Kali Gandaki 'A' Hydroelectric Project in Environmental ... - AECEN

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Access roadThe access road of the project crosses steep andhilly terrain. Total length of the access roads is about28.5 km. The access road starts from Batuwa, 82 kmfrom Pokhara on Siddhartha highway (3.5 south ofGalyang Bazaar) and ends at the left bank of the dam,which is about 20 km away from the highway. Theaccess road for the powerhouse branch out fromJaipate is about 8 km long.Transmission linesThe power generated from the project by 3 unitsof turbines of 48 MW each capacity is evacuated tothe central grid via a 132 kV single circuit, a 66 kmlong transmission line to Pokhara and a 44 km doublecircuit transmission line to Butwal. A sub-station isconstructed at Lekhnath Municipality of KaskiDistrict, whereas the pre-existing Jogikuti substationof Butwal has been upgraded.Environmental studiesFrom the initial stage of project, environmentalconcerns were the integral part of design optimization.The environmental studies/activities of the projectduring pre-project, construction stage and operationphase are briefly described below.Pre-project phaseThe Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)study was conducted in 1996 according to NationalEIA Guidelines of 1993 and Asian Development BankGuidelines of 1990. The report was duly approved bythe Asian Development Bank (ADB).The interaction and consultation programs duringthe project preparation stage reflected views ofdifferent stakeholders, which were considered in thedetailed design phase of the project, and possibleFigure 2. Boat transportation in project reservoiradverse environmental impacts were avoided to theextent possible.Environmental documentsFrom the beginning, environmental considerationwas given priority in the project. Variousenvironmental documents were prepared duringengineering design and tender documentspreparation. The primary documents that guidedenvironmental activities of the project are givenbelow. These documents were used in cross-referencewith each other:• Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA), Vol. 1-2, 1996.• Mitigation Management and MonitoringPlan (MMMP), 1996.• Acquisition, Compensation and RehabilitationPlan (ACRP), 1996.• Tender documents with conditions ofparticular applications, including socialand environmental clauses.• ADB: Summary Environment ImpactAssessment (SEIA), 1996• ADB: Report and Recommendation ofPresident to Board of Directors, 1996RRP-NEP 26362)• Loan Agreement with ADBThe EIA explained the impacts and proposedmitigation measures as identified during the detailstudy of the project and provides justification for themitigation. The MMMP described how the mitigationspelled out in the EIA, ACRP and in Tender Clauseswill be carried out. The MMMP provided a guide tomitigation management and environmentalmonitoring. The main objective of ACRPwas to insure that people affected byproject-related property and landacquisitions would be as well off after theproject as they were before. The TenderDocuments specified what actionconstruction contractors were required totake to protect the environment.In addition, the contractors wererequired to develop an EnvironmentalProtection Plan, a Health and Safety Planand a Waste Management Plan, andcontractors disturbing vegetation wererequired to submit a Revegetation Plan.These Plans augmented the MMMP andspecified how the contractors met andimplemented the environmentalmitigation requirements specified in the
EIA, ACRP and the Tender Documents.The loan document between ADB and NEA definedthe role, responsibility and mandate of Kali GandakiEnvironmental Management Unit (KGEMU). The loandocument included basic provisions in environmentalaspects, which were to be carefully addressed tocomply with ADB’s policies and procedures. Includedin this document are: institutional requirement formonitoring; establishment of the KGEMU; provisionfor a construction stage International Panel of Experts(POE) 1 on environmental and social aspects;implementation of MMMP; contractors’ compliancewith tender clauses; compensatory flow of 4 m 3 /s;operation and management of a fish hatcheryprogram; and clauses regarding minimization ofresettlement, enabling communities to benefit fromthe project, preferential hiring, and the need for publicconsultation.Social mitigation policyThe Resettlement Policy defined in projectdocuments provides that the Government of Nepaland the NEA shall take or cause to be taken allnecessary measures to ensure that all the populationadversely affected by carrying out the project shallgenerally:• improve or at least regain their prior standardof living;• be relocated, if necessary, in accordance withtheir preferences and be fully integrated intothe community in which they move; and• be provided with appropriate, agreed uponcompensation and required physicalrehabilitation of infrastructures, communityfacilities, including rehabilitation grants, skilltraining and employment opportunities. Allsuch measures should at least satisfy therequirement of the ACRP.Environmental impactsMajor impacts occurred due to the implementationof the project on physical, biological andsocioeconomic and cultural environment aresummarized below:Physical environment• Submergence of forest land and other landuses due to creation of 5.3 km long (65 ha)reservoir.• Hydrological changes in the 13 km stretchdownstream between the dam and theconfluence with the major tributary, Badi Gad.• Impacts on hydrology downstream of thepower plant are restricted to the dry seasonwhen the facility is used for peaking. Thechanges in flow and stage pose hazards towater users immediately below the powerplant site.• Generation of 6.2 million tons of muck/spoil.Biological environment• Removal of 6,093 trees of various species(khayar, bakaino, ipil-ipil, simal, sissoo andsal) due to implementation of the project.• Soil erosion and land slides due to projectconstruction works.• Loss of wildlife habitat around dam,powerhouse sites and nearby areas.• Impact on migration of long range migratoryfishes due to damming of river.Social/cultural environment• Loss of approximately 208.68 ha of land dueto placement of project structures andfacilities, including access road.• Altogether 1,468 families lost their land (orpart of it), their houses, or both, out of which263 families were defined as SPAF 2 and 1,205families as PAF 3 .• Impacts to indigenous Bote (fisherman)community. About 21 houses, 5 cowshed andapproximately 13 ropani of land from theBote families were acquired.• Impact on Setibeni Sheela, a religious site.• Reduction of white water rafting in KaliGandaki River from 5 days to 3 days.Environmental monitoring and mitigationmanagementThe Nepal Electricity Authority, project engineersand contractors were responsible for the monitoringand implementation and management of mitigationmeasures. KGEMU was the key unit established underthe consultant umbrella to monitor environmentalmitigation measures carried out by contractors, tocarry out environmental mitigation programs andconduct environmental monitoring during theconstruction phase, as spelled out in EIA, MMMP andTender Documents.The environmental monitoring and mitigationmanagement activities carried out during the projectconstruction stage are briefly described below.Kali Gandaki Environmental Management Unit(KGEMU)The KGEMU was formed in January 1997 with thecommencement of project construction. It was thefirst organization of its kind in hydropower projects
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