Chapter 1: introduction

6.1.2 Secondary Issues

6.1.2.1 Construction Phase

I. Impact due to land acquisition for project facilities and access road

A total of 47.718ha of land will be required for the project. Of the total, 22.508 ha is permanent land while temporary land is 25.21ha (Table 2.2). In terms of land use, 61.10% is the riverine area including river beds, river flood plains and elevated banks. Agricultural land required is 35.60% followed by 3.30% of the forest land including community forests, communal forests and leasehold forest.

Of the land use types acquired permanently, only 7.678ha is agricultural land, 1.57 ha is forest land, and the rest 13.26 ha is the riverine area. A major part of the riverine land required lies in the reservoir area (9.51 ha) of Kabeli river. The barrage structure and the powerhouse occupy remaining 3.57 ha of the riverine area.

Major part of the temporary land required also lies in the riverine area, occupied by the project facilities such as quarry, muck disposal etc. The agricultural land required temporarily consists g of construction camps and storage facilities sites totaling 8.30 ha. The proposal does not envisage usage of the forest area for temporary use.

a. Impacts of Permanent Land Acquisition

Permanent land acquisition is of concern in terms of land utility and services rendered in long term to the land owners (individual or communities). The key impacts to the individual owner relates to loss of agricultural land, the primary source of livelihood in the rural society depending on the subsistence agriculture. Taking into consideration the land and property to be acquired permanently and the households or individual owners of the land, a physical displacement of the people from the area is not envisaged. Details of the effects of agricultural land acquisition to the owners of the land are evaluated in the Social Assessment Report and will not discussed any further in this report. The envisaged impacts are direct, long term and of high magnitude to the agricultural land owners.

Permanent acquisition of the forest land area has a long term impact on the communities dependent on the forest resources for various purposes. Clearance of forest land will reduce the tangible resource base used by the local communities such as fodder, timber, firewood, litter, animal grazing etc. Non tangible loss in terms of environmental services such as water holding, stocking of greenhouse gas, oxygen generation, shade are the direct and indirect losses to the communities which will increase competition on the resource use and provisioning etc. Since these resources are also available in the nearby areas, the imparted impacts of the loss are of low to moderate magnitude only to the communities.

The proposed permanent land to be taken from the riverine area is entirely for the project structures such as barrage, operating platform, intake, and reservoir, sensor building at the headwork and powerhouse and switchyard at the powerhouse.

The construction of barrage structure will obstruct the river flow regime both during construction and operation period. Construction of the dam is proposed in the dry months (low river flow periods) by diverting the river by coffer dams to withstand the projected dry season floods and passing the water across the construction site by a diversion tunnel (refer section 2.6.1). In the wet period when the river flow regime is high and there is possibility of occurrence of high floods, water will be allowed to flow directly through the river. The river width is sufficient to cater the projected floods to pass through the river without imparting any damage. The construction planning of the barrage and the design and operation schemes of the barrage has an inbuilt mitigation proposition to minimize the impacts of changes in the river flow and flood regime for construction and operation periods.

The riverine area designated for the reservoir will not be affected by the river flow and flood regime because the reservoir operation is proposed only during the dry season when the river flow is lower than the design discharge of the project. In the wet season when the river flow is high and is often associated with floods, the barrage gates will be opened to allow the floods to pass uninterruptedly ensuring that no damage occurs.

The powerhouse site and switch yard located at the active alluvial fan of Piple Khola (refer section 4.2.1) has a risk of floods and associated land degradation. The project design has taken this issue into consideration and has incorporated measures to protect the powerhouse area from the floods of Piple Khola (refer UFSR 2011).

The permanent acquisition of the riverine area, however, will certainly restrict the community activities of animal grazing, collection of construction materials and restriction in mobility. It also has the potential of increased recreational activities particularly in the reservoir areas. Fishery may be developed in the reservoir pool for large fishes in seasons when normally large size fish migrate downstream for feeding. As the reservoir provides good nutrition augmentation area with large volume of water, many of the large fish will be attracted in the reservoir from the upstream section for feeding. The envisaged impacts of the riverine area acquisition on permanent basis are of low order magnitude only.

