term, beneficial or non- beneficial and reversible or non - reversible so as to aid in evaluating the degree
of impact. Physico-chemical aspects: This aspect can be studied with respect to the impact of irrigation
scheme on atmosphere, water and land ecosystems.

Atmosphere: the construction and consequent operation of dams and canal networks influences the
values of meteorological phenomena, in relation to the original state. Irrigation structures convert bare
soil land into large flooded lands. These water bodies act as a cooler part of the environment during rapid
increase in air temperature. Similarly they function as a warmer part of the environment during rapid fall
in ambient temperature. This influences the thermic zonation of the air on the reservoir shore. The air
flow depends on the changes of temperature. The low roughness of the reservoir surface promotes
horizontal air movement. The influence of reservoir surface therefore changes the shape of the relevant
wind rose increasing the occurrence of strong winds from the reservoir to the shore. The change of
climate depends on frequency of the wind occurrence, its intensity and change of the solar radiation input
derived from the change of the area surface. The increase in the extent of free water surface in the
catchment owing to construction of reservoir often results in reduction in precipitation. This decrease in
precipitation is a consequence of I~w temperature above the surface in the summer season in comparison
with original temperature above non-wetted surface. Aninversion often occurs above an open water
surface causing vertical air motion decreasing the ratio of saturation and hence probability of rainfall
occurrence.

TLPICAL IMPACTS OF DAMS AND RESENOIRS

I. 1.Change in quality of impounded (seasonal).

II. 2. Water loss due to evaporation (seasonal).
III. 3. Downstream effects: decreased (and more uniform) into estuaries. Thus causing changes in
saltwater intrusion patterns and changes in estuarine fisheries.
IV. 4. Increased cultivated lands and agricultural produce.
V. 5. Hydropower generation. cleaner energy production.
VI. 6. Changes in local groundwater levels and quality.
VII. 7. In-reservoir landslides. Increased regional seismic activity due to water pressure.
VIII. 8. Changes in microclimate of area-more wind. Humidity. And/or precipitation.
 IX. 9. Inundation of mineral resource~.
X. 10. Flood control.
XI. I I. Drought management.
XII. 12. Changes in number and types of fish to warm water fishery.
XIII. 13. Preclusion of movement of migratory fish.
XIV. 14. Fish destruction in turbines and pumps (use protective).
XV. 15. Possible creation of "new reservoir fishery" as positive
XVI. 16. Increase areas or breeding of mosquitoes.
XVII. 17. Promote growth of aquatic weeds such as water hyacinths. IS. Changes to habitat in
inundated area and wildlife associated with habitat.
XVIII. 18. Changes to waterfowl habitat from shallow. Flowing habitat to deeper lakes: possible
impact on migratory birds.
XIX. 19. Impacts on rare. Threatened. Endangered. Unique lie flora and fauna.
XX. 20. Decrease in waste assimilative capacity of river segment.
XXI. 21. Inundation of historical. Cultural. Archaeological. or religious resources.
XXII. 22. People relocation-resettlement (and possible change in style of life).

CASE STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR DAM

CONSTRUCTION USING GIS/REMOTE SENSING

STUDY AREA

This is a EIA study on a dam proposed to be located on the Man river in the Sidhumber village in
Gujarat, India. This dam shall impound gross storage of 174,430 cubic meters of water and is expected to
irrigate 15170 hectares of land. This region of Gujarat, India is backward and underdeveloped. The
irrigation potential is heavily underutilized, with only one Daman Ganga reservoir project. This study
shall prepare a detailed environmental impact analysis of the proposed dam and environmental
management plan in the catchment and the command areas of the Man River for clearance by the
Ministry of Environment.

The watershed of the Man River has a semi-arid climate. The scarcity of water is acute. In spite of having
a rich black cotton soil, the area is backward because of dependency on rain fed agriculture. The
increased irrigation potential due to the proposed dam shall have a great impact on the socio-economic
upliftment ofthe region.

The construction of the dam is aimed at improving the land productivity in the command area. Proper
utilization of the irrigation water from the dam is suggested to prevent increase in the land salinity in the
command area. The study shall assess the status of erosion and land degradation in the catchment area to
prevent siltation and to suggest the future plan of treatment.

