7 · web viewthe proposed project from zhangjiakou to hohhot is a 286km long newly built...

(Environmental Management Plan—Zhangjiakou-Hohhot Railway) (2011.8)

1

Table of contents

1. Overview4

1.1. Project Background4

1.2. Purpose of Environmental Management4

1.3. Environmental Specifications for Railway Construction4

1.4 EMP Structure4

2. Project Overview4

2.1. Project Description4

2.1 Project Construction Contents and Scale4

3. Environmental Legislative Framework4

3.1. World Bank Policy4

3.2. National Laws and Regulations4

3.3. Applicable Standards4

3.4. Technical Guideline4

3.5 Project Related Documents4

3.6 Environmental Standards4

4. Roles and Responsibilities for Environmental Management during Construction4

4.1 Management Organization and Responsibilities4

4.2 Environmental Supervision4

4.3 Management of Contractors4

5. Overview of Environmental and Social Issues4

5.1. Environmental Impact Analysis4

5.2. Biodiversity Compensation and Physical Resource Management Program4

6. Summary of Mitigation Measures4

7. Environmental Monitoring Plan4

7.1 Environmental Monitoring Arrangement4

7.2 Environmental Monitoring Plan and Schedule4

8. Environmental Training4

8.1 Training prior to the commencement of the construction4

8.2 Training during construction4

8. Legal Effects of EMP4

9. Environmental Management Framework for Temporary Works4

10. Environmental Protection Investment Estimate4

10.1 Principle and Base4

10.2 Type of Investment4

10.3 Environmental Protection Investment Budget4

Annex 1 Environmental Specifications

Annex 2 Physical Cultural Resource Management Plan

Annex 3 Soil Erosion Control Plan

Annex 4 Site-specific Noise Control Measures

Annex 5 Station Wastewater Treatment Measures

Annex 6 Management of Sensitive Areas

Environmental Management Plan

1. Overview

1.1. Project Background

The proposed project from Zhangjiakou to Hohhot is a 286km long newly built double-line railway. The starting point of Zhangjiakou to Hohhot railway is the destination of Zhangjiakou South Station and Hohhot East Station. The construction period is expected to be 4 years.

In accordance with "World Bank Operational Policy OP4.01 - Environmental Assessment", and according to potential environmental and social impact scale, project area sensitivity and required comprehensive environmental impact assessment report, the proposed project is a Category-A project. The following reports for the project were also prepared with the EIA: Resettlement Action Plan (RAP), Social Assessment, and Soil and Water Erosion Plan. The results of these reports are included in the final environmental impact assessment. The environmental management plan (EMP) includes the suggested mitigation measures.

The environmental impact assessment report has been submitted to the Ministry of Environmental Protection who reviewed and approved the project's environmental impact assessment on January 4, 2011. This environmental impact assessment report is updated subsequently and a new version is prepared and submitted to the World Bank in August 2011.

1.2. Purpose of Environmental Management

EMP is a practical and achievable tool to ensure that the adverse impact on environment in the construction and operation phases is minimized and any possible benefit generated to environment, safety and efficiency is maximized. Therefore, the EMP of this project is to provide practical guidance for the environmental management and shall be assumed by developers, engineers and contractors and, according to relevant laws, regulations, technical guidelines of China and the operational policies of World Bank, to ensure that the impact of the operating project on the environment is minimized.

In environmental impact assessment (EIA), the issues about environmental management which need to be defined include: (a) organize all measures to mitigate the impact on environment in the construction and operation phases; (b) organizational structure, procedures and institutional responsibilities established and implemented; (c) identify the monitoring demand of project for which proposed mitigation measures have been successfully implemented; and 4) the budget and source of funds of each activity.

The EMP will also assist different stakeholders in managing the environmental issues relevant to Hohhot -Zhangjiakou Railway: (a) executive agency – make the implementation of the EMP managed better; (b) supervisors- ensure that the EMP is correctly implemented; (c) environmental engineers – assist them cooperating with contractors to carry out the project’s EMP; (d) contractor - help other stakeholders study the detailed implementation plan of the project’s EMP.

Meanwhile, the EMP is a summary of commitment put forward by the project owner during the project’s environment assessment and relevant implementation process. The EMP will make Mengji Railway Limited, World Bank and other relevant authorities in Hebei Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to supervise the implementation of mitigation measures and compliance of commitments by the civil contractors.

1.3. Environmental Specifications for Railway Construction

The World Bank and Ministry of Railway (MOR) have been cooperating for the past three decades through 16 consecutive railway projects, with a total length of about 10,000 kilometers. While the actual implementation of the World Bank-funded railway projects is satisfactory under the general World Bank and national environmental safeguards policy frameworks, it is noted that environmental specifications for the contractors may not necessarily be fully consistent among these projects due to different project owners (MOR’s local railway administrations) and different EA/design consultants (who develop specifications and incorporate them into bidding documents/contracts). To further improve the environmental performance of the China’s railway projects and align with international good practice, a set of standard Contractor Environmental Specifications is warranted. The Bank and MOR has worked together to develop an Environmental Specifications for Railway Construction, as attached to this EMP.

This Specification is to developed based on relevant national laws/regulations, World Bank safeguards policies as well as international good practices. The purpose of this document is to provide a standard set of environmental specifications for the Contractors (including sub-contractors) involved in the World Bank funded railway projects. This Environmental Specifications contains a set of standard environmental management mitigation measures for Contractors to avoid, minimize, mitigate and compensate the adverse environmental and social impacts during construction of the railway projects. It will be included in the tendering documents, as part of the EMP for Contractors as qualification and selection criteria and eventually in the construction contracts to become the contractual requirements for Contractors working on the project.

1.4 EMP Structure

This EMP includes project description, regulation framework, institutional arrangement and responsibilities, overview of environmental and social issues, mitigation measures, and environmental management framework for temporary works, training plan, and EMP budget.

The EMP also contains several annexes, including

· Environmental specifications for railway contractors to address generic environmental and social issues during construction.

· A physical cultural resource management plan.

· A Soil erosion control plan that provide sites-specific information and measures for the management of civil works, including subgrade, stations, bridge and viaduct, tunnels, borrow pits, disposal sites, access road, construction and camp sites.

· A site-specific noise control plan

· Wastewater treatment facilities at each new stations

· Management of sensitive areas including Huangqihai Wetland Nature Reserve and several drinking water resource areas.

2. Project Overview

2.1. Project Description

The project will construct a double-track, electrified, passenger-dedicated high-speed rail line capable of a maximum speed of 250 km/h of about 286 kilometers between the northern cities of Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province and Hohhot, the provincial capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Of the six stations on this line, three new railway stations will be constructed, two existing stations renovated, and one existing station used. The project consists of civil works, acquisition and installation of goods, maintenance equipment, and rolling stock as well as land acquisition and the resettlement of displaced persons. This railway line is an extension of the planned high speed Intercity Beijing-Zhanjiakou Railway. Implementation is currently planned to commence at the end of 2012 and the line open to traffic in late 2016. The Bank loan is expected to finance goods and equipment possibly consisting of signaling, electrification, bridge beams, and track fittings.

At present there is no direct railway line between Zhangjiakou and Hohhot. The existing mixed-use (freight and passenger) double track railway line connects Zhangjiakou with Jining (Ulanqab) and Hohhot via Datong over a distance of 433 km and is badly congested. The new line will reduce the rail distance for passengers between Zhangjiakou and Hohhot by approximately 147 kilometers to 286 kilometers. The travel time between Zhangjiakou and Hohhot will be reduced from current seven hours to 90 minutes. After the construction of Beijing-Zhangjiakou PDL the travel time between Hohhot and Beijing will be reduced from current ten hours to less than 2.5 hours. The new line will offer a rapid link between cities west of Hohhot with Beijing and the rest of the Chinese high-speed railway network. Thus the transport accessibility of Hohhot, intermediate cities such as Zhuozi and Jining (Ulanqab), and cities and locations west of Hohhot will all improve substantially.

After the opening of the ZhangHu line, the existing mixed-use (freight and passenger) double track railway line between Zhangjiakou and Jining (Ulanqab) and Hohhot via Datong would be used mainly for freight and a few slow passenger trains to serve local transportation needs. As the majority of passenger trains will transfer to the proposed Zhanghu PDL, the existing lines will be able to offer additional capacity for an anticipated growth in freight traffic. Thus the capacity and service standards of both market segments would be enhanced, enabling railways to compete effectively with passenger services offered on highways.

