package ii - karaikal - world bankdocuments.worldbank.org/curated/en/511961468293092355/... ·...

Design and Construction of Work Shelters in Fishing Villages along the Puducherry and Karaikal Coasts

Environmental Impact Assessment Report

Wilbur Smith Associates Pvt. Ltd.75, 14th Cross, 2nd Floor, 1st BlockR. T. Nagar, Bangalore – 560 032Karnataka

Package II - Karaikal

October 2010

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AGENCYEmergency Tsunami Reconstruction Project

Government of Puducherry

Pub

lic D

iscl

osur

e A

utho

rized

Pub

lic D

iscl

osur

e A

utho

rized

Pub

lic D

iscl

osur

e A

utho

rized

Pub

lic D

iscl

osur

e A

utho

rized

Pub

lic D

iscl

osur

e A

utho

rized

Pub

lic D

iscl

osur

e A

utho

rized

Pub

lic D

iscl

osur

e A

utho

rized

Pub

lic D

iscl

osur

e A

utho

rized

wb231615

Typewritten Text

E4180v6

Wilbur Smith Associates Private Limited

Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Program

i

Abbreviations

ADB Asian Development Bank CPCB Central Pollution Control Board CRZ Coastal Regulation Zone CSC Construction Supervision Consultants CZMP Coastal Zone Management Plan dB Decibels EA Environmental Assessment EAC Expert Appraisal Committee ECOP Environmental Code of Practice EPDM Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan ESMF Environmental and Social Management Framework EPA Environmental Protection Act ETRP Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Project FAR Floor Area Ratio FRP Fiber Reinforced Plastic FSI Floor Space Index GOI Government of India Ha Hectares HC Hydro Carbons HTL High Tide Line Km Kilometer LTL Low Tide Line MCM Million Cubic Meters MLA Member of Legislative Assembly MOEF Ministry of Environment and Forest MP Member of Parliament NAAQ National Ambient Air Quality NGO Non Governmental Organisation NOX Oxides of Nitrogen OBM Out Board Motor PCZMA Pondicherry Coastal Zone Management Authority PGA Pondicherry Ground Water Authority PIA Project Implementing Agency PIZ Project Impact Zone PPCC Pondicherry Pollution Control Committee RCC Reinforced Cement Concrete RAP Resettlement Action Plan RSPM Respirabale Particulate Matter SEIAA State/Union Territory Environmental Impact Assessment Authority SLEC State Level Empowered Committee SOX Oxides of Sulphur SPM Suspended Particulate Matter TOR Terms of Reference VAO Village Administrative Officer

Design and Construction of Work Shelters in Fishing Villages along Pondicherry and Karaikal Coasts




ii

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.3. LEGAL, REGULATORY AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................... 1 1.4. BASELINE ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE OF THE PROJECT AREA................................................................. 2 1.5. ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS........................................................................ 3

1.5.1. Positive Impacts.............................................................................................................................. 3 1.5.2. Negative Impacts ............................................................................................................................ 3

1.6. MITIGATION OF IMPACTS & ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN...................................................... 3 1.7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................ 5

Chapter 2. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................ 6 2.2. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT ........................................................................................................................ 6 2.3. IDENTIFICATION OF PROJECT AND PROJECT PROPONENT......................................................................... 7 2.4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT...................................................................................................... 7 2.5. SCOPE OF EIA STUDY.............................................................................................................................. 8 2.6. APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................. 8

2.6.1. Environmental Screening................................................................................................................ 9 2.6.2. Scoping ........................................................................................................................................... 9 2.6.3. Delineation of Project Impact Zone................................................................................................ 9 2.6.4. Reconnaissance Surveys ................................................................................................................. 9 2.6.5. Secondary Data Collection............................................................................................................. 9 2.6.6. Baseline Environmental Monitoring............................................................................................... 9 2.6.7. Establishing Baseline Environmental Profile ............................................................................... 10 2.6.8. Identification and Evaluation of Potential Impacts ...................................................................... 10 2.6.9. Identification of the Requirements of Environmental Regulations ............................................... 10 2.6.10. Integration of Impacts in the Design ............................................................................................ 10 2.6.11. Preparation of Environmental Management Plan........................................................................ 10

Chapter 3. Project Description.......................................................................................................................... 11 3.1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 11 3.2. TYPE OF THE PROJECT ........................................................................................................................... 11 3.3. NEED FOR THE PROJECT ........................................................................................................................ 11 3.4. CRITERIA FOR PROJECT DESIGNS .......................................................................................................... 13 3.5. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES FOR LOCATION OF THE WORK SHELTERS ............................................... 13 3.6. DESIGN OF THE WORK SHELTERS.......................................................................................................... 13 3.7. DESIGN OF VALUE ADDITION FACILITIES.............................................................................................. 16

3.7.1. Solar Fish Drying Units................................................................................................................ 17 3.7.2. Electric Winching Units................................................................................................................ 18 3.7.3. FRP Waste Bins and HDPE Compost Bins .................................................................................. 18

Chapter 4. Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Framework.......................................................................... 19 4.1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 19 4.2. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND REGULATIONS.................................................................................... 19

4.2.1. Environmental and Social Management Framework of ETRP..................................................... 19 4.2.1.1. Environmental Screening of the Project as per the ESMF of ETRP.........................................................19 4.2.1.2. Social Screening of the Project as per the ESMF of ETRP ......................................................................20

4.2.2. Operational Policies of the World Bank....................................................................................... 20 4.2.2.1. O.P. 4.01. Environmental Assessment .....................................................................................................21 4.2.2.2. O.P. 4.04. Natural Habitats.......................................................................................................................21 4.2.2.3. O.P. 4.10. Indigenous Peoples..................................................................................................................22 4.2.2.4. O.P. 4.11. Physical Cultural Resources ....................................................................................................22 4.2.2.5. O.P. 4.12. Involuntary Resettlement.........................................................................................................22 4.2.2.6. O.P. 4.36. Forests .....................................................................................................................................22

4.2.3. Environmental Policies & Regulations of Government of India .................................................. 22 4.2.3.1. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 ........................................................................................................23





iii

4.2.3.2. EIA Notification 2006 by Ministry of Environment and Forests .............................................................23 4.2.3.3. CRZ Notification 1991 by MoEF.............................................................................................................23 4.2.3.4. The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.......................................................................25 4.2.3.5. Workmen Compensation Act, 1923 .........................................................................................................25 4.2.3.6. The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991.................................................................................................25 4.2.3.7. Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970..............................................................................25 4.2.3.8. Minimum Wages Act, 1948 .....................................................................................................................25 4.2.3.9. Payment of Wages Act, 1936 ...................................................................................................................25 4.2.3.10. Equal Remuneration Act, 1979 ................................................................................................................25 4.2.3.11. Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 ................................................................................26 4.2.3.12. The Building & Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment & Conditions of Service) Act,

1996..........................................................................................................................................................26 4.2.3.13. The Explosives Act (& Rules), 1884 (revised in 1983)............................................................................26 4.2.3.14. Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 ............................................................................26 4.2.3.15. Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling & Trans-boundary Movement) Rules, 2008 .......................26

4.2.4. Environmental Policies & Regulations of Government of Pondicherry ....................................... 26 4.2.4.1. Pondicherry Groundwater (Control and Regulation) Act, 2002 ...............................................................26 4.2.4.2. Pondicherry Town and Country Planning Act, 1994................................................................................27 4.2.4.3. Pondicherry Municipalities Act, 1973 and Pondicherry Village and Commune Panchayat Act, 1973 ....27

4.2.5. Summary of Clearances Required for the Project ........................................................................ 27 Chapter 5. Baseline Environmental Profile...................................................................................................... 29

5.1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 29 5.2. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................................................................... 31

5.2.1. Geography and Topography......................................................................................................... 31 5.2.2. Meteorology.................................................................................................................................. 31

5.2.2.1. Rainfall.....................................................................................................................................................31 5.2.2.2. Temperature, Humidity and Cloudiness ...................................................................................................32 5.2.2.3. Winds .......................................................................................................................................................32

5.2.3. Geology and Minerals .................................................................................................................. 32 5.2.3.1. Geology....................................................................................................................................................32 5.2.3.2. Minerals ...................................................................................................................................................32

5.2.4. Irrigation and Hydrology ............................................................................................................. 33 5.2.5 Ambient Air Quality...................................................................................................................... 33 5.2.6. Noise Levels.................................................................................................................................. 34 5.2.7. Soil Characteristics ...................................................................................................................... 35 5.2.8. Surface and Ground Water Quality .............................................................................................. 35

5.3. BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................. 37 5.3.1. Terrestrial Ecology....................................................................................................................... 37

5.3.1.1. Terrestrial Flora........................................................................................................................................37 5.3.1.2. Terrestrial Fauna ......................................................................................................................................37

5.3.2. Aquatic Ecology............................................................................................................................ 38 5.3.2.1. Aquatic Flora............................................................................................................................................38 5.3.2.2. Aquatic Fauna ..........................................................................................................................................38

5.3.3. Coastal Regulation Zone .............................................................................................................. 39 5.4. SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT......................................................................................................... 40

5.4.1. Landuse......................................................................................................................................... 40 5.4.2. Agriculture.................................................................................................................................... 40 5.4.3 Socio-Economic Features............................................................................................................. 41

Chapter 6. Environmental Setting of Project Villages .................................................................................... 42 6.1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 42 6.2. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING OF PROJECT VILLAGES ............................................................................... 42

6.2.1. Mandapathur ................................................................................................................................ 42 6.2.2. Kalikuppam................................................................................................................................... 45 6.2.3. Akkampettai .................................................................................................................................. 48 6.2.4. Kottucherrymedu .......................................................................................................................... 51 6.2.5. Keezhakasakudymedu................................................................................................................... 54 6.2.6. Kilinjalmedu ................................................................................................................................. 57 6.2.7. Karaikalmedu ............................................................................................................................... 60 6.2.8. Pattinacherry ................................................................................................................................ 63





iv

Chapter 7. Environmental Impact Assessment................................................................................................ 66 7.1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 66 7.2. IDENTIFICATION AND PREDICTION OF IMPACTS..................................................................................... 67

7.2.1. Air Environment ........................................................................................................................... 67 7.2.1.1 Construction Phase...................................................................................................................................67 7.2.1.2. Operation Phase .......................................................................................................................................67

7.2.2. Noise Environment ....................................................................................................................... 68 7.2.2.1. Construction Phase...................................................................................................................................68 7.2.2.2. Operation Phase .......................................................................................................................................68

7.2.3. Land Environment ........................................................................................................................ 68 7.2.3.1. Construction Phase...................................................................................................................................69 7.2.3.2. Operation Phase .......................................................................................................................................69

7.2.4. Hydrological Environment ........................................................................................................... 70 7.2.4.1. Construction Phase...................................................................................................................................70 7.2.4.2. Operational Phase.....................................................................................................................................71

7.2.5. Biological Environment ................................................................................................................ 71 7.2.5.1. Construction Phase...................................................................................................................................71 7.2.5.2 Operation Phase .......................................................................................................................................72

7.2.6. Impact on Socio Economic Environment, Human Health and Safety........................................... 72 7.3. EVALUATION OF IMPACTS ..................................................................................................................... 73

7.3.1. Significance of Impacts................................................................................................................. 73 7.3.2. Prioritization of Impacts............................................................................................................... 74

7.4. MITIGATION OF IMPACTS....................................................................................................................... 74 Chapter 8. Public Consultation and Information Disclosure ......................................................................... 75

8.1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 75 8.2. PRE-DESIGN PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS................................................................................................... 75

8.2.1. Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 75 8.2.2. Methodology Adopted for Public Consultation ............................................................................ 76 8.2.3. Presentations ................................................................................................................................ 77 8.2.4. Participants .................................................................................................................................. 77 8.2.5. Issues Raised during Discussions ................................................................................................. 77 8.2.6. Addressal of Issues ....................................................................................................................... 78

8.3. POST-DESIGN PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS................................................................................................. 79 8.3.1. Methodology Adopted for Public Consultations........................................................................... 79 8.3.2. Participants .................................................................................................................................. 79 8.3.3. Presentations ................................................................................................................................ 79 8.3.4. Discussions ................................................................................................................................... 80 8.3.5. Issues Raised during Discussions ................................................................................................. 80 8.3.6. Addressal of Issues ....................................................................................................................... 81

8.4. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................ 81 8.5. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE .................................................................................................................. 81

Chapter 9. Environmental Management Plan ................................................................................................. 82 9.1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 82 9.2. MITIGATION MEASURES IMPLEMENTATION PLAN................................................................................. 82 9.3. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PLAN .................................................................................................. 90 9.4. COST ESTIMATES OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ............................................................... 91 9.5. ENVIRONMENTAL CODES OF PRACTICE (ECOP) ................................................................................... 92 9.6. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR EMP IMPLEMENTATION............................................................. 92

9.6.1. Organizational Arrangements ...................................................................................................... 92 9.6.2. Environmental Training................................................................................................................ 92 9.6.3. Environmental Monitoring ........................................................................................................... 93

9.7. REPORTING MECHANISM....................................................................................................................... 93





v

List of Tables

Table 1.1. Cost Estimates for Environmental Management Plan .......................................................3 Table 2.1. Fisheries Projects under Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Project .............................7 Table 2.2. List of Fishing Villages Identified for the Construction of Work Shelters........................8 Table 3.1. Distance of Proposed Work Shelters from Shoreline ......................................................14 Table 3.2. Details of Building Types of Work Shelters....................................................................14 Table 3.3. Type of Work Shelter Building Provided in Each Fishing Village .................................14 Table 4.1. Summary of Clearances Required for the Project ...........................................................27 Table 5.1. Details of Baseline Environmental Monitoring ...............................................................29 Table 5.2. Monthly Total Rainfall in Karaikal Region.....................................................................31 Table 5.3. Temperature Observed at Karaikal between 2001-2003 .................................................32 Table 5.4. Natural Drains / Nalas / Water Bodies near the Work Shelters .......................................33 Table 5.5. Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Results ........................................................................33 Table 5.6. Ambient Noise Level Monitoring Results .......................................................................34 Table 5.7. Coastal Sea Water Quality Analysis Results ...................................................................36 Table 5.8. Hygrophytes in Karaikal Region .....................................................................................37 Table 5.9. CRZ Categorization of Proposed Work Shelter Locations..............................................40 Table 5.10. Land Use/Land Cover in Karaikal Region (2007-2008)..................................................40 Table 5.11. Principal Features in Agriculture.....................................................................................41 Table 5.12. Socio-Economic Indicators of Karaikal Enclave.............................................................41 Table 7.1. Air Pollution Source Characteristics ...............................................................................67 Table 7.2. Area of Beach Covered by each Work Shelter Building .................................................71 Table 7.3. Categorization of the Significance of Impacts.................................................................73 Table 7.4. Prioritization of Impacts ..................................................................................................74 Table 8.1. Details of Pre-design Stakeholder Meetings at Karaikal Enclave ...................................76 Table 8.2. Issues of Pubic Concern...................................................................................................78 Table 8.3. Details of Post-design Stakeholder Meetings at Karaikal Enclave..................................79 Table 9.1. Mitigation Measures Implementation Plan Common for All the Project Sites ...............83 Table 9.2. Site Specific Mitigation Measures Implementation Plan ................................................89 Table 9.3. Environmental Monitoring Plan ......................................................................................90 Table 9.4. Cost Estimates for Environmental Management Plan .....................................................91 Table 9.5. Training Requirements (2010-2011) ...............................................................................93

List of Figures

Figure 3.1. Location Map of Proposed Work Shelters in Karaikal....................................................12 Figure 3.2.A. Design of a Typical Work Shelter (Type 1).................................................................15 Figure 3.2.B. Design of a Typical Work Shelter (Type 2).................................................................15 Figure 3.2.C. Design of a Typical Work Shelter (Type 3).................................................................16 Figure 3.2.D. Typical Details of a Bay...............................................................................................16 Figure 5.1. Baseline Environmental Monitoring Locations...............................................................30 Figure 6.1. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Mandapathur ........................43 Figure 6.2. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Mandapathur................................................43 Figure 6.3. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Mandapathur ...................................................44 Figure 6.4. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Kalikuppam..........................45 Figure 6.5. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kalikuppam .................................................46 Figure 6.6. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kalikuppam.....................................................47 Figure 6.7. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Akkampettai .........................48 Figure 6.8. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Akkampettai ................................................49 Figure 6.9. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Akkampettai ....................................................50 Figure 6.10. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Kottucherrymedu..............51 Figure 6.11. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kottucherrymedu .....................................52 Figure 6.12. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kottucherrymedu.........................................53





vi

Figure 6.13. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Keezhakasakudymedu ......54 Figure 6.14. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Keezhakasakudymedu .............................55 Figure 6.15. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Keezhakasakudymedu .................................56 Figure 6.16. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Kilinjelmedu.....................57 Figure 6.17. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kilinjelmedu ............................................58 Figure 6.18. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kilinjelmedu ................................................59 Figure 6.19. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelters at Karaikalmedu..................60 Figure 6.20. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelters at Karaikalmedu .........................................61 Figure 6.21. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelters at Karaikalmedu.............................................62 Figure 6.22. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelters at Pattinacherry ...................63 Figure 6.23. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelters at Pattinacherry...........................................64 Figure 6.24. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Pattinacherry................................................65

List of Annexures

Annexure 5.1. Ecological Significance of Flora of the Project Villages …………….…..………….95 Annexure 7.1. Activity-Impact Identification Matrix……………………………………………..…96 Annexure 7.2. Environmental Impacts Specific to each Project Site..…………………...………….98 Annexure 8.1. Attendance Sheets and Photographs of Pre-Design Stakeholder Meetings………….99 Annexure 8.2. Attendance Sheets and Photographs of Post-Design Stakeholder Meetings……….107 Annexure 9.1. Standard Environmental Codes of Practice (ECOP)………………………..……...119 Annexure 9.2. Guidelines for Removing and Relaying Top Sand Layer of Beach……………..…127 Annexure 9.3. Guidelines for Bin Composting for Fish Waste Management………….….………128



1

Executive Summary 1.1. Introduction

This Environmental Impact Assessmamt (EIA) Report for the proposed Work Shelters in the Fishing Villages of Karaikal coast has been prepared according to the structure of the EIA Report presented in the EIA Notification, 2006 by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Governament of India (GoI). The EIA is based on detailed field reconnaissance surveys, inventories and available secondary information.

1.2. Project Description

The project comprises the construction of work shelters in the beaches of 8 fishing villages of Karaikal. Each work shelter is provided with space for keeping the Out Board Motor (OBM) and fishing gears safely to reduce the periodical loss due to adverse climatic conditions. Work shelters also accommodate space for net mending and carrying out minor repairs of OBM. As part of providing value addition to the harvest, the project also comprises the provision of solar fish drying units in three villages and electrically operated winches for hauling the catamarans from shore in one village on a pilot basis.

The work shelters are designed along the coastline of Karaikal which was affected by the Tsunami in 2004. As a part of the Tsunami rehabilitation program, this project was undertaken by the Project Implementation Agency (PIA), under the Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Program (ETRP) formed to pursue development projects in the Tsunami struck regions of the Union Territory of Pondicherry.

1.3. Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Framework

Screening of the project was carried out based on the guidelines given in the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) prepared for ETRP by Government of Tamil Nadu and Government of Pondicherry, in association with the World Bank. As per the ESMF, the project is categorized as category ‘B’ based on the fully reversible nature and minimal magnitude of potential environmental impacts and requires an Environmental Assessment (EA) with project specific EMP. No land acquisition is required for the project and no Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) is prepared for the project. However, transfer of land from Revenue Department to Fisheries Department is required for the project.

The World Bank’s Operational Policy 4.01 – Environmental Assessment is applicable to the project. Based on O.P. 4.01, the project is categorized as category ‘B’ considering the fully reversible nature and minimal magnitude of potential environmental impacts from relatively limited scale and magnitude of the project activities. Since marine turtle nesting is observed in some of the project villages, Operational Policy 4.04 – Natural Habitats is also applicable to the project. As per O.P. 4.04, the Bank does not support projects involving the significant conversion of natural habitats unless there

1





2

are no feasible alternatives for the project and its siting, and comprehensive analysis demonstrates that overall benefits from the project substantially outweigh the environmental costs. In line with the above policy, even though conversion of turtle nesting area is not anticipated in the project, the project proposes mitigation measures, to avoid impacts such as habitat loss, impacts on nesting sites, etc.

The project requires the following clearances under Government of India and Government of Pondicherry regulations:

• CRZ Clearance: The proposed work shelters in this project are designed all along the Karaikal coastline within the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and hence the project will require CRZ clearance from Pondicherry Coastal Zone Management Authority (PCZMA) and subsequently from MoEF, since the project cost is more than Rs. 5 Crores.

• Consent for Establishment from Pondicherry Pollution Control Committee: During the construction phase, the project requires consent for establishment from Pondicherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC) under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, since there is a temporary discharge of waste water from construction camp.

• Authorization should be obtained under Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Trans-boundary Movement) Rules, 2008 from PPCC for storage and disposal of waste oil from OBM during the operation phase.

• Clearances/permission should be taken from the Department of Town and Country Planning, under the Pondicherry Town and Country Planning Act, 1994 for the construction of work shelter buildings.

• Clearance/permission should be obtained from the Municipality /Panchayats under the Pondicherry Municipalities Act, 1973 and Pondicherry Village and Commune Panchayat Act, 1973 for the construction of work shelter buildings.

• Permission should be obtained from Department of Forests and Wildlife for cutting of trees for the construction of work shelters.

1.4. Baseline Environmental Profile of the Project Area

The work shelters are proposed along the beaches of eight fishing villages in Karaikal. All the work sheklters are located beyond the High Tide Line (HTL) and fall in CRZ III. No Sensitive environmental features are present near the work shelter locations. All the work shelter locations are situated more than 100 m away from backwaters or rivers. Plantations of Casuarina trees and Coconut trees are the important vegetation observed in all the project villages. No trees are present at the work shelter locations in all the project villages. Marine turtle nesting is observed in five project villages. How ever, the turtle nesting area is located minimum 250 m away from the work shelter locations.

In order to assess the baseline environmental status of the project influence area, monitoring of various environmental attributes were conducted by the Consultants during March 2009. In addition to the baseline environmental monitoring, field inspection at all the sensitive locations, collection of secondary information for all the environmental components and discussions with the officials, NGO’s and local public were conducted by the Consultants. The baseline environmental monitoring results suggests that the ambient air quality, noise level and coastal water quality in the project villages are well within the respective standards prescribed by CPCB.





3

1.5. Assessment of Potential Environmental Impacts

1.5.1. Positive Impacts The potential positive environmental impacts due to project apart from its economic importance include the following.

• Sustainable Fishing Industry: The proposed facilities will encourage the fishermen, who would otherwise migrate to large fishing trawlers, to continue in small scale fishing activity, leading to the sustainability of fishing industry.

• Reduction in the loss of fishing amenities: The Work shelters will provide shelter for the fishing boats and other fishing gears which will actually reduce the loss of these items and thus help fishermen to protect their fishing equipments.

• Improved quality of life: The proposed project is expected to improve the quality of life of the local fishermen colony as fish catch will increase and this in turn will facilitate the economy of the region.

• Generation of local employment: Both skilled and unskilled labourers will be employed during the construction stage of the project.

• Sustainable Initiative for the Country: This project is a first of its kind to be planned in India. Its implementation will prove as a sound example to highlight the essence of integrating sustainable measures in planning and executing developmental projects.

1.5.2. Negative Impacts Some of the potential direct and indirect negative impacts of the project during construction phase will be the following.

• Increased air pollution due to handling of construction materials, movement of vehicles and construction activities

• Increased noise levels due to the movement of vehicles and construction activities • Pollution of sea water due to runoff from the construction sites. • Spillage of oils and other waste materials leading to pollution of sea water

Some of the potential direct and indirect negative impacts of the project during operation phase are the following.

• Increased air and noise pollution due to the vehicular movement • Deterioration of environmental quality due to improper disposal of fish waste.

• Possible spillage of waste oil during the repair / oiling of OBM engines

1.6. Mitigation of Impacts & Environmental Management Plan

An EMP has been prepared suggesting various mitigation measures to avoid or minimize the impacts of the project on the environment during the pre-construction, construction and operation phases. Responsibilities have been assigned for the various actions identified to minimize the adverse impacts of the project. An environmental monitoring plan and an institutional framework have been proposed as part of the EMP for proper implementation and monitoring of mitigation measures and facilitate management decisions for the project. Standard ECOP to be followed by the Contractor for the safeguard of environment are included in the EMP.

In order to mitigate the impacts of air and noise pollution, it is proposed in the EMP to protect the





4

construction area with barriers made up of GI sheets. Water sprinkling is proposed for dust suppression at construction sites. Further, it is proposed that noise generating activities shall not be conducted during night-time.