AN INDIA CASE STUDY ON COMPREHENSIVE EIA OF THERMAL POWER

PLANT
1. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSAL
1.1 THE PROJECT PROPOSAL
The rapid industrialization and urbanization process coupled with increased use of electric power for
irrigation in Karnataka state has created a situation, where demand for power has surpassed the growth in
power generation. So in order to build up a reliable, stable and effective power generation system, the
integrated operation of hydro and thermal power stations is considered to be necessary, with thermal
power supplying base load and hydro power as an effective supplement. Based on this strategy, the
government of Karnataka has taken a step to build up adequate thermal power generation capacity.
Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) has proposed to set up thermal power plant with capacity
of 1 x 500 MW in the first stage at the proposed Vijayanagar Thermal Power Station located at 2.5 kms
from Kudatini village, Bellary district.
KPCL generates most of the power required in Karnataka. KPCL is a premier public sector specialized in
power, with a total generation capacity of 3868 MW. (Note: A brief description on project features
would be appropriate to include here)
1.2 LOCATION OF PROJECT
The proposed project covers an area of 1963.5 sq.km and includes Bellary and Chitradurga districts of
Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Most parts of the project area are located within
Bellary; however the proposed project marginally touches three other talukas and includes 269 villages.
1.3 ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND FOCUS OF THE STUDY
Environmental Impact Assessment essentially involves four steps
• Base Line Study (Existing Environmental status)
• Identification,
• Prediction, and mitigation measures
• Evaluation of impacts on environment due to project.
Based on these four steps, the Environment Management Plan (EMP) has been formulated to implement
the mitigation plan in order to minimize adverse impacts.
1.4 NATURE AND SCOPE OF ISSUES
Following issues were identified in the process of Scoping.
• Topography,
• Air Quality
• Water Environment,
• Noise Levels
• Land Environment
• Land-use
• Ecology
• Terrestrial Ecology
• Socio-economic Aspects
• Agriculture, employment and income
• Health
• Civic amenities
• Transmission lines
2. SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
The study area covers 25-km radius around the project site. The following sections describe the
existing social and environmental setting within the project area.
Topography The proposed project area is a flat terrain, located within Kudatini village of Bellary
District and surrounded hill ranges on South, North and West sides. The highest point of Sandur hills
is 3400 feet (1036 m) above the Sea level. The average elevation of the project site is 475 m above
mean sea level. Tungabhadra is the major river of Bellary district, flows from southwest to the north
east of the proposed project. Daroji tank is another major water source of the area, located at 7.5 kms
in of the proposed plant site.
Forest and Wild animals Forests in the area can be divided into two main categories: dry deciduous
and scrub forests. The deciduous forests are mostly available in Sandur taluk at a distance of about
 20-km from the proposed site. The Bellary and Hospet taluks have only scrub type of forests. No
noticeable wild animals are available in the project area.
Climate and Rainfall the coldest months in the project area is November to the end of February. The
lowest mean temperature of 22.6 0c in the month of December. The maximum temperature 37.50C
and the mean daily minimum is 18.50C maximum temperature is 42.50C. The Southwest monsoon
commences at the start of June and lasts up to the end of August while the Northeast monsoon sets in
by September and lasts until the end of December. The average rainfall in the area ranges from 492
mm to 846 mm.
.
3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (EMP)
The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is the document that ensures the implementation of
mitigation prescriptions for environmental protection and sustainable development. EMP requires the
involvement of project related stakeholders e.g. industry, Government, regulating agencies and the
affected population of the project area. The salient features of EMP are as follows:
1. Management during construction phase.
2. Management during the post construction phase
3. Post Project Monitoring
Management during construction phase
Following are the briefs measures suggested by EMP for the proposed project:
• Frequent water sprinkling in the vicinity of the construction activity to control the dust emission,
• Paving the exposed surface to control dust and erosion
• Plantation of bare and exposed area and development of green belts
• Adopt noise control devices, storing of fuels in safe place and dumping of debris and waste in
proper sanitary landfill site.
EIA ANALYSIS OF NUCLEAR POWER PROJECT BY NUCLEAR POWER CORPORATION
OF INDIA LIMITED

Background of the technical report Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is planning to
set up a 6,000 MWe nuclear power plant in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. On behalf of the local
community there, an NGO called Paryavaran Mitra requested the Centre for Science and Environment to
technically evaluate the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the project. Engineers India
Limited has prepared the EIA report of the project with inputs from INDOMER, SACON and Anna
University‘s Remote sensing department. The EIA report has been prepared based on the terms of
reference set by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on March 14, 2011.1 The construction of
the project will take place in three stages of 1000 MW * 2 units each at each stage. The study area
includes a 1km exclusion zone where no habitation is permitted, 5km sterilized zone where
developmental activities are not encouraged by the state government but people in the zone would carry
out their normal activity and a 16 km emergency planning zone.3

The proposed plant at Mithivirdi will be set up in Talaja Taluka, Bhavnagar district, Gujarat which is 40
km from Bhavnagar town. The site is located on sea coast on west side of the Gulf of Khambhat.4 The
site falls under Coastal regulation zone (CRZ) category III5 and the clearance for the same has been
applied for. The area falls under seismic zone 3.6 The latitude-longitude of the four corners of the project.