2.1 Project Construction Contents and Scale

The composition and contents of the project construction is provided in Table 1.

Table 1: Project Construction Composition

Project Name

Unit

Quantity

Route length

Main line (km)

286.044

Permanent occupation of land

hm2

1030.76

Temporary occupation of land

hm2

495.93

Station

Rebuilt

Bridge

1

Newly built

Bridge

4

Earth-rock

Fill

104m3

1025.60

Excavate

104m3

2328.12

Bridge

Grand bridge

Extending m/bridge

117857/44

Large bridge

Extending m/bridge

13857.5/48

Medium bridge

Extending m/bridge

1845.5/25

Frame bridge

m2/ bridge

9078.9/43

Culvert

Horizontal extending m/bridge

5055.9/165

Road bridge

m2/ bridge

15684.9/5

Tunnel

Double-line tunnel

Extending m/bridge

59655.24/25

Traction substation

Bridge

5

Housing demolition

m2

287100

Newly increased production houses

m2

89074

Total estimated

RMB hundred million

331.00

(Data source: feasibility study report of newly built Zhangjiakou-Hohhot Railway compiled by China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd., July, 2010)

The overall length of the main line of this project is 286.044km. Subgrade construction length is 92.78km, including embankment length 60.15km, cutting length 32.63 km, subgrade length accounting for 32.44% of the overall length of main line. Interval subgrade construction is 84.1km long, including interval embankment length 52.30 km, cutting length 31.80 km.

3. Environmental Legislative Framework

3.1. World Bank Policy

A full environmental assessment was carried out following the Chinese environmental protection laws and regulations and World Bank safeguard policies. Of the ten World Bank safeguard policies, the following the following ones are applicable: (1) environmental assessment; (2) natural habitats; (3) Physical Cultural Resources; and (4) Involuntary Resettlement. Regarding OP4.04 Natural Habitats, the project will not involve critical natural habitats as defined in OP4.04. However, the project goes through a provincial wetland nature reserve, thus the general principle of this policy will be applied to the EIA. The World Bank Group Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines also apply to the implementation of the project.

Compliance with the World Bank policies, and its disclosure of information policy, is summarized in Table 2 below. The project is also completely in full compliance with China's environmental policies, regulations and technical specifications.

Table 2 Project Compliance Policies and Measures

Safeguard Policy

Actions

Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01)

· Category A project

· Full EIA and EMP prepared

Natural habitat (OP/BP 4.04)

· Alignment alternatives, use of tunnels and viaducts to avoid and minimize impacts on natural habitats

· Adequate assessment of impacted protected areas and mitigation measures incorporated in EMP

· Consultation and approval of alignment by protected area’s management authorities

Pest management (OP 4.09)

This policy is not triggered. The project will not procure any pesticides nor will an increased use of pesticides result from the project. No action is required under the policy.

Physical Cultural resources (OP/BP 4.11)

· Archeological survey conducted along alignment during EA preparation

· Alignment alternatives to avoid cultural relic’s sites. Precautionary measures have been incorporated into the EMP

· About 400 tombs will be displaced due to the construction of the project. This is dealt with through RAP.

· Chance procedures developed in EMP

Indigenous Peoples (OP/BP 4.10)

This policy is not triggered. The project will not adversely affect indigenous peoples in the project area.

Dam safety (OP/BP 4.37)

This policy is not triggered. The project area does not include any dams.

Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12)

Resettlement Action Plan has been prepared

Project international waters (OP/BP 7.50)

This policy is not triggered. The project area does not include any international waters.

Forest (OP/BP 4.36)

This policy is not triggered. The project will not finance activities that would involve significant conversion or degradation of critical forest areas or related critical natural habitats as defined under the policy. No action is required under this policy.

Project in disputed area (OP/BP 7.60)

This policy is not triggered. The project area does not include any disputed areas.

3.2. National Laws and Regulations

— Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China (December 26, 1989, provisional);

· Environmental Impact Assessment Law of the People's Republic of China (September 1, 2003, provisional);

· Law of the People's Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Pollution From Environmental Noise (March 1, 1997, provisional);

· Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution (September 1, 2000, provisional);

· Law of the People's Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution (February, 2008, revised);

· Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste (April 1, 2005, enforced);

· Law of Land Administration of the People's Republic of China (August, 2004, revised);

· Water Law of the People's Republic of China (October 1, 2002, enforced);

· Law of the People's Republic of China on Water and Soil Conservation (June 29, 1991, enforced);

· Flood Control of the People's Republic of China (January 1, 1998, enforced);

· Cleaner Production Promotion Law of of The People's Republic of China (January 1, 2003, enforced);

· Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics (October 28, 2002, enforced);

· Forestry Law of the People's Republic of China (April 29, 1998, promulgated);

· Grassland Law of the People's Republic of China (March 1, 2003, promulgated);

· Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife (March 1, 1989, enforced);

· Railway Law of the People's Republic of China (May 1, 1991, enforced);

· City Planning Law of the People's Republic of China (April 1, 1990, enforced);

· No.253 Decree of the State Council Of the People's Republic of China, Regulations on the Administration of Environmental Protection of Construction Projects (November 29, 1998, enforced);

· Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves (December 1, 1994, enforced);

· Regulations on the Protection of Basic Farmland (the State Council, January 1, 1999, enforced)

· Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of River (June 3, 1988, enforced)

· Decision of the State Council on Implementing Scientific Viewpoint of Development and Strengthening Environmental Protection (GF[ 2005]39)

· Decision of the State Council on deepening reform and Strengthening land Management (GF[2004]28)

· GTZF [2005]196 Opinions on Further Improvement of the Protection of Basic Farmland issued by the Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, State Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Water Resources and State Forestry Administration.

· GTZF [2004]237 “Notice on Printing and Issuing the Opinions on Perfecting Agricultural Land Conversion and Land Acquisition Examination and Approval”

· GTZF [2004]238 “Notice on Printing and Issuing the Guiding Opinions on Perfecting Land Acquisition Compensation and Resettlement System”

· GTZF [1996]31 Decision of the State Council on Several Issues Related to Environmental Protection

· GTZF [2000]31 Notice of the State Council on Further Advancing National Green Channel Construction

· GTZF [2004]1 Urgent Notice of the State Council on Resolutely Inhibiting Occupying Basic Farmland for Planting or other Purposes

· HF [2001]108 Notice on Strengthening the Prevention and Control of Railway Noise Pollution issued by State Environmental Protection Administration and Ministry of Railways

· HF [2003]94 Notice on Issues about Environmental Noise in the Environmental Impact Assessment of Projects Such as Road, Railway (including light railway), etc.

· HF [2004]24 “Opinions on Strengthening the Supervision of Ecological Environment Protection in Resources Development”

· TJ [2001]8 Forwarding the Notice of the State Council on Further Advancing National Green Channel Construction

· Railway Environmental Protection Regulations (April 23, 1997, Ministry of Railways, TJ [1997]46

· TY [2004]52 Forwarding the Notice of the State Council on Resolutely Inhibiting Occupying Basic Farmland for Planting or other Purposes

· TJSH [2004]551 Notice on Printing and Issuing “Temporary Provisions on Railway Green Channel Design”

· No.27 Decree of the Ministry of Construction, the People's Republic of China, Measures for Management of Municipal Domestic Refuse (August 10, 1993)

· TJ [1999]20 Document, Requirements for Water and Soil Conservation in Railway Construction Projects, issued by Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Water Resources

· Regulations for Implementation of the Law of The People's Republic of China on Water and Soil Conservation (August 1, 1993, enforced)

— Rules on the Protection of the Great Wall (December 1, 2006, enforced)

3.3. Applicable Standards

— TB10502-93 Standard for Environmental Impact Assessment of Railway Construction Projects

· Guides for Radiation Environment Protection Management • Methods and Standards for Environmental Impact Assessment of Electromagnetic Radiation, HJ/T10.3-1996

· HJ/T10.2-1996 Guides for Radiation Environment Protection Management • Monitoring Instruments and Methods for Electromagnetic Radiation