In order to avoid impacts on water quality, it proposed that earthwork shall not be conducted during monsoon. Excavated soil shall be stock piled away from the shoreline with edge barriers made up of GI sheets to prevent runoff. All the accumulated construction debris shall be removed at the end of the construction every day and shall be disposed at an approved disposal site. A trench shall be provided in between the work shelter building and sea and connected to a soak pit to collect sediment runoff from the work site. Adequate sanitary facilities have been proposed for the construction workers to prevent water pollution. In order to avoid impacts on water quality during operation phase, it is proposed to collect the waste oil /grease from OBM, store safely in barrels and send to approved waste oil treatment facilities for safe disposal. Bin composting has been proposed for the treatment of fish waste generated from fish drying units in work shelters during operation phase of the project.

Even though turtle nesting areas are located minimum 200 m away from work shelters, as a precautionary measure to avoid impacts on turtle nesting it is proposed that construction should not be carried out during the nesting season, i.e., February and March. In order to avoid impacts on crabs and other burrowing organisms, it is proposed that top two feet layer of the beach sand shall be removed from the area of the work shelters, before filling up the foundation with soil.

The cost for implementing the proposed environmental mitigation measures and carrying out the environmental monitoring has been worked out and presented as part of the EMP for necessary budgetary allocations as part of the project cost. Cost estimates for the implementation of Environmental Management Plan are presented in Table 1.1. The EMP shall be included in the contract document of the project for implementation by the contractor under supervision of the Construction Supervision Consultant (CSC) and PIA.

Table 1.1. Cost Estimates for Environmental Management Plan

Item Assumptions Cost in Rs. 1. Air Pollution Monitoring at 8 locations for two seasons in a year during construction period of 9 months

Rs 5000/location X 8 locations X 2 seasons

80000.00

2. Noise level monitoring at 8 locations for two seasons in a year during construction period of 9 months


16000.00

3. Water quality monitoring at 8 locations for two seasons in a year during construction period of 9 months.


48000.00

4. Provision of trench between the work shelter buildings and sea with 30 cm width and 30 cm depth for the entire length of each building and connected to a soak pit of 30cm x 30cm x 30cm with stone lining and filled with filter material to collect sediment runoff from the work site.

Rs. 20000/location X 8 locations

160000.00

5. Provision of HDPE bins with approximately 1m height, 0.5m dia and 200 Litre capacity with tight fitting lid having about 20 holes of 1cm dia on sides and on lid and a plastic tap at the bottom for bin composting of fish waste in villages with solar drier.

Rs. 3500/Bin X 5 Bins X 3 villages

52500.00

Total cost during construction phase 356500.00





5

Cost of implementation of other mitigation measures proposed in the EMP shall be met as incidental cost of the Contractor.

1.7. Conclusions and Recommendations

No significant adverse environmental impacts are anticipated due to the project. However, temporary impacts are anticipated on air quality, noise levels, water quality, soil quality, aquatic ecology and socio-economic environment of the project area during the construction stage. Further, deterioration of environmental quality is expected during the operation stage if the fish waste is not properly treated and disposed. Proper mitigation measures are proposed in the EMP for the negative impacts. The environmental monitoring plan and reporting mechanism proposed as part of the EMP will ensure the proper implementation of the EMP. Thus the overall benefits of project outweigh the negative impacts.



6

Introduction 2.1. Introduction

An unforgettable disaster that left behind massive scars on the face of earth was the Tsunami of December 2004. In the Indian subcontinent, the east coast, particularly the coastline from Pondicherry to Nagapattinam suffered major losses in terms of its economy, livelihood, and many other natural resources such as the marine habitats. On the threshold of the country’s development, this natural catastrophe imposed a serious challenge for the Indian government and the development sector to rebuild the region. However, with efforts of efficient planning put into implementation, the rehabilitation programme taken up by the Indian government with collaborations and aid from several government and non government agencies, has been successful.

Although the present condition of the region reflects rapid urban development, there are communities which are still facing the Tsunami repercussions. One such community that requires urgent attention is the fishermen community along the coast of Karaikal who face periodic economic losses in terms of loss of their boats and fishing gear either due to stealing or due to the unruly behavior of the sea. Hence, a project concerning the infrastructure restoration for the fishermen to store their boats, fishing gear and daily catch have been proposed. This development activity is proposed as an initiative by the Pondicherry Government to promote economic progress in the fishing industry and wellbeing of the fishermen colony in Pondicherry and Karaikal regions. However as any other development activity, this will also follow some amount of environmental damage or interference with the natural surrounding. Hence, environmental impact assessment was conducted to identify the potential impacts on the environment due to the construction activities and provide mitigation measures to be implanted by the project.

2.2. Purpose of the Report

The EIA Report is prepared mainly to assess the direct and induced impacts due to the project in various phases on the environment. The main objectives of the EIA Report are as below:

• To document the baseline environmental and social profile of the Project Impact Zone (PIZ) based on primary and secondary data.

• To identify and evaluate the impacts on the environmental and social attributes of the PIZ due to the proposed project activities during pre-construction, construction and operation phases.

• To study various options to minimize impacts on environment. • To identify the requirements of various environmental regulations applicable to the

project. • To prepare an EMP to mitigate or minimize the adverse impacts on the environmental

and social components during the construction and operation of the project road.

2





7

2.3. Identification of Project and Project Proponent

The Union Territory of Pondicherry encompasses a total area of 480 Sq.km consisting of four coastal enclaves namely Pondicherry (290sq.km) and Karaikal (161sq.km) interspersed in the State of Tamil Nadu and Mahe (9 Sq.km) and Yanam (20 Sq.km) interspersed in the States of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh respectively. Both Pondicherry and Karaikal enclaves lie on the Coromandal coast, which was affected by the Tsunami of December 2004 and this has literally damaged the fishing villages in Pondicherry and Karaikal. The fishing harbors at Pondicherry and Karaikal which are the main livelihood centres of the coastal fishing community, had suffered setbacks in their operations due to the Tsunami Damages. Physical infrastructure, natural assets, and social capital were swept away in many areas during the above Tsunami. Damages to land, water bodies and coastlines were also very high along the coasts of Pondicherry and Karaikal.

In order to alleviate the effect of the damages during the Tsunami, restoration, recovery and relief measures have been planned by various agencies including The World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), State Government and Government of India besides innumerable Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). As part of the effective implementation of the restoration works, Project Implementation Agency (PIA) was created by the Govt. of Pondicherry. PIA is responsible for the implementation of all projects related to the Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Program (ETRP) in the Union Territory of Pondicherry supported by the World Bank. As part of the ETRP, seven Fisheries Projects to the tune of Rs.112 Crores as detailed in Table 2.1 below, are being implemented.

Table 2.1. Fisheries Projects under Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Project

Sl. No. Name of the Projects Amount in Crores

1 Repair and Modernization of Fishing Harbour in Pondicherry 48.0 2 Modernization of Fishing Harbour at Karaikal 20.0 3 Construction of Fisherman Work Shelter in Pondicherry and Karaikal 12.0 4 Modern Hygienic Fish Market in Pondicherry and Karaikal 15.0 5 Training & Alternative Vocation 14.0 6 Safety at Sea System 2.0 7 Information and Knowledge Centre in Pondicherry and Karaikal 1.0 Total 112.0

Source: PIA, Pondicherry

As a first step in design and implementation of the above projects under ETRP, PIA has taken up the work on the “Design and Construction of the work shelters in fishing villages along the Pondicherry and Karaikal Coasts” and has retained the services of M/s Wilbur Smith Associates Private Limited (WSAPL) to carry out consultancy services for the above project.

The EIA reports are presented as two individual reports for Pondicherry and Karaikal respectively. This report deals with the EIA for the Karaikal region.

2.4. Brief Description of the Project

The project includes the construction of work shelters for the fishing villages of Karaikal Coast. The purpose of the proposed work shelters is to provide facility for fisherman to keep the Out Board Motors and fishing gears safely to reduce the periodical loss, besides providing value addition to their harvest, in terms of solar driers and winches for hauling the crafts to berthing place from shore. The present programme envisages establishment of work shelters In 8 villages. The solar driers and





8

winches are proposed to be provided on a pilot basis in 3 villages and 1 village respectively.

The list of eight fishing villages identified for the construction of work shelters in Karaikal are given in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2. List of Fishing Villages Identified for the Construction of Work Shelters

Sl. No. Name of the Fishing Village No. of Work Shelter to be Provided 1 Mandapathur 1 2 Kalikuppam 1 3 Akkampettai 1 4 Kottucherrymedu 1 5 Keezhakasakudymedu 1 6 Kilinjalmedu 1 7 Karaikalmedu 2 8 Pattinacherry 2

2.5. Scope of EIA Study

The consultancy assignment includes EIA also since addressing environmental concerns is essential to ensure sustainable development in the long term, particularly as the livelihoods of the affected populations depended on natural resources, particularly coastal resources. Scope of the present EIA study includes the following:

• Delineating the Project Impact Zone (PIZ) by reviewing the project activities. • Establishing the existing environmental setting of the PIZ based on information

obtained from primary data and compilation of secondary data. • Identifying and evaluating the potential environmental impacts of the project during

pre-construction, construction and operational phases and formulating appropriate mitigation measures.

• Identifying and evaluating various alternative options to minimize impacts on environmental and social profile of the PIZ.

• Identifying the requirements of various environmental regulations applicable to the project and identifying the environmental clearances required for the project.

• Preparation of an effective EMP including an Environmental Monitoring Plan and proposing an institutional framework for proper implementation and monitoring of mitigation measures.

• Preparation of cost estimates for the implementation of mitigation measures suggested in the EMP, including the Environmental Monitoring Plan.

2.6. Approach and Methodology

The EIA report has been prepared and presented as per requirements of the EIA Notification, 2006 of MoEF under the Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986, and Operational Policy 4.01 of The World Bank. The Environmental guidelines for Building and Construction projects of MoEF also have been followed.

The EIA process involves a number of steps in a logical sequence to be followed in order to have a clear insight into all aspects of the project. The findings of the EIA gave important feedback to the design team, especially in terms of the environmentally sensitive areas, utilities / facilities affected and water logged stretches. It helped to modify the designs at locations where impacts had to be





9

avoided and incorporate mitigation measures wherever the impacts were unavoidable due to other constraints. The major steps and their sequence adopted for the EIA of the present study are as follows:

2.6.1. Environmental Screening The EIA of the proposed improvements for the proposed project began with the adoption of an Environmental Screening procedure during the feasibility stage. The purpose of the screening was to review the proposed project activities and broadly identify the key environmental issues related to the project such as environmentally sensitive features at the project location, change of land use; impacts on surface water bodies, availability of borrow areas, impacts on community facilities, impacts on ecologically sensitive areas etc. The information gathered during the screening process helped in identifying the areas of concern along the stretch and critical issues to be studied in detail. The screening process was carried out as per the guidelines provided in the ESMF of ETRP.

2.6.2. Scoping The scope of the assessment for this study was determined by the TOR, requirements of the MoEF, earlier experience of the consultants on similar projects and discussion with experts. In addition, critical environmental issues identified during the screening process were also added to the scope of the study. Scope of the present EIA study is presented under Section 2.5.

2.6.3. Delineation of Project Impact Zone Delineation of the study area for the EIA is critical in order to predict the impacts of the proposed project. Since the influence area varies for each of the environmental component, a study area covering 10 Km, with the proposed Work Shelter sites as the centre was delineated for carrying out the EIA Study. The study area was clearly marked on a Google Earth image to scale.

2.6.4. Reconnaissance Surveys The approach to the entire study was formulated based on a detailed field reconnaissance and thorough understanding of the project area. The reconnaissance survey carried out by a team of environmental experts identified the environmental and other sensitive features located within influence area of the project. The task also reviewed the earlier studies and documents relevant to the study. Available secondary data of the study area including general reference maps, sensitive zone maps etc. were collected and reviewed.

The output of the task was a detailed description of the environmental features of the project influence area, present and proposed land use, industrial and development initiatives in the area and other environmental sensitive features.

2.6.5. Secondary Data Collection Secondary information was collected from Survey of India Topo Sheets, District Gazetteers, District Census Handbooks, and other Government publications as well as earlier project reports prepared for the project region. Data on different meteorological parameters for the project area for ten years was collected from the India Meteorological Department, Pune.

2.6.6. Baseline Environmental Monitoring Environmental monitoring was carried out for determination of ambient air quality, water quality, soil quality, and noise level at various locations in the proposed shelter areas to establish the baseline status of various environmental parameters along the project area.





10

2.6.7. Establishing Baseline Environmental Profile The documentation of the baseline conditions was completed as per the MoEF guidelines. The data collected through the screening exercise, reconnaissance surveys and environmental monitoring were entered into specific data entry formats for ease of analysis. Qualitative analysis was also carried out for parameters requiring descriptive data. Baseline environmental profile of the project impact zone was established by the compilation of all the above mentioned information.

2.6.8. Identification and Evaluation of Potential Impacts Impacts of the project on various environmental components were identified at pre-construction, construction and operation phases of the project on the basis of assessment of proposed project activities and analytical review of baseline environmental status of the project impact zone. Further, the impacts were categorized into Permanent or Temporary and Highly significant, Moderately significant and Less significant based on the character and magnitude of impacts.

2.6.9. Identification of the Requirements of Environmental Regulations Various government policies, laws, regulations and guidelines applicable to the project were reviewed with respect to identified environmental impacts. This established the need of various environmental clearances required for the project from respective government agencies.

2.6.10. Integration of Impacts in the Design The environmental impacts identified through the earlier tasks were used in the design formulation process to integrate environmental issues and for early identification of suitable mitigation measures. This task helped in identification of the suitable location for the work sheds based on environmental sensitive features and cultural resources in the project area.

2.6.11. Preparation of Environmental Management Plan An EMP has been prepared suggesting various mitigation measures to avoid or minimize the impacts of the project on the environment during the pre-construction, construction and operation phases. Responsibilities have been assigned for the various actions identified to minimize the adverse impacts of the project. An environmental monitoring plan and an institutional framework have been proposed as part of the EMP for proper implementation and monitoring of mitigation measures. Standard ECOP to be followed by the Contractor for the safeguard of environment are included in the EMP. The cost for implementing the proposed environmental mitigation measures and carrying out the environmental monitoring has been worked out and presented as part of the EMP for necessary budgetary allocations as part of the project cost.



11

Project Description 3.1. Introduction

This chapter describes the details of the design of the proposed work shelters in beaches with space for keeping the Out Board Motor (OBM) and fishing gears. Work shelters also accommodate space for net mending and minor repairs of OBM. This Chapter also addresses the provision of fish drying facilities working on solar energy, mechanism for hauling the catamaran and the facility for the disposal of solid wastes generated from these facilities during operation stage. Data on existing condition of the fishing villages, existing status of the fishing activity, existing fishing gears, projections made by the fisheries sectoral analysis, distance available from the shore line, approved location of work shelter, feedback obtained from the fishermen and other stakeholder during the public consultations etc were considered in preparing the design of the work shelters and the associated facilities.

3.2. Type of the Project

The proposed project envisages establishment of work shelters in the beaches of coastal villages of Karaikal. The shelters are provided with space for keeping the OBM and fishing gears. Work shelters also accommodate space for net mending and minor repairs of OBMs. Fish drying on solar energy and electrically operated catamaran hauling facilities are also proposed in some of the work shelters as part of the value added facilities of the project.

3.3. Need for the Project

Fishing Activity is the major resource for livelihood opportunity for the coastal community in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Additional local infrastructure is essential for the sustenance of the fishing sector along the Territory’s Coast. Many cases of loss of fishing equipments have been reported in the coastal fishing villages of Karaikal, due to theft or are being washed away by the unruly sea waves. These losses have caused a decline to the fish catch in the region and are affecting the existing fishing villages. The fishermen unable to sustain their lives are relocating and shifting to alternate means of livelihood. Hence, the proposed project has been identified owing to the economic pressures faced by the local fishermen and eventually the region as a whole. The proposed project will provide better infrastructure facilities to the fishing villages to safely keep the fishing equipments. This will ensure growth in the fishing industry and also in the economy of the region.

Location map of the proposed work shelters is given in Figure 3.1.

3





12

Figure 3.1. Location Map of Proposed Work Shelters in Karaikal





13

3.4. Criteria for Project Designs

The following criteria are considered in the development of the project designs: • Approved site for the construction of work shelters • Distance from the shore to the approved location • Ensuring a robust facility providing safety to OBMs and gears • Encourage fishermen to live away from the shore safely with out having scare of loss

of fishing facilities • Number of FRP catamarans and families involved in fishing business • Projections made by fisheries sectoral analysis • Feedback obtained from fishermen and other stakeholders during public consultation • Least disturbance to the environment

3.5. Analysis of Alternatives for Location of the Work Shelters

Two alternatives were considered for locating the work shelters with respect to the distance from the sea shore.

Option 1: Ideally, the work shelters shall be placed away from the location where HTL touches the natural ground to ensure safety of gear and other fishing supports from loss during rough season. This might require placing of the sheds away from the shore line and this situation is considered as option 1. The availability of space was a constraint in some of the villages where the available width from the shore to the road edge is less than 50m. Another drawback of this option is that, if the work shelters are placed very far from the shore, fishermen will find it more strenuous in transporting the fishing gears to the shelter and will lead to less patronage in using the shelter. Opinion of the fishermen collected during the pre-design stake holder meetings also suggests that the location of work shelter not beyond 100m is desirable. Hence this option was ruled out.

Option 2: In option 2, it is proposed to place the work shelters at a distance of about 50 m from the shore line, where adequate space is available. To ensure safety to outboard motor and fishing gears during high tide/rough season, it is proposed to keep the floor level of the work shelter well above the HTL since the proposed structure may fall between LTL and HTL. Option 2 is selected as it will have lesser effort in taking the gears to the shelter and will have better patronage of the end user.

3.6. Design of the Work Shelters

Based on the initial site mapping and topographical survey, the locations for the work shelters have been identified in each of the villages. The location of existing auction halls, drying platform, roads, etc. were given due consideration in locating the work shelters. The feedback from the Fishermen regarding the preferable location of the work shelter during pre-design stake holder meetings were also considered in finalizing the work shelter location. The locations were finalized after discussions with the Client, incorporating the observations made. This was subsequently confirmed after verification of each of the selected site with the concerned Village Administration Officer (VAO) and making necessary shifting to ensure no land acquisition. Table 3.1 gives the details of distances to the proposed work shelters from the High Tide Line (HTL) in each village in Karaikal enclave.





14

Table 3.1. Distance of Proposed Work Shelters from Shoreline

SI No Village Name

No. of Work Shelter

Proposed Shelter No.

Location with Respect to the

Village

Minimum Distance from

HTL (m) 1 Mandapathur 1 Shelter 1 South 5 2 Kalikuppam 1 Shelter 1 South 7 3 Akkampettai 1 Shelter 1 South 2 4 Kottucherrymedu 1 Shelter 1 South 15 5 Keezhakasakudymedu 1 Shelter 1 North 3 6 Kilinjalmedu 1 Shelter 1 North 12

Shelter 1 South 3 7 Karaikalmedu 2 Shelter 2 South 7 Shelter 1 Centre 14 8 Pattinacherry 2 Shelter 2 Centre 16

In general, each work shelter is proposed to have space for keeping the total number of OBM in the village along with space for net mending and carrying out minor repairs to OBM. The primary requirement of the work shelter is to keep the gears and other fishing paraphernalia in safety against loss during rough seasons and thefts. Each boat shall have a separate locker facility for the placement of nets, outboard motor, diesel cans and other items used for fishing.

The basic parameters involved in the design of the work shelters are location /distance of the work shelter from shore, orientation of the shelter building. Work shelters are proposed with 3 different types of building.

Table 3.2. Details of Building Types of Work Shelters

Building Type Length (m) Width(m) Type 1 56.15 13.32 Type 2 36.5 13.32 Type 3 28.64 13.32

A combination of the above mentioned units or one unit alone is proposed for the work shelters as given in the table below.

Table 3.3. Type of Work Shelter Building Provided in Each Fishing Village

Sl.No. Name of the Fishing Village

No. of Catamaran with OBM

No. of Work Shelters Proposed

Type of Work Shelters

1 Mandapathur 30 1 1 Type 3 2 Kalikuppam 42 1 1 Type 2 3 Akkampettai 30 1 1 Type 3 4 Kottucherrymedu 30 1 1 Type 3 5 Keezhakasakudymedu 35 1 1 Type 2 6 Kilinjalmedu 60 1 1 Type 1 7 Karaikalmedu 120 2 2 Type 1 8 Pattinacherry 120 2 2 Type 1

The proposed work shelters will have the following features: • Open foundation and RCC framed structure for the building • Shelter floor to be above the high tide level • Flooring with pre-cast concrete interlocking tiles is proposed over filling • Electrification





15

In general, the work shelter is provided at a height of 0.35m from the high tide level at the location of the work shelter. All the designs are carried out following the guidelines of Indian Standards.

The major design criteria followed for structural design are: • Design to cater for the severe corrosiveness of the project location • Adoption of environmental friendly materials as far as possible for construction • Least disturbance to the natural habitat

Design of a typical work shelter is presented as Figure 3.2.

NET MENDING AREA 350m²

56150

1332

0

4

8

12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56

60

64P

AS

SA

GE

PA

SS

AG

E

PA

SS

AG

E

passage passage

REPAIR AREA 25m²

Figure 3.2.A. Design of a Typical Work Shelter (Type 1)

passage

PA

SS

AG

E


36500

4

8

12 16 20 24 28 32 36

44

40passage

REPAIR AREA 25M²

Figure 3.2.B. Design of a Typical Work Shelter (Type 2)





16

passage


PA

SSAG

E

PA

SSAG

E

passage

4

8

12 16 20 24 28 REPAIR AREA 25m²

36

32

28640

Figure 3.2.C. Design of a Typical Work Shelter (Type 3)

900

3700

1960

3000

Figure 3.2.D. Typical Details of a Bay

3.7. Design of Value Addition Facilities

As per the present status, no exclusive arrangement for preserving the fish or drying is available in the villages except for fish drying platforms in some of the villages. Based on the first hand data obtained from the villages and from Sectoral Analysis studies the provision for solar drying units has been proposed.

Fish drying is a full time occupation for a number of fisherwomen in the fishing villages. Apart from the Catch from their village, fisherwomen also buy fishes for drying from other sources/villages. No proper fish drying facility is available in any of the villages except for fish drying platforms in some of the villages. As for fish drying, presently, conventional drying by spreading the fish on beach sand or on the pavement is adopted. This is a very unhygienic practice and hence the drying mostly is





17

restricted to fish drying for poultry feed. The fishermen are not able to benefit on the potential dry fish market due to lack of proper facility. This also forces the fishers, at times, to sell the catch at a very low price in an effort to ensure minimum returns. Moreover, the problem of drying is acute during rainy seasons, during which the catch is sold at unreasonably low price or incurs loss.

During the pre and post design stake-holder meetings, the fishermen have welcomed the proposals for the installation of drying unit and have expressed to pay user charges for the facilities as this will enhance the price of their catch considerably.

Provision of solar driers will ensure reasonable price for the fishermen’s catch. The capacities for drying in each of the identified village is arrived at based on the Sectoral Analysis outputs and not just based on the statistics. The adoption of measures to sustain the fish resources as well as the possible change in fish growth trend due to natural changes have also been factored in arriving at the capacities of drying units. Moreover, these facilities being the first of its kind in the villages, the implementation is planned on a pilot basis to ensure maximum utilization and economy.

The other facility proposed as part of value addition is to provide electric winches for hauling the FRP catamarans. As winches are new concept to be adopted in this part, it is proposed to provide winches on a pilot basis in Kottucherrymedu village.

No liquid waste is anticipated from the work shelters since no water supply facility and no toilets are provided at the work shelters. Only one drinking water tap will be provided outside the building. No liquid waste will be generated from the solar fish driers.

About 15 to 20 kg of fish waste is expected to be generated per day due to fish drying activity in the work shelters. However this may not be on a daily basis. Bin composting will be used for in situ disposal of fish waste from the drying units. Bins for composting will be supplied by the Contractor as part of the present contract package. Harbour management society will be responsible for doing bin composting at each project village. Details of bin composting are presented in Annexure 9.3.

3.7.1. Solar Fish Drying Units Solar driers are proposed in selected villages where presently large amount of fish is being dried by conventionally spreading on sand or on the pavement. The amount of fish to be dried in in each work shelter has been estimated based on the data collected and predictions made vide the Sectoral Analysis studies. Accordingly, it is proposed to provide Solar fish driers of capacity 100kg in Kilinjalmedu, Karaikalmedu and Pattinacherry.

Each of the solar drier unit consists of a collector and a drier. The collector in turn consists of the following:

• Aluminum extrusions and sheets • Selective black painted absorber • EPDM rubber gaskets • Toughened transparent glass panels • Rockwool and polystyrene insulation

Drier consists of the following • Back to back aluminum sheets with rock wool insulation in between • Trays made of Aluminum tube and wire mesh or aluminum trays with perforations

The drying units are also equipped with facility to work on electric power during non sunny times





18

especially the rainy seasons. Installation of solar drier is part of the current contract package. Solar driers being proprietary item, the installation will be managed by the contractor, as per the specifications given. As the maximum drier capacity proposed is only 100 kg, it is proposed to provide two units of 50Kg driers.