Mitigation

1. 
   To minimize the impacts of the loss of land and property of the individual landowners, Resettlement Compensation and Livelihood Assistance Plan (RCLAP) for affected households has been prepared based on the census survey of the affected households. The underlying principle of the RCLAP is to at least maintain the existing livelihood of the affected households. As far as possible, land to land compensation should be given priority to minimize the risk in the same area. If this is not possible, then land and property will be compensated at the market price without depreciation, to enable the household to purchase similar quality land and property in the same area. Additionally, the affected households and individuals will be given adequate rehabilitation packages in order to reestablish their livelihood.
   
2. 
   Strictly adhere to the construction planning of the headwork and powerhouse area during construction phase;
   
3. 
   Strictly adhere to the operation scheme of the barrage as per the design
   
4. 
   Adhere to the Piple Retaining structures and Tamor Guide Bund as proposed in the feasibility report for the powerhouse site
   
5. 
   Mitigation measures listed in section 6.1.1.1, I, a and b and section 6.1.1.1, III will be implemented to minimize the impacts to communities for the loss of forest area and forest resources.
   
6. 
   A separate free access to communities will be provided, if the construction area fencing obstructs the access to the land and property or the agricultural and grazing activities of individuals and communities. The contractor will be made responsible for the above through contractual clauses.
   

b. Impact of Temporary Land Acquisition

Temporary land acquisition of the land for a construction period only will have impacts to the local communities’ agricultural production and in the mobility due to restriction posed by the construction area fencing. Though the impact for the construction period is of high magnitude in livelihood of the land owners and communities using the open riverine areas, these impacts are localized and short term in nature and will be recuperated once the construction work is over.

Mitigation

1. 
   The construction contractor will give all rent of the temporary acquired land. The rental will be based on the land productivity and shall not be less than the total annual land productivity. The rental will be paid every six months.
   

• 
  For agricultural land under individual or household ownership, the contractor will make an agreement with the owners of the land on the land rentals through bilateral negotiation. A copy of the agreement of the bilateral agreement signed by both the parties will be presented to the Project Management to monitor the compliance of the agreement in the later periods. The contractor is obliged to rehabilitate the land occupied to “as is condition” prior to occupation after the end of the construction period before handing over the land to the owner. The key parameters for the rehabilitation unless specified in the agreement will be i) top soil maintenance, ii) demolition of all structures, fences and drainages, iii) establishment of land boundaries pre-project conditions, iv) area should be free from construction or camp solid wastes. The contractor should submit the handover of the land signed by the affected party to the Project Management. In case the contractor fails to submit the handover letter signed by the affected party, the contractor’s money will be retained from its account and the project management will make all the required payments to the affected parties.
  
• 
  In case of the riverine and other community land occupied temporarily, the contractor will pay the land rentals as to the direction of the VDC representative as per the government norms. The contractor will also rehabilitate these lands once the construction work is over. The project environment officer will foresee the rehabilitation works and provide a clearance certificate to the contractors. In case of failure to present the clearance letter, the contractor money will be retained from its account and the project management will rehabilitate the area.
  

II. Impact on land use pattern, topography, geology, slope stability

As elaborated above, the project is going to require nearly 47.718 ha of land for the project development on permanent and temporary basis. The acquired lands willbe utilized for various project purposes with obvious effects on the land use pattern, topography, geology, and slope stability.

a. Impacts on Land Use Pattern

The agricultural and forest land areas occupied permanently (9.248 ha) will have a permanent land use change. These areas will be converted into structural sites. In the riverine area, nearly 4.15 ha will be converted in to structural sites (barrage, operating platform, intake, sensor building, powerhouse and switchyard) while the rest will remain as riverine area only, but with some changes in morphological characteristics.

