World Bank Loan Funded Turpan Water Conservation Project
In Xinjiang, China
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Executive Summary
Prepared by
Environmental Expert Panel of World Bank Loan Funded Project Management Office of Turpan Prefecture Water Resources Bureau
Entrusted by:
World Bank Loan Funded Project Management Office
Turpan Prefecture Water Resources Bureau (Project Implementing Unit)
March 15, 2010 Urumqi, China
15
Table of Contents
1. Project Background 2
2. Project Objectives 2
3. Environmental Assessment Process and Legal Framework 3
4. Project Description 4
5. Environmental Setting 5
Physical Environment 5
Ecological Environment 5
Socio- Economic Situation 6
Sensitive Sites 6
6. Analysis of Alternatives 6
7. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures 9
Construction Impacts 9
Impacts on Terrestrial Ecology 9
Impacts on Cultural Resources 10
Impacts during Operation Period and Mitigation Measures 10
Safety of Dams 10
Pest Management Plan (PMP) 11
Cumulative Impacts 11
8. Environmental Management Plan 12
9. Resettlement Action Plan and Ethnic Minority Development Plan 13
10. Public Consultation and Information Disclosure 14
11. Conclusion 15
15
1. Project Background
This document summarizes the environment impact assessment reports of the WB financed project –Xinjiang Turpan Water Conservation Project, highlighting the main issues and conclusions of the environment impact assessment and environment management plan of the project. According to both Chinese Environmental Assessment laws and the World Bank’s Operational Policy 4.01 Environmental Assessment, the proposed project is Category A for environmental assessment purposes, due to the scale and significance of potential environmental and social impacts. Therefore, a full environmental assessment report was required. The total cost of the Project is $200 million, WB is considering providing financing of $ 100 million; the Borrower provides $ 100 million
In accordance with Chinese internal review and approval procedures, an EIA report was prepared for each of the subcomponents by the Xinjiang Water Resources and Hydropower Design Institute (XWRHDI) and Hunan Province Water Resources & Hydropower Design Institute. All Chinese EA reports were approved by relevant Environmental Protection Bureau. A Consolidated EA and EMP in both Chinese and English were prepared by the Environmental Expert Panel of World Bank Loan Funded Project Management Office of Turpan Prefecture Water Resources Bureau to synthesize the individual EA reports. This Executive Summary is based on these reports, as well as feasibility studies carried out for the project.
The EA reports and EMP were submitted to the World Bank for review and they conform fully to Bank