— GB/T15190-94 Technical Specification of Environmental Noise Zoning in Urban Region

3.4. Technical Guideline

· World Bank’s Technical Guideline for Environmental Protection Policies—transportation, agriculture and rural development technical guidelines (China Statistical Publishing House, Dec. 2004)

· World Bank’s Technical Guideline for Social Security Policies—transportation, agriculture and rural development technical guidelines for environmental impact assessment and biological diversity (China Statistical Publishing House, Dec. 2004)

· HJ/T2.1-93 General Technical Guidelines on Environmental Impact Assessment

· HJ2.4-2009 Environmental Impact Assessment Technical Guidelines on Acoustic Environment

· HJ/T19-1997 Environmental Impact Assessment Technical Guidelines on Non-pollution Ecological Impact

· HJ2.2-2008 Environmental Impact Assessment Technical Guidelines on atmospheric environment

· HJ/T2.3-93 Environmental Impact Assessment Technical Guidelines on Surface Water Environment

3.5 Project Related Documents

· Environment Protection Regulations of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (1997)

· The People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Forwarding the Notice of the state council on Printing and Issuing the Outline of National Ecological Environmental Protection (January 2001)

· Agricultural Environmental Protection Regulations of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (January 1995)

· Notice Of The People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Dividing the Key Areas for Prevention and Control of Water and Soil Erosion (May 1999)

· Regulations on the Implementation of Administrative Measures for Construction Project Environmental Protection of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

· Environment Protection Regulations of Hebei Province (April 2005)

· Regulations on the Administration of Environmental Protection of Construction Projects of Hebei Province (June 2003)

· Announcement of the People's Government of Hebei Province on Dividing the Key Areas for Prevention and Control of Water and Soil Erosion (June 1999)

· Agricultural Environmental Protection Regulations of Hebei Province (January 1997)

· “Eleventh Five-Year” Plan of National Environmental Protection

· “Eleventh Five-Year” Plan of National Ecological Protection

· “Eleventh Five-Year” Plan of Railway Environmental Protection

· “Eleventh Five-Year” Railway Network Planning

· General Plan of Land Utilization of Zhangjiakou (1997-2010) (March 2007)

· General Plan of Land Utilization of Hohhot (1997-2010) (December 2008)

· Report on the “Eleventh Five-Year” Water and Soil Conservation Planning for Water Resource Development of Hebei Province (June 2005)

· Urban Centralized Drinking Water Source Protection Zone Division of Hebei Province (2009)

· Water Function Zoning in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (2005)

· Road network development planning and national economic and social development planning of all cities along the line

· General plans of all cities and counties along the line

· Planning materials of sensitive areas in the attraction range of the line

— Development planning of relevant departments and various sectors and information and data about national economy, ecological environment and natural resources, etc., over the years.

3.6 Environmental Standards

The assessment unit presents TKHH [2010]11 Document and TKHH [2010]12 Document “Application for the Executive Standards for Environment Impact Assessment of the Newly Built Zhangjiakou-Hohhot Express Railway” about the standards proposed to be used in this environment impact assessment to the Department of Environmental Protection of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the Department of Environmental Protection of Hebei Province on October 15, 2010. According to the “Letter of Confirmation of the Executive Standard for Environment Impact Assessment of the Newly Built Zhangjiakou-Hohhot Express Railway” of the Department of Environment Protection of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (NHF [2010]227) and the “Letter of Confirmation of the Executive Standard for Environment Impact Assessment of the Newly Built Zhangjiakou-Hohhot Express Railway” of the Department of Environment Protection of Hebei Province (JHPH [2010]755), the standards for this environment assessment is determined as follows:

Table 3 Environment Assessment Standards

Environmental elements

Name of standards

Standard value or level (class)

Scope of application

Acoustic environment

GB12525―90 Emission Standard and Measurement Methods of Railway Noise on the Boundary Alongside Railway Line

Day 70dBA, night 70Dba

30m from the outer rail center

GB3096―2008 Standards for Acoustic Environmental Quality

Implement the corresponding standards according to function zoning

30m away from the outside track center

GB12523―90 Noise Limits on the Boundary of Construction Site

Determine according to the characteristics of adjacent sensitivity points on the boundary of construction site

Temporary station of construction site and construction organization

Environmental vibration

GB10070―88 Standard of Environmental Vibration in Urban Area

80dB

30m away from the outside track center

Water environment

Discharge standard

GB8978―1996 Comprehensive Sewage Discharge Standard

Determine according to the functions of receiving water stipulated by local competent department

Sewage discharge outlet of each discharging organization

Quality standard

GB3838-2002 Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water

Determine according to the functions of receiving water stipulated by local competent department

Receiving water of sewage and waste water

Atmospheric environment

Discharge standard

GB13271-2001 Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Boilers

Implement class 2 zone standard

Boiler along the line

Ambient air quality standard

GB3095―1996 Ambient Air Quality Standard

Implement class 2 zone standard

Main cities and towns along the line

Electromagnetic environment

GB8702―88 Regulations on Electromagnetic Radiation Protection

Public exposure limits

Effect on human health

Run-through Damage System Measurement Methods of International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR)

SNR≥35dB

Residents’ TV

Water Environmental Standards

The discharge outlet of pollution sources shall implement GB8978-1996 Comprehensive Sewage Discharge Standard; the receiving water of pollution source discharge shall implement GB3838-2002 Surface Water Environment Quality Standard. The specific use of standards is provided in Table 4 and Table 5.

Table 4 Sewage Discharge Limits

Item

Standard

pH

SS

CODCr

BOD5

Petroleum

Animal and vegetable oils

Ammonia nitrogen

Application scope

GB8978-1996 Level 1 Discharge Standard

5.5～8.5

100

70

20

10

20

15

UlanQub Station, Zhuozi East Station

GB8978-1996 Level 3 Discharge Standard

6~9

400

300

500

30

100

/

Huai’an Station, Xinghe North Station, Hohhot East Station, rail car operation depot

Note: pH value is dimensionless, concentration unit mg/L.

Table 5 Surface Water Environment Quality Standard Values

Item

Standard

pH

CODCr

BOD5

Ammonia nitrogen

Application scope

GB3838-2002 Surface Water Environment Quality Standard Class II

6~9

15

3

0.5

Xiyang River

GB3838-2002 Surface Water Environment Quality Standard Class III

6~9

20

4

1.0

Nanyang River, Big Heihe River

GB3838-2002 Surface Water Environment Quality Standard Class IV

6~9

30

6

1.5

Yang River, Yuyulin River, Bawang River and Big Heihe River

GB3838-2002 Surface Water Environment Quality Standard Class VI

6~9

40

10

2.0

Qingshui River

Note: pH value is dimensionless, concentration unit mg/L.

Atmospheric Environment Standard

The ambient air of the area where the construction project is located at is class II area; the ambient air quality implements the national Ambient Air Quality (Standard GB3095-1996) secondary standard.

Boiler flue gas emissions implement GB13271-2001 Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Boilers, class II area and time interval II standard.

Table 6 Ambient Air Quality Standard Unit: mg/m3

Standard value

Item

Daily average

TSP

0.30

SO2

0.15

Table 7 Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Boilers, Class II Area and Time Interval II Standard Value Unit: mg/m3

Item

Fume

SO2

NOX

<0.7MW Coal Burning Boiler

120

900

/

≥0.7MW Coal Burning Boiler

200

900

/

Electromagnetic Monitoring and Assessment Standard

According to HJ/T24-1998 Technical Specification for Electromagnetic Radiation Environment Impact Assessment of 500kV Super High Voltage Power Transmission and Transformation Project, the effect of electrified railway on television reception adopt previous research achievements; when SNR reaches 35dB, the reception is normal. The picture quality adopts the damage system five-level evaluation standard recommended by International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR).

4. Roles and Responsibilities for Environmental Management during Construction

4.1 Management Organization and Responsibilities

The environmental management during construction stage involves several institutions. Each plays a different but vital role to ensure effective environmental management for the ZhangHu Railway Project. These institutions include the project owner MengJi Railway Co., Ltd. (MengJi Company hereafter), Contractors and Environmental Supervision Engineers (ESEs), Environmental Monitoring Stations (EMSs) and Independent Environmental Supervision (IES). The EMP organizational structure for the project construction is presented in Figure 4-1. During operation, the environmental management responsibilities will rest with MengJi Company.