There will be no change in the land use pattern of the temporary land acquisition sites except in the muck disposal sites (9.1ha). The muck disposal sites will be developed into elevated areas above the river flood plain and could be utilized for various public use such as school grounds, afforestation area etc. in agreement with the local communities. This is a beneficial impact on the land use pattern; the unused riverine area will be converted into usable elevated areas.

Mitigation

The change in land use pattern of nearly 22.580 ha of the land area occupied permanently by the project is the residual impact of the project in the land use and will remain as such for the project life. The change in land use of about 9.1 ha of the riverine area in the muck/spoil disposal site, if developed to usable land is a positive impact to the project. To develop this area into a usable land, the contractor will develop a plan of land development in these sites. The top soil of the other structural location will be saved by the contractor and will be used as top cover over the muck and the land will be developed into land for other purposes. The land development plan will be approved and monitored by the project environmental officer to comply with the development plans.

b. Impact on Topography and Geology

Minor topographical changes are expected in the following areas:

• 
  Barrage area and intake site
  
• 
  Powerhouse site
  
• 
  Quarry sites
  
• 
  Muck disposal site
  
• 
  Reservoir area and
  
• 
  Downstream barrage
  

The topographical change in barrage/intake site, powerhouse site, reservoir area and muck disposal site will remain as the permanent change throughout the project life. As the changes will be minor compared to the relief distribution in the area will not have a negative effect in the land relief pattern. However, it will impart an aesthetic impact to the nature lover.

The change in topographic forms in the quarry site will be a temporary feature. The flood plain areas will be filled with the river materials as the rivers have high sediment transportation capacity in this area in one to two flood events.

The lowering of the river bed is expected in the downstream section of barrage because of the churning effect of the rather clean water released from the reservoir. The low sediment water has high erosive power. Lowering of river bed by about a meter is expected immediately downstream of the barrage structure. The envisaged impact of the change is to the barrage structure itself. The barrage structure design has incorporated measures against the erosion to protect the barrage structures.

Geological changes are not expected by the project construction. Construction of underground structures using high intensity blasting materials might bring change in the geological properties of the surrounding rocks. Since, geological stability is required for the stability of built structures; projects do take measures against such changes, if required during construction.

Mitigation

1. 
   To minimize the effects of land use changes, the design engineers will be instructed to design the superstructures visible at the ground surface complementing to the surrounding topographic forms such that the general aesthetics of the area are similar to the existing ones.
   
2. 
   The downstream section of the barrage is protected by a mat of big boulders for a length of at least 50m (or as long as necessary) to avoid downstream erosion of the river bed by sediment free water released from the barrage
   
3. 
   Controlled blasting will be practiced at all times while excavating the surface or underground area to have a minimum impact to the physical properties of the surrounding rocks.
   

c. Impact to Land Stability

Surface and subsurface excavation works upgrading and rehabilitation of the access roads might encounter the problem of land stability during the construction period.

The barrage area, as it is located at the toe of the moderately sloping land unit with sound rock underneath, is not envisaged to cause major land stability problems during excavation. The quarry site located in the flood plain requires only surface stripping operations and does not involve land stability problems. The surge shaft portal, penstock pipe location, and power house require excavation in a rather steep section and involving weak bed rock and regolith materials may give rise to the land stability related issues during construction of these structures. But the impacts of such land instability, if any, will be site specific only and may impinge upon the construction schedules in the event of failure.

The headrace tunnel excavation works, as it lies more than 100m below the ground level of the hills which do not show active landslide, is not expected to invite surface land instability during construction.

The access roads to headwork and powerhouse require upgrading and widening of the road in the initial phase of construction periods. Road upgrading is in itself a mitigation measure for the road transport safety and road corridor safety. However, proper actions of road upgrading are pre-requisites for the safety of the road corridor and road transport. In the absence of such actions land stability of the corridor declines with implications on the transport mobility as well stability of the entire landscape.

