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Environmental and Social Management FrameworkOn the basis of these consultations and field surveys, it appears that the SRNprojects will have no major environmental and social impacts, for the followingreasons:Almost all sub-projects (with the exception of the 87 km Nagma-Gamghadi Roadin Mugu District, consist of upgrading or improving existing roads. Therefore,minimal adverse impacts are to be expected, such as loss of land, damage tolocal infrastructure, loss of vegetation, and slope cutting, that are related toopening up of new tracks. With prudent management options incorporated in theplanning it is believed that most of these impacts can adequately be mitigated.The ESMF makes provision that all roads considered under this program willhave an Environmental Management Plan and an Social Management Plan,including, as required, an Resettlement Action Plan. It is intended to involve tothe extent possible the local communities, especially the underprivileged strata, inroad construction as well as monitoring activities.Hill roads often suffer from problems related to slope failure and erosion. TheSRN project will improve existing areas with unstable slopes, using protectionstructures and bio-engineering and it will use labour-based technology which willminimize damage to fragile slopes.In the Terai, almost all the proposed roads are north-south roads. The potentialfor flood damage is less in these roads than east-west roads. Furthermore, assome of the north-south roads also function as embankments, the roads willassist in flood control.4.3 Adverse ImpactsThere appears a broad consensus among the local people consulted during theongoing surveys for the SRN Program that there will be very little, if any, adverseenvironmental and social impacts and many expect the project to improveenvironmental conditions caused by existing roads. These mainly include poordrainage conditions in the Terai and unstable slopes in some areas in the hills,and subsequently some adverse effects on local forest and agricultural lands.Few people fear that the newly rehabilitated or constructed roads will result indamages on wildlife and aquatic resources.Depending on the environmental setting, some construction practices are moresensitive in terms of environmental hazards than others. For example, inmountain terrain gradual widening, of a narrow track of typically 2 m width bearsmuch more risks than doing the same in flat terrain. In the first case intensiveslope stabilisation measures or blasting might be required, all of which mayinclude significant residual risks of failure and cumulative impacts. In contrast, thesecond setting may require much more consideration of preventing losses offarmlands and suitable sites for habitation. Similarly, the use of labour and handtools instead of heavy machinery will result in completely different environmentalimpacts in certain conditions. Conservation/protection of soils, water resources,fauna and flora need equally be seen in the local context, including other externalimpacts like rainfall, seismicity, over-use of certain natural resources, law / ordersituation etc.The following sub-section gives an overview of potential adverse environmentaland social impacts that are likely to occur during the different stages of the roadprojects proposed under the SRN Program.Chapter 4-6 April 2007
Environmental and Social Management Framework4.3.1 Impacts on the Physical Environment and Landa. Public Anxiety in Connection with Land Acquisition and with Loss ofPrivate Properties in the RoWThe narrow and linear character of roads makes the impact of lost land seemminimal, but when width of RoW is multiplied with its length, total area of landremoved from production becomes much significant. According to the newlyproposed policy the standard RoW of feeder roads in Nepal is 15 meter on eitherside from the centre line and that for highways is 25m. It needs to be noted,however, that the immediate zone of impacts, i.e. the actual formation width ofthe road, is only 4.5 m. Any enforcement and land acquisition beyond thiscorridor, e.g. in adhering to the 15 m RoW, will invariably incur in a substantialincrease in land that has to be acquired and protected from furtherencroachment. It also remains subject to governmental decisions on whether theprivate houses and structures are subject to acquisition, demolishing homes andstructures, relocation and compensation. Unless well informed on who will beaffected by such land acquisition, and to what extent and time schedule will theRoW be enforced, local communities will be left in a stage of uncertainty andinsecurity. This will also trigger a number of undesired spin-offs such as landspeculation and additional/fraudulent establishment of new structures. Anotherundesired side effect would be the incited displacement and out-migration of poorresidents. More detailed discussions on a recent proposal made by ADB to theNPC with respect to the land acquisition of a broader (up to 30 m) RoW corridorare presented in Chapter 3.9.4 of this document.b. Change in Land Use and Loss of Productive SoilChanges of land use due to the construction of road are mainly conversion ofagricultural land, forest land, grazing land, public spaces and other forms of landuse into built up area may result in numerous social and ecologicalconsequences (see case examples, Box.1).In this context, major impacts them include reduction of fertile and cultivated land,leading to loss of crops, loss of productive area, increase in food deficiency,increase in malnutrition, loss of habitat of wildlife etc. In addition, change of landuse due to road construction also results into relocation of private houses andproperties, losses of public places, grazing land and social conflicts.Case Examples demonstrating Land-use Changesfollowing Road Development in NepalBox 1Road crossing the extensive forest areas of the Churia and Mahabharat rangesappear to have had little impact on forest quality. The harsh terrain and lack ofsurface water have been major hindrances to forest exploitation and settlement. Theadvent of roads has not changed this, except in a few valleys such as Chinchu(Surkhet) where deep tubewells can now be sunk. In recent years there have beensignificant changes where agriculture has encroached on to steep forest land in anumber of locations, such as in the lower Trishuli Valley.Road development has seen an intensification of agricultural land-uses, mainly inthe greater production of vegetables as cash crops. Examples are at Palung(Tribhuvan Rajpath), Ranipauwa (Kathmandu-Trishuli Road) and around Dhadingdistrict roads. This is normally seen as a beneficial change, since it implies animprovement in the agricultural economy.In the 1980s, new roads appeared at times to lead to forest exploitation in parts ofthe middle mountains. There were certainly cases of this on the Dharan-Dhankutaroad. However, widespread success of community forestry in the middle mountainsduring the 1990s has seen a reversal of this trend and an improvement in forestquality along a number of roads, such as the Lamosangu-Jiri and Dharan-DhankutaApril 2007 Chapter 4-7
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