(MengJi CompanyEnvironmental Supervision Engineer ContractorIndependent Environmental Supervision Environmental Monitoring Station )

Figure 4-1 Environmental Management Organization and Responsibilities

The main environmental management responsibilities of these stakeholders are described in below:

· MengJi Company

The MengJi Company will be the project owner and implementation agency for the Project. MengJi Company is responsible for MOR and World Bank for overseeing the Project implementation. Therefore it has the overall responsibility to ensure that the project environmental management complies with EMP and relevant legislation.

MengJi Company’s environmental management responsibilities include, but not limited to, the following aspects.

1) Ultimately supervise the implementation of mitigation measures and other environmental protection measures during project construction, including incorporation of the measures into bidding documents and contracts, organizing training for the contractors, enforce other environmental management programs and conduct periodically inspection of the construction sites.

2) Engage and supervise environmental monitoring consultant (namely, Environmental Monitoring Stations, EMSs) to carry out environmental monitoring in accordance with the project environmental monitoring plan.

3) Engage and supervise Independent Environmental Supervision (IES) consultant to provide technical support including management advice, training, periodical field inspection, and preparation of reports.

MengJi Company will appoint 1-2 dedicated environmental staff who will be responsible for overall coordination of EMP implementation. The dedicated environmental staff must have adequate knowledge on environmental management as well as environmental legislation to understand and implement the EMP. Their duties include the following:

1) Ensure the project environmental management is in compliance with EMP and relevant legislation. Take appropriate actions if non-compliance is identified.

2) Maintain open and smooth communication between MengJi Company, supervision engineers and contractors with regard to environmental issues.

3) Review and approve Environmental site-specific Environmental Protection Implementation Plan and/or Environmental Protection Construction Organization Plan for key project activities with potential environmental signification impacts that are prepared by Contractors.

4) Organize regular site inspections of all construction areas with compliance with the EMP.

5) Review and filing reports from Contractors and Environmental Supervision Engineers with regard to environmental management.

6) Monthly reporting to MengJi Company on environmental issues at construction sites.

· Contractors

The Contractor and its employees shall firstly at all times try to avoid the negative impacts that may result from the project construction activities and secondly adhere to mitigation measures specified in the EMP and contracts to minimize harm and nuisances on the environment and local communities.

Remedial actions which cannot be effectively carried out during construction stage should be carried out on completion of the woks and before issuance of the acceptance of completion of works.

The Contractor shall establish a robust environmental management system that addresses institutional, site-specific measures, monitoring, training and reporting requirements.

Detailed Environmental Specifications for Contractors are included in Annex 1.

· Environmental Supervision Engineer（ESE）

ESE is an integral part of Supervision Engineer’s function. Each Supervision Engineer company will assign at least one ESE to each contract. The responsibilities of the ESE include:

1) Review and ensure the Contractor’s construction organization plan in compliance with project engineering and the EMP with regard to environmental protection and impact mitigation;

2) Review Contractor’s site-specific Environmental Protection Implementation Plan and Environmental Protection Construction Organization Plan for key project activities with potential environmental signification impacts (if any), prior to the project owner’s final review and approval.

3) Carry out day-to-day site inspection and ensure the Contractor’s activities in compliance with EMP and other relevant regulations. Instruct the Contractor to take corrective actions within the ESE determined timeframe in case non-compliance or discrepancies identified.

4) Provide assistance to the MengJi Company as necessary in the implementation of the environmental monitoring and supervision program. .

5) Regularly monitor the performance of the Contractor’s environmental management system, including environmental staff, procedure and reporting. Verify and confirm environmental supervision procedures, parameters, monitoring locations, equipment and results. In case any discrepancies identified, the ESE will instruct the Contractor to take corrective actions, including capacity building for or replacement of the Contractor’s environmental staff.

6) Regularly prepare environmental supervision reports and submit to the MengJi Company for review and filing.

7) As integral part of Supervision Engineer, approve invoices or payments with consideration of EMP performance.

· Independent Environmental Supervision (IES)

Following a proven practice for past Bank-financed railway projects in China, MengJi Company will engage an Independent Environmental Supervision consultant to provide technical support for environmental protection during the construction period. The IES consultant is independent of the ESE and Contractors, and will directly report to MengJi Company. The lead IES consultant shall be a person who can independently and professionally examine records, procedures and processes. He she may require a small team to assist he/she with checking the site (i.e. the IES team). The IES shall have extensive knowledge and experience in environmental monitoring and auditing to provide independent, objective and professional advice on the environmental performance of the project (at least 5 years experience is required). The IEC shall familiarize himself with the project works through review of the reports, including the project EMP. In particular, the IES is expected to perform the following duties:

1) Review and audit in an independent, objective and professional manner in all aspects of the EMP;

2) Validate and confirm the accuracy of monitoring results, monitoring equipment, monitoring locations, monitoring procedures and locations of sensitive receivers;

3) Carry out random sample check and audit on monitoring data and sampling procedures, etc;

4) Conduct random site inspection;

5) Audit the EIA recommendations and requirement against the status of implementation of environmental protection measures;

6) Review the effectiveness of environmental mitigation measures and project environmental performance;

7) On a need basis, verify and certify the environmental acceptability of the construction methodology (both temporary and permanent works), relevant design plans and submissions. Where necessary, the IES shall seek the least impact alternative in consultation with the designer, the Contractor(s), and MengJi Company;

8) Verify the investigation results of any non-compliance of the environmental

9) Quality performance and the effectiveness of corrective measures; and

10) Feedback audit results to MengJi Company and ESE team according to EMP procedures of non-compliance in the EMP, and provide Supervision Engineer (SE) suggests on actions of penalty, suspension or other punishment;

11) Provide environmental training to the Contractors, Environmental Supervision Engineers (ESE) and the MengJi Company staff prior to and during construction;

12) Prepare semi-annual report to the MengJi Company, MOR and the World Bank.

· Environmental Monitoring Stations (EMSs)

In order to closely monitor the environmental quality in the project area and minimize environmental impacts during construction and operational stage, the MengJi Company will engage professional environmental monitoring consultants to implement the environmental monitoring plan developed during EA stage. Following a common practice in China, the Environmental Monitoring Stations (EMSs), which is the monitoring arm of local environmental authorities, will be contracted to carry out the environmental monitoring plan. The responsibilities of the EMSs include:

1) Familiar with the project works and the EMP, particularly the environmental monitoring plan.

2) Carry out the environmental monitoring in a timely and professional manner in accordance with the environmental monitoring plan.

3) Validate and confirm the accuracy of monitoring results, monitoring equipments, monitoring locations, monitoring procedures and locations of sensitive receptors.

4) Submit monitoring results and recommendations to MengJi Company in a timely manner.

4.2 Environmental Supervision

Environmental supervision is an important instrument to ensure effective implementation of the project EMP. Prior to the construction commencement, the ESE is required to submit an Environmental Supervision Plan to MengJi Company. The Environmental Supervision Plan shall include the ESE’s staffing, supervision methodologies, work program and procedures, and quality control measures. The ESE shall ensure the Environmental Supervision Plan will be implemented in a way fully compliance with domestic regulations and the project EMP, and satisfactory to MengJi Company.

· Staffing requirement

In line with contract management, each Supervision Engineer Company will be required assign at least one professional Environmental Supervision Engineer (ESE) to carry out supervision on a daily basis the environmental performance of the contractors under the coverage of its supervision contract.

· Scope and timeframe of environmental supervision

1) Scope: construction sites, worker camps, construction access roads, borrow pits and quarries, disposal sites and other temporary works, as well as the area with environmental impacts resulted from the project construction activities.

2) Timeframe of supervision: Environmental supervision of the project is divided into the three stages: construction preparation, construction and maintenance period (defects liability period). The maintenance period lasts 1 year upon completion of construction. Until the expiration of the maintenance period, the environmental supervision shall be carried out in a continuous manner.

· Working programs and procedures

The working program and procedures include reviews of engineering design and Contractor’s documents, day-to-day site inspection, performance monitoring and evaluation, instruction and follow-up, report and document recording, regular meetings, and training.