General specifications of 50 kg capacity drying units: • Open space required - 2 m in east – west, 10 m in north – south • Power requirement – 3 kW (for back up) • Area of Solar Collector Panel – 5.75 sqm • Drier Tray size - 1.0m X 1.0m • Total weight – 450 kg

3.7.2. Electric Winching Units Electrically operated mechanical winches are proposed in Kottucherrymedu village for the purpose of hauling the catamarans from shore to berthig place. A 2HP DC motor working on 12V is proposed for the winches with 12mm dia rope and hook. Multiple winches are proposed in each village based on the number of catamarans in the village. The number is arrived at by considering the number of catamarans going for fishing daily, the distance of berthing from shore and the rope speed, which is taken as 3m/min. Installation of electric winching unit is part of the current contract package.

3.7.3. FRP Waste Bins and HDPE Compost Bins In addition to the above facilities it is proposed to provide one FRP waste bin in each work skelter with drying unit for collection of fish waste generated during cleaning of fishes to be dried in solar driers. Supply of FRP waste bin is part of the current contract package. The collected fish waste will be converted to compost using bin composting technique. Five HDPE bins per village with drying unit will be supplied by the Contractor for bin composting as part of the present contract package. Harbour management society will be responsible for doing bin composting at each project village. Details of bin composting are presented in Annexure 9.3.



19

Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Framework 4.1. Introduction

A review of the existing legislations and institutions relevant to this project at the National and State levels are presented in this chapter. Regulations concerning procedures and requirements that may directly concern the project, the capacity of the concerned institutions and their ability to successfully implement the Environmental Management Measures have been addressed.

4.2. Environmental Policies and Regulations

The environmental policies and regulations reviewed for this project are broadly categorized into the following four categories:

• ESMF of ETRP • Operational policies of The World Bank • Environmental Policies and Regulations of Government of India • Environmental Policies and Regulations of Government of Pondicherry

4.2.1. Environmental and Social Management Framework of ETRP An exclusive ESMF has been formulated for the ETRP, under which the proposed work shelter project is to be implemented. This framework describes the principles, policies, guidelines and procedures to be followed in minimizing and mitigating the adverse environmental and social impacts caused as a result of the implementation of the Tsunami reconstruction activities. The ESMF is in line with the Environmental and Social safeguard Policies of the World Bank. It was prepared jointly by the Government of Tamil Nadu and Government of Pondicherry in association with the World Bank and was published on April 8, 2005.

The ESMF necessitates the PIA to make all reasonable efforts to consult relevant stake holders including the affected communities and NGOs in the implementation of the project and to incorporate local community needs and resolve conflicts. The ESMF assists the PIA in screening the sub-projects for social and environmental issues and / or impacts, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and the Bank’s safeguard policies.

4.2.1.1. Environmental Screening of the Project as per the ESMF of ETRP Environmental screening and review process for environmental impacts of the project is presented in the ESMF of ETRP. The PIA has to review and screen the sub-project before submitting it to the State Level Empowered Committee (SLEC) for approval. The screening process primarily assesses whether the sub-project is in the negative list of projects, which shall not be funded under ETRP. Further, the screening process assesses whether the sub-project requires a full-fledged EA, and if yes, whether the EMP is adequate and it is integrated with the contracts. If the sub-project does not require a full-fledged EA, the screening process assesses whether the ESMF guidelines are integrated with the contracts. The screening process also assesses whether the sub-project requires clearance from

4





20

State/Central Authorities. The screening process ensures the inclusion of appropriate environmental standards, guidelines, and codes of practice in the project design and contract documentation.

Considering the fully reversible nature and minimal magnitude of potential environmental impacts from relatively limited scale and magnitude of the sub-projects, the ETRP is classified as Category ‘B’ in the ESMF. Because of the same reasons, the present sub-project for constructing work shelters for fishermen is also classified as category ‘B’, which requires an Environmental Assessment (EA) and project specific EMP. Further, the PIA shall apply the following minimum standards during the project implementation.

• Inclusion of standard Environmental Codes of Practice (ECOP) in the bid documents • Review and oversight of major construction works by specialists • Implementation of environmentally and socially sound options for disposal of debris • Provisions for adequate budget and satisfactory institutional arrangement for monitoring

effective implementation of the ECOP Standard ECOP are presented as Annexure 9.1.

4.2.1.2. Social Screening of the Project as per the ESMF of ETRP ESMF of ETRP describes the social screening and review process for social impacts of the project. The PIA has to review and screen the sub-project before submitting it to the SLEC for approval. Social review shall be used as the key management tool for identifying opportunities for lower impact project opportunities (through an alternative analysis exercise whenever possible) and / or for the identification of necessary mitigation measures in accordance with the prevailing legal framework and the Bank’s safeguard policies.

The screening and review process primarily assesses whether the sub-project requires land acquisition, and if yes, whether the sub-project affects more than 200 people. If the project affects more than 200 people, the screening process assesses whether a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) has been prepared and whether the RAP is adequate and disclosed to the affected people. If the project affects less than 200 people, the screening process assesses whether an Abbreviated RAP has been prepared. The screening process further assesses whether the sub-project requires clearance from Sate / Central Authorities. The screening process also ensures compensation for loss of assets at replacement cost, assistance for temporary loss of lands, and special measures to protect the interests of vulnerable groups such as SC/ST and female headed households.

The proposed sub-project does not involve land acquisition. However, transfer of land from Revenue Department to Fisheries Department is required, as the land is owned by the Revenue Department and the facility will be operated by the Fisheries Department. PIA has submitted application to District Collector in this regard. Since the project is being implemented by Revenue Department (PIA for ETRP is set up under the revenue department), this transfer will be done subsequently prior to the transfer of work shelter to the Fisheries Department. Further, consultation and participation of stakeholders has been ensured during identification of infrastructure needs and preparation of mitigation plans.

4.2.2. Operational Policies of the World Bank The following World Bank Operational Policies (OP) are relevant with respect to the proposed project and are reviewed below:

• OP 4.01 - Environmental Assessment





21

• OP 4.04 – Natural Habitats • OP 4.10 – Indigenous Peoples • OP 4.11 – Physical Cultural Resources • OP 4.12 – Involuntary Resettlement • OP 4.36 – Forests

4.2.2.1. O.P. 4.01. Environmental Assessment O.P. 4.01 intents to help ensure the environmental and social soundness and sustainability of investment projects and to support integration of environmental and social aspects of projects into the decision making process.

OP 4.01 specifies the environmental screening to be carried out for each proposed project to determine the appropriate extent and type of EA to be carried out. Projects are classified into one of following four categories, depending on the type, location, sensitivity, and scale of the project and the nature and magnitude of its potential environmental impacts.

• Category A: A proposed project is classified as Category A if it is likely to have significant adverse environmental impacts that are sensitive, diverse, or unprecedented. These impacts may affect an area broader than the sites or facilities subject to physical works. EA for a Category A project examines the project’s potential negative and positive environmental impacts, compares them with those of feasible alternatives (including the “without project” situation), and recommends any measures needed to prevent, minimize, mitigate, or compensate for adverse impacts and improve environmental performance. A comprehensive Environmental impact Assessment Report is to be prepared for a Category A project.

• Category B: A proposed project is classified as Category B if its potential adverse environmental impacts on human populations or environmentally important areas – including wetlands, forests, grasslands, and other natural habitats – are less adverse than those of Category A projects. These impacts are site-specific; few if any of them are irreversible; and in most cases mitigatory measures can be designed more readily than for Category A projects. The scope of EA for a Category B project may vary from project to project, but it is narrower than that of Category A Environmental Assessment (EA).

• Category C: A proposed project is classified as Category C if it is likely to have minimal or no adverse environmental impacts. Beyond screening, no further EA action is required for a Category C project.

Based on the assessment of project activities and their anticipated impacts, the project has been categorized as “Category B Project” and requires a project specific EA and EMP.

4.2.2.2. O.P. 4.04. Natural Habitats The objective of this policy is to promote environmentally sustainable development by supporting the protection, conservation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of natural habitats and their functions. Natural habitats are land and water areas where (i) the ecosystems' biological communities are formed largely by native plant and animal species, and (ii) human activity has not essentially modified the area's primary ecological functions. As per O.P. 4.04, the Bank does not support projects involving the significant conversion of natural habitats unless there are no feasible alternatives for the project and its siting, and comprehensive analysis demonstrates that overall benefits from the project substantially outweigh the environmental costs.. Since marine turtle nesting is observed in some of the





22

project villages, Operational Policy 4.04 is applicable to the project. Even though conversion of turtle nesting area is not anticipated in this project, the project propoes to include mitigation measures complying to this policy, such as minimizing habitat loss, etc.

4.2.2.3. O.P. 4.10. Indigenous Peoples In the Indian context, the application of O.P. 4.10 is equated with the impacts to tribal population. As there is no tribal population in the sub-project villages, this policy is not applicable to the project.

4.2.2.4. O.P. 4.11. Physical Cultural Resources This policy addresses physical cultural resources, which are defined as movable or immovable objects, sites, structures, groups of structures, and natural features and landscapes that have archaeological, paleontological, historical, architectural, religious, aesthetic, or other cultural significance. Impacts on physical cultural resources should be addressed as an integral part of the environmental assessment (EA) process. The following projects are to be classified during the environmental screening process as Category A or B:

• Any project involving significant excavations, demolition, movement of earth, flooding, or other environmental changes; and

• Any project located in, or in the vicinity of, a physical cultural resources site.

The proposed project does not fall in any of the categories described above.

4.2.2.5. O.P. 4.12. Involuntary Resettlement The bank’s policy on involuntary resettlement covers those displaced by the project’s activities. For any sub-project involving land acquisition and associated impacts, a draft RAP is required, prior to the approval of sub-project and borrowers will implement the RAP in advance of sub-project implementation. Since no land acquisition is involved in this sub-project, RAP is not prepared for this sub-project.

4.2.2.6. O.P. 4.36. Forests The objective of this policy is to harness the potential of forests to reduce poverty in a sustainable manner, integrate forests effectively into sustainable economic development, and protect the vital local and global environmental services and values of forests. This policy applies to the following types of Bank-financed investment projects:

• Projects that have or may have impacts on the health and quality of forests; • Projects that affect the rights and welfare of people and their level of dependence upon or

interaction with forests; and • Projects that aim to bring about changes in the management, protection, or utilization of

natural forests or plantations, whether they are publicly, privately, or communally owned.

The Bank does not finance projects that, in its opinion, would involve significant conversion or degradation of critical forest areas or related critical natural habitats. The proposed project does not affect any forest areas or related natural habitats.

4.2.3. Environmental Policies & Regulations of Government of India The Indian constitution makes environmental protection an explicit duty for every citizen by the statement, “It shall be duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the environment including forests, lakes, rivers, wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures”. In addition, GoI has laid out various policy guidelines, acts and regulations pertaining to sustenance of environment and these





23

have been presented in the following sections.

4.2.3.1. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 The Environmental (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986 is the umbrella legislation providing for the protection of environment in the country. This Act provided for the Environment (Protection) Rules, which were formulated in 1986, the EIA Notification, 2006 and various other notifications.

4.2.3.2. EIA Notification 2006 by Ministry of Environment and Forests The EIA notification dated 14th September, 2006 imposes certain restrictions and prohibitions on new projects or activities, or on the expansion or modernization of existing projects or activities based on their potential environmental impacts as indicated in the schedule to the notification, being undertaken in any part of India, unless prior environmental clearance has been accorded in accordance with the objectives of National Environment Policy as approved by the Union Cabinet on 18th May, 2006 and the procedure specified in the notification, by the Central Government or the State or Union territory Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).

The notification has listed out the Projects or activities requiring prior environmental clearance under Category “A” and “B” based on the spatial extent of potential impacts and potential impacts on human health and natural and man made resources. Category “A” projects require prior environmental clearance from MoEF on the recommendations of an Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and Category “B” projects require prior environmental clearance from SEIAA on the recommendations of a State or Union territory Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC). In the absence of a duly constituted SEIAA or SEAC, a category “B” project shall be treated as a Category “A” project.

As per the schedule of EIA Notification 2006, building projects with built up area ≥20000 sq.mtrs and <1,50,000 sq.mtrs falls under ‘Category B’ and requires environmental clearance from the State level Environment Impact Assessment Authority. However, Category ‘B’ projects will be treated as Category A, if located in whole or in part within 10 km from the boundary of: (i) Protected Areas notified under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, (ii) Critically Polluted areas as notified by the Pondicherry Pollution Control Committee from time to time, (iii) Notified Eco-sensitive areas, (iv) inter-State boundaries, in which case, the clearance will have to obtained from MoEF.

Maximum built up area of a work shelter building in Karaikal is less than 20,000 sq.m. Hence, individual work shelter buildings do not fall under building projects that require environmental clearance under the EIA Notification 2006 and hence no prior environmental clearance is required for this project.

The total area of 10 work shelters in Karaikal is only about 6500sq.m. and hence even if all the work shelter buildings of Karaikal are considered together as one project, It will not require environmental clearance under the EIA Notification 2006 since the total area is less than 20,000 sq.m.

4.2.3.3. CRZ Notification 1991 by MoEF In exercise of the powers conferred by the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, MoEF, GoI declared the coastal stretches of seas, bays, estuaries, creeks, rivers and backwaters of India which are influenced by tidal action (in the landward side) upto 500 metres from the High Tide Line (HTL) and the land between the Low Tide Line (LTL) and the HTL as Coastal Regulation Zone(CRZ) and imposed restrictions on the setting up and expansion of industries, operations or processes etc. in the said CRZ Notification in February 1991. Setting up of new industries and expansion of existing industries, except those directly related to water front or directly needing foreshore facilities is





24

prohibited within the CRZ.

The Central Government has constituted the Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA) of Pondicherry to take measures for protecting and improving the quality of the coastal environment and preventing, abating and controlling environmental pollution in the coastal areas of Pondicherry. A Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) have been prepared by the Authority, identifying and classifying the CRZ areas in accordance with the guidelines given in the Notification and approval has been obtained from the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India. According to this, areas covered under CRZ-I, CRZ-II and CRZ-III were identified using satellite imagery and prepared maps in the scale 1:25,000.

The CRZ has been classified as CRZ-I, CRZ-II and CRZ-III in the State for the purpose of regulation of the permitted activities based on the ecological sensitivity and development status of the area.

1. CRZ-I: Ecological sensitive area and the area between HTL and LTL. No new construction is permitted except for a few specified most essential activities requiring water front.

2. CRZ-II: The area that have been developed up to or close to the shore line which includes the designated urban areas that are substantially built up. Buildings permitted only on the landward side of the existing road (or roads approved in the coastal zone Management Plan of the area) or on the landward side of the existing authorized structures as defined in the notification. Reconstruction of the authorized buildings permitted subject to existing FSI/FAR norms without change in the use.

3. CRZ-III: The areas that are relatively undisturbed and those which do not belong to either CRZ-I or CRZ-II which includes mainly the rural area and those not substantially built up within designated urban areas. The area up to 200 m. from HTL is earmarked as “No Development Zone”. No construction is permitted within this zone except for repairs to the existing authorized structures without exceeding existing FSI, plinth area and density. Development of vacant plots between 200 and 500 m. of HTL is permitted in CRZ III for the purpose of construction of dwelling units and hotels/beach resorts subject to certain conditions.

The Authority is mandated to ensure compliance of all specific conditions that are stipulated and laid down in the approved CZMP of Pondicherry. The Authority shall examine all projects proposed in Coastal Regulation Zone areas and give their recommendations before the project proposals are referred to the National Coastal Zone Management Authority at MoEF, the agency that have been entrusted to clear such projects under the CRZ Notification of the GoI.

The proposed work shelters are designed all along Karaikal coast within the CRZ and hence the provisions of the notification are applicable for the project. Details of CRZ categorization of each work shelter location are presented in Table 5.9. The project sites fall under CRZ III according to the CRZ classification by the Coastal Zone Management Authority of Pondicherry and will require CRZ clearance to be processed initially at the State level and then by MoEF.

The project is permissible in CRZ based on Sub-paragraph 3(1) of the CRZ Notification 1991, which says that clearance shall be given for any activity within the CRZ if it requires water front and foreshore facilities.

Since the proposed project is essentially to keep the fishing gears safely, which can not be kept away from the sea shore, the project would require securing clearance from Pondicherry CZMA and MoEF, based on the above clause of the CRZ Notification 1991.





25

4.2.3.4. The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 This Act provides for the prevention and control of water pollution and the maintaining and restoring of the wholesomeness of water. ‘Pollution’ means such contamination of water or such alteration of the physical, chemical or biological properties of water or such discharge of any sewage or trade effluent or of any other liquid, gaseous or solid substance into water (whether directly or indirectly) as may, or is likely to, create a nuisance or health or safety, or to domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural or other legitimate uses, or to the life and health of animals or plants or of aquatic organisms.

The act resulted in the establishment of the Central and State level Pollution Control Boards whose responsibilities include managing water quality and effluent standards, as well as monitoring water quality, prosecuting offenders and issuing licenses for construction and operation of certain facilities. As waste water discharge is anticipated from labour camp, provisions of this Act are applicable to this project and consent for establishment is to be obtained from the Pondicherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC) by the Contractor to establish the labour camp.

4.2.3.5. Workmen Compensation Act, 1923 The Act provides for compensation in case of injury by accident arising out of and during the course of employment, which is applicable to this project also.

4.2.3.6. The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 This provides for public liability insurance for the purpose of providing immediate relief to the persons affected by accident occurring while handling hazardous substances and for matters connected herewith or incidental thereto. Hazardous substance means any substance or a preparation which is defined as hazardous substance under the EPA, 1986, and exceeding such quantity as may be specified by notification by the Central Government, which is applicable to this project also.

4.2.3.7. Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970 The Act provides for certain welfare measures to be provided by the contractor to contract labour and in case the contractor fails to provide, the same are required to be provided by the employer by law. The employer is required to take certificate of registration and the contractor is required to take a license from the designated officer. The Act is applicable to the establishments or contractor of principle employer if they employ 20 or more contract labour and is well applicable for this project.

4.2.3.8. Minimum Wages Act, 1948 The employer is supposed to pay not less than the Minimum Wages fixed by appropriate government as per provisions of the act if the employment is a scheduled employment. Constructions of Buildings, Roads, and Runways are scheduled employments. Hence this Act is applicable for the present project.

4.2.3.9. Payment of Wages Act, 1936 It lays down as to by what date the wages are to be paid, when it will be paid and what deductions can be made from the wages of the workers and is applicable to this project.

4.2.3.10. Equal Remuneration Act, 1979 The Act provides for payment of equal wages for work of equal nature to Male and Female workers and not for making discrimination against Female employees in the matters of transfers, training and promotions etc. This Act is applicable to this project also.





26

4.2.3.11. Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 The Act prohibits employment of children below 14 years of age in certain occupations and processes and provides for regulation of employment of children in all other occupations and processes. Employment of child labour is prohibited in Building and Construction Industry. This Act is applicable to this project also.

4.2.3.12. The Building & Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment & Conditions of Service) Act, 1996

All the establishments who carry on any building or other construction work and employ 10 or more workers are covered under this Act. All such establishments are required to pay cess at rate not exceeding 2%of the cost of construction as may be notified by the Government. The employer of the establishment is required to provide safety measures at the building or construction work and other welfare measures, such as canteens, first-aid facilities, ambulance, housing accommodation for workers near the workplace etc. The employer to whom the Act applies has to obtain a registration certificate from the Registering Officer appointed by the Government. This Act is applicable to this project also.

4.2.3.13. The Explosives Act (& Rules), 1884 (revised in 1983) This Act specifies regulations regarding the use of explosives and precautionary measures while blasting and quarrying. Provisions of these rules are applicable to this project also.

4.2.3.14. Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 The ambient air quality standards in respect of noise for different areas/zones are specified in the Schedule of these rules. The State Government may categorize the areas into industrial, commercial, residential or silence areas/zones for the purpose of implementation of noise standards for different areas. An area comprising not less than 100 meters around hospitals, educational institutions and courts may be declared as silence area/zone as per these rules.

The noise levels in any area/zone shall not exceed the ambient air quality standards in respect of noise as specified in the Schedule. The PPCC is responsible for the enforcement of noise pollution control measures and the due compliance of the ambient air quality standards in respect of noise. The proposed project in its construction and operation phases may attract the provisions of these rules if the noise level from the construction machinery and the vehicles are above the standards.

4.2.3.15. Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling & Trans-boundary Movement) Rules, 2008

These rules are applicable to the handling of hazardous wastes mentioned in the Schedule of the Rules. As per these rules, authorization is required from State Pollution Control Boards for the generation, offering for sale, handling, collection, reception, treatment, transport, storage, recycling, reprocessing, recovery, reuse and disposal of hazardous wastes. Since waste oil generated from OBM during repair is considered as a hazardous waste, permission is to be obtained from PPCC for storage and disposal of this waste oil by the Harbor Management Committee.

4.2.4. Environmental Policies & Regulations of Government of Pondicherry 4.2.4.1. Pondicherry Groundwater (Control and Regulation) Act, 2002 This Act is to protect groundwater resources to provide safeguards against hazards of its over-exploitation and to ensure its planned development and management in the Union Territory of





27

Pondicherry and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The Act empowers government through the Pondicherry Groundwater Authority (PGA) to develop, control, regulate and administer the groundwater in the region by ensuring its optimal and efficient utilization. This also provides for conjunctive use of surface and groundwater.

Pondicherry Groundwater Authority regulates the abstraction of groundwater in Pondicherry. This Act provides for registration of new users of wells and also prohibition of sinking wells in notified areas without permit. Since the proposed sub-project does not envisage the abstraction of groundwater, clearance/permission from Ground Water Authority is not required.

4.2.4.2. Pondicherry Town and Country Planning Act, 1994 It is an Act to provide for planning the development and use of rural and urban land in the Union Territory of Pondicherry and for purposes connected therewith. As per the Act, plans for the urban and rural areas of the Union Territory of Pondicherry are prepared to regulate the planned development of the territory.

All building projects should be in compliance with the respective and existing development plans. Town and Country Planning Regulations including the norms related to Floor Space Index (FSI) and Flood Area Ratio (FAR) shall apply to all the building projects. Hence, clearances/permission should be taken from the Department of Town and Country Planning prior to the construction of work shelters under this sub-project.

4.2.4.3. Pondicherry Municipalities Act, 1973 and Pondicherry Village and Commune Panchayat Act, 1973

These Acts were enacted to consolidate and amend the law relating to municipalities and communes in the Union Territory of Pondicherry and with a view to reorganize the administration of local government in furtherance of democratic decentralization of powers in favor of the different local bodies. All building projects proposed in areas which are under the jurisdiction of the town or village panchayats, should obtain their clearance/permission. Hence, clearance/permission should be obtained from the panchayats prior to the construction of work shelters under this sub-project.

4.2.5. Summary of Clearances Required for the Project A summary of the clearances required under various regulations applicable to the project are presented in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1. Summary of Clearances Required for the Project

Regulation Clearance Requirement 1. CRZ Notification 1991 CRZ clearance is required for the project from PCZMA

and subsequently from MoEF. 2. Water (Prevention and Control of

Pollution) Act 1974 Consent for Establishment shall be taken by the contractor from PPCC for setting up labor camps

3. Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling & Trans-boundary Movement) Rules, 2008

Permission shall be obtained from PPCC by Harbor Management Committee for storage and disposal of waste oil generated from out board motors (OBM) during repair at work shelters.

4. Pondicherry Town and Country Planning Act, 1994

Clearances/permission should be taken from the Department of Town and Country Planning for the construction of work shelter buildings.





28

Regulation Clearance Requirement 5. Pondicherry Municipalities Act,

1973 and Pondicherry Village and Commune Panchayat Act, 1973

Clearance/permission should be obtained from the Panchayats for the construction of work shelter buildings.



29

Baseline Environmental Profile 5.1. Introduction

Collecting the baseline environmental status of the project influence area helps to predict the magnitude of impacts that are likely to be caused due to the construction of the proposed work shelters on different environmental components of the project influence area. It also helps to identify critical environmental attributes required to be monitored during and after the proposed improvements. In order to assess the baseline environmental status of the project influence area, monitoring of various environmental attributes were conducted by the Consultants during first week of March 2009. As part of the baseline environmental monitoring, ambient noise level and ambient air quality were measured at two locations in the project area and surface water samples were collected from six locations in the project area.

The villages for conducting baseline environmental monitoring was selected based on the criteria that they are geographically distributed with almost equal distance between them along the Pondicherry coast to get representative sample for all the villages. Within the villages, locations of sensitive receptors and different land uses in the project area were considered while selecting the sampling and monitoring locations. The Sampling and monitoring locations are shown in Figure 5.1 and the details of sampling locations are presented in Table 5.1.

Table 5.1. Details of Baseline Environmental Monitoring

Sl. No.