ANALYSIS

A) Technology Used: The Advance Passive Reactor Plant (Pressurized water reactor) is going to be
adopted in the plant.11 Fuel Used: Enriched Uranium Di Oxide Cost of the Project: under negotiation
CSE's Comment: Advance Passive reactor plant is called Westinghouse‘s AP 1000.12 Originally the
reactor was approved in the year 2005 in U.S.13 after which the company resubmitted its modified
design in 2007 but faced a hard time for its approval.14 After 19 revisions of the design the company got
its approval in December 2011.15 The fear described was if there happens to be a leak on the side of the
nuclear reactor wall owing to extreme events like earthquake, hurricane, etc., then the radiations would
escape out of 7 Engineers India Limited, New Delhi, Environmental impact assessment report for nuclear
power plant at Mithivirdhi, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, pg V 8 Engineers India Limited, New Delhi,
Environmental impact assessment report for nuclear power plant at Mithivirdhi, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, pg
VI 9 Engineers India Limited, New Delhi, Environmental impact assessment report for nuclear power
plant at Mithivirdhi, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, pg VI 10Engineers India Limited, New Delhi, Environmental
impact assessment report for nuclear power plant at Mithivirdhi, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, pg 271 of 389
11Engineers India Limited, New Delhi, Environmental impact assessment report for nuclear power plant
at Mithivirdhi, Bhavnagar, Gujarat.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT

EIA FOR HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT PROJECT

•CASE STUDIES:

•The small hydro power projects from Uttarakhand.

•A large hydro power plant; DemweLower HEP in Arunachal Pradesh.

•compare the key environmental issues : small vs large plants

BACKGROUND

•Difference between small and Large project

•Classification of Small Hydro Power (SHP): •Micro hydro: <100 KW; •Mini hydro: 101-2000 and
•Small hydro; 2001-25000 KW.

•<25 MW does not need environmental clearance?

EIA PROCESS

•Background of the project

•Methodology followed.

•Detailed baseline studies

•Physiography

•hydro-meteorology

•Soil

•geology and seismicity

•land use and land cover

•floristic and forest types •faunal elements •aquatic ecology & fisheries

•Impact assessment and evaluation.

EIA: KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Impact on terrestrial ecosystem

•Change in Land Use and Habitat Destruction •Location of various structures •Dumping sites •New
Roads and bridges •Anthropogenic Pressure

•Impact on Wildlife

•Species population loss

EIA: KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Impact on Aquatic Ecosystem

•Habitat Degradation and Destruction

•Habitat fragmentation

•Deterioration of water quality

•Fisheries

•Impact on Air Environment

•Noise Pollution

•Sediments

•Downstream Impacts

EIA: KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Impact on Terrestrial Ecosystem

•Includes all the land within the project study area (within 10km radius from the project area)
•Acquisition of land for various project components like submergence, road construction, dam structure,
labour camps, colonies

•Change in Land Use and Habitat Destruction

•Leads to the land use changes, habitat degradation and destruction from the said land •We have to
examine whether the area is covered by the dense or open forests.

•Location of various structures

•Dumping sites:

•Number, Location and Area of the dumping sites. Efficient use? Proper cover and stabilisation?

•New Roads and bridges:Slope failure

•Anthropogenic Pressure: Increase in fuel wood collection, killing and poaching of animals, rearing of
the livestock, grazing activities by the livestock

•Settlement away from forests. Provision of facilities like fuel, kitchen, sanitary etc.

•Impact on Aquatic Ecosystem

•The construction of dam will lead to formation of lacustrine/semi lacustrine body on the upstream. •It
will also lead to formation of algae and it may lead to the eutrophication of the reservoir.

•The dam acts as an obstruction for the fish migration.(Habitat fragmentation)

•Deterioration of water quality •Runoff of loose muck, effluents from crushers and sewage disposal from
the labour colonies.

•The activities such as bathing, cocking and drinking will have the negative impact.

•Untreated sewage is disposed in the river it will lead to increase in the organic content

EIA: KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Impact on Air Environment

•Vehicular movement which are needed for drilling, tunnelling, digging purposes

•The use of diesel generator to supply electricity; emission of NOx, SO2

•The production of CO2and CH4due to the decomposition of the organic matter and from the primary
processes. (Flushing important)
•Noise Pollution •Construction activities

•Older people and the young children are the sensitive receivers •Older people develop high blood
pressure due to consistent exposure to noise level