1) Preparation for work commencement. ESE shall prepare the environmental supervision plan and submit to MengJi Company prior to entering the field. The plan shall include the composition of the environmental supervision organization and the environmental supervision staff list. ESE shall get familiar with the EMP, contract conditions and other relevant technical specifications, and carry out field survey in order to get an overall knowledge on the field landform, surface features, hydrogeology and profile of the environment.

2) Environmental Supervision before Construction. ESE shall review the Contractor’s construction organization plan, Environmental Protection Implementation Plan and Environmental Protection Construction Organization Plan for key project activities with potential environmental significance (if any). The ESE shall also review the design of pollution control facilities, changes to the engineering design proposed by the Contractor if any. The ESE must ensure these documents and proposals in compliance with the project EMP and relevant regulations.

3) Environmental Supervision during Construction. ESE will conduct daily site inspection, monitor and evaluation the Contractor’s performance, issue instructions and follow-up. The supervision shall focus on compliance requirements, e.g. whether the construction is carried out as per the project EMP, relevant regulations and Contractor’s construction plans approved by the ESE and project owner; whether the environmental protection measures and facilities have been implemented appropriately; whether there is non-compliance or discrepancies; whether the Contractor has taken corrective actions as instructed by the ESE to address environmental issues resulted from its construction activities; whether the residual impacts, if any, are acceptable to the environment and communities, and if not the ESE shall instruct the Contractor to take further actions to ensure minimization of the impacts. During construction, the ESE shall also assist the MengJi Company in assessing the effectiveness of the Contractor’s environmental management system, including staff capacity. In case any discrepancies identified, the ESE will instruct the Contractor to take corrective actions, including capacity building for or replacement of the Contractor’s environmental staff. The ESE shall also assist the MengJi Company in coordinating environmental monitoring that will be carried out by local environmental monitoring stations (EMSs). As an integral part of the Supervision Engineer, the ESE shall review and approve invoices or payments with considerations of EMP performance.

4) Environmental supervision at completion stage. At the completion stage of construction, the ESE shall supervise the Contractor and ensure the site rehabilitation program, the proper operation of waste treatment facilities to be carried out in compliance with EMP. The ESE shall review the Contractor’s draft construction completion report, carry out site inspections and assist MengJi Company in the organization of final completion acceptance. The ESE shall prepare the final report for the environment supervision of the project. .

· Information management

Information management is critical to the effective implementation of EMP and project environmental management system. The ESE shall play a vital role in conveying instructions from the project owner to Contractors. The ESE shall also assist in the project owner to maintain open and smooth communications between the project owner and Contractors. The ESS shall file, sort and classify project documents with regard to environmental management in a timely, professional manner. The ESE shall also regularly supervise the Contractor to manage its project documents and ensure they are complete, accurate and managed in a professional manner.

4.3 Management of Contractors

Contractors working on the project will be a key component in environmental management, pollution control and impact mitigation during construction. During the construction period, the contractor, who shall always station in the construction site, shall be mainly responsible for effective controlling and reducing the impact on the environmental. Most of the environmental protection measures shall be implemented by the contractor. In order to ensure the environmental protection measures and Environmental Management Plan to become the duty of the contractor, the following measures shall be taken:

1) During pre-qualification, the environmental management shall be included in the authentication clause when the contractor’s qualification is reviewed. Under the same condition, priority shall be given to the bidders who have passed the ISO9000 and ISO14000 authentication;

2) In preparation the bidding document, the project owner shall ensure mitigation measures included in the EMP are fully incorporated, and require the potential bidders to prepare the bids that fully cover the budgetary estimates for EMP implementation. Therefore, the implementation of the environmental protection measures will become the obligation and responsibility of the successful bidder;

3) All Contractors will be required to provide at least one dedicated full time environmental staff on each section of the Project. In order to be qualified for the job, the environmental staff will receive an environmental training program first;

4) Prior to construction, the Contractor are required to submit site-specific Environmental Protection Implementation Plan and Environmental Protection Construction Organization Plan for key project activities with potential impacts (if any). The Plans shall be demonstrate compliance with domestic environmental regulations, the mitigation measures specified in the EMP. The plans shall provide details such as commitment to environmental protection by the Contractor’s project management team; methodology of implementing the project EMP; detailed designs and installation of pollution control facilities (e.g. drainage channel, settling tank, temporary noise barrier, etc); environmental control mechanism; detailed earthworks management plans and site operation plans outlining the measures that are proposed to minimize, mitigate and manage the effects, for the duration of the construction works; and environmental monitoring program during different stages of construction period.

5) Prior to the commencement of construction, the Contractor shall receive adequate training on EMP and relevant regulations. Each section/sub-contractor und a Contractor shall send at least one Project Manager and one environmental engineer to join the training. In addition, the ESE shall also join the training. The contents of the environmental training program shall cover the following.

· Relevant national and local laws and regulations and standards;

· Technical guidelines for environmental protection;

· Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Management Plan of the Project;

· Environmental monitoring method and requirements, as well as the reporting procedure;

· Applicable mitigation measures;

· Regulations for evaluation and protection of cultural heritage and chance-find procedure

· Emergency measures for the emergency and leakage of the hazardous materials;

· Public consultation during construction and resolution of public complaint;

· Obligation of the contractor to environmental protection;

5. Overview of Environmental and Social Issues

5.1. Environmental Impact Analysis

Environment assessment report confirms the following issues:

· Alternative Analysis

With and without project analysis have been conducted during feasibility study and EA process. The project is found to deliver significant economic and environmental benefits (reduced emissions, reduced congestion, and reduced fuel consumption and safety concerns) versus the “without project” alternative. In addition, there is no other suitable corridor for the project other than that selected, as it provides the only direct route between the cities in question. The proposed corridor is a highly developed transport corridor with an existing railway line, an expressway, a national highway and local road networks. The process of alignment sections and terminal location section has been an important environmental tool for this project. Alternative analysis has been extensively conducted during project proposal, (pre-) feasibility study, EA and RAP preparation. A number of sectional and location alternatives have been thoroughly studied, with comprehensive considerations of economic, technical, environmental, and social factors and consultations with local governments.

· Hohhot Station. Several siting and connection options were studied. As the result, the existing Beijing-Baotou railway corridor and Hohhot East Station option was selected. This option is compatible with the city’s urban planning and minimizes land take among other options.

· Wulanchabu Section and Station. This selected section shares existing JingZang Expressway corridor. The new Wulanchabu station will be located between Wulanchabu city built-up area and a new development zone. This option is compatible with the city’s urban planning and mitigates potential segmentation of the urban area and noise impacts.

· Xinghe Station. The new station will be located between old urban area and new development zone of the county, which is favorable for the access of travelers and development of supporting infrastructures.

· Zhuozishan Station. The selected station will use JiBao Second Railway Line corridor that minimizes segmentation of the urban area and land take.

· Huai’an Station. 3 options were studied. The Huancheng South Road option was selected because of its least land take and resettlement requirements.

· Section across Huangqihai Wetland Nature Reserve. As noted, it is inevitable for the alignment to cross the experimental zone of the reserve. The selected alignment falls into an existing transport corridor, within existing railway and expressway. Therefore the ecological impacts are minimized.

· Section near Jininglu Ancient Town Relics. Two scenarios were studied. The selected option is 280m away from the boundary of the relics’ official protection area. This option uses existing Danla Expressway corridor and will cause less land take and resettlement than the other. The impacts on the relics has been assessed and considered negligible.

· The railway alignment will have to cross several drinking water source protection zone and several hills on top of which there are relics of Qing and Ming dynasty Great Wall. Impacts assessment has been conducted and different engineering/construction techniques have been studied. The remaining impacts are considered minimal.

· Environmental Baselines

A necessary and important element of the EA was the baseline research that describes the physical, ecological, and social characteristics of the project area. A detailed environmental baseline was needed to highlight locations of highest potential impact. The proposed alignment corridor is a highly developed transport corridor with an existing railway line, an expressway, a national highway and local road networks. The area around the alignment is mostly farmland, grassland and rolling hills. There is no indication of the presence of undisturbed or valuable natural habitats, with the exception of the Huangqihai Wetland Nature Reserve. However, the alignment will cross the reserve through an existing transport corridor. As such the area of the project presents moderate to low ecological sensitivity.