Environmental Attribute

Monitoring Parameters

Duration of Monitoring

Frequency of Monitoring

Locations

SPM, RSPM Continuous sampling for 24 hrs

Repeated for two days

1 Ambient Air Quality

SO2, NOX, CO, HC

Continuous sampling for 8 hours, 3 samples in 24 hours

Repeated for two days

1. Kottucherrymedu 2. Pattinacherry

2 Noise Level Noise Level in dB (A)

Once at every hour

Repeated for 24 hours

1. Kottucherrymedu 2. Pattinacherry

3 Surface Water Quality

Important water quality parameters

One-time sampling

Only once 1.Mandapathur 2.Kalikuppam 3.Kottucherrymedu 4.Keezhasakkudimedu 5.Karaikalmedu 6.Pattinacherry

5





30

Figure 5.1. Baseline Environmental Monitoring Locations





31

In addition to the baseline environmental monitoring, field inspection at all the sensitive locations, collection of secondary information for all the environmental components and discussions with the officials, NGO’s and local public were conducted by the Consultants.

The baseline environmental status is presented under the following categories. • Physical Environment • Biological Environment • Land Environment

5.2. Physical Environment

The components of physical environment discussed in this section includes, • Geography and Topography • Meteorology (Climate) • Geology and Minerals • Soil characteristics • Hydrology • Ambient air quality • Surface and ground water quality • Ambient noise levels

5.2.1. Geography and Topography The Union Territory of Pondicherry is spread in an area of 492 Sq. km which constitutes of the four erstwhile French enclaves of Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam.

Forming part of fertile delta, the Karaikal region is completely covered by the distributaries of Kaveri River. Covered completely by a thick mantle of alluvium of variable thickness the topography of the region is flat having gentle slope towards the Bay of Bengal in the east. It is limited on the north by the Nandalar and on the south east by the Vettar.

5.2.2. Meteorology 5.2.2.1. Rainfall Karaikal regions receive rain mostly through North - East monsoon. The amount of rainfall during the South West monsoon is less than 20%of the annual. In Karaikal the average rainfall is about 126 cm; 68% of which occurs during October and November. The range of variation of total rainfall is wide November is the rainiest month accounting for about a third of the annual total. Sometimes Karaikal experiences drought conditions with the annual rainfall less than 75% of the normal on an average of once in three years Table 5.2 shows the monthly total rainfall in Karaikal region.

Table 5.2. Monthly Total Rainfall in Karaikal Region

Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Ave 1999 8 52.8 0 50.5 51.7 4.3 0.9 44.8 12.4 216.5 404.1 174.6 85.1 2000 220 145.8 0.8 5.4 3.5 32.6 35 72.6 112 221.1 234.8 157.8 103.5 2001 1.2 TR 0 24.7 70.3 35.6 86.1 33.6 135.5 289.7 330.7 389.6 116.4 2002 45.1 295.5 0.2 0 12.2 68.5 89.5 22 31 272.4 368 99.1 108.6 2003 11.9 0.7 0.3 6.4 46.7 153.7 90.2 126.2 91.2 80.4 491.4 49.9 95.8

Source: IMD Data presented in State of the Environment Report, 2005, Government of Pondicherry.





32

5.2.2.2. Temperature, Humidity and Cloudiness The average temperature ranges from 24°C to 38°C during normal days in Karaikal region. December and January are the coolest months with the maximum at about 28°C and minimum at about 28°C.The diurnal range of temperatures are generally small throughout the year, being highest (about 10°C) in May and June and the least (about 5°C) during November to February. Table 5.3 shows the maximum and minimum temperatures for Karaikal region.

Table 5.3. Temperature Observed at Karaikal between 2001-2003

Item/Division Unit 2001-2002 2002-2003 Mean Maximum °C 33.4. 33.1 Mean Minimum °C 24.4 24.6

Source: IMD Data presented in State of the Environment Report, 2005, Government of Pondicherry.

In view of the coastal location the relative humidity (R.H.) is generally high being above 70% during August to April. It is at its minimum value of 60 to 65 percent in June and July.

During June to November, the skies are heavily clouded. During February to May cloudiness gradually decreases and the skies are usually clear.

5.2.2.3. Winds Winds are generally light to moderate in velocity during the summer and early southwest monsoon season. During southwest monsoon, winds are mostly from south to west. During the summer season, winds are Southwesterly or Westerly in the morning and Southerly or Southwesterly in the afternoons. In October and January winds are varied in direction. Cyclones and depressions occur mostly in November and December in Karaikal.

5.2.3. Geology and Minerals 5.2.3.1. Geology The region is covered completely by a thick mantle of alluvium of variable thickness in the order of 68 meters. On the western portion the alluvium is more clayey while in the area around Nagore-Tarangambadi road it is sandy. Along the Coastline marine clay with peat is of common occurrence. The group of rocks known as Cuddalore formations is met with in Karaikal region. The various geological formations over the due course of succession include the Karaikal beds, Cuddalore formations, blown sands and alluvium.

5.2.3.2. Minerals Rare mineral resources like Limonite are found to occur in the form of alluvial deposits in the coastal area of Karaikal. Brick clays are won from banks of Arasalar about 1.6 km almost south-west of Pudutturai over an area of 0.6 sq.km. About 1.3 million ton reserves of clayey soil have been computed in Karaikal region. The minerals like ilmenite and garnet occur in varying concentrations in the beach sands along the Karaikal coast over a stretch of about 10 km. and varying in width from 20 to 100m.Heavy minerals are concentrated along the windward side of the ripples. Small amounts of pisolitic Kankar (at a depth of about 1.2 km) and Sea-shells are also found with in the area. The minerals like ilmenite and magnetite are met within fair amounts along the coast. Near the Karaikal light house, the total concentration of heavies is over90%, ilmenite and magnetite account for 60%. Moreover Karaikal is an important stratigraphic horizon which indicated the prospects of ‘oil shows’ where detailed studies are carried out to determine the possibility of occurrence of oil by Oil and Natural Gas Commission owing to its favorable structures and thick sediments.





33

5.2.4. Irrigation and Hydrology Karaikal region is the deltaic region of the Union Territory which is at the terminus of the river Cauveri. The River Arasalar and distributaries of Cauvery spreads through the entire Karaikal region. The main branches of Cauveri are the Kodamurutti, Arasalar, Virasolanar and the Vikramanar. The Nattar, Vanjiar and Nular are the small rivers which branches off from the River Arasalar. Nandalar fed by the River Virasolanar and Pravadayanar and Tirumalarajanar fed by the River Kodamurutti forms the other major distributaries. In Karaikal, cultivation activities gain momentum through the surface flow irrigation schemes. Karaikal is mainly depending upon flows into the Cauvery River usually released from Mettur dam in the second week of June and Kallanai dam by third week of June. Karaikal town gets its water by means of a battery of a shallow interconnected open wells and an infiltration gallery in the bed of Arasalar. In Karaikal region, canal irrigation is the main source of irrigation. Groundwater is developed chiefly by means of dug wells or filter point wells piercing blown sands and alluvium. The following Table 5.4 depicts the details of natural drains / nala / water bodies near the work shelters in each project village.

Table 5.4. Natural Drains / Nalas / Water Bodies near the Work Shelters

Sl.No Name of the Village and Work Shelter No.

Name of the Water Body Distance from the Work Shelter

1. Mandapathur - - 2. Kalikuppam Natural Stream mouth 53 m 3. Akkampettai Natural Stream 95 m 4. Kottucherrymedu Nattar River mouth 180 m 5. Keezhakasakudymedu Natural Stream 143 m 6. Kilinjalmedu Natural Stream 120 m 7. Karaikalamedu 1 - - 8. Karaikalamedu 2 - - 9. Pattinacherry 1 Tirumalarajanar River 206 m 10. Pattinacherry 2 Tirumalarajanar River 258 m

5.2.5 Ambient Air Quality Because of high humidity and frequent precipitation in view of the coastal location, problem with dust is comparatively less in the region. In rural areas with predominantly agriculture activity, the air quality is appreciably good.

The prime objective of the baseline air quality study is to establish the existing ambient air quality in the project area. This will be useful for assessing the conformity to standards of the ambient air quality during the construction and operation phase of the project. As part of the baseline environmental monitoring, ambient air quality was monitored at two locations in the project influence area and the results are presented in Table 5.5.

Table 5.5. Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Results

Sl. No.

Parameters Kottucherrymedu

Pattinacherry NAAQ Standards (Residential Area)

1. Suspended Particulate Matter, µg/m3 126 122 200 2. Respirable Particulate Matter, µg/m3 29 29 100 3. Sulphur dioxide , µg/m3 6.9 7.7 80 4. Oxides of Nitrogen, µg/m3 8.8 9.2 80 5. Carbon monoxide, mg/m3 BDL BDL 2.0 6. Hydro Carbons, mg/m3 BDL BDL Not specified





34

BDL – Below detection limit. Source: Baseline Environmental Monitoring.

The results show that all the ambient air quality parameters are well within the NAAQ Standards at both the locations. There are no major air polluting sources in the project area and generally the air quality of the area is found to be good.

5.2.6. Noise Levels Noise in general is an un-desired sound, which is composed of many frequency components of various loudness distributed over the audible frequency range. The most common and universally accepted scale is the A - weighted Scale which is measured as dB (A). This is more suitable for the audible range of sound, 20 to 20,000 Hz.

The environmental impact of noise can have several effects varying from Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) to annoyance depending on loudness of noise. It is possible to describe important features of noise for noise levels measured over 24 hours using statistical methods. These features of noise are the parameters used for describing the noise levels at a particular location. Standards for permissible noise levels at various zones are set based on these parameters. The notations used for various noise level parameters are described below.

• Leq - Equivalent sound pressure level - the steady sound level that, over a specified period of time, would produce the same energy equivalence as the fluctuating sound level actually occurring.

• Leq (1 hr) - The equivalent noise level for a specific one-hour period • Leq (24 hr) – The equivalent noise level during a 24 hour period • Lday - The equivalent noise level from 6:00 hours to 22.00 hours. • Lnight - The equivalent noise level from 22:00 hours to 6.00 hours. • Ldn - It is similar to a 24 hr equivalent noise level except that during night time (10 PM

to 6 AM) a 10 dB (A) weighting penalty is added to the instantaneous sound level before computing the 24 hr average. This nighttime penalty is added to account for the fact that noise during night when people usually sleep is judged as more annoying than the same noise during the daytime.

The noise standards specify limits as 75 dB (A) and 70 dB (A) in the day and night times respectively for industrial areas, 65 dB (A) and 55 dB (A) in the day and night times respectively for commercial area, 55dB (A) and 45dB (A) as limits for day and night time respectively for residential areas and 50 dB (A) and 40 dB (A) in the day and night respectively for silence zones.

As part of the baseline environmental monitoring, noise level monitoring survey was conducted at two villages in the project area. The main objective of noise monitoring in the study area is to establish the baseline noise levels, which will be used to assess the impact of the total noise generated by the proposed project activities. The noise level monitoring results are presented in Table 5.6 and the results suggest that the noise levels at both the villages are within the CPCB noise standard for residential area during day time and night time.

Table 5.6. Ambient Noise Level Monitoring Results

Noise Level dB(A) Leq CPCB Standards (Residential Area) dB(A) LeqSl. No.

Location Day Night Day Night

1. Kottucherrymedu

43.5 41.5 55 45





35

Noise Level dB(A) Leq CPCB Standards (Residential Area) dB(A) LeqSl. No.

Location Day Night Day Night

2. Pattinacherry 49.6 40.7 55 45 Source: Baseline Environmental Monitoring

5.2.7. Soil Characteristics The district consists of almost entirely coastal alluvial soil which is suitable for the cultivation of paddy and pulses. Richer black sands are seen east of Kil vanjiyur in a zone with a maximum width of about 60 meters. Along the coastline light brownish, black and locally pink coloured sands are met with for an average width of about 0.5km on the south of Karaikal. About 82.61 Ha in Karaikal are under brackish water aquaculture and hold a high soil salinity of 25 ppt or more which is unfit for agriculture. Moreover the coastal sandy soils in Karaikal are highly prone to wind erosion.

5.2.8. Surface and Ground Water Quality The surface water in Karaikal region maintains a pH range around 8.44 - 8.77. The TDS is high in coastal areas mainly because of salt water ingression. In most of the areas in Karaikal region have high TDS (in some places ranging from 800 to 2000 mg/litre).The alkalinity generally ranges from 210-270mg/litre in the area. The Brackish water aquaculture in Karaikal region considerably lowers the ground water quality. The ground water resource is of rather poor quality in Karaikal.

The baseline status of water quality in the project area was established through sampling and analysis of various surface water quality parameters as part of the environmental monitoring. The prime objective of the baseline water quality study is to establish the existing water quality of the study area to evaluate the anticipated impact of the proposed project on the water quality and to suggest appropriate mitigation measures for implementation. This will also be useful for assessing the conformity to the standards of water quality during the construction and operation phase of the project.

Coastal sea water samples were collected and analyzed from six fishing villages and the results were compared with standards for harbour water. The water quality monitoring results are presented in Table 5.7. The analysis results show that all the water quality parameters are within the standards and the sea water quality near the project villages is good.





36

Table 5.7. Coastal Sea Water Quality Analysis Results

Results Sl No.

Parameters Unit WQ 1 WQ 2 WQ 3 WQ 4 WQ 5 WQ 6

IS: 7967 Norms (Harbour Water)

1 pH - 8.05 8.08 8.13 7.98 8.16 8.10 6.5 – 9.0 2 Turbidity NTU 10 11 9 12 13 16 3 Total Suspended Solids mg/l 8 6 5 4 5 6 No Visible SS 4 Total Dissolved Solids mg/l 36002 35014 36856 35214 35472 35561 5 B.O.D mg/l 3 2 2 3 1 2 5.0 6 Oil & Grease mg/l Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 10 7 Chloride (as Cl) mg/l 19671 19044 20056 19333 18851 19574 8 Fluoride (as F) mg/l 0.81 0.81 0.92 0.86 0.87 0.93 9 Alkalinity (as CaCO3 ) mg/l 180 180 180 180 169 158

10 Total Hardness (as CaCO3 ) mg/l 6800 6500 6700 6800 7540 6600 11 Sodium (as Na) mg/l 10400 10300 10800 10200 10000 10500 12 Potassium (as K) mg/l 1160 920 1090 1020 910 920 13 Iron (as Fe) mg/l 0.19 0.16 0.22 0.22 0.23 0.20 14 Lead (as Pb) mg/l <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 15 Total Coliforms MPN/100 ml 2150 2100 2200 2400 2450 2500 2500 16 Faecal Coliforms MPN/100 ml 1200 1150 1100 1100 1150 1100

WQ1 – Mandapathur WQ2 – Kalikuppam WQ3 – Kottucherrymedu WQ4 – Keezhasakkudimedu WQ5 – Karaikalmedu WQ6 - Pattinacherry Source: Baseline Environmental Monitoring Results.





37

5.3. Biological Environment

5.3.1. Terrestrial Ecology

5.3.1.1. Terrestrial Flora The natural vegetation in the region consists of numerous plants of littoral regions which could tolerate the briny sand or brackish waters and naturally of aquatic species. The flora of the region can thus be categorized as the sea shore plants and the plants growing in or near fresh water bodies. Among the littoral plants that can hold salinity the most remarkable ones include Excoecaria agallocha, Clerodendrum inerme, Acanthus ilicifolius, Solanum trilobatum, and Pandanus tectorius. Apart from this the plants thriving on the coastal sands include Cocos nucifera, Prosopis spicigera, Casuarina equisetifolia, Croton bonplandianum, Calotropis gigantia, Jatropha glandulifera and Datura fastuosa The hygrophytes are well developed in this region and their classification is given below in the Table 5.8. Ecological significance / uses of these beach vegetation are presented in Annexure 5.1.

Table 5.8. Hygrophytes in Karaikal Region

Arborescent Vegetation Shrubby and herbaceous hygrophytes Borassus flabellifer Nymphaea pubescens Acacia Arabica Ipomaea reptans Pongamia pinnata Hemarthria compressa Phoenix sylvestris Tribulus terrestris Barringtonia acutangula Saccharum spontanum

The avenue trees in the area include Polyalthia longifolia, Thespesia populnea and Samanea saman whereas Jatropha glandulifera, Morinda tinctoria, Prosopis Spicigera and Banbusa arundinacea constitute the hedge plants in Karaikal region.

Coconut plantations are present near the beach in most of the project villages. Casuarina plantations have been developed along the coast in some of the project villages after the tsunami. These plantations are known as bio-walls. Work shelters in all the project villages are proposed in beaches. Citrullus colocynthis, Ipomoea carnea, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Kyllinga triceps, Prosopis juliflora, Solanum virginianum and Tephrosia purpurea are the beach vegetation observed in the project villages.

5.3.1.2. Terrestrial Fauna The diverse terrestrial fauna in Karaikal comprises of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Of the mammals, the common species are the Shrews, Bats, Jackals, Monkeys, Mongooses, Civet cats, Hares, Rabbits, Bandicoots, Squirrels, Rats etc. Generally the avian fauna include the birds of open trees like the Quails, Pheasants and the birds of prey like Vultures, Falcons etc Parrots, Cuckoos and Weaver birds are common in the region. Among the lizards the commonly seen include Calotes versicolor and the skink (Mabuya carinata). In respect of land snakes, mention should be made of the Pythons, Blind snake, Rat snake etc. The amphibians like Green frogs, Bull frog and Toads are present with in the area.

Crabs and other burrowing animals such as worms that belong to polychaete are the only fauna observed in the beaches of the project villages, where the work shelters are proposed.





38

5.3.2. Aquatic Ecology 5.3.2.1. Aquatic Flora No mangroves are observed near the proposed work shelter locations in the project villages.

5.3.2.2. Aquatic Fauna A number of aquatic or water front bird species can be found in and around the various irrigation tanks, ponds and canals or water courses in Karaikal. Podiceps ruficollios (little Grebe) and Anas poecilorhynca (Spotbill) are familiarly met with. The extended backwaters found in Karaikal region are the significant wetlands which attract huge number of migratory water birds, both migrants and residents. They mainly include Ducks, Teals, Pochards Waders which are mainly coming from very far off places mostly from north and central Siberia. These water fowls arrive here in late August and early September and depart in mid April after spending their winter in India. However, none of these faunal species are observed at the proposed work shelter locations in the project villages.

Marine Invertebrate Fauna

Abundant coral chunks and debris was found to occur in the outer continental shelf off north east of Karaikal at a depth of – 125 m and the scanning of these relict coral reefs revealed that it belongs to the genus Acropora and Pocillopora

In the sandy beaches along the Coastline numerous species of Polycheats, Crustaceans, Molluscs and echinoderms are found to dwell with.

Marine Vertebrate Fauna

The region has a rich variety of fish fauna in the coastal waters and it mainly includes the sharks (Carcharias sorrah, Scoliodon sorrakowah), rays (Narcine timlei) and eels (Anguilla benghalensis). The half-beak (Hyporhampus gaimardi) and Gar fish (Xenentodon cancila) are common. The sea snakes and sea turtles are of common occurrence here.

Marine Turtles

Coastal stretches of Pondicherry and Karaikal are identified as sea turtle nesting grounds. Among the five species of sea turtles reported in Indian coast - leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and green (Chelonia mydas), Olive Ridley turtles (more than 95%) and Green Turtles are the common species nestling along Karaikal coastal belt.

Olive Ridley’s are the smallest of the marine turtle species in the world. They grow to an average of 70 cm long and adults weigh approximately 45 kg. The carapace is tear drop shaped. They are omnivorous, feeding on crustaceans and molluscs. They can dive to great depths and may be bottom feeders. Males are having long tail and females with short. They choose narrow beaches near estuaries and bays to lay eggs. Each adult female lays approximately 100-140 eggs at a time. It is believed that they nest in an interval of one-four years. The nesting season is between November to March along the dry sandy stretches approximately 20 - 40 m away from HTL.

Marine Turtles doesn’t have an external hearing organ. Very few research studies have been conducted on the impact of sound and their subsequent behavioural response. However, few researches have shown that Turtles can hear low frequency sound within the range of 300 – 1000 Hz.





39

Possible Adverse effects of noise on Turtles can range from behavioural modification including mild disturbances, disruption, impairment of activities, displacement from key habitat, disorientation, capillary damage, loss of motor control, even death at some time.

Information on turtle nesting specific to the project villages is not available with the Forest Department and NGOs. Hence, villages, villagers who are living in the locality for more than 10 years were surveyed to identify the turtle nestling areas in May, 2009. During the survey, villagers opined that turtle nestling is observed near 5 project villages, but confined to very limited area with only 1-2 nests at a location. Turtle nestling grounds are located along the coastal areas of Mandapathur, Kalikuppam, Akkampettai, Kottucherrymedu and Keezhakasakudimedu villages away from human habitations and fish landing areas. None of the work shelter sites was identified as turtle nestling ground during the survey. Minimum distance of turtle nesting area from the work shelter locations was observed as about 250 m. Villagers were of the opinion that indiscriminate human activities have encroached many of the turtle ground along the area where turtles were observed in earlier days.

Construction of ports, harbors, other recreational facilities, and the resultant accretion and erosion of coast, unscientific gill net fishing in shallow waters during the nesting seasons where turtles get entangled in to net, poaching of turtle eggs for consumption, illegal marketing of eggs and exploitation for meat, shell, flipper hide, oil, fat or blood are the most significant threats of turtle nestling along the area. Recently, the plantation of casuarina trees as bio-wall along the beaches is also reported to be reducing the area for turtle nesting.

5.3.3. Coastal Regulation Zone The proposed work shelters are designed all along Karaikal coast within the CRZ and hence the provisions of CRZ Notification 1991 are applicable for the project. Vide notification no. G.O.M.S No.18/93/Hg dated 31.12.1993, published in Pondicherry Gazette No. 7 dated 15.02.1994, Government of Pondicherry has categorized the survey numbers falling in CRZ in the Union Territory of Pondicherry in to CRZ I, CRZ II and CRZ III. In addition to the inter-tidal areas (area between High Tide Line and Low Tide Line) all along the coastal line of the State, only survey no. 109 of Ariankuppam village of Pondicherry region falls in CRZ I. Certain survey numbers in Muthialpet, Thengaithittu and Pondicherry villages in Pondicherry region are categorized as CRZ II, since they fall in developed area. Rest of the survey numbers falling in CRZ in Pondicherry and Karaikal regions are categorized as CRZ III.

In 2009, HTL and CRZ demarcation of the project area was done again by National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, one of the seven agencies authorized by MoEF for this purpose. CRZ maps of the project villages were prepared by NIO by overlaying HTL, LTL, 200 m from HTL, 500 m from HTL and the proposed work shelters on village maps. According to these CRZ maps, all the work shelter locations are situated in sandy beaches and none of them fall under ecologically sensitive areas.

Work shelter locations in all the eight project villages of Karaikal are situated beyond the HTL and fall completely in CRZ III, based on the CRZ categorization of survey numbers as per the above mentioned notification of Government of Pondicherry. Survey numbers of each of the proposed work shelters and the CRZ category in which they fall are presented in Table 5.9.

Since all the proposed work shelters fall in CRZ, and the cost of the project is more than Rs. 5 Crores,





40

the project requires CRZ clearance to be processed initially at the State level and then by MoEF.

Table 5.9. CRZ Categorization of Proposed Work Shelter Locations

SI No

Fishing Village Name

Revenue Village Name

Work Shelter No.

Survey No. of Work Shelter

CRZ Category

1 Mandapathur Thiruvettakudy Shelter 1 231/1 III 2 Kalikuppam Thiruvettakudy Shelter 1 231/3 III 3 Akkampettai Thiruvettakudy Shelter 1 276/3 III 4 Kottucherrymedu Kottucherry Shelter 1 345//1 III 5 Keezhakasakudymedu Kizhakasakudy Shelter 1 150/0 III 6 Kilinjalmedu Thalatheru Shelter 1 195/3 III

Kovilpattu Shelter 1 244/2 III 7 Karaikalmedu Kovilpattu Shelter 2 244/2 III Kizhiyur North Shelter 1 104/2 III 8 Pattinacherry Kizhiyur North Shelter 2 104/2 III

5.4. Socio-Economic Environment

5.4.1. Landuse The percentage of cultivable area to total area and percentage of irrigated area to total cultivable area in Karaikal are 84.92 and 82.81 respectively. This shows that Karaikal is predominantly an agricultural area. In the year 20007-2008, the following land use classifications were identified in this region. The area occupied by each classification and their percentages in total extent of the region were calculated accordingly and are listed in the Table 5.10.

Table 5.10. Land Use/Land Cover in Karaikal Region (2007-2008)

Land use Area in hectares Total area 16012 Forest lands 0 Non available for cultivation 4905 Other Uncultivated Land (a+b) 2835 a) Permanent pastures and other grazing lands 0 b) Misc. tree crops and groves not in the net area sown 2835 Fallow Lands 1884 Net Area Sown 6388 Total cropped area 10541 Area sown more than once 4153

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Pondicherry

5.4.2. Agriculture Agriculture is the most important economic activity in the district, both in terms of employment and output. Pulses, Cotton, Chillies, Coconuts, Groundnuts, Vegetables and Sunflower are the other popular items grown in the district. The paddy growing seasons are June-Oct, Aug-Feb, and Nov-March. Soon after the closure of the southwest monsoon; Groundnut is cultivated utilizing available moisture. The major Groundnut-growing centre is Kottucherry commune. Pulses are grown in summer following harvest of paddy. Table 5.11 gives the classification of agricultural land in Karaikal region.