Mitigation

1. 
   All surface excavation above 3m vertical height will be excavated through benching such that 3m high slope will rest over a bench of nearly 3m wide before a next slope is excavated from the edge of the bench. The inner edge of the bench will be facilitated with a horizontal lined drainage to collect and divert the water from the vertical face. The standing slope will be at 45 degree angle in case the material is soil or gravel and could be up to 60 degree if it is a bed rock. The slope material will be protected by suitable grass species, if it is soil or gravel material.
   
2. 
   The excavated surface will be protected against the water erosion by adequate vertical and horizontal drainages and the water collected from the excavation area will be discharged into safe area
   
3. 
   Controlled blasting will be practiced at all times while excavating the surface or underground area to have a minimum vibration impact in the surrounding areas. Road upgrading works requiring road widening will avoid further cutting of slopes by maximizing back filling operation taking benefit of the micro-topography and retention walls wherever required.
   
4. 
   Road side drains will be constructed to collect the water from the cut slopes and discharged to the suitable natural drainages through a cross drainage structure at regular intervals.
   
5. 
   Cut slopes will be protected against erosion and slides by the construction of breast walls and grass plantation depending upon the height and slope of the cut slope and the geological composition of the cut slopes.
   

d. Impact on structures due to blasting vibration and use of heavy construction machinery

The vibrations of blasting might damage some of the supra structure located close to the tunnel alignment, such as mud mortar houses of the local area. Cracks might develop in these houses. Such incidents have been reported in other HEP (e.g. Kali Gandaki “A” and MMHEP) close to the tunnel alignment. The envisaged impacts are of low magnitude.

Heavy construction machinery will be used in the construction site only. As the construction site lies far from the settlement area, damages to the existing structures are not envisaged.

Mitigation

1. 
   Controlled blasting will be practiced at all times while excavating the underground area to have a minimum vibration impact on the house structures located close to the tunnel alignment.
   
2. 
   The damaged house structures will be compensated for the damages caused by the blasting in the tunnel. All houses located about 500m on either side of the tunnel alignment will be surveyed prior to the start of construction works and the structural conditions of the houses and the cracks developed will be documented. This will form the basis for compensation if such damage is reported. A third party auditor will approve all estimates. Estimated initial amount for prior survey of house structures and compensation is NRs 3,500,000. Additional resources will be made available if warranted.
   

6.1.2.2 Operation Phase

I. Impact on micro-climate in reduced flow zone

Temperature modeling in West Seti Hydropower Project (West Seti EIA, 2001) and Karnali Chisapani Multipurpose Project ( HPC, 1987) have projected increase in day time temperatures by 0.5 to about 1 degree celsius with corresponding decline in night time temperatures by same proportions in the summer season as the flowing water acting as temperature buffer is greatly reduced in the dewatered riverine areas. Similar impacts in the reverse order might be observed in the reservoir due to presence of large volume of water in the reservoir section of riverine area. The impacts of such change in micro-climate could be of significance to the temperature non-resilient faunal and floral species. Since temperature resilience of the existing flora and fauna is not well understood, the significance of the impact is difficult to qualify and quantify. Since human beings are less sensitive to such changes in temperatures, health effects to the public health is not expected.

Mitigation

The microclimatic effect of the project in the dewatered and reservoir section could not be mitigated with the selected project design. No mitigation measures will be implemented to minimise the impacts of micro-climatic change and will remain as the residual impact throughout the project life.

II. Upstream Impacts due to impoundment created by the weir

a. Impact of river bed level rise due to upstream reservoir

The water impoundment in the reservoir by the barrage structure does not impart significant impact to the upstream areas except for the erosion of the river bed in the immediate vicinity of the reservoir as upstream will be slightly elevated. Due to the change in the longitudinal profile of the river bed, sedimentation will be observed immediately upstream of the reservoir. The river might migrate laterally and could erode the river bank for about 200 to 300 m upstream of the reservoir which in long term might affect the agricultural land (about a ha) located close to the river in lower alluvial tars. Potential land areas, which might be affected, have been already acquired, however, the river hydrological actions are not always predictable and hence some additional areas have a remote chance of such impacts. The envisaged impact is direct, localized, long term and of low magnitude only.