· Impact on Physical Cultural Resources:

The project corridor also presents a rich cultural diversity as it links Mongolian ethnic group and Han area. A cultural relics’ survey was conducted along the project corridor through field visit, desktop review and consultation with local cultural relic’s authorities and the general public. Several sites were identified and taken into account the project alignment selection. As a result, two sites of Great Wall remains were avoided through tunnels. However, the line will have to cross the construction control area for Jininglu Ancient Town relics. The alignment has been fined tuned to shift away from the site to the extent possible. Locations of these sites are shown in Annex 2.

The construction of the railway project will cause displacement of around 400 tombs along the alignment. In line with OP4.12, the relocation and compensation of these tombs will be dealt with through the project Resettlement Action Plan (RAP).

· Resettlement Action Plan

OP 4.12 is triggered and so a resettlement plan with a resettlement plan framework was prepared. This project resettlement will impact 3 cities, 8 counties/cities/districts, 23 townships (towns) and 100 villages/communities in Hebei Province and Inner Mongolian Autonomy Region. Approximately 12,450 mu of land will be permanently acquired of which 100% is rural collective land. Approximately 413 thousand m2 buildings are expected to be demolished. The project is estimated to affect approximately 7,511 persons and approximately 3,631 people from 1,078 households will be relocated. Land compensation rates stipulated in the resettlement plan are in accordance with the land compensation regulations in effect at the time of appraisal. Rural houses will be compensated according to replacement cost, house replacement, or professional valuation, while urban structures will be paid based on professional evaluation in reference with market price. Households will also obtain resettlement allowance and relocation subsides. Compensation for enterprises will base on professional evaluation including economic loss due to the relocation. A restoration plan will stipulate infrastructure compensation in consultation with the affected villages and communities.

Rural houses will be restored in two ways: collective relocation and scattered relocation. Collective relocation will be planned, built, provided with public facilities, by local governments; and scattered relocation is built by resettles themselves near the original villages with residential land and public facilities provided by villages. There are three villages losing more than 20 percent of their total land for which the RP tabulated has detailed resettlement strategies. For the other villages, the main restoration measures rely on cash compensation in combination with other assistance measures such as social security program, land readjustment within village group and employment training. 16 enterprises choose cash compensation and the other 18 ones prefer rehabilitation in designated area by local governments.

Extensive consultation meetings at the provincial level, county level, townships and villages were conducted, and questionnaires along the line were implemented during the RP and SA preparation. Project realignment, station location, and resettlement arrangements were planned and designed to reflect the results from the consultation. Compensation rates for all assets were endorsed by local governments. A grievance procedure from village to central government was designed as part of the RP. The RP also covered arrangements on resettlement institution, capacity building, monitoring and reporting. The RP also covers participation plan and grievance handling mechanism, as well as internal and external monitoring arrangement.

Resettlement will be financed by the provincial level governments rather than county level governments which have limited financial resources, and the resettlement cost will be reflected as equity and shares in the project company. Local governments will implement specific resettlement activities. While the province and local governments are experienced in monitoring domestic involuntary resettlement, the Province has little experience in monitoring Involuntary Resettlement under the OP 4.12. This creates a substantial risk that the RP may be not adequately implemented. In addition to train the provincial and local resettlement staff, and project company resettlement staff, to strengthen connection between the MOR and Provincial governments on the project management is a key measure, via requiring provincial resettlement office to report resettlement progress at least semiannually.

· Noise and Vibration Impacts.

The construction and operation of the ZhangHu railway have the potential to increase noise and ground-borne vibration in nearby sensitive land uses. Such increases can cause undesirable effects on people, animals, and structures. The principal source of existing noise in urban areas is vehicular traffic. In most of the corridor, adjacent land uses are currently exposed to very low to moderate noise levels.

Chinese specified models (TJH 2010 Revision, No. 44 Document) for noise and vibration impact criteria were used to assess impacts at sensitive sites near the proposed alignments. The assessment identified 81 noise sensitive points, and 55 vibration sensitive points. Current noise level monitoring has been conducted for all sensitive sites.

Noise and vibration pollution control measures (noise barriers, encasing bridges, strengthening of glass windows, etc.) have been identified in all critical sensitive points along the line. These measures will be complemented with Right-of-Way zoning restrictions which will be enforced by townships and cities. These measures have been incorporated in project design and budget.

· Safety and Community Severance.

Safety is a major concern for the operation of high-speed railway line. In this regards, the ZhangHu railway line will be fully fenced to restrict random access of pedestrians, animals, or vehicles to the railway tracks. This will effectively minimize the potential accidents of random railway crossing.

Impacts from a fully-fenced operation of the line -cross traffic and social severance- were fully considered during project design. All local road crossings are designed with interchanges. A total of 5 road viaducts and 208 small community crossing culverts are designed (3.5 per kilometer), in close consultation with local communities. With these designs, the impact on local traffic, community severance, and agricultural irrigation systems will be effectively minimized

· Public Consultation and Information Disclosure

During the EA and RAP preparation, public consultations were conducted in accordance with the Bank’s OP4.01 and OP4.12, through a combination of opinion surveys and public meetings in the city, townships and villages. Stakeholders such as local authorities, civil society, and the affected population were consulted through diverse ways of newspaper, meetings, and focus groups on land acquisition matters. Local governments were consulted on the alignment of the railway line and location of stations. Management authorities for affected nature reserves, cultural resources and water source protection areas were consulted for agreement and proper mitigation measures. All the affected villages are informed, investigated and consulted. Public concerns raised during the consultation have been incorporated in project design, the EMP and RAP.

The EMP and RAP have been disclosed in accordance with the Bank’s policy and will be sent to the Infoshop prior to project appraisal. Information disclosure of EA preparation has been carried out by posting posters and bulletins in townships and villages, local newspapers (Inner Mongolia Daily, Zhangjiakou Daily) and through the internet. The full draft EIA document was disclosed in local environmental protection bureaus, railway administrative offices since October 2011, and on internet on Nov, 2011. And as such, the EA is accessible to general public. Information disclosure on project land acquisition and resettlement was distributed in the affected villages and communities during the resettlement impact investigation and planning process.

· Construction impacts

Construction of the ZhangHu railway will cause temporary impacts to the surrounding environment. Typical short-term construction impacts could include noise, vibration, air quality, and water quality. If properly planned, construction impacts to neighborhoods, businesses, and the natural environment can be minimized. Several aspects of construction have been received special attention such access roads, disposal of excess material from tunnel construction, and management of camps. A comprehensive Soil Erosion Control Plan, as required by Chinese regulations, has been prepared and will address all erosion, stability and restoration issues associated with earth cuts, disposal sites, embankments and affected areas in general

5.2. Biodiversity Compensation and Physical Resource Management Program

· Biodiversity Compensation Program

Given lack of endangered species and the avoidance of critical habitats along the proposed railway alignment, potential impacts due to the construction and operation of the ZhangHu railway on the local biodiversity are insignificant. However, the proposed alignment will pass through the experimental zone, through an existing transport corridor, of the Huangqihai Provincial Level Wetland Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia. Besides, the project construction will result in permanent land take of 1, 031hm2, and temporary land take of 496 hm2. The lands taken are mainly farmland, woodland, meadow land and abandoned land. Land occupation will result in crop production and biomass loss. Intensive site reclamation and re-vegetation measures have been developed in the form of Soil Erosion Control Plan (i.e. Water and Soil Conservation Plan) to compensate the potential ecological value loss caused by the project. Annex 3 presents the Soil Erosion Control Plan that includes site-specific measures for reclamation and re-vegetation along the railway alignment, construction sites, stations, and temporary works including borrow pits, quarries, disposal sites, access roads, worker camps, etc.

A 2.3 km section of the railway alignment will cross the Experimental Zone of the Huangqihai Wetland Nature reserve through a long viaduct. The viaduct design will minimize land take, result in permanent land take of about 4 hm2, which are mainly farmland and meadow land. Given the very small amount of land occupation and biomass losses, the compensation for the losses of the ecological values for this section have been incorporated into the abovementioned Soil Erosion Control Plan. In addition, as part of the ecological compensation program, it is proposed to carry out additional survey and monitoring to the Huanqihai Wetland Nature Reserve during construction. It is proposed to allocate ￥80,000 for the survey and monitoring which will be implemented by the responsible management authority.