41

Table 5.11. Principal Features in Agriculture

Sl No Item Area / Quantity 1 Net area irrigated 5934 Hectares 2 Gross area irrigated 6542 Hectares 3 Food grain production 14403 Tonnes 4 Paddy production 14331 Tonnes 5 Sugarcane production 1275 Tonnes

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics Pondicherry

5.4.3 Socio-Economic Features The Karaikal region, at present comprises of 6 taluks and 1 Community Development Block. It has 1 town and 100 villages (99 inhabited villages and 1 uninhabited village). The selected socio-economic environment in the region in terms of demographic and social parameters is well depicted in the Table 5.12.

Table 5.12. Socio-Economic Indicators of Karaikal Enclave

Sl. No Item Quantity 1 Area 160 Sq.km 2 Total population(2001) 170791 Lakhs 3 Sex ratio (2001) 1022 females per 1000 males 4 Population density 1067 Per Sq.km 5 SC Population (% to total population) 18.075 % 6 ST Population (% to total population) Nil 7 Literacy rate (2001) 81.94 % 8 Work participation rate-Total workers 33.70 % 9 Category of workers (% to total workers)

Cultivators 3.96 % Agriculture labourers 29.19 % House hold industry 1.59 %

Other workers 65.26 % Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Pondicherry Village wise information on socio economic environment is provided in Chapter 6.





42

Environmental Setting of Project Villages 6.1. Introduction

Further to the baseline environmental profile of the project area, the environmental setting of each project village was examined in detail for assessing the environmental and social issues specific to each village with respect to its geographical location, location of the work shelters, presence of environmentally and socially sensitive features etc. This exercise helped to identify the impacts of the project specific to each village and to prepare village specific mitigation measures including relocation of the work shelters to avoid the impacts.

6.2. Environmental Setting of Project Villages

The environmental setting of each project village in Karaikal Enclave is presented in the following sections.

6.2.1. Mandapathur Mandapathur village is at the north end of Karaikal Enclave. It falls under Kottucherrymedu Cummune. The Village is well connected with coastal road (Singara Velan Salai Road) and an approach road to access the fish landing area. The distance from shore line to permanent vegetation is about 42 m. During the rough season this distance becomes less than 10 m. Sand ridges are seen along the coast. A concrete retaining wall of about 1m height was constructed recently parallel to the HTL line for reducing the effect of disaster like Tsunami. A concrete platform is available at this village for fish drying. Electricity and piped water supply are available at this village.

Mandapathur Village has 113 fishermen families. Thirty eight of them are active fishermen and 75 of them are supporting the active fishermen. About 40 FRP boats with outboard engines and about 20 non-mechanized country boats (catamaran) are available at this village. The boats are well placed on the seashore. Some of the boats are parked along a canal adjacent to this fishing village for easy movement of the boats to the sea. Fish landing depends on the season. Fish catching time depends on season either from early morning hours between 3.00am to 11.00am or in evening between 3.00pm to 7.00pm. This fishing village has no facility for storing the fish in chilling units.

Photographs showing the area surrounding the proposed work shelter are presented as Figure 6.1 and Key map of the proposed work shelter is presented as Figure 6.2. Layout of the proposed work shelter is shown as Figure 6.3.

The proposed work shelter location at Mandapathur is situated 5 m beyond the HTL. The work shelter falls in survey no. 231/1 of Thiruvettakudy Revenue Village, which is categorized as CRZ III. Turtle nesting over an area of about 1690 m2 is reported towards north side at about 250 m from the proposed work shelter location. Based on the consultations with the local fishermen the nesting is less with about 1 to 2 nestings reported during 2009. No trees proposed to be felled for the construction of

6





43

work shelter. No vegetation is observed near the work shelter location on the beach.

View towards North from Work Shelter Location View towards South from Work Shelter Location

Figure 6.1. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Mandapathur

Figure 6.2. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Mandapathur

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ III

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ I

jomcy

Text Box

Figure 6.3. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Mandapathur





45

6.2.2. Kalikuppam Kalikuppam village is located towards northern side of Karaikal town and it falls under Kottucherrymedu Cummune. The Village is well connected with coastal road (Singara Velan Salai Road). The approach road to fish landing area is abruptly ending at sandy ridge. The distance from shoreline to permanent vegetation is about 65 m. During the rough season, this distance becomes less. Sand ridges are seen along the coast. A concrete retaining wall for a length of 200m was constructed recently on the southern side of this fishing village parallel to the HTL for reducing the effect of disaster like Tsunami. Electricity and piped water supply are available at this village. Bore-wells are also used for their daily needs since the water supply is not sufficient.

Kalikuppam village has 174 fishermen families. Ninety nine of them are active fishermen and 75 of them are supporting the active fishermen. About 6 FRP boats with inboard engines, 47 FRP boats with outboard engines and about 25 non-mechanized country boats (catamaran) are available at this village. The boats are well placed on the seashore. Fish landing depends on the season. Fish catching time depends on season either from early morning hours between 3.00am to 11.00am or in evening between 3.00pm to 7.00pm. This fishing village has no facility for storing the fish in chilling units.

Photographs showing the area surrounding the proposed work shelter are presented as Figure 6.4. Key map of the proposed work shelter is presented as Figure 6.5 and Layout of the proposed work shelter is shown as Figure 6.6.

The proposed work shelter location at Kalikuppam is situated 7 m beyond the HTL. The work shelter falls in survey no. 231/3 of Thiruvettakudy Revenue Village, which is categorized as CRZ III. An abandoned jelly fish tank is present at the proposed work shelter location. Turtle nesting over an area of about 1125 m2 is reported towards south side at about 340 m from the proposed work shelter location. Based on the consultations with the local fishermen the nesting is less with about 1 to 2 nestings reported during 2009. Tephrosia purpurea is the only vegetation observed near the work shelter location on the beach.


Figure 6.4. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Kalikuppam





46

Figure 6.5. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kalikuppam

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ I

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ III

jomcy

Text Box

Figure 6.6. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kalikuppam





48

6.2.3. Akkampettai Akkampettai village is located towards the northern side of Karaikal town and falls under Kottucherrymedu Cummune. The village is well connected with coastal road (Singara Velan Salai Road) and the approach road to the fish landing area is not in good condition. The distance from shoreline to huts line is about 60 m. During the rough season this distance becomes less than 20 m. Sand ridges are seen along the coast and the huts are located on these ridges. The huts are located about 3m above the MSL at this Village. A concrete retaining wall of 1m height was constructed recently for a length of about 100m on the southern side of this village, parallel to the HTL line for reducing the effect of disaster like Tsunami. Piped water supply and electricity are available at this village.

Akkampettai village has about 115 fishermen families. Fifty five of them are active fishermen and 60 of them are supporting the active fishermen. About 2 FRP boats with inboard engines and about 26 FRP boats with outboard engines are available at this village. The boats are well placed on the seashore. Fish landing depends on the season. Fish catching time depends on season either from early morning hours between 3.00am to 11.00am or in evening between 3.00pm to 7.00pm. This fishing village has no facility for storing the fish in chilling units.


The proposed work shelter location at Akkampettai is situated 2 m beyond the HTL. The proposed work shelter location falls in survey no. 276/3 of Thiruvettakudy Revenue Village, which falls in CRZ III. Turtle nesting over an area of about 1125 m2 is reported towards north side at about 270 m from the proposed work shelter location. Based on the consultations with the local fishermen the nesting is less with about 1 to 2 nestings reported during 2009. Tephrosia purpurea is the only vegetation observed near the work shelter location on the beach.


Figure 6.7. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Akkampettai





49

Figure 6.8. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Akkampettai

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ III

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ I

jomcy

Text Box

Figure 6.9. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Akkampettai





51

6.2.4. Kottucherrymedu Kottucherrymedu village is located towards the northern side of Karaikal town and it falls under Kottucherrymedu Cummune. The village is well connected with coastal road (Singara Velan Salai Road). The approach road connecting between Singara Velan Salai road and fish landing area is not fully developed. It is only up to the sand ridge on the beach. The Renuka Devi Amman Temple, Govt Primary school and small petty shops are located on the western side of Kottucherrymedu fishing village. The distance from shoreline to permanent vegetation is about 60 m. During the rough season this distance becomes less than 20 m. Small huts of fisherman families are situated on the sand ridges at about 4m from MSL. Solid wastes from the houses are disposed on the beach and it creates unhygienic and unaesthetic situation on the beach. Piped water supply and electricity are available at this village.

Kottucherrymedu village is having 217 fishermen families. Sixty seven of them are active fishermen and 150 of them are supporting the active fishermen. About 25 FRP boats with outboard engine are engaged in fishing in this village. The boats are well placed on the seashore. Fish landing depends on the season. Fish catching time depends on season either from early morning hours between 3.00am to 11.00am or in evening between 3.00pm to 7.00pm. This fishing village has no facility for storing the fish in chilling units.


Proposed work shelter location at Kottucherrymedu is situated 15 m beyond the HTL. The work shelter falls in survey no. 345/1 of Kottucherry Revenue Village, which is categorized as CRZ III. Turtle nesting over an area of about 1974 m2 is reported towards north side at about 344 m from the proposed work shelter location. Based on the consultations with the local fishermen the nesting is less with about 1 to 2 nestings reported during 2009. Ipomoea pes-caprae (sand binder) and Ipomoea carnea are the only vegetation observed near the work shelter location on the beach.


Figure 6.10. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Kottucherrymedu





52

Figure 6.11. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kottucherrymedu

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ I

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ III

jomcy

Text Box

Figure 6.12. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kottucherrymedu





54

6.2.5. Keezhakasakudymedu Keezhakasukudimedu village is located towards the northern side of Karaikal Town and it falls under Karaikal town Cummune. The village is well connected with coastal road (Singara Velan Salai Road). The approach road connecting between Singara Velan Salai road and fish landing area is not fully developed. It is only up to the sand ridge on the beach. The distance from shoreline to hut line is about 50 m. During the rough season this distance becomes less than 20 m. The huts of fishermen are located on sand ridges on the beach. Piped water supply and electricity are available at this village.

Keezhakasukudimedu village is having about 246 fishermen families. 146 of them are active fishermen and 100 of them are supporting the active fishermen. About 35 FRP boats with outboard engine, 28 FRP boats with inboard engine and 10 non-mechanized country boats (catamaran) are engaged in fishing in this village. The boats are well placed on the seashore. Fish landing depends on the season. Fish catching time depends on season either from early morning hours between 3.00am to 11.00am or in evening between 3.00pm to 7.00pm. This fishing village has no facility for storing the fish in chilling units.


The proposed work shelter location at Keezhakasakudymedu is situated 3 m beyond the HTL. The work shelter falls in survey no. 150 of Keezhakasakudy Revenue Village, which is categorized as CRZ III. Turtle nesting over an area of about 5460 m2 is reported towards south side at about 328 m from the proposed work shelter location. Based on the consultations with the local fishermen the nesting is less with about 1 to 2 nestings reported during 2009. Casuarina trees (firewood) are the only vegetation observed near the work shelter location on the beach. However, no casuarina trees are to be cut for the project.


Figure 6.13. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Keezhakasakudymedu





55

Figure 6.14. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Keezhakasakudymedu

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ I

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ III

jomcy

Text Box

Figure 6.15. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Keezhakasakudymedu





57

6.2.6. Kilinjalmedu Kilinjalmedu village is located about 4.3 Km towards the northern side of Karaikal town. It falls under Karaikal town Cummune. This is the third major fishing hamlet in Karaikal Region. The village is well connected with coastal road (Singara Velan Salai Road) and by an approach road to access the fish landing area. A Siva temple, a primary health center, a Government school, a Government hospital and small shops are present in this village .The distance from shoreline to huts lines is about 70 m. During the rough season this distance becomes less than 20 m. The land along the coast is occupied by small houses of fishermen at about 2.0m above MSL on sand ridges. Electricity and piped water supply are available at this village.

Kilinjalmedu village is having 622 fishermen families. 422 of them are active fishermen and 200 of them are supporting the active fishermen. About 114 FRP boats with outboard engine and 60 non-mechanized country boats (catamaran) are engaged in fishing in this village. The boats are well placed on the seashore. Fish landing depends on the season. Fish catching time depends on season either from early morning hours between 3.00am to 11.00am or in evening between 3.00pm to 7.00pm. This fishing village has no facility for storing the fish in chilling units.


The proposed work shelter location at Kilinjelmedu is situated 12 m beyond the HTL. The work shelter falls in survey no. 195/3 of Thalatheru Revenue Village, which is categorized as CRZ III. An abandoned jelly fish tank is situated at the proposed work shelter location. No vegetation is observed near the work shelter location on the beach.


Figure 6.16. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelter at Kilinjelmedu





58

Figure 6.17. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kilinjelmedu

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ III

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ I

jomcy

Text Box

Figure 6.18. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Kilinjelmedu





60

6.2.7. Karaikalmedu Karaikalmedu village is located about 4.1 Km towards the northern side of Karaikal town. It falls under Karaikal town Cummune. This is the major fishing village in Karaikal Region. The village is well connected with coastal road (Singara Velan Salai Road) and by an approach road to access the fish landing area. The Vinayakar temple and Mariamman Temple are located near the village. The distance from shoreline to huts is about 50 m. During the rough season this distance becomes less than 10 m. The land along the coast is occupied by small houses of fisherman families. Sand ridges are seen along the coast. Piped water supply and electricity are available at this village.

Karaikalmedu village is having 769 fishermen families. 719 of them are active fishermen and 50 of them are supporting the active fishermen. About 200 FRP boats with outboard engine and 5 non-mechanized country boats (catamaran) are engaged in fishing in this village. The boats are well placed on the seashore. Fish landing depends on the season. Fish catching time depends on season either from early morning hours between 3.00am to 11.00am or in evening between 3.00pm to 7.00pm. This fishing village has no facility for storing the fish in chilling units.

Two work shelters are proposed at adjacent locations in Karaikalmedu village. Photographs showing the area surrounding the proposed work shelter no. 1 and no.2 are presented as Figure 6.19. Key map of the proposed work shelters is presented as Figure 6.20. Layout of the proposed work shelters is shown as Figure 6.21.

The proposed work shelter no.1 and no.2 locations at Karaikalmedu are situated 3 m and 7 m beyond the HTL respectively. Both the work shelters fall in survey no. 244/2 of Kovilpattu Revenue Village, which is categorized as CRZ III. No vegetation is observed near the work shelter locations on the beach.


Figure 6.19. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelters at Karaikalmedu





61

Figure 6.20. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelters at Karaikalmedu

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ III

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ I

jomcy

Text Box

Figure 6.21. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelters at Karaikalmedu





63

6.2.8. Pattinacherry Pattinacherry village is located about 4.6 Km towards the southern side of the Karaikal town. It falls in CR Pattinam Cummune. The village is well connected to the near by town Tirumalarajanpattinam on East Coast road (NH 45A Extn.). This is the second major fishing village in Karaikal region. The approach road connecting between NH 45A and Pattinacherry fish landing area is in good condition. The Jadayu Dureswar swamy Temple is located near the village. The distance from the shoreline to the beach road is about 105 m. During the rough season this distance becomes less than 20 m. The land along the coast is occupied by small houses of fishermen families. Electricity and piped water supply are available at the village. A concrete retaining wall of 1.5m height was constructed recently for a length of about 300m parallel to the HTL for reducing the effect of disaster like Tsunami.

Pattinacherry village is having 207 fishermen families. 132 of them are active fishermen and 75 of them are supporting the active fishermen. About 80 FRP boats with outboard engine and 30 non-mechanized country boats (catamaran) are engaged in fishing in this village. The boats are well placed on the seashore. Some of the boats are parked in the estuary near the village for easy movement of boats into the sea. Fish landing depends on the season. Fish catching time depends on season either from early morning hours between 3.00am to 11.00am or in evening between 3.00pm to 7.00pm. This fishing village has no facility for storing the fish in chilling units.

Two work shelters are proposed at adjacent locations in Pattinacherry village. Photographs showing the area surrounding the proposed work shelter no. 1 and no.2 are presented as Figure 6.22. Key map of the proposed work shelters is presented as Figure 6.23. Layout of the proposed work shelters is shown as Figure 6.24.

The proposed work shelter no. 1 and no. 2 locations at Pattinacherry are situated 14 m and 16 m beyond the HTL respectively. Both the work shelters fall in survey no. 104/2 of Kizhiyur North Revenue Village, which is categorized as CRZ III. Citrullus colocynthis, Kyllinga triceps, Prosopis juliflora and Solanum virginianum are the vegetation observed near the work shelter locations on the beach. The ecological significance and local utility of the plants in work shelter villages are presented in Annexure 6.1.


Figure 6.22. View of Area Surrounding the Proposed Work Shelters at Pattinacherry





64

Figure 6.23. Key Map of the Proposed Work Shelters at Pattinacherry

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ I

jomcy

Text Box

CRZ III

jomcy

Text Box

Figure 6.24. Layout of the Proposed Work Shelter at Pattinacherry



66

Environmental Impact Assessment 7.1. Introduction

Environmental impact is defined as any change in the environmental conditions or creation of a new set of conditions, which may be either beneficial or adverse to the surrounding environmental components. The purpose of this Rapid EIA exercise is to assess the impacts generated by various project activities over the different environmental components and variations of the above impacts.

Prediction of impacts is an essential component of any EIA, without which, the primary objective of assessing the future condition of the environment with the project would remain unfulfilled. The exercise of environmental impact assessment is accomplished in three stage actions viz. identification, prediction and evaluation. It gives an estimate of magnitude and spatial distribution of impact.

The environmental impact has been assessed for two phases (Construction and Operational phases) of the proposed project, with respect to various environmental parameters. The basic environmental impact components considered are:

• Air Environment • Noise Environment • Water Environment • Land Environment • Marine Environment • Ecology • Aesthetics • Socio-Economics

The identification of the environmental impacts has been made, based on the understanding of cause - condition - effect relationship between an activity and the impact component. Matrix method was followed for the identification and evaluation of impacts. The Activity - impact identification matrix is presented as Annexure 7.1. The identification based on this is helpful in recognizing the series of impacts that would trigger by the proposed activities. The detailed assessment of the resultant environmental impacts have been made based on the impacts identified and evaluated from the project activities over the baseline status of various environmental components.

Project related activities, broadly categorized as activities carried out under construction phase and operational phase, identified as sources having potential to cause impact upon various environmental parameters and the impacts predicted due to these activities are described in the next section.

As presented in Chapter 6, environmental setting of all the project villages is almost similar and the proposed activities are almost common in all the villages. Hence, the impacts identified are also common for all the project villages, except the impact on beach ecology due to increased human

7





67

activity on beach due to provision of fish drying units, solid waste generation due to fish drying facility, impact on beach vegetation due to construction of building and proximity to turtle nesting area. These impacts are different in each project site. Site specific impacts are presented as Annexure 7.2 and these impacts are discussed in detail in the following sections.

7.2. Identification and Prediction of Impacts

7.2.1. Air Environment 7.2.1.1 Construction Phase The major air pollutant during any construction activity is the emission of dust particles from various construction activities like excavation, movement of construction vehicles, transportation of materials etc. Number of truck trips required for transportation of construction materials for each work shelter building are Type I -290, Type II - 210 and Type III - 190 during the entire construction period. Only one Site Concrete Mixer is used for each work shelter as construction equipment. Fugitive emissions are likely to increase during movement of construction vehicles and operation of construction machineries used during construction period. However, these impacts will be localized and temporary in nature which will cease with discontinuing of construction activity. Moreover, environmental management measures incorporated in the EMP will reduce these impacts.

The various air pollution sources and the pollution type and nature are summarized in Table 7.1.

Table 7.1. Air Pollution Source Characteristics

Nature of Activities Geometry of Source

Source Type Location of Source

Pollutant Type

Site clearing Area Intermittent Ground level SPM and RPM Soil excavation Area Intermittent Ground level SPM and RPM Transportation of raw Materials

Line Intermittent Ground level NOx, CO, HC, Pb, RPM, and SPM

Construction activities Area Intermittent Ground level SPM and RPM Note: RPM - Respirable Particulate Matter, SPM - Suspended Particulate Matter

Impacts : • Dust generation due to transportation of raw materials for construction activities, • Smoke due to vehicular emissions and construction machineries.

Mitigation measures : • Materials shall be covered with tarpaulin sheets during transport. Water shall be sprayed for

dust suppression. • Construction area shall be protected by barriers • There shall be periodic emission check for vehicles • Regular emission checks shall be done for the construction machinery. • Regular maintenance of equipment shall be done.

7.2.1.2. Operation Phase A probable source of air pollution will be the emissions from the vehicles reaching the drying units to carry fish. Impact of these emissions will be negligible as only one three wheeler will be sufficient to





68

carry the fish dried in a village during one week since the capacity of drier to be provided in a work shelter is only 100 Kg per day.

7.2.2. Noise Environment Sound or noise is a disturbance, which propagates away from the source through an elastic medium, namely air, water or solids, until it reaches a receiver. The noise level (dB) at the receiver’ s location is a function of the characteristics of the sound source (power, intensity and frequency spectra), the properties of the transmission medium and the presence of objects or barriers. For simple cases, such as a point source, the sound energy is radiated over spherical surfaces away from the source. The presence of objects in the path of sound propagation results in a decrease in the sound pressure level. For a source located on the ground, the sound will propagate in a hemispherical pattern.

The Work Shelter activities can involve short-term impacts during construction and operation phases due to increased noise levels. The impacts include interference on human activities such as sleep, communication and concentration.

7.2.2.1. Construction Phase During the Construction Phase the possible sources of noise could be vehicles carrying construction materials, concrete mixer and the construction activities itself. Number of truck trips required for transportation of construction materials for each work shelter building are Type I -290, Type II - 210 and Type III - 190 during the entire construction period. Only one Site Concrete Mixer is used for each work shelter as construction equipment. There shall be minor structural and fabrication work at the site. The noise generated from these activities will be intermittent, unsteady and will not be severe.

Hence the noise generated due to the work shelters will have short time localized impact only. Since the noise generating activities will be restricted to day-time and no sensitive receptors like schools or hospitals are located around the project sites, there will not be a significant impact of noise on community. Mitigation measures for the impacts during construction phase are the following:

• Noise generating activities shall not be conducted during night-time. • Periodic maintenance of vehicles shall be ensured. • Construction area shall be protected by barriers.

7.2.2.2. Operation Phase A probable source of noise pollution during the operation phase will be the vehicles reaching the drying units to carry fish. Impact of noise from these vehicles will be negligible as only one three wheeler will be sufficient to carry the fish dried in a village during one week since the capacity of drier to be provided in a work shelter is only 100 Kg per day.

7.2.3. Land Environment Development of the Work Shelter involves clearing the site, soil excavation and other activities, which affect land directly. Secondary impacts are those of induced developments related to the project, which would place a stress on the land use. Further, this activity will lead to rapid growth of the region. In this perspective the most significant elements of land that require prediction have been broadly classified into the following:

• Soil Erosion: Erosion is the process through which soil particles are dislodged and transported to other locations by actions of water and / or wind. Removal of vegetative





69

cover exposes the soil to erosive forces of water and wind. Soil erosion will lead to an unproductive land, change the drainage pattern of the area, and increase the sediment load reaching the neighboring water bodies.

• Soil Quality: Soil quality can be affected due to contamination by the spillage of construction materials or due to disposal of wastes.

• Land-use patterns: Land use patterns are natural or imposed configurations resulting from spatial arrangement of different uses of land at a particular time. The critical consideration is the extent to which any changes in land-use patterns resulting from an action are compatible with existing adjacent land uses and are in conformity with approved or proposed land-use plans.

7.2.3.1. Construction Phase Erosion of the shoreline due to waves is currently kept under control by the barrier wall constructed by the Government in some of the villages, where the sea erosion is significant. None of the project activities will lead to erosion of shoreline as the construction activities will be sufficiently away from the shoreline. Another possibility of soil erosion on the beach is the dispersion of sand by wind due to loosening of sand during construction phase. Ipomoea pes-caprae, a creeper is acting as sand binder in most of the beaches. Care will be taken to avoid damage to this vegetation due to construction activities. Further, vehicles carrying construction materials will be moving through designated lines only in the beach. The construction site will be covered with barriers made up of GI sheets to prevent sand dispersion due to wind.

No significant impact on beach profile is anticipated duet o the project. The sand excavated for the foundation of the work shelters will be spread on the beach uniformly, without affecting the beach profile. The major construction involved in this Project is the work shelter buildings. Stone, coarse aggregate etc required for the construction shall be obtained from licensed quarries. These shall be stock piled with edge barriers made up of GI sheets at 50 m away from the shore line so that it does not find its way into the waters.

The construction phase impacts will mainly comprise of disposal of construction debris and other construction material on land. However, the impact will be short term and restricted to construction phase only, as the site will be cleared off from all construction debris immediately at the end of the day and no debris will be allowed to be accumulated at the coast. No impact on land-use pattern is envisaged during the construction phase as the project is proposed in open beaches.

