Environmental Impact Assessement Study - World Bank Documents ...

Republic of Belarus

Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC)

Department "BELAVTODOR"



ROAD UPGRADING AND MODERNIZATION PROJECT








Environment Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan












BELGIPRODOR


Minsk, June 29, 2010

Contents

Executive Summary
1. Project background
2. Project description and components
3. EIA scope and objectives, project environmental category
4. Belarus's roads and Government plans
5. EIA legal and administrative framework

5.1 National requirements for Environmental Impact Assessment and
Ecological Expertise

5.2 Governmental Decisions, Instructions, Standards with regard to
roads construction
5.3 WB EIA rules and procedures
6. Baseline conditions
6.1 Physical environment
6.2 Biological environment
6.3 Socio-cultural environment
7. Analysis of project alternatives
8. Assessment of potential project environmental impacts
9. Potential resettlement issues and land acquisition
10. Environmental Management Plan (EMP)
1. Mitigation of environmental impacts
2. Monitoring plan
3. Implementing arrangements
11. Costs
12. EIA disclosure and consultation


Annexes:

1. List of References
2. List of Environmental Assessment Preparers
3. Decision of the Gosstroi Expertiza
4. Geographic map
5. Letter from the M?NREP
6. Letter from the MoF
7. Letter from the MOCoNREP
8. Potential impacts and mitigation measures during the road
construction phase
9. Results of air pollutant emission measurements
10. Results of traffic noise measurements
11. Estimated reduction of noise levels due to implementation of
mitigation measures
12. Mitigation measures during road operation phase
13. Example of the environmental clauses for contract documents in
construction
14. Monitoring plan
15. Minutes on the EIA TORs public consultations
16. Minutes on the EIA&EMP public consultations
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

|BELAVTODOR |Road Department of the Ministry of Transport and |
| |Communications |
|CAS |Country Assistance Strategy |
|EA |Environmental Assessment |
|UNECE |United Nations Economic Commission for Europe |
|EIA |Environmental Impact Assessment |
|EMP |Environmental Management Plan |
|EU |European Union |
|GoB |Government of Belarus |
|??-? |Minskavtodor-Center |
|MoF |Ministry of Forestry |
|MoNREP |The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental |
| |Protection |
|MOCoNREP |Mogilev Oblast Committee of Natural Resources and |
| |Environmental Protection |
|M?TC |Ministry of Transport and Communications |
|NGO |Non-governmental organization |
|OP/ BP/ GP |Operational Policies, Bank Procedures and Good Practices |
|SEE |State Ecological Expertise |
|SEIA |Statement on the Environmental Impact Assessment |
|SEI |State Ecological Inspectorate |
|TA |Technical Assistance |
|UNDP |United Nation Development Programme |
|WB |World Bank |

Executive Summary

Introduction. The development objective of the project is to reduce of
transport costs for road users on the upgraded sections of the M5 road, and
introduce electronic tolling as an efficient cost recovery mechanism in
Belarus' road sector. The project objective would be achieved mostly by
improving the condition, quality and capacity of a road section, and by
implementing the initial stage of an electronic road tolling system. The
current EIA and EMP document is providing an assessment of potential
environmental and social impacts of the Project, along with the necessary
measures to avoid and/or mitigate any of them.
Project activities. Component 1 - Road upgrading (US$ 131 million).
This component will include the upgrading of a total of 53 km of the M5
road located between Minsk and Bobrujsk. It will include (i) the
reconstruction of the existing two lanes and the construction of two
additional lanes for an axle load of 11.5 tons, (ii) multiple road safety
features in line with EU road standards, (iii) the construction of six two-
level interchanges, seven overpasses, four new bridges, two pedestrian
underpasses, (iv) a number of environmental impact management features,
such as protective noise screens in the three villages that are located
near the alignment and (v) communications and other infrastructure related
to the new electronic tolling system. Component 2 - Modernization of Road
Tolling System (US$ 18 million): This component will include the supply
and installation of a modern electronic road tolling system based on
microwave technology on a 109 km section (from km 22 to km 131) of the M5
road between Minsk and Bobrujsk. Component 3 - Road Sector Institutional
Support (US$ 1 million): This component will be aimed at strengthening the
institutional capacity of road sector institutions in Belarus and include
technical assistance, training and other TA activities.
Project environmental category. The project has been assigned
Environmental Category "B" in accordance with World Bank Operational Policy
4.01, "Environmental Assessment". This classification was based on the fact
that (i) construction works as such will essentially be confined to the
existing right-of-way, (ii) there is no resettlement of people or
businesses and (iii) the potential environmental impacts of the project are
not expected to be significant. The only two small segments of the road
where significant environmental impacts are expected are segments intended
for construction of two by-passes. For a category B project it is necessary
to conduct a site specific EIA and prepare an Environmental Management Plan
for both construction and operation phases. Furthermore, the EIA and EMP
have to be disclosed and consulted with all interested parties, including
potentially affected people in the country, as well as in the WB Infoshop.
National EIA requirements. Belarus has a well established EIA process
involving the performance of EIA and its review through staff of the State
Environmental Expertise (SEE). This is part of the overall approval cycle
for all investment projects. The Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environmental Protection (MNREP) is the main responsible institution for
this area. It has maintained a high level of expertise related to
environmental assessment and continues to further develop its methods using
experience from the EU. The EIA rules and procedures for Belarus are
described in detail in a series of regulatory documents: (a) Law on
Environmental Protection (2002); (b) Law on State Ecological Expertise
(2000); (c) Instruction on the State Ecological Expertise (2001); (d)
Regulation on EIA (2005); and (e) Regulation on State Ecological Expertise
of the land planning documents. As per these documents, the proposed
project is qualified as a project which does not have significant
environmental impacts and is not subject to a full EIA study, but only to a
partial environmental assessment with a relevant environmental protection
section in the design document. Furthermore, as per the last modifications
to the Belarusian laws on environmental assessment, the project is not
subject to an individual review by the State Ecological Expertise (SEE) and
its environmental review should be done according to the State Construction
Review process.
Location of the road and its environmental characteristics. The
project area is generally flat with hilly landscape on its north-western
side and marshlands with a series of lakes and rivers towards south-east.
The proposed road section crosses a small local river (the Svisloch river,
a local non-navigable river 327 km long) and two small streams, as well as
the upstream end of the Osipovich water reservoir. Most of the area is
cultivated with native and secondary forests. The soils are sandy and
marshy with wetlands in the river valleys. The subsoil structure is mainly
composed of sands. Forest dominates the landscape with limited areas of
agricultural land. The road passes the southern side of five small villages
(Podberezhye, Tepluhi, Sosnovy, Iasen' and Boyary). The valley of the
Osipovichi water reservoir with its meadow wetlands is the most significant
ecosystem along the route. Forest represents the typical ecological
typology on the road; only in few river valleys does the ecological
typology include meadow and wetland vegetation. In the immediate vicinity
of the road there are no protected areas and/or valuable natural habitats.
The road will follow the existing alignment and only very minimal changes
to the alignm