The additional survey and monitoring will be incorporated into and play an enhancement role in the routine work program of the nature reserve’s responsible management authority. Main activities include: study on the nature reserve in terms of biodiversity and nature conservation; monitoring and assessment of the construction impacts on the fauna and flora, with particular focus on migratory birds; campaigns for the conservation of the nature reserve; continuous communication with the railway project owner during construction and operation.

· Physical Cultural Resources Management Program:

A complete description of the impacts and mitigation measures for the main cultural resources sites affected by the project are presented in the Annex 2. Prior to the commencement of civil works, in line with Chinese regulations, the project owner will contract professional institute to conduct a detailed cultural relic’s survey along the alignment. In addition, chance find procedures have been prepared and included in the environmental specifications for contractors.

6. Summary of Mitigation Measures

This chapter summarizes, in the form of tables, the project environmental and social issues, corresponding mitigation measures, implementation schedule, responsibilities, and monitoring requirements. The measures presented in the table shall be used complemented with the six Annexes to the EMP. In particular, the Annex 1 Environmental Specifications for Railway Construction contains a set of standard environmental management mitigation measures for Contractor to avoid, minimize, mitigate and compensate the adverse environmental and social impacts during construction of the railway projects. It is developed based on experiences and lessons leant from past Bank-financed railway project in China, as well as international good practices. The other Annexes provide specific information on PCR management, soil erosion control plan for rehabilitation and re-vegetation, noise and wastewater management and management of sensitive areas.

In addition to the project-specific mitigation measures included in the EIA and EMP, project design and construction of the GRL are also subject to a wide range of domestic laws, regulation, technical guidelines and codes of practice in China, which by default are legal requirement for project design and construction management. These include (i) Environmental Protection Regulations for Railway; (ii) Environmental Supervision Regulations for Railway, Implementation; (iii) Guidelines for Environmental Protection Plan for Railway,; and (iv) a wide range of standard and codes such as Design Code for Environmental Protection in Railway Projects (TB10501-98), Environment and Hygiene Standards for Construction Site (JGJ146-2004), Management Regulations for Construction Sites, Safety Rules for Construction Projects, Environmental Acceptance Rules for Railway Project Completion Inspection.

The mitigation measures are summarized in Table 6-1, 6-2, and 6-3.

Table 6-1 Implementation Plan for Environmental Protection Measures: Project Design Phase

Activities

Potential Impacts/Issues

Mitigation Measures

Implementation Schedule

Implementation Responsibilities

Supervision Responsibilities

Monitoring Indicators

Monitoring Frequency

Alignment Selection

Railway may affect environmentally sensitive areas

· Alternative alignment were carefully studied to avoid and minimize impacts on environmental sensitive areas such as nature reserves, scenic areas, forest parts, cultural properties, water source protection areas, etc. (See Annex 2 and Annex 6 for details).

· Consultation with and approval from relevant local government authorities

During design and EA preparation

Design Institute and EA Consultant

MengJi Company, MOR, World Bank

Sensitive areas avoided to extent possible

Regular meeting among design institute and EA consultant

Land acquisition and resettlement

· Alignment selection to minimize land acquisition and resettlement

· Resettlement Action Plan

During design and EA/RAP preparation

Design Institute, EA Consultant, RAP Consultant

MengJi Company, MOR, World Bank, Land Resource Authority

RAP developed in line with relevant World Bank policies

Regular meeting among design institute, EA and RAP Consultants

Design Soil Erosion Control Plan

Soil erosion due to access roads, borrow pits/disposal sites

· 24 borrow pits, 18 soil disposal sites and 52 spoils disposal sites;

· Special Soil Erosion Control (Water and Soil Conservation) Plan developed with intensive reclamation plan, in compliance with .

· See Annex 3 Soil Erosion Control Plan for site-specific information


Design Institute, EA Consultant,

MengJi Company, MOR, World Bank, Water Resource Authority

Soil Erosion Control Plan approved by water conservancy authorities. Incorporated into Design and bidding document


Design of biodiversity compensation program (incorporated into the Soil Erosion Control Plan)

· Ecological value losses due to land occupation

· Crossing Huangqihai Wetland Nature Reserve

· Intensive site reclamation and re-vegetation measures along the alignment, stations, temporary works, work camps etc.

· Alignment arranged in an existing transport corridor within the Experimental Zone. Additional survey and monitoring during construction budgeted.

· See Annex 3 for details.




Soil Erosion Control Plan approved by water conservancy authorities. Incorporated into Design and bidding document


Design of noise control measures

Public subject to standard –exceeding noise impact during operation

· 49 sound barriers totaling 28081m。

· 30 sound insulation windows totaling 6268m2。

· 214 households resettled。

· see Annex 4 for details




Standard of Environmental Noise of Urban Area (GB3097


Design of vibration control measures

Public subject to vibration impact during operation

· Low vibration locomotive/railway unit design

· Seamless track to minimize vibration


Design Institute, EA Consultant


(GB10070-88）

Standard of Vibration in Urban Area Environment (GB10070-88)


Design of road intersections/ pedestrian crossing

Road network blocked, community severance, drainage/ irrigation system blocked

· 208 culverts

· 5 road viaducts




Included in the preliminary and detailed design


Design of stations

Discharge of wastewater into water bodies,

Solid waste disposal

· Wastewater treatment facilities including anaerobic filter, septic tank, act. (See Annex 6 for details )

· Solid waste collection and storage facilities




Included in preliminary and detailed design


Survey and excavation of cultural relics

Avoid potential impacts to underground relics (if any)

· During EA stage, a cultural relics survey has been conducted.

· According to Chinese law, before construction starts, MengJi Company will hire archeology institute to conduct survey and excavation of cultural relics along the ZhangHu Line. (See Annex 2 for details)

· Around 400 tombs will be displaced along the alignment. Compensation measures have been incorporated into RAP(See Annex 2)

During EA stage

Before construction

Agreement between Mengji Company and Local Archeology Institutes

Cultural Relic Authority and MengJi Company

Survey and protection according to Cultural Relics Protection Law of PRC

Agreement between MengJi Company and Local Archeology Institutes

Table 6-2 Implementation Plan for Environmental Protection Measures during Construction

Activities


Mitigation Measures


Implementation Responsibilities

Supervision Responsibilities



Earth-stone excavation, borrowing and spoils disposal, access road construction

Loss of vegetation

Soil erosion issues

· Woodland take will be conducted in compliance with relevant laws

· Identified borrow/disposal sites will be used. Any new borrow/disposal sites will be dealt with through the Environmental Management Framework for temporary works, and be subject to review/approval by ESE.

· Top soil to be reserved for future reclamation

· Retaining wall and drainage system will be built before/during dumping operation.

· Cutting/filling slopes and borrow/disposal sites will be timely protected with engineering or green belt plantation.

· Education on environmental protection and identification of key protected plants will be provided to construction personnel. Should any other protected plants be detected in the construction, they shall be reported to the ESE.

· Access road will utilized existing rural roads as much as possible.

· Opening of new access roads is subject to review/approval from ESE. Fire use will be strictly managed for construction sites near forest areas.

· After completion, intensive re-vegetation will be carried out for cut/fill slopes, borrow/disposal sites, stations and green belt along the alignment.


During construction

Contractor

（ESE）

MengJi Company, ESE

Soil Erosion Control Plan is adequately implemented

Daily supervision by ESE

Earth-stone excavation, borrowing and spoils disposal, access road construction

Damage of cultural properties

· Chance-find procedures will be followed:

· Excavation should be stopped immediately and protection carried out;

· Report to ESE/MengJi Company who shall report to local cultural property authorities;

· Resume only after authorization from the cultural authorities after necessary investigation, or rescue protection

· (See Annex 1 and Annex 2 for more information)

· Construction personnel will be provided with education of cultural property protection and chance-find procedures

· For cultural properties near the project alignment, consultation with relevant management authorities will be carried out prior to construction and adequate precautions will be taken during construction period (e.g. fence will be established to prevent workers entering relics sites)

During construction

Contractor

MengJi Company, ESE

Cultural Property Protection Law of PRC

Tunnel construction

Proper spoil disposal

Potential impact on drinking water safety for villagers

Safety concern

· To the extent possible reuse spoils as embankment /subgrade or other facilities of the railway

· Consultation with local government and community as to reuse spoils for urban or community infrastructure construction

· Proper disposal of remain spoils in the identified spoils sites. Opening new spoil sites should be reviewed and approved by ESE.