7.2.3.2. Operation Phase During the operation phase of the Work Shelters, fish waste will be generated due to fish drying activity. Disposal of these wastes on land can lead to contamination of land, but can be prevented by appropriate environmental management measures. A waste collection and treatment arrangement has been proposed in the Environmental Management Plan to address this issue.

The Work Shelter activities will be largely confined only to the shore. Local sale of fish will be strictly prohibited by the harbour management society. Hence, there will be no chance of setting up of local fish markets or small shops and there will not be any changes in the land use pattern during the operation phase of the project.





70

7.2.4. Hydrological Environment When a pollutant is discharged into a water body, the water quality in the surrounding area is depending on the function of the currents, mixing, water chemistry and biological processes of the natural water body.

Activities having Potential Impacts on Water Environment are the following: Construction Phase

• Site clearing • Soil excavation • Transportation and storage of raw materials • Construction / Pre casting / Water Utilization and Disposal

Operation Phase • Disposal of waste oil from OBM engines (during repair) • Disposal of fish waste

7.2.4.1. Construction Phase Site Clearing: Site clearing will be minimal. Since the construction is carried out in the beach, sediments will be settled in the sand itself and hence sediment inputs to sea due to erosion will be limited.

Sand Excavation: Sand excavation will be limited to that required for the foundation of the Work Shelters. The excavated sand shall be spread over the beach as thin layer.

Water Utilization and Disposal: Construction activities of the Work Shelters would call for some water requirement which is normal in case of any civil constructional activity, but such uses or likely wastage of water is not likely to cause any serious damage. The source of this will be the Municipal supply and private tankers.

Labor camps will not be located on the beach or in the CRZ and will be located either in the village or away on the main land. Waste water from the labor camp will be treated in septic tanks followed by soak pits. No waste water will be disposed in to the sea. Temporary toilets will be provided on the site during construction and these will be connected to a septic tank. Adequate facilities shall be provided for laborers, so that garbage is not dumped into the sea.

Earthworks: Earthwork involving filling of the building foundation with soil will be required at the site. Any excess earth shall be removed at the end of every day and disposed at a suitable location. Hence no impacts of debris disposal are anticipated due to the project activities. There is no land reclamation along the shoreline and so no impact in flow characteristics is anticipated due to the same.

No work shelters are situated adjacent to back waters or rivers. Any runoff from the work shelter locations will be flowing to the sea only. In order to prevent the runoff reaching the sea, a shallow trench of 30cm depth and 30cm width shall be made in between the work site and the sea during the construction period. The trench shall be connected to a soak pit of 30cm x 30cm x 30cm with stone lining and filled with filter material. The runoff will primarily contain any soil or cement spilled in the beach during the construction of the building foundation. The sediments collected in the trench and soak pit shall be collected and disposed at the debris disposal site.

Construction Activities: Spilling of construction materials into the sea would spoil the environment





71

and also become potential danger for navigation. Planning and management of construction with suitable methods would help to avoid such problem.

7.2.4.2. Operational Phase The waste oils from OBM (during repair) will be a source of pollution. The waste oil /grease from OBM will be collected and stored safely in barrels and sent to approved waste oil treatment facilities for safe disposal. No overhauling of OBM shall be undertaken in the work shelters. Permission will be obtained by the Harbor Management Society from Pondicherry Pollution Control Committee for collection and disposal of waste oil during the operation phase of the project.

Fish waste generated at the drying units will be a source of water pollution, if dumped in to the sea or estuary without treatment. About 10 to 15 kg/day of fish waste will be generated from solar fish drying units which will be collected in FRP waste bins. Bin composting has been proposed for in situ disposal of fish waste from the drying units. Harbour Management Society will be responsible for operating this facility. Details of bin composting are presented in Annexure 9.3.

7.2.5. Biological Environment The ecosystem comprises of both the abiotic (non-living) and the biotic (living) assemblages. Coastal zones are considered to be the most productive ecosystems on earth. In rural areas or industrially undeveloped areas, the primary economic activities such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries are based upon the living natural resources or the biological environment.

7.2.5.1. Construction Phase Impact on Terrestrial Flora and Fauna: The area of beach covered by each work shelter building is given in the table below.

Table 7.2. Area of Beach Covered by each Work Shelter Building

Sl No. Village Area (m2)

1 Mandapathur 393.275 2 Kalikuppam 497.970 3 Akkampettai 393.275 4 Kottucherrymedu 393.275 5 Keezhakasakudymedu 497.970 6 Kilinjalmedu 788.958 7 Karaikalmedu 1548.666 8 Pattinacherry 1548.666

Covering of the beach with work shelter building will affect the crabs and other burrowing organisms such as worms that belong to polychaeta found in the beach sand. Hence, it is proposed to remove the top two feet layer of beach sand of the area to be covered by the work shelters, before filling up the foundation with soil. The removed sand shall be spread over the beach evenly as a thin layer so that the organisms in the sand are not destroyed. Beach sand should not be used to fill up the building foundation and the ramp. The specific procedures / steps to be followed for removing and relaying the top sand layer of the beach for protecting the burrowing organisms is presented in Annexure 9.2.

Very few vegetation is observed in the project sites. The main plant species observed in the building locations is Ipomoea pes-capre, a creeper with pink flowers, which is found abundantly all over the beaches in most of the project villages. A few other herb and grass species are also found at the





72

project sites. These plants are not endangered or rare species. Ecological significance and local utility of the beach vegetation are presented in Annexure 5.1.

No tree cutting is required for the construction of work shelters in any villages. Tree cutting was avoided by reducing the building size and carefully selecting suitable building locations. Access roads planned in the intial stage of the project were dropped later and this avoided the cutting of a large number of trees.

No other impacts are anticipated on terrestrial flora and fauna due to the construction of work shelters.

Impact on Aquatic Ecology: As per the information collected during the primary survey conducted at project villages, the distance between the work shelter building and marine turtle nesting ground is varying from 250 m to 344 m in the five villages where turtle nesting is reported, as presented in Chater 6. Hence, no impact is anticipated on turtle nesting due to the construction of work shelters. Still, as a precautionary measure, construction activities should be avoided during the peak nesting season, i.e. February and March. Further, as a protection measure, awareness shall be created among the fishermen about the need for protection of turtle nesting. No other impacts are anticipated on aquatic ecology due to the construction of work shelters.

7.2.5.2 Operation Phase Impact on Aquatic and Terrestrial Flora and Fauna: No serious impact is expected as the basic nature of activities in each of the village is not getting changed due to the construction of work shelters. Fish drying units are proposed in some of the fishing villages. Human activity will be slightly more in the fishing villages with drying units. This will have a limited impact on the aquatic and beach flora and fauna. To avoid this, no vehicle shall be allowed to enter the open beach. Further, retail selling of fish shall not be allowed at drying units. The magnitude of present day impact due to spreading of fish over wider area on the shore will any way be reduced due to the implementation of solar driers.

Impact on Aquatic Ecology: Some of the project villages are located near rivers and estuaries in Karaikal region namely, Arasalar, Thirumalarajanar and Vettar. The activities of the Work Shelters are likely to have certain impact on the estuarine organisms and fisheries of this region, if any construction debris is disposed in to these water bodies. However, no construction debris will be allowed to be disposed or spilled over to these water bodies. All the debris material will be immediately cleared at the end of every working day and disposed suitably.

The project is not expected to have any negative impact on the nesting of Olive Ridley Turtles, as the work shelter will occupy only a negligible area of the total area of beach in each village. Further, as the activities in the beach will be confined to the work shelter area, more beach area will be available for turtle nesting, compared to the present situation, where the fishing boats and other fishing gears are kept scattered over a wide area of the beach in each village.

7.2.6. Impact on Socio Economic Environment, Human Health and Safety Social environment refers to people and their surroundings, human beings and their products, their property, groups, heritage etc. The effects of a project on people and their responses may be direct and immediate or remote and attenuated. Estimation of the change in the income in an area, value of structures, equipment, standard of living, statistical information on population growth etc form the basis of assessing the socio-economic environment of the project area. The potential impacts on the





73

socio economic scenario are assessed as under: • Increase in traffic flow and congestion at and around the project location due to trucks

carrying construction material.. • Disruption in area due to construction activities: Construction Activities shall be limited

to the site and no disruption shall be created in the surrounding areas. • Health and life style impairment because of noise effects: There are no sensitive features

like schools and hospitals near the site and hence the impact is mostly limited to the worker within the site, which can be reduced by providing them with ear plugs.

• Increase in population in the area: No major change is anticipated. • Change in character of the surrounding community: No major change is anticipated. • Increased housing requirements for the employees: Insignificant. • Economic impacts: The local and regional level impact in terms of improvement in the

economy is significant • New jobs created from construction and operation activities: This will be a short term as

well as long term positive impact. • General growth in fishing activity in the area: The development shall provide a boost to

the fishing industry in the area which is one of the prime economic activities in Karaikal region.

Any development can have associated health impacts that can result directly from changes to the biophysical environment (such as exposure to toxic pollutants) or indirectly as the result of other changes caused by the project (e.g. lowered socio-economic status).

The health impact could also be due to the risk of accidents and disasters. Potential health-related effects of development can be predicted, mitigated and managed. Health impacts are in general, secondary effects of air, noise and water pollution caused during both construction and operation phases. In the case of this project the health effects due to construction activities during the construction phase is minimal while no impacts are predicted during the operation phase of the project.

During the construction period, the dust generated due to the drilling, dredging and building activities can have some health impacts on the workers as well as the nearby fishermen colonies. With proper safety operation procedures and regular spraying of water in the construction sites, will reduce the dust generation.

Since the operation of the Work Shelters include mainly storing boats and fish processing activities, health impacts can be considered negligible during the operation phase.

7.3. Evaluation of Impacts

7.3.1. Significance of Impacts Categorization of the significance of impacts based on the nature, duration, intensity, and extent of impacts is given in Table 7.3.

Table 7.3. Categorization of the Significance of Impacts

Significance of Impact Description Highly Significant Impacts that are irreversible and could threaten sustainability of





74

Significance of Impact Description environmental resources with no effective mitigation possible. These should be considered as management concern like relocation or major changes to the nature and scope of the project.

Moderately Significant Impacts that could result in a decline in environmental resource / quality to lower-than-baseline. Mitigation possible without major change to nature of project but may only be partially effective in reducing the impact.

Less Significant Impacts that may result in a slight decline in environmental resource / quality in the project area during the life of the project but can be effectively reduced with mitigation measures.

7.3.2. Prioritization of Impacts Matrix method was followed for the identification and evaluation of impacts. The Activity - impact identification matrix is presented as Annexure 7.1. The detailed assessment of the resultant environmental impacts has been made based on the impacts identified and evaluated from the project activities over the baseline status of various environmental components. The impacts of the proposed project on valuable environmental components have been prioritized depending on the nature, duration, intensity, and extent of impacts. The impact prioritization is presented in Table 7.4.

Table 7.4. Prioritization of Impacts

Impact Project Phase*

Sl. No

Component Affected

1 2 Nature Duration Intensity Extent Significance

1. Topography √ – ve Permanent Low Local Less 2. Soil √ – ve Temporary Low Local Less 3. Air Quality √ √ – ve Temporary Low Local Less 4. Noise Level √ √ – ve Temporary Low Local Less 5. Water quality √ √ – ve Temporary Low Local Less 6. Terrestrial

Ecology √ √ – ve Temporary Low Local Less

7. Aquatic Ecology √ – ve Temporary Low Local Less 8. Socio economics √ + ve Permanent High Local High 9. Public Health √ – ve Temporary Low Local Less 10. Occupational

Safety √ – ve Temporary Medium Local Less

* 1. Construction Phase, 2. Operation Phase

7.4. Mitigation of Impacts

Even though the negative impacts of the project are not severe, care has to be taken to ensure that the ambient environmental conditions do not deteriorate due to project activities. Further, measures should be taken to enhance the positive impacts of the project to get maximum benefits from the project.

Mitigation measures to avoid or minimize the negative impacts and enhancement measures to maximize the positive impacts are presented in Chapter 9 – Environmental Management Plan. Since most of the impacts identified are common for all the project villages, mitigation measures are also common for all the project villages. However, village specific impacts are addressed specifically in the EMP.



75

Public Consultation and Information Disclosure 8.1. Introduction

Successful implementation of the project requires coordinated efforts of various stakeholders at different levels. The public consultation process helps in reducing the public resistance to change and enable the participation of the local people in the decision making process. To ensure that people’s concerns are incorporated in the project design and to promote public understanding about the project and its implications, public consultation and information disclosure is treated as a two-way process where the information is passed on to public and their feed back is sought to understand their issues. The involvement of various stakeholders in the public consultation process is to be ensured so that the affected population and other stakeholders are informed, consulted and are allowed to participate at various stages of project preparation.

The most important stakeholders in the case of this project are the fishermen and hence the intention of holding these meetings were basically to understand clearly the requirements of the fishermen regarding the proposed work shelters. This will also indicate the patronage the proposed work shelters will receive from the end user. Through Stake holder meetings, the envisaged proposals and its benefits could be well explained to the fishermen. Through one to one interaction with the fishermen, the issues and needs of the fishermen can be understood in detail. This will also provide better view and feedback/thoughts to be put across in the preparation of the concepts.

Therefore, the stake holder meetings as prescribed in the ToR of the study were conducted during the pre-design and post-design phases of the project. Separate reports were prepared for the stake holder meetings conducted during the pre-design and post-design stages of the project. Summary of these stakeholder meetings is presented in the following sections.

8.2. Pre-design Public Consultations

8.2.1. Objectives The main objective of the consultation process was to minimize negative impacts of the project and to maximize the benefits of the project. Other objectives of the consultation process were the following:

• To promote public awareness about the proposed project especially amongst the potentially impacted communities/individuals;

• To educate the potentially impacted communities/individuals about the proposed course of action and the project alternatives;

• To solicit the views of affected communities/individuals on environmental and social problems;

• To gather inputs from the affected communities/individuals in crucial decisions regarding mitigation of the identified environmental and social issues;

8





76

• To stimulate community self evaluation and analysis; • To inform Project Affected Persons (PAPs) about the entitlement framework and

Resettlement Action Plan (RAP), and to settle their problems with mutual consent and to assist them during relocation and resettlement; and

• To minimize public resistance to change by providing them a platform in the decision making process.

8.2.2. Methodology Adopted for Public Consultation The detailed program including the details on the identified stake holders for conducting the pre-design stake holder meeting were submitted to the Project Director, PIA, ETRP, Puducherry for approval and to proceed further. After getting the concurrence from PIA, ETRP, invitation in local language (Tamil) was prepared and submitted for finalization. The next task was to identify the people to be invited for the pre-design stake holder meetings. The list of people to be invited for the meeting including MLAs, MPS, councilors, Village heads, group heads were issued to the identified stake holders, fishermen of Mandapathur, Kalikuppam, Akkampettai, Kottucherrymedu, Keezhakasikudimedu, Kilinjalmedu, Karaikalmedu, Karukalacherry, Pattinacherry and North Vanjoor villages of Karaikal enclave, officials of PIA, ETRP and Directorate of Fisheries, Fishermen Welfare department and to fishermen village, Councilors, Panchayat Presidents, Village President, and members , Self-helping women Teams, active fishermen, merchants, vendors, market sellers, and dried-fish sellers.

As part of the study, it has been proposed to construct work-shelters at eight fishing villages in Karaikal enclave. In order to get active participation from the fishermen, the villages were grouped into seven sectors for the purpose of conducting meeting based on the population size of the villages and the geographical location. For each sector, an easily approachable and suitable common place for each village was identified for conducting the pre-design stake holder meeting. The date and location of the stakeholder meetings conducted in Karaikal enclave are given in Table 8.1. Attendance sheets and photographs of pre-design stakeholder meetings are presented as Annexure 8.1.

Table 8.1. Details of Pre-design Stakeholder Meetings at Karaikal Enclave

Date and Time of the Meeting Location Fishing Villages Included No of Members

Attended

17-12-2008 Ellaiamman Thirumana Nilayam, Kilinjalmedu

Mandapathur, Kalikuppam and Kottucherrymedu 30

18-12-2008 Ellaiamman Thirumana Nilayam, Kilinjalmedu

Keezhakasikudimedu, Kilinjalmedu and Karaikalmedu

117

19-12-2008 Fishermen welfare community hall, Pattinacherry

Karukalacherry, Pattinacherry and North Vanjoor

100

24-03-09 Kilinjalmedu

Mandapathur, Akkampetai, Kalikuppam, Kottucherrymedu, Keezhakasukudi medu, Kilinjalmedu, Karaikalmedu

49

25-03-09 Pattinacherry Pattinacherry 101





77

8.2.3. Presentations The officials from the PIA, ETRP and Directorate of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare department welcomed the gathered fishing village representatives, councilors, village Panchayat leaders, fishermen and women. The officials briefed about the PIA role and the necessary step taken from the different projects through ETRP for the upliftment of fisher folk and also mentioned about the role of consultants of PIA for the project “Design and Construction of Work Shelters in fishing villages along the Puducherry and Karaikal coasts”.

The Marine Expert of the Consultants explained in detail about the need of the work shelter, and its benefits in the way of reducing the damage by the work shelters by keeping the FRP catamaran in a well protected work shelter.

8.2.4. Participants From the project proponent side, the meetings were attended by Assistant Engineer - PIA and Sub Inspector of Fisheries, Fisheries Department. Representatives of the Consultants also attended the meetings.

From the public, the meetings were attended by Village Panchayat Presidents, Panchayat members, people from fisherman community including self-help women groups, active fishermen, merchants, fish vendors, and dried-fish sellers. Since there was heavy fish landing on the day of public consultation, the participation from the fishermen was less in the first meeting.

8.2.5. Issues Raised during Discussions Following are the issues raised by the participants during the discussions:

• As the registration of boats are more in some of the villages, fishermen associated with various groups requested for more number of work shelters than approved. They also requested that the PIA should adopt a coordinated and transparent approach in allotting work shelters for fishing villages. Otherwise it may lead to conflicts in the community.

• Fishermen requested that the design should be based on the assessment of fleet sizes, characteristics of landings, duration of fishing trips, and number of FRP catamaran in each village.

• The fishermen of Pattinacherry fishing village requested for a training programme for the fisher youth about the operation of trolley as well as the work shelter maintenance.

• Fisherwomen requested for better facilities for sun drying and salt curing without disturbing the existing drying platforms. They also requested for more number of fish drying platforms.

• Fishermen requested for establishing banks for fishing community since banks and financial institutions shy away from lending to fishing communities mainly due to poor credit history.

• Fishermen requested that user charges should not be collected during fishing ban period.

• The fishermen suggested that certain facilities such as parking may have to be provided free of cost as a social service to the fishermen since fisheries with unpredictable income is considered as a risky sector.





78

• Regarding the user charges, the fishermen said that the fishing activities required group effort and hence collective decision during their local Panchayat meeting is required in this matter. They have promised to give a written document supporting the payment of user charges for parking of boats.

• The fisherwomen accepted user charges for drying facilities. They requested that the user charges should be reasonable.

• The fishermen were very much worried that coastal zones are particularly vulnerable to climate changes. Key concerns included sea level rise, land loss, changes in marine storms and flooding, responses to sea level rise and implications on water resources. They requested to take measures to prepare for the consequences of rising sea level.

• Some fishermen said that they are much interested in using Purse seine nets, but marine expert, explained that fishing with purse seine nets will cause damage to the marine ecosystem as it is collecting everything up to the bottom of the sea. He also said that it is banned in almost all States. Some fishermen also said that such nets are reducing the fish catch and they have put a voluntary ban on these nets.

The fishermen were assured that the issues raised by them will be considered in the preparation of final design of the work shelters. Issues beyond the scope of the project are to be addressed by the Fisheries Department.

8.2.6. Addressal of Issues The issues raised during the discussions and the addressal of issues have been presented in Table 8.2.

Table 8.2. Issues of Pubic Concern

Sl.No Issues Raised Addressal of Issues in the Design

1. Protection for FRP Catamaran and its accessories from steal

Provided

2. Chilling Units for Catches of Fisherman Due to cost inefficiency chilling units are not provided

3. Protected Areas for Storage of Iced as well as dried fishes

Work Shelters for storage of Iced as well as dried fishes are provided

4. Requirement of Fish Drying Platforms/Units Provided 5. Provision of Work Shelters at least 50 m from HTL Provided 6. Electric Winches to move/full FRP Catamaran

effortlessly to save time Provided

7 Large Fish Drying Area because of availability of minimum of 10 to 20 tonnes of fishes/day

Provided

8. One more escape route at fish landing area in Pattinacherry fishing village, as there is concrete wall which acts as an obstacle for accessing the fish landing area.

Not Considered, as it is not in the design proposal

9. Training program for fisher youth regarding operation of Trolley and maintenance of work shelter.

Provided





79

8.3. Post-design Public Consultations

8.3.1. Methodology Adopted for Public Consultations The detailed program including the details on the identified stake holders for conducting the post-design stake holder meeting were submitted to the Project Director, PIA, Puducherry for their approval to proceed further. After getting the concurrence from PIA, invitation in local language (Tamil) were issued to the identified stake holders, fishermen of respective villages, officials of PIA, ETRP and Fisheries department.

In order to get active participation from the fishermen, the eight project villages were grouped into two sectors for the purpose of conducting meeting based on the population size of the villages and the geographical location. For each sector, an easily approachable and suitable common place was identified for conducting the post-design stake holder meeting. Meetings were called in the hamlets using the contacts established during the daily visit to the villages for the surveys. Details of meetings conducted at each location are presented in Table 8.3. Attendance sheets and photographs of post-design stakeholder meetings are presented as Annexure 8.2.

Table 8.3. Details of Post-design Stakeholder Meetings at Karaikal Enclave

SI No

Date of Meeting

Location Villages Included No. of Members Attended

1

24-03-09 Kilinjalmedu

Mandapathur, Akkampetai, Kalikuppam, Kottucherrymedu,

Keezhakasukudi medu, Kilinjalmedu, Karaikalmedu

49

2 25-03-09 Pattinacherry Pattinacherry 101

8.3.2. Participants From the project proponent side, the meetings were attended by Assistant Engineer - PIA and Sub Inspector of Fisheries, Fisheries Department. Representatives of the Consultants also attended the meetings.

From the public, the meetings were attended by Village Panchayat Presidents, Panchayat members, people from fisherman community including self-help women groups, active fishermen, merchants, fish vendors, and dried-fish sellers. Since there was heavy fish landing on the day of public consultation, the participation from the fishermen was less in the first meeting.

8.3.3. Presentations At the outset, the Team Leader of the Consultants to PIA, ETRP welcomed the gathering. He briefed about the role of the PIA in Tsunami rehabilitation and the steps taken through different projects of ETRP for the upliftment of fisher folk, after the serious damage made by the Tsunami in 2004. He also mentioned about the role of Consultants of PIA for the project

Then, the Team Leader made a brief description about the salient features of the project, details on the work done so far by their experts in each fishing villages and the importance of conducting the post-design stake holder meeting. Further, he explained about the proposal to collect user charges for the work shelter and how it would be helpful in the operation and maintenance of the work shelters. He also emphasized on the role of stake holders in sustainable fishing practices etc. He insisted the





80

participants to express their valuable opinion in relation to the project that will assist to implement the design of the work shelter.

Further, the Marine Expert of the Consultants explained in detail about the need of the work shelter, and its objective of developing a micro business model for value added fish products, run and managed in a sustainable way by a fisher women group. He also explained about the value addition facilities such as solar dryers and hauling arrangement provided at the work shelters.

8.3.4. Discussions The interaction session was conducted by the Team Leader of the Consultants, using questionnaires. The questionnaire focused on the following:

• Identify the gaps that need to be addressed for strengthening the livelihoods of fishermen.

• Better fishing practices and reduction in number of boats. • To improve production, processing, storage, transport and marketing of the products. • To improve living conditions of fishing communities and to orient their thinking

towards modern fishing trends such as using solar dries etc. • Adopt any other measure and systems approach for the optimal utilization of fishery

resources during ban period. • Adequate infrastructure facilities such as berthing, handling, storage, ice production

and marketing. • Socio economic analysis of marine fisher folk. • User level charges

The entire audience were actively involved during the above interaction and given very valuable suggestions for the implementation of the design of work shelters. All the participants sincerely welcomed this project and requested to start the project as early as possible.

8.3.5. Issues Raised during Discussions Following are the issues raised by the participants during the discussions:

• As the registration of boats are more in some of the villages, fishermen associated with various groups requested for more number of work shelters than approved. They also requested that the PIA should adopt a coordinated and transparent approach in allotting work shelters for fishing villages. Otherwise it may lead to conflicts in the community.

• Fishermen requested that the design should be based on the assessment of fleet sizes, characteristics of landings, duration of fishing trips, and number of FRP catamaran in each village.

• The fishermen of Pattinacherry fishing village requested for a training programme for the fisher youth about the operation of trolley as well as the work shelter maintenance.

• Fisherwomen requested for better facilities for sun drying and salt curing without disturbing the existing drying platforms. They also requested for more number of fish drying platforms.