Mitigation:

1. 
   The river bank erosion due to bed level rise and damage to the agricultural fields will be minimized by river bank protection measures in the critical areas susceptible to erosion potentials as noted or reported by the neighboring farmers. Upstream erosion will be monitored and bank protection measures will be implemented by the project operator, as needed.
   

b. Reservoir bank failure impact

The impoundment of water in the reservoir and fluctuation of the water level daily in the months from November through May might trigger small scale slumps from the reservoir banks into the reservoir. Large debris slides due to water level fluctuations in the reservoir rim are not expected. Since the land use around the reservoir rim is mostly forest land of barren nature, the envisaged impact is of very low magnitude only.

Mitigation

Small scale slumps in the reservoir rim by the water fluctuation will remain as the residual impact of the project and will not be totally avoided nor mitigated.

III. Impact on spring along the tunnel alignment

Experience in the Kali Gandaki “A” and Middle Marsyangdi HEP with headrace tunnel structures was found to dewater the landmass above the level of tunnel within an influence area of up to 200 m of the tunnel alignment. Dewatering or draining of the groundwater above the level of tunnel is high in the initial phase of construction and again re-established after 10 to 15 years of construction. The springs along the tunnel alignment are enumerated in Table 4.11 (Chapter IV).

These water sources are likely to beimpacted by the tunnel excavation works. Provided these spring water sources are drained to the tunnel, the population depending upon these sources will have to travel long distance for the drinking water purpose and the agricultural products based on the irrigation water from these sources will not be available to the local communities with implication on livlihood. The envisaged impacts will be high on the communities dependent on these water sources.

Mitigation

1. 
   Prior to the start of the construction work, the water spring within 200m strip above the tunnel alignment will be surveyed in the peak dry season and the available spring discharge is measured and documented. The survey will be done in the presence of the village elites and leaders. Estimated cost for the survey of spring location and discharge measurement is NRs 215,000.
   
2. 
   On the report of the water discharge reduction, the water sources will be resurveyed and if found affected, provisonal arrangements of water requirement to the affected villages or communties will be made immidiately available as a short term measure. Estimated cost of such short term arrangement is NRs 600,000.
   
3. 
   Piped water supply from the near by available perennial sources will be arranged to the affected village/communties as a long term measure. Estimated cost for the new piped water supply system to the potentially affected villages is NRs 3,500,000.
   

Summary of the predicted impacts for the secondaryenvironmental issues are presented in Table 6.16 below.

Table 6.16: Summary of the Secondary Environmental Issues - Impact Prediction

S.N.	Secondary Issues		Direct / Indirect Impact	Extent	Duration	Magnitude
A	Construction Phase
1	Impact due to land acquisition for project facilities and access		D	S	LT/ST	H
	a	Impacts of Permanent Land Acquisition	D	S	LT	H
	b	Impact of Temporary Land Acquisition	D	S	ST	H
2	Impact on land use pattern, topography, geology, slope stability		D	S	LT/ST	LO/M
	a	Impacts on Land Use Pattern	D	S	LT	M
	b	Impact on Topography and Geology	D	S	LT	LO
3	Impact on Land Stability		D	S	ST	LO
B	Operation Phase
1	Impact on micro-climate in reduced flow zone		D	L	LT	LO
2	Upstream impacts due to impoundment created by the weir		D	S	LT	LO
	a	Impact of river bed level rise upstream reservoir	D	L	LT	LO
	b	Reservoir bank failure impact	D	S	LT	LO
3	Impact on spring along the tunnel alignment		D	L	LT	LO

Note: D = Direct, ID = Indirect, S= Site specific, L= Local, R= Regional, ST=Short Term, LT= Long Term, H = High, M=Moderate, LO= Low