· Geological advanced probe boring and prediction will be adopted. Grouting will used to seal the leakage, and water discharge will be limited. Tunnel liner will be timely and properly installed.

· Sedimentation and filtration ponds will be adopted at tunnel construction sites to treat wastewater before discharged to nearby irrigation ditches

· Strictly follow construction safety specifications

· See Annex 1 and 3 Soil Erosion Control Plan for site specific information.

During construction

Contractor

MengJi Company, ESE

Mitigation measures properly implemented

(TBJ404-87)


Bridge construction

Wastewater discharge to surface water bodies

· Cofferdam method will be used for bridge pier construction, and slurry be treated with sedimentation ponds before discharge

· Sediment will be properly disposed in dedicated disposal sites

· No flushing and maintenance point for construction vehicles, construction camp and borrow/spoil disposal site allowed within the water source protected area

· Toilets at the construction site must be provided with the septic tank or movable toilets, with the waste discharge into the nearby town drainage system.

· The domestic sewage of the construction site is prohibited to freely discharge and is strictly prohibited to discharge into the source water protection area.

· Surface water quality monitoring be conducted during construction


During construction

Contractor

MengJi Company, ESE

Surface water quality in compliance with relevant standards, Environmental Quality Standard for Surface Water (GB3838-2002)

Daily supervision by ESE,

Periodic monitoring by local Environmental Monitoring Station (EMS)

Construction sites, Material hauling

Noise impact on nearby communities

· Construction vehicles slow down when going through towns and residential areas.

· Use of low noise construction machinery.

· Noise monitoring will be conducted for sensitive sites during construction

· Avoid transport night (22:00~6:00) where there are residents’ concentration sites on the both sides of construction access road, within 30 meters.

· In case night-time construction is needed：

· Prior consultation with nearby community shall be conducted.

· Approval from local authorities shall be obtained

· Public notice shall be posted to inform nearby communities

· Noise monitoring shall be conducted

During construction

Contractor

MengJi Company, ESE



Periodically by EMS


Road traffic and safety

· Contractors will develop reasonable construction scheme including rational transportation route and traffic diversion plan.

· Close coordination with traffic management authorities

· Dedicated staff will be assigned to direct traffic at main intersections with local roads

· Clear safety signage will be established near all schools (Speed limit 20km/h, No horning, Be aware of kids)

During construction

Contractor

MengJi Company, ESE



Periodically by EMS


Road traffic and safety

· Water-spraying will be carried out on construction site and access roads to minimize air-borne dust generation

· Bulk material hauling vehicles will be covered during transportation, and vehicles will be cleaned before leaving the construction site

· Construction vehicles and machineries will be properly maintained for best performance

· Bulk material storage and processing sites will be properly organized, and covered in dry weather

· Cutting and filling slopes, borrow pits, spoil disposal areas will be timely re-vegetated (See Annex 3 for details).

During construction

Contractor

MengJiCompany, ESE



Periodically by EMS

Camp and workers

Heath, culture and local custom

· Contractors will set up construction camps in coordination with local governments and public

· Adequate sanitary facility will be provided in camp sites

· Bulletin board will be established in major construction sites informing public contact persons for complaints and suggestions.

· Access road plan will fully consider the road development of local communities

· Land acquisition and resettlement compensation will be implemented following RAP

· Relocation of tombs or cultural sensitive structures will fully respect local cultures

· Utilities will be properly maintained or timely restored

· Safety education for the nearby residents will be done in advance, including prevention and control of diseases transmission (e.g. HIV/AIDS)

· Local labors will be hired to increase the income of local people

During construction

Contractor

MengJiCompany, ESE



Table 6-3 Implementation Plan for Environmental Protection Measures during Operation

Activities


Mitigation Measures


Implementation Responsibility

Supervision Responsibility



Operation of railway line

Noise impacts on residential areas, school and hospitals

· Installation of noise mitigation measures as designed (See Annex 4 for details)

· Noise monitoring at sensitive spots (Hongjuyuan, Dongfang School, Yougangchang Xiaoqu, Bojue Garden, Jinxiuyuan, etc)

During construction, prior to operation

During operation

Contractor

EMS by contract

ESE, Project Office

MengJi Company

Local EPBs

Noise

Once upon acceptance

2 times/year, 5 years

Operation of railway

Vibration impact on nearby sensitive receptors

· Installation of vibration reduction measures as designed

· Monitoring at Great Wall Remains site, Jininglu Ancient Town Remains site(See Annex 2 for details),

· Monitoring at sensitive residential areas (Hongjuyuan, Dongfang School, Yougangchang Xiaoqu, Bojue Garden, Jinxiuyuan, etc)

Prior to operation

During operation

Contractor

EMS by contract

ESE, Project Office

MengJi Company

Local EPBs

Vibration

once upon acceptance

2 times/year, 5 years

Operation of railway

Electromagnetic interference on TV signal

· Compensation budget reserved for cable TV installation

During operation

MengJi Company

MengJi Company

Local EPBs

S/N

Once during operation

Operation of station

Wastewater discharge may pollute nearby surface water bodies

· Operation of wastewater treatment facilities as designed (See Annex 6 for details)

· Monitoring of effluent during operation

· Prior to operation

· During operation

· Contractor

· Railway EMSs

ESE, Project Office

MengJi Company

Local EPBs

pH, DO, COD, BOD5

4 times/year

Operation of stations

Solid waste disposal issues

· Waste from stations and trains will be collected and disposed of in local municipal landfills

During operation

Railway stations management

MengJi Company

Local EPBs

Waste is gathered and disposed of.

4 times/year

Ecological environment restoration

Survival of green belt plantation

· Maintenance of green belt along railway alignment, at borrow/disposal areas and station areas

During operation

Railway station management

MengJi Company

Soil erosion control plan

4 times/year

7. Environmental Monitoring Plan

7.1 Environmental Monitoring Arrangement

Environmental monitoring for the project consists of measurements on environmental quality parameters at the designated monitoring locations and regular site inspections. Following a common practice in China, during construction stage and operational stage, the MengJi Company will engage local Environmental Monitoring Stations (EMSs) to carry out most of the measurements on environmental quality parameters in accordance with the Environmental Monitoring Plan, as presented in Table 7-1 and 7-2.

Each party involved in the project also has responsibilities to conduct environmental monitoring mainly through site visual inspection, and complemented by portable monitoring equipment as necessary during construction stage.

· The project owner’s dedicated environmental staff will closely audit and monitor the construction activities through regular site inspections. The area of inspection should cover both the construction areas and outside areas that could be affected by the construction activities.

· Environmental Supervision Engineers (ESEs) will carry out monitoring on a daily or as needed basis, including visual inspection to check air-borne dust, water quality, and check noise levels by using portable monitoring kit.

· Independent Environmental Supervision (IES) consultant will carry out monitoring of the overall EMP implementation performance 2-4 times a year, mainly through site inspection.

During peak construction period or at the request of the project owner, the ESE and IES will also carry out additional site inspection or measurements in order to monitor short-term impact. In case non-compliance with environmental quality performance is identified, the project owner may request the EMSs to carry out specific monitoring at the locations under review. Where there is infringement of technical specifications, or conditions of contractor’s non-compliance with the EMP, the ESEs shall be immediately informed and corrective actions shall be taken.

7.2 Environmental Monitoring Plan and Schedule

Table 7-1 and 7-2 presents the environmental monitoring plan of measurements on environmental quality parameters at the designated monitoring locations. Most of the measurements will be implemented through contracting local Environmental Monitoring Stations which is the monitoring arm of local Environmental Protection Bureaus. However, an ecological survey and monitoring to the Huangqihai Wetland Nature Reserve will be conducted by the reserve’s responsible management authority.

Table 7-1 Environmental Monitoring Plan during Constru