• Fishermen requested for establishing banks for fishing community since banks and financial institutions shy away from lending to fishing communities mainly due to poor credit history.





81

• Fishermen requested that user charges should not be collected during fishing ban period.

• The fishermen suggested that certain facilities such as parking may have to be provided free of cost as a social service to the fishermen since fisheries with unpredictable income is considered as a risky sector.

• Regarding the user charges, the fishermen said that the fishing activities required group effort and hence collective decision during their local Panchayat meeting is required in this matter. They have promised to give a written document supporting the payment of user charges for parking of boats.

• The fisherwomen accepted user charges for drying facilities. They requested that the user charges should be reasonable.

• The fishermen were very much worried that coastal zones are particularly vulnerable to climate changes. Key concerns included sea level rise, land loss, changes in marine storms and flooding, responses to sea level rise and implications on water resources. They requested to take measures to prepare for the consequences of rising sea level.

• Some fishermen said that they are much interested in using Purse seine nets, but marine expert, explained that fishing with purse seine nets will cause damage to the marine ecosystem as it is collecting everything up to the bottom of the sea. He also said that it is banned in almost all States. Some fishermen also said that such nets are reducing the fish catch and they have put a voluntary ban on these nets.

The fishermen were assured that the issues raised by them will be considered in the preparation of final design of the work shelters. Issues beyond the scope of the project are to be addressed by the Fisheries Department.

8.3.6. Addressal of Issues Issues raised by the stakeholders during the post-design public consultations were addressed to the extent possible in the final design of work shelters and the facilities proposed at the work shelters.

8.4. Community Participation in Project Implementation

To implement the EMP in a proper way, it is essential to provide scope of involving communities and affected persons in the process. Stakeholders’ participation throughout the stages of project implementation and early operation (or the defects liability period) will be integrated in the project.

It has been fully realized that, to redress the environmental issues likely to surface during construction and operational phases, a constant communication need to be established with the affected communities. This has been ensured by regular progress monitoring of the construction and with co-operation of the NGOs. Meetings will be organized with the project affected and the various stakeholders at regular intervals at the potential hotspot/sensitive locations before and during the construction period.

8.5. Information Disclosure

A summary of the EIA Report in English and Tamil will be published in the website of PIA, ETRP. Further, the Executive Summary of EIA Report in Tamil will be made available at the Panchayat office of each project village.



82

Environmental Management Plan 9.1. Introduction

As discussed in Chapter 5, there are no protected areas within the project influence area. The environmental parameters within the study area are currently in a relatively undisturbed condition, when compared to the prescribed standards. Even though the negative impacts are not very severe, care has to be taken to ensure that the ambient environmental conditions do not deteriorate due to project activities. Further, measures should be taken to enhance the positive impacts of the project to get maximum benefits from the project.

The EMP, as presented in this chapter, is a plan of action for avoiding or minimizing the negative impacts of the project and maximizing the positive impacts of the project. The EMP includes a list of all project-related activities and their positive and negative impacts on the environment at different stages of project, namely, pre-construction phase, construction phase and operation phase. The EMP suggests mitigation measures to avoid or minimize the negative impacts and enhancement measures to maximize the positive impacts. The EMP also includes an Environmental Monitoring Plan to ensure the effective implementation of the EMP. The EMP sets a time frame to all proposed mitigation, enhancement and monitoring actions with specific responsibility assigned to the proponent, the contractor and the regulatory agencies. The EMP is to be made part of the Contract Documents. This will ensure that the Contractor implements its provisions with the same diligence as the other Conditions of Contract.

9.2. Mitigation Measures Implementation Plan

All project-related activities, their impacts on environment, mitigation measures for the impacts at different stages of project, namely, construction phase and operation phase, and the agency responsible for implementing the mitigation measures have been presented in Table 9.1. Since most of the impacts identified are common for all the project villages, mitigation measures presented in Table 9.1 are also common for all the project villages. However, village specific impacts such as proximity to turtle nesting area are addressed separately in the village specific mitigation measures implementation plan presented as Table 9.2.

9

Design and Construction of Work Shelters in Fishing Villages along Pondicherry and Karaikal Coasts Environmental Impact Assessment Report



83

Table 9.1. Mitigation Measures Implementation Plan Common for All the Project Sites

Activity Parameter Impacts Mitigation Measures To be Implemented by

Project Phase

Siting of Work shelter locations

Siting of work shelter in CRZ area Siting of work shelter in Govt. land

Impact on coastal ecosystem Impact on landuse of the project villages

Work shelters shall be located beyond the HTL. CRZ clearance shall be obtained for the project from Pondicherry Coastal Zone Management Authority and MoEF. Clearances/permission should be taken from the Town and Country Planning Department and Village Panchayats for the construction of work shelters.

Project Proponent Pre-construction Phase

Air quality Earth moving / removal of vegetative cover etc leading to increase in SPM

Water shall be sprayed for dust suppression. Construction area shall be protected by temporary barriers made up of GI sheets of 3m height.

Contractor Construction Phase

Noise

Increase in noise levels due to use of earth moving equipment, power tools, diesel engines etc.

Workers operating excavators shall be provided with ear plugs. Noise generating activities shall not be conducted during night-time. Periodic maintenance of vehicles shall be ensured. Construction area shall be protected by barriers made up of GI sheets of 3m height.

Contractor and Project Proponent

Construction Phase

Land/Soil Indiscriminate land form modification

Construction material shall be obtained from licensed quarries


Construction phase

Site clearing, Soil Excavation and filling

Water Increase in turbidity of sea water due to run off from construction site.

Earthwork will not be carried out during monsoon. Excavated soil will be stock piled away from the shoreline with edge barriers made up of GI sheets of sufficient height to prevent runoff. Soil excavation will be carried out with sufficient




84


Project Phase

provision of adequate edge protection along the shore line All the accumulated construction debris will be removed at the end of the construction every day and will be disposed at an approved disposal site.

Ecology Construction during the nesting season of turtles may affect turtle nesting in the beaches Construction of the building will affect the crabs and other borrowing organisms in the beach and beach vegetation

Construction should not be carried out during the nesting season, i.e., February and March, especially at Mandapathur, Kalikuppam, Akkampettai, Kottucherymedu and Keezhakasakudimedu villages. Top two feet layer of the beach sand shall be removed from the area of the work shelters, before filling up the foundation with soil. The removed sand shall be spread as a thin layer on the beach. No beach sand shall be used for filling the foundation. Guidelines given in Annexure 9.2. shall be followed for removing and relaying the sand.


Air Vehicular emissions & generation of dust due to handling and transport of construction materials

Materials shall be covered with tarpaulin sheets during transport Use water sprays for dust suppression All vehicles shall comply to the emission norms and shall possess valid Pollution Under Control Certificates at all times


Transportation of raw materials

Noise Increase in noise levels due to Vehicular noise

Periodic maintenance of vehicles and construction equipment shall be ensured





85


Project Phase

Materials shall not be delivered at site during night time

Air Fugitive dust generation due to concrete mixing, cement handling, & emissions from welding, operation of construction machinery

Dust Masks shall be provided for workers Construction area shall be protected by barriers Water shall be sprinkled for dust control Regular emission checks shall be done for the construction machinery. All vehicles shall comply to the emission norms and shall possess valid Pollution Under Control Certificates at all times Regular maintenance of equipment shall be done.


Noise Increase in noise levels due to use of boring equipment, power tools, drill bits etc.

Workers operating concrete mixers shall be provided with ear plugs. Noise generating activities shall not be conducted during night-time. Periodic maintenance of vehicles shall be ensured. Construction area shall be protected by barriers made up of GI sheets of 3m height. Noise Level Monitoring shall be conducted as per Environmental Monitoring Plan.


Construction activities

Water Water consumption for construction impacts water availability Turbid runoff from construction site washings affects water

No groundwater shall be tapped from the project area. Water shall be obtained only from municipal supply or approved sources. Stockpile of fine materials shall be at least 50 m away from back waters and provided with side enclosure. A trench shall be provided in between the work shelter





86


Project Phase

quality

building and sea with 30 cm width and 30 cm depth for the entire length of each building to collect sediment runoff from the work site. The trench shall be connected to a soak pit of 30cm x 30cm x 30cm with stone lining and filled with filter material. The sediments collected in the trench and the soak pit shall be collected and disposed at debris disposal site. Water Quality Monitoring shall be conducted as per Environmental Monitoring Plan.

Land Generation of solid wastes

Construction debris shall be removed daily at the end of the construction and and disposed in approved disposal site after obtaining approval from concerned department.


Socio-Economics

Increased employment opportunities

Local workers shall be engaged to the extent possible. Contractor Construction Phase

Water Water consumption for domestic usage impacts water availability Disposal of untreated liquid waste affects water quality.

No labor camps or construction camps shall be set up within the CRZ area Water shall be obtained only from Municipal supply/approved sources. Adequate sanitary facilities shall be provided. Septic tank shall be used for treatment of toilet waste.


Labour camps

Land Generation of solid wastes, Haphazard growth of temporary buildings / dwellings/

Solid wastes shall be collected in dustbins and disposed it in approved land fill sites and organic solid wastes can be composted. Planned Shelter, basic requirements and sanitation for





87


Project Phase

hutments affects land use and Aesthetics

the workers shall be provided

Air Vehicular emissions and traffic on dusty roads affects air quality

The transport route from the main road to the unloading areas shall be paved and maintained suitably. There shall be periodic emission check for vehicles


Construction & Operation phase

Noise Generation of noise from vehicles

Periodic maintenance of vehicles shall be ensured. Contractor and Project Proponent


Public convenience

Obstruction to movement Trucks shall not use the public road for temporary parking / waiting. Truck parking area shall be out side the CRZ.



Vehicular traffic for the transportation of construction materials during the construction phase and fish during the operation phase

Ecology Loss of beach flora and fauna

Vehicles shall not be allowed to enter the beach. Contractor and Project Proponent


Water

Disposal of fish waste in to the sea will affect water quality

Generation of fish waste from drying units

Land Disposal of fish waste on beach will affect aesthetics & public health

Five HDPE bins with approximately 1m height, 0.5m dia and 200 Litre capacity with tight fitting lid having about 20 holes of 1cm dia on sides and on lid and a plastic tap at the bottom shall be provided in villages with solar drier for bin composting of fish waste. Fish waste shall be collected in containers and treated by bin composting, as per the guidelines given in Annexure 9.3.

Contractor Harbor Management Society

Construction Phase Operation phase

Increased human activity on the beach due to drying units

Ecology Loss of beach flora and fauna

Vehicles shall not be allowed to enter the beach area. Retail selling of dry fish shall not be permitted at the work shelter locations.

Harbor Management Society

Operation phase




88


Project Phase

Water Disposal of waste oil in to the sea will affect water quality

Generation of Waste Oil during repair / oiling of OBM Engines Land Disposal of waste oil on

land will affect water quality

The waste oil /grease from OBM should be collected and stored safely in barrels and sent to approved waste oil treatment facilities for safe disposal. No overhauling of OBM shall be undertaken in the work shelters. Permission should be obtained from Pondicherry Pollution Control Committee for collection and disposal of waste oil.

Harbor Management Society

Operation phase




89

Table 9.2. Site Specific Mitigation Measures Implementation Plan

Sl No

Village (Shelter Number)

Impacts Mitigation Measures To be Implemented by Project Phase

1 Mandapathur, Kalikuppam, Akkampettai, Kottucherrymedu and Keezhakasakudimedu

Impact on marine turtle due to proximity to turtle nesting area

Turtle nesting is not observed at the work shelter location. Still, construction shall be avoided during the nesting season, i.e., February and March. Awareness shall be created among fishermen for the protection of turtles.

Contractor Project Proponent

Construction Phase Construction Phase





90

9.3. Environmental Monitoring Plan

To ensure the effective implementation of the EMP, it is essential that an effective monitoring programme be designed and carried out. The purpose of the monitoring programme is to ensure that the envisaged purpose of the EMP and desired benefits to the target population are achieved. The broad objectives are the following.

• To evaluate the implementation of mitigation measures proposed in the EMP;

• To evaluate the adequacy of Environmental Impact Assessment;

• To suggest improvements in management plan, if required; and

• To satisfy the legal and community obligations.

Various physical, biological and social components identified as of particular significance in affecting the environment at critical locations in various stages of the project have been suggested as Performance Indicators (PIs). Performance Indicators listed below shall be the focus for monitoring.

• Air quality and noise levels at project sites; and

• Surface water quality at project sites

For each of the environmental components, the monitoring plan specifies the parameters to be monitored; locations of monitoring; frequency of monitoring and duration. The monitoring plan also specifies the applicable standards, and implementation and supervising responsibilities.

The environmental monitoring plan is presented as Table 9.3.

Table 9.3. Environmental Monitoring Plan

Air Quality Monitoring Project stage Construction Stage Parameter SPM, RPM, SO2, NOX, CO and HC Sampling Method

High volume air sampler to be located 50 m from the source pollution in the downwind direction. Use method specified by CPCB for analysis

Standards National Ambient Air Quality (NAAQ) Standards set by CPCB Frequency Once in a season for 2 seasons (except monsoon) / year during construction

period Duration Continuous 24 hours / or for 1 full working day Locations Near each work shelter village (total 8 locations) Measures Wherever values of air quality parameters increase above specified standards,

adopt additional mitigation measures as decided by the Pollution Control Committee.

Implementation Contractor / Project Proponent through approved monitoring agencies Supervision PPCC Water Quality Monitoring Project stage Construction Stage Parameter pH, BOD, Turbidity, COD, TDS, Pb, Oil & Grease, Detergents and Faecal

Coliforms for Surface water. Sampling Grab sample collected from source and analysis as per Standard Methods for





91

Method Examination of Water and Wastewater Standards CPCB standards for Inland Surface Water (Class D) and Indian Standards for

Drinking water (IS:10500,1991) Frequency Once in a season for 2 seasons (except monsoon) / year during construction and

operation period. Duration One-time grab sampling Location Near each work shelter location (total 8 location), 7 locations in the coastal sea

and one location in the stream joining the sea near Kalikuppam Village Measures Wherever values of water quality parameters increase above specified standards,

additional mitigation measures as decided by the PPCC shall be adopted. Implementation Contractor / Project Proponent through approved monitoring agencies Supervision PPCC Noise Level Monitoring Project stage Construction stage Parameter Noise level on dB (A) scale Sampling Method

Measure equivalent noise levels using an integrated noise level meter kept at a distance of 15m from the noise source.

Standards Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 Frequency Once in a season for 2 seasons (except monsoon) per year during the entire

construction period. Duration Reading to be taken at 15 seconds interval for 15 minutes every hour for 24

hours and then averaged. Location Same locations as air quality monitoring. Measures Wherever noise level increase above specified standards, additional mitigation

measures as decided by the PPCC shall be adopted. Implementation Contractor / Project Proponent through approved monitoring agencies Supervision PPCC

9.4. Cost Estimates of Environmental Management Plan

The cost of implementing above mitigation measures as estimated in Table 9.4. The total environmental management cost during the construction phase works out to Rs. 3.56 Lakhs.

Table 9.4. Cost Estimates for Environmental Management Plan

Item Assumptions Cost in Rs. 1. Air Pollution Monitoring at 8 locations for two seasons in a year during construction period of 9 months


80000.00

2. Noise level monitoring at 8 locations for two seasons in a year during construction period of 9 months


16000.00

3. Water quality monitoring at 8 locations for two seasons in a year during construction period of 9 months.


48000.00

4. Provision of trench between the work shelter buildings and sea with 30 cm width and 30 cm depth for the entire length of each building and connected

Rs. 20000/location X 8 locations

160000.00





92

to a soak pit of 30cm x 30cm x 30cm with stone lining and filled with filter material to collect sediment runoff from the work site. 5. Provision of HDPE bins with approximately 1m height, 0.5m dia and 200 Litre capacity with tight fitting lid having about 20 holes of 1cm dia on sides and on lid and a plastic tap at the bottom for bin composting of fish waste in villages with solar drier.

Rs. 3500/Bin X 5 Bins X 3 villages

52500.00

Total cost during construction phase 356500.00

Cost of implementation of other mitigation measures proposed in the EMP shall be met as incidental cost of the Contractor.

9.5. Environmental Codes of Practice (ECOP)

In addition to the mitigation measures presented in the previous section, standard ECOP are suggested for the construction stage of the project, which are to be strictly followed by the Contractor to ensure environmental management in the project. The standard ECOP are presented as Annexure 9.1.

9.6. Institutional Arrangements for EMP Implementation

Though rich in legal and regulatory instruments, the implementing agencies are unable to regulate and monitor a sound environmental management plan due to lack of enforcement capacity. Therefore, violations or missed mitigation commitments often go unreported. The gaps and deficiencies pointed out can be removed by proper arrangements. Institutional strengthening component has accordingly been identified. As such, the overall arrangement is as follows.

9.6.1. Organizational Arrangements During the construction phase, environmental management of the project will be supervised by the Environmental Expert of the Construction Supervision Consultant. At the PIA the Manager (Environment) will monitor the implementation of EMP. The Manager (Environment) will coordinate with the supervision consultant, NGOs, community groups, and government departments. During operation phase, environmental management of the project is to be handled by the Harbor Management Society. A person from each Village will be trained on environmental management of the project and other coastal management measures by the supervision consultant.

9.6.2. Environmental Training Training of staff will be provided by the supervision consultant, before and during construction. Some short-term training will also be provided to the Environment Manager, and the contractor staff to raise their levels of environmental capacity. Help of State Pollution Control Board will be sought in this regard.





93

Table 9.5. Training Requirements (2010-2011)

Program Particulars Schedule Participants Orientation Program – • Project Cycle of Pondicherry Government

for Implementation of Work shelters • World Bank’s Environmental Assessment

Guidelines • EIA requirements of Pondicherry

Government • National (Indian) Environmental Laws and

Regulations relating Fisheries Project & Construction Project

• Environmental Impacts of Fisheries & Construction Project

Program - 1 Orientation Program/ Workshop for Implementing and Executing Agencies

Environmental Assessment Process – • Investment Program categorization as per

World Bank • EIA process, Formats and Reports • Identification of Environmental Impacts • Identification of Mitigation Measures • Formulation of Environmental

Management Plan • Implementation and Monitoring • Summary EIA • Review of EIA reports to comply with

World Bank requirements • Incorporation of mitigation measures in the

Project Design and Contracts

1 day • PIA Officials • Gram Panchayat

officials involved in the Project implementation

Program - 2 Orientation Program/ Workshop for Contractors and Supervisory Staff

• Environment issues related to Fisheries & Construction project during construction

• Implementation of mitigation measures • Monitoring of mitigation measures

1 day • Contractors • Supervisory

staff

Program – 3 Orientation program for fishermen / Harbor Management Society member

• Environmental management during operation phase

• Protection of turtle nesting areas • Fish waste management and bin

composting

1 day • Local Fishermen • Harbor Management Society members Local NGOs

9.6.3. Environmental Monitoring In order to ensure that the prescribed environmental norms are maintained during the constructional and the operational phases, regular monitoring is one of the most important components of the institutional arrangement. The regular monitoring of Air pollution, Water quality and Noise level will be done as per Environmental Monitoring Plan. The field reports of various environmental components will be received quarterly, and lapses, if any, shall be taken care of.

9.7. Reporting Mechanism

Monitoring and Evaluation are critical activities in implementation of all projects. Monitoring





94

involves periodic checking to ascertain whether activities are going according to the plans. It provides the necessary feedback for project management to keep the programme on schedule. The reporting system will operate linearly with the contractor who is at the lowest rung of the implementation system reporting to the Supervision Consultant, who in turn shall report to the PIA. All reporting by the contractor and Supervision Consultant shall be on a monthly basis. The compliance monitoring and the progress reports on environmental components may be clubbed together and submitted to the PIA, monthly during the implementation period. The operation stage monitoring reports shall be biennial.

During the implementation period, a compliance report shall include description of the items of EMP, which were not complied by any of the responsible agencies. It would also report the management and field actions taken to enforce compliance. It may however, be noted that certain items of the EMP might not be possibly complied with due to a various reasons. The intention of the compliance report is not to suppress these issues but to bring out the circumstances and reasons for which compliance was not possible (such as jurisdictional issues). This would help in rationalizing the implementation of the EMP during the remaining duration of implementation. Solutions for further effective implementation should also come out as a result of the compliance monitoring reports. Responsibilities for overseeing will rest with the Supervision Consultant’s staff reporting to the PIA.





95

Annexure 5.1 Ecological Significance of Flora of the Project Villages

Sl. No.

Botanical Name Common Name Family Ecological Significance/Local Utility

1 Tephrosia purpurea Fish Poison/Wild Indigo (Auhuhu, Auhola or Hola)

Fabaceae Wasteland weed and of medicinal value for stomach, respiratory and urinary disorders

2 Ipomoea pes-capre Goat’s foot/Beach Morning Glory

Convolvulaceae Creeping vine enduring salted air i.e. salt tolerant plant and Sand binder thriving under conditions of sand blast and salt spray.

3 Ipomoea carnea Pink Morning Glory

Convolvulaceae Poisonous to cattle and of medicinal use for human beings acting as anti-carcinogenic agents.

4 Casuarina equisetifolia Casuarina sp.s

Horse’s mane or tail

Casuarinaceae Evergreen tree, wind breaker retrieving sandy sea shore and medicinal plant used to cure stomach disorders, fire wood.

5 Citrullus colocynthis Bitter Apple/Bitter Cucumber

Cucurbitaceae Climber used for medicinal purpose as laxative and for body disorders.

6 Kyllinga triceps Spike sedge Cyperaceae Medicinal plant – the extract used to clean wounds

7 Prosopis juliflora Kikar (Vilayati Babul)

Leguminosae Exotic woody species – weed – a silent botanical disaster pushing ground water table down and dry up the surface (top) soil killing vegetation

8 Solanum virgianum Solanum Solanaceae Common plant




96

Annexure 7.1. Activity-Impact Identification Matrix

Project Activities Sl. No.

Environmental Parameter Project Phase Activity

Potential Impacts Degree of Impact

Nature of Impact

Construction Phase Excavation of earth, construction of building

Minor changes in topography of construction sites due to excavation and filling of soil.

Medium – ve, P 1. Topography

Operation Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil Construction Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil 2. Climate Operation Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil Construction Phase Excavation of earth,

Construction of buildings Soil erosion. Contamination of top soil due to spillage of construction materials, fuels and grease.

Minor Minor

– ve, P – ve, T

3. Soil Characteristics

Operation Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil Construction Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil 4. Hydrology Operation Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil Construction Phase Material transport, storage &

use Increased air pollution in terms of dust. Minor

– ve, T

5. Ambient Air Quality

Operation Phase Increase in vehicular traffic due to provision of fish drying units

Increased air pollution in terms of emissions from vehicles

Minor

– ve, T

Construction Phase Material transport, storage & use, Drilling works, Use of construction equipments

Increase in ambient noise levels

Minor

– ve, T

6. Noise levels

Operation Phase Increase in vehicular traffic due to provision of fish drying units

Increase in ambient noise levels due to vehicular traffic

Minor

– ve, T

Construction Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil 7. Surface Water Resources Operation Phase Nil

Nil Nil Nil

9. Surface Water Quality

Construction Phase Earthworks, Discharge of sewage from construction camps, Spillage of oil, grease and hazardous materials.

Increase in turbidity of sea water due to construction activities, Pollution of sea water due to run off from construction sites during rainy season, discharge of sewage and spillage of construction materials, fuels etc.

Minor

– ve, T




97

Project Activities Sl. No.

Environmental Parameter Project Phase Activity

Potential Impacts Degree of Impact

Nature of Impact

Operation Phase Disposal of fish waste in sea and estuary

Deterioration of water quality of sea and estuary Medium

– ve, T

Construction Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil 10. Ground Water Quality Operation Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil

Construction Phase Site clearing, soil excavation and filling

Impact on crabs and other burrowing fauna and beach vegetation

Minor

– ve, T

11. Terrestrial Ecology

Operation Phase Increased human activity on beach due to provision of fish drying units

Impact on crabs and other burrowing fauna and beach vegetation

Minor

– ve, P

Construction Phase Construction of building Impact on sea turtle nesting, if construction carried out during nesting season.

Minor – ve, T 12. Aquatic Ecology

Operation Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil Construction Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil 13. Land Use and

Agriculture Operation Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil Construction Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil 14. Socio Economic

Profile Operation Phase Ease of fishing activities, better returns from fish sale due to preservation of fishes.

Improvement of living standard Major + ve, P

Construction Phase Construction activities Chance of accidents Minor – ve, T 15. Public Health Operation Phase Nil Nil Nil Nil Construction Phase Construction work

Lack of sanitation and safe drinking water supply in labour camps

Accident risk for construction workers Chances of water-born and vector born diseases

Medium Major

– ve, P – ve, T

16. Occupational Safety and Health

Operation Phase Ease of fishing activities Improved health of fishermen Major + ve, P




98

Annexure 7.2. Environmental Impacts Specific to each Project Site

Sl No

Village (Shelter Number)

CRZ Category Increased Human Activity and it’s Impact on Beach

Ecology due to Fish Drying Facility

Solid Waste Generated due to

Fish Drying Facility

Beach Vegetation (Herbs & Creepers)

Affected

Distance to Marine Turtle Nesting Area

(m)

1 Mandapathur III No No Nil 250 2 Kalikuppam III No No Tephrosia purpurea 340 3 Akkampettai III No No Tephrosia purpurea 270 4 Kottucherrymedu III No No Ipomoea pes-caprae

and Ipomoea carnea 344

5 Keezhakasakudimedu III No No Nil 328 6 Kilinjelmedu III Yes Yes Nil Not Applicable 7 Karaikalmedu III Yes Yes Nil Not Applicable 8 Pattinacherry III Yes Yes Citrullus colocynthis,

Kyllinga triceps, Prosopis juliflora and Solanum virginianum

Not Applicable

Design and Construction of Work Shelters in Fishing Villages

along Pondicherry and Karaikal Coasts




Annexure 8.1. Attendance Sheets and Photographs of Pre-Design Stakeholder Meetings

A. Attendance Sheets






B. Photographs

Fisherman discussing with team leader about

project

Marine specialist discussing with fishermen Massive Participation of fishermen

Fisherwoman explaining the difficulties

during fish drying

Fishermen communicating their experiences Councilor discussing with fishermen






Annexure 8.2. Attendance Sheets and Photographs of Post-Design Stakeholder Meetings

A. Attendance Sheets






B. Photographs

a) Post-Design Stake Holder Meeting Held at Kilinjalmedu

Panchayat member responding during

meeting

Fisherman reacting about user fee Fisherman viewing the posters showing

different stages of shifting of FRP

catamaran to the work shelter

Team leader explaining various features of

the project






b) Post-Design Stake Holder Meeting Held at Pattinacherry

Fisherwoman explaining the lack of drying

facility at Pattinacherry Response of fishermen when team leader asked

about various problems faced by them

Poster showing different stages of shifting of

FRP catamaran to work shelters

Fisherwoman reacting about user fee





119

Annexure 9.1. Standard Environmental Codes of Practice (ECOP)

A. Guidelines for Siting & Operation of Borrow Areas

Site Selection and Operation

To avoid any embankment slippage, the borrow areas will not be dug continuously, and the size and shape of borrow pits will be decided by the Engineer. Redevelopment of the borrow areas to mitigate the impacts will be the responsibility of the contractor. The contractor shall evolve site-specific redevelopment plans for each borrows area location, which shall be implemented after the approval of the Supervision Consultant.

Precautionary measures as the covering of vehicles will be taken to avoid spillage during transport of borrow materials. To ensure that the spills, which might result from the transport of borrow and quarry materials do not impact the settlements, it will be ensured that the excavation and carrying of earth will be done during day-time only. The unpaved surfaces used for the haulage of borrow materials will be maintained properly.

Borrowing of earth shall be carried out at locations recommended as follows:

Non-Cultivable Lands: Borrowing of earth will be carried out upto a depth of 2.0 m from the existing ground level. Borrowing of earth shall not be done continuously. Ridges of not less than 8m width shall be left at intervals not exceeding 300 m. Small drains shall be cut through the ridges, if necessary, to facilitate drainage. Borrow pits shall have slopes not steeper than 1 vertical in 4 horizontal.

Productive Lands: Borrowing of earth shall be avoided on productive lands. However, in the event of borrowing from productive lands, under circumstances as described above, topsoil shall be preserved in stockpiles. The conservation of topsoil shall be carried out as described in section of this chapter. At such locations, the depth of borrow pits shall not exceed 45 cm and it may be dug out to a depth of not more than 30 cm after stripping the 15 cm top soil aside.

Elevated Lands: At locations where private owners desire their fields to be leveled, the borrowing shall be done to a depth of not more than 2 m or up to the level of surrounding fields.

Borrow pits along Roadside: Borrow pits shall be located 5m away from the toe of the embankment. Depth of the pit should be such that the bottom of the pit shall not fall within an imaginary line of slope 1 vertical to 4 horizontal projected from-the edge of the final section of the bank. Borrow pits should not be dug continuously. Ridges of not less than 8 m width should be left at intervals not exceeding 300 m. Small drains should be cut through the ridges to facilitate drainage.

Borrow pits on the riverside: The borrow pit should be located not less than 15m from the toe of the bank, distance depending on the magnitude and duration of flood to be withstood.

Community / Private Ponds: Borrowing can be carried out at locations, where the private owners (or in some cases, the community) desire to develop lands (mostly low-lying areas) for pisciculture purposes and for use as fishponds.

Borrow Areas near Settlements: Borrow pit location shall be located at least 0.8 km from villages and settlements. If unavoidable, they should not be dug for more than 30 cm and should be drained.





120

Criteria for Evaluation of Borrow Areas by Supervision Consultant

Existing land use (Agricultural/Barren/Scrub/grazing/any other type)

Vegetation to be removed

Erosion / degradation potential.

Distance and name of the nearest settlement

Distance from the nearest surface water body

Drainage pattern of the area

Distance of the nearest Reserve Forest / Wild life Sanctuary / Mangroves (if any)

Distance of the nearest Scared Grove (if any)

Distance from the nearest school / hospital / primary health center

Daily / Occasional use of borrow area by the community

Any schemes or avenues for generation of income for adjoining community.

Duration of the operation of site (start date / end date)

Topsoil quantity to be removed and stockpiled

Earthwork quantity / depth

Availability of water on site for dust suppression

Site redevelopment plans

Distance from edge of road / RoW





121

B. General Restrictions in Respect of Quarrying & Stone Crushing Operations

1) The quarrying operation shall not be carried out at any point within a distance of 50 meters from any railway line except, with the previous written permission of the Railway administration concerned

2) The quarrying operation shall not be carried out under or beneath any ropeway or any ropeway trestle or station except under and in accordance with the written permission of the authority, owning the ropeway.

3) The quarrying operation shall not be carried out at any point within a distance of 50 meters from any reservoir, canal or other public works such as public roads and buildings except with the previous written permission of the Collector of the district or any other officer authorized by the State Government in this behalf.

4) In the case of village roads no quarrying operation shall be carried out within a distance of 10 meters and except with the previous permission of the Collector of the District or any other officer duly authorized by the State Government in this behalf.

5) There should be no quarrying of stone within a radial distance of 500 meters from any inhabited site.

6) There shall be no quarrying of sand in any river bed or adjoining area or any other area which is located within 500 meters radial distances from the location of any bridge, water supply system, infiltration well or pumping installation of any of the local bodies or Central or State Government Department or any area identified for locating water supply schemes by any of the above mentioned Government Department or other bodies.

7) The quarrying operation shall be carried out in a skillful, scientific and systematic manner keeping in view proper safety of the labour, structure and the public and public works located in that vicinity of the quarrying area and in a manner to preserve the environment and ecology of the area.

8) No stone crushing units should be located within 500m from any NH or SH or primary residential area or mixed residential area or places of public and religious importance.

9) The minimum distance between two stone crushers should be 1 km to avoid dust pollution influence of one over the other.





122

C. Guidelines for Siting & Layout of Construction Camp

Siting

The contractor based on the following guidelines shall identify the location of the construction site. The construction site shall be located:

A minimum of 500 m away from any major settlement or village.

A minimum of 200m of any major surface water course or body

On non agricultural lands, as far as possible

Not within 500m of either side of locations (Wild life Sanctuary/ Mangroves/ Ecologically sensitive areas)

Topsoil conservation at camp site

Number of labourers on site

Provision of electricity

Drinking water facility

Fuel for cooking

Existing land use

Land use in vicinity

Layout

The Contractor during the progress of work will provide, erect and maintain necessary (temporary) living accommodation and ancillary facilities for labour to standards and scales approved by the engineer. All temporary accommodation must be constructed and maintained in such a fashion that uncontaminated water is available for dinking, cooking and washing. Safe drinking water should be provided to the dwellers of the construction camps. Adequate washing and bathing places shall be provided, and kept in clean and drained condition. Construction camps are to be sited away from vulnerable people and adequate health care is to be provided for the work force.

Sanitation Facilities: Construction camps shall be provided sanitary latrines and urinals. Sewerage drains should be provided for the flow of used water outside the camp. Drains and ditches should be treated with bleaching powder on a regular basis. The sewage system for the camp must be properly designed, built and operated so that no health hazard occurs and no pollution to the air, ground or adjacent watercourses takes place. Compliance with the relevant legislation must be strictly adhered to. Garbage bins must be provided in the camp and regularly emptied and the garbage disposed off in a hygienic manner

Shelter at Workplace: At every workplace, there shall be provided free of cost, four suitable shelters, two for meals and two others for rest, separately for use of men and women labourers. The height of shelter shall not be less than 3m from floor level to lowest part of the roof. Sheds shall be kept clean and the space provided shall be on the basis of at least 0.5m2 per head.

Canteen Facilities: A cooked food canteen on a moderate scale shall be provided for the benefit of workers wherever it is considered necessary. The contractor shall conform generally to sanitary





123

requirements of local medical, health and municipal authorities and at all times adopt such precautions as may be necessary to prevent soil pollution of the site.

First aid facilities: At every workplace, a readily available first-aid unit including an adequate supply of sterilized dressing materials and appliances will be provided. Workplaces remote and far away from regular hospitals will have indoor health units with one bed for every 250 workers. Suitable transport will be provided to facilitate taking injured and ill persons to the nearest hospital At every workplace an ambulance room containing the prescribed equipment and nursing staff will be provided.

Health Care Facilities: Health problems of the workers should be taken care of by providing basic health care facilities through health centers temporarily set up for the construction camp. The health centre should have at least a doctor, nurses, duty staff, medicines and minimum medical facilities to tackle first aid requirements or minor accidental cases, linkage with nearest higher order hospital to refer patients of major illnesses or critical cases.

The health centre should have MCW (Mother and Child Welfare) units for treating mothers and children in the camp. Apart from this, the health centre should provide with regular vaccinations required for children.

Day Crèche Facilities: At every construction site, provision of a day crèche shall be worked out so as to enable women to leave behind their children. At construction sites where 20 or more women are ordinarily employed, there shall be provided at least a hut for use of children under the age of 6 years belonging to such women. Huts shall not be constructed to a standard lower than that of thatched roof, mud walls and floor with wooden planks spread over mud floor and covered with matting. Huts shall be provided with suitable and sufficient openings for light and ventilation. There shall be adequate provision of sweepers to keep the places clean. There shall be two maidservants (or aayas) in the satisfaction of local medical, health, municipal or cantonment authorities. Where the number of women workers is more than 25 but less than 50, the contractor shall provide with at least one hut and one maidservant to look after the children of women workers. Size of crèches shall vary according to the number of women workers employed.





124

D. Guidelines for Identification of Debris Disposal Sites

The locations of dumping sites have to be selected such that:

No residential areas are located downwind side of these locations,

Dumping sites are located at least 1000 m away from sensitive locations (Wild life Sanctuary / Mangroves / Ecologically sensitive areas)

Dumping sites do not contaminate any water sources, rivers etc, and

Dumping sites have adequate capacity equal to the amount of debris generated

Public perception about the location of debris disposal site has to be obtained before finalizing the location

Permission from the Village Panchayat is to be obtained for the dumping site selected

Productive lands are avoided

Available wastelands are given preference.

Type of waste for disposal

Lead distance from source of generation

Estimated quantity to be disposed/capacity of site

Water table (pre monsoon and post monsoon)

Existing land use

Site ownership and community perception.





125

E. Guidelines for Redevelopment of Borrow Areas

All borrow areas operation for the project shall be redeveloped on completion of the borrowing activities. Redevelopment shall be carried out as per redevelopment plan prepared by the contractor with the concurrence of the Engineer. Along with the redevelopment plan, details of the borrow area shall be provided in the following format. Further redevelopment or enhancement of the borrow area shall be at the discretion of the Engineer of the CSC. Guidelines for enhancement of borrow area and criteria are provided in the sections below. Documentation of Borrow Pit

• Chainage / distance from road • Size & length • Type of access / width /kutcha / pucca etc for carriageway • Soil type • Water table of the area or identify from nearest well etc / ask people • Existing land use such as barren / agricultural / grazing land • Location / Name / Population / Caste of Nearest Settlements / Community & distance from

Borrow Area / Type and characteristics of settlement • Daily / occasional use of the Borrow Area by the community, if any • Additional facilities required by community such as drinking water tank seating etc. • Probable reuse of Borrow pit - ask community • Suggested Trees to be planted – ask community • Proposed enhancement materials locally available • Adjoining land use / Natural elements • Drainage channels / slope / characteristics of the area

Guidelines for Enhancement

• Borrow area selected for enhancement shall be on government / community land in the vicinity of settlement

• Any enhancement design proposed should be workable, maintenance free and preferably worked out in consultation with the community

• If the borrow area is to be developed as a fish pond the site should be studied for natural available catchments for storing water / existing water table depth / fish species than can survive.

• The borrow area site should be inspected for erosion control • The design should propose additional trees to provide shade for the proposed activity and to

control soil erosion • The design should include slope protection measures for erosion control. This can be in form

of vegetable earth / ruble bunds to prevent erosion and formulation of gullies • The borrow area can be developed as play field / fishpond / orchard / or simply as nearby if a

school is, if water is available, if the soil type is suitable a community space. Elements for enhancement can be introduced accordingly.

Preventive measures for

• Leaching • Mosquito breeding • Water runoff / contamination • Any other environmental degradation • The proposal should also be having in mind, avenue for generation of income / equipment to

the people of the adjoining community so that maintenance is ensured vis-à-vis.





126

• Protection against erosion & degradation • Provide perennial cover or introduce new productive use for the borrow area

To represent on working plan

• Access of property / width of access / material • Orientation of property with respect to the road • Site slope • Octal drainage / water logging etc if any • Location of nearest culvert etc if any to drain water f required • Any other community resources such as tube well / well etc in vicinity • Location of trees including species / girth / foliage spread and after noon shaded area on

ground • Surrounding land use; nearby settlements (name of structure/pattern of settlement) • Mark on plan part of the borrow area, most suitable for storing and staking of top soil

To Represent in Cross Section

• Contours if any / depth if any • Height of trees • Any other existing details at the road / property interface such as signage / railing / etc • Details of immediate surrounding for at least 5m on either sides

Photographs to include

• Overall view from access side • Any other community resources in the vicinity • All spots to be detailed such as access to borrow pit / cluster of existing trees etc

Outputs

• Working plan • Cross section • Longitudinal section / Elevation of site • Details of all proposed Enhancements including signage etc • BoQ





127

Annexure 9.2. Guidelines for Removing and Relaying Top Sand Layer of Beach

Procedures / steps to be followed by the Contractor for removing and relaying the top sand layer of the beach for protecting the burrowing organisms are presented in this guidelines.

Other than the turtles the more common beach fauna that inhabit the upper extent and wave-swept swash zone of the ocean beach include the crabs and worms belonging to Polychaete. All these are considered indicator species for beach habitat. These animals provide important ecological functions in coastal environments including cycling of organic matter and trophic, or nutrition, transfer of both primary and secondary production to surf zone fishes and shore birds. Beach organisms are adapted to living in a wave-swept environment with heavy loads of sediment and a high degree of sand movement from normal tides and storm events. Variation in sand grain size and organic content among beaches whether they are nourished or not may influence faunal distribution. Therefore, before the commencement of construction of Work shelters following activities need to be carried out by the Contractor:

• The area of the top sand layer at construction sites (work shelters) should be properly and clearly marked without any disturbance to beach inhabitants.

• The top layer of sand up to 2’ depth should be removed slowly and carefully not affecting or disturbing the beach inhabitants because some organisms are too sensitive.

• Without any disturbance to the organisms the removed top layer of the sand should be carefully transferred or placed or spread evenly as a thin layer in nearby sand eroded or shoreline areas.

• Beach sand should be safe guarded to see that at any cost it is not used as filling material for building foundation.

• Wherever sand binders (vegetation such as Ipomoea, Spinefix, etc. species) are removed along with the top sand layer they should be transplanted to new habitat. If required additional sand binders may be planted by the contractor.

• It is the responsibility of the Contractor to see that transferred organisms along with top sand layer are not disturbed by any social or construction activities nearby.

• It should be seen that the original environmental conditions are maintained for the organisms. • Due attention should be provided for the sustainability of the organisms in the new habitat.





128

Annexure 9.3. Guidelines for Bin Composting for Fish Waste Management

The fish waste composting is a natural process of composting of fish waste with salmon and crab carcasses, bones, etc. and brown waste i.e. slash and downed timber or saw dust (wood waste) to create nutrient-rich compost. Fish based compost is currently being commercially produced, particularly in areas where large quantity of fish waste is available. Fish waste that has been properly composted; help to balance the acids in clay soil.

Bin Composting is composting of fish waste in a bin along with other organic waste materials. Bin Composting can save space, speed up decomposition and can keep composting area neat.

1. Role of Microbes in Fish Waste Composting

Composting uses micro-organisms to convert the fish waste into a useful soil enhancer. Fish wastes are relatively rich in protein and putrefy rapidly. Highly nitrogenous fish material is most suitable for composting since the end product will have high nutrient value. Thermophilic bacteria, which thrive at temperatures between 40oC and 70oC are the most efficient means to break fish remains down into compost. Improperly composted fish remains can create extremely unpleasant smells and produce an excess of ammonia. Using the right mixture of moisture, temperature, acidity and fibrous material, it is possible to reduce unpleasant smells to nearly zero while retaining the nitrogen and other nutrients.

Composting usually takes about four to six weeks. Over this time, the waste is converted by micro-organisms into rich humus. Regular aeration is necessary to prevent overheating and the development of anaerobic ‘pockets’, both of which can destroy the useful bacteria. The heat generated by the microbial action pasteurises the product, eliminating odours and destroying weed seeds and disease organisms. The final compost products are generally rich in organic matter (40-70%) and contain between 1-4% nitrogen.

2. Location for the compost bin

Ideally the compost bin should be located on level ground. Microbes require heat for them to take part in the process and since winters are pretty cold, a spot that receives maximum heat and sunlight should be selected. However, the compost should not be kept in open sun because the materials may dry out. The compost bin with pile should not be kept right up against a wood building or tree because the wood will eventually decay.

3. Bins for composting

Bins can be very simple structures but need to be designed for a few things such as airflow etc. Any convenient material such as HDPE (High Density Poly-Ethylene) Plastic barrels of 200 litres capacity can be used as bins for composting of Fish waste. It is assumed that one bin will be sufficient for collecting the fish waste generated during one week in a work shelter. Since average 5 weeks are required to complete composting in a bin after filling it up completely, minimum 5 bins are required in each work shelter to carry out bin composting continuously. After 5 weeks, the first bin can be emptied and used to fill fresh waste and the cycle can be continued. Specifications of the bins shall be as follows:

1. The bins should have approximately 1m height, 0.5 m dia and 200 Litre capacity with a tight fitting lid to keep rodents and flies out and to keep soil moist.





129

2. About 20 small holes of 0.5 cm to 1.0 cm must be drilled on the sides/walls of the container for aeration purpose.

3. About 20 small holes of 0.5 cm to 1.0 cm should be drilled on the lid of the bin. 4. A small tap should be provided at the bottom of the bin to collect the tea compost (Tea

compost is black liquor/ liquid collected in the process of composting).

4. Factors required for the process

Fish wastes should be composted aerobically by being mixed (bulked) with and enveloped in a material satisfying the following requirements:

(a) A wide C/N ratio,

(b) Acidic and hydrophilic condition enough to trap ammonia in solution;

(c) High capacities for adsorbption and complex formation with ammonium and calcium ions;

(d) Fluffy enough to be well aerated so that malodours of anaerobic decomposition are not

created (The oxidation process generates the acidic sulphate and nitrate ions that help to

dissolve the basic phosphates in bones and soft crustacean shells and deodorizes any

malodours generated even transiently);

(f) Heat insulation (though biodegradable it will not decompose fast enough to generate high

heat (>45oC) by itself so that its own oxygen demand is not great and the compost can

mature in a short period without having to be turned or actively aerated)

5. Ingredients required

Composting organisms (Micro-organisms) require four equally important ingredients to work effectively:

• Browns or Brown materials as source of Carbon — for energy. The microbial oxidation of carbon produces the heat. Browns have a higher amount of carbon in them. 'Browns' are dry and dead plant materials such as cardboard/paper, news papers, dry leaves, bark chips, straw, pruning and cuttings, hair, sawdust, etc.

• Fish wastes as source of Nitrogen — to grow and reproduce for more organisms and to oxidize the carbon Fish wastes have a higher amount of nitrogen in them, compared to browns and high water content.

• Air as source of Oxygen — for oxidizing the carbon in the decomposition process (Air - Composting microbes are aerobic - they don’t work well unless they are provided with air. Without air, anaerobic (non-air needing) microbes take over. Anaerobic microbes do decompose organic waste but very slowly and often with a rotting garbage smell).

• Water as source of Moisture— in the right proportion to maintain activity without causing anaerobic conditions.

Since Fish waste is consisting high water content addition of water will not be required. The bin/barrel with the composting pile should be covered with a tarpaulin during rainy season to prevent sogginess and to prevent anaerobic odour problems due to heavy organic matter.





130

6. Proportion of the materials for Fish waste composting

Composting relies on mixing proteinaceous and carbonaceous matter in the correct ratio. The biologically optimum ratio of carbon to nitrogen for composting is 30:1. Typically, fish waste has a Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of 3:1 and hence, it is to be mixed with a rich source of carbon. Further, fish wastes, particularly from finfish, tend to be wet and dense and hence, they need to be mixed with a water-absorbing loose material. Fish composting requires a slightly increased proportion of C:N different from regular composting due to the extreme odors. Fish Composting requires a balance of nitrogen and carbon (i.e. of fish waste and brown materials) 1 part fish waste to 10 parts browns. This means ten times the amount of browns than fish waste should be added to the compost pile. Fish waste and wood - logging debris must be chipped by a tub-grinder or shredded by shovel before it can be used in compost piles.

7. Process Involved

Mixtures of sawdust and wood shavings or bark chips alone are more suitable for composting than pure sawdust alone. In general, partly decomposed old wood waste may be better than the freshly generated. Sawdust deters air movement and creates greater oxygen demand as it is denser and tends to degrade faster and to a greater extent than bark or shaving. Finer materials are more accessible to microbial and chemical action. Presence of the lighter and larger shavings of wood with the sawdust makes it suitable for composting with fish waste.

Materials of wide C/N ratio like fresh wood by-products have their own oxygen demand particularly when they are mixed with fish waste that generates ammonia as the ammonia neutralises and promotes auto-oxidation of the phenols released from wood wastes. The phenols normally, otherwise, slow down decomposition by inhibiting the micro-organisms involved in the process.

When a mixture of fish wastes and wood by-products is actively aerated by forcing air and/or by turning of the composts, the loss of ammonia is exacerbated. At the same time active oxidation of the mixture generates more heat that may cause further odor generation due to chemical 'charring' of the waste that is similar to singing of hair. Further aeration to cool the mass promotes ammonia loss, and the need for bio-filters and/or scrubbers of high capacity. Conversely, if the aeration is withheld, decomposition of the fish waste would continue under the anaerobic (oxygen-deficient) conditions that generate the highly malodorous amines and sulphamines and H2S. Hence, a passively aerated system of composting is most suitable for fish waste.

8. Steps/Procedure to be followed for Bin Composting

Following is the procedure to be followed for fish waste composting in Bin:

1. At first about 1/4 of the compost bin should be filled with some shredded newspaper or dry

leaves.

2. Fish waste should be placed on top of the shredded newspaper or dry leaves until the compost

is 1/10 full.

3. Again about 1/2 of the compost bin should be filled with some saw dust and / or wood pellets

and shredded newspaper or dry leaves.

4. Remaining portion of the bin should be kept for aeration.





131

5. The compost should be turned / stirred well so that the fish waste and brown materials mix

well together.

To avoid anaerobic condition resulting in odour problem, it's important to make a lot of passageways for air in the compost bin. To make sure that plenty of air is there in the compost pile in the bin, the pile should be turned. Turning the pile means completely breaking it apart with a shovel or other tool and then piling it back together in a more 'fluffed-up' condition.

6. The material in the bin should be moist but not be soaking wet.

7. The lid is placed on the compost bin. The material should be stirred/turned everyday as and

when waste materials are added. Mixing the compost will help to breakdown the scraps faster.

8. The compost bin should be placed in a shady area away from the house. The compost should

not be placed directly in full sun as the compost will dry out.

9. Based on the quantity and type of materials 2-3 months may be required to get the compost.

10. The tea compost produced will be less and should be collected from the tap at the bottom of

the bin and can be reused as moisture source for the fresh materials.

11. 1/10th of the original compost can be retained in the bin for next composting stage which

fastens the reaction.

9. Application

The resultant compost generated from natural materials will be free of chemicals, vector and pathogen and this compost is known as “Totem Soil”. This compost can be used for gardening and landscaping because the product will be loamy with a pleasant earthy smell. The compost can also be used as mulch to cover flower beds, as potting soil and sprinkled over grass as a lawn conditioner and natural soil fertilizer. The compost becomes more valuable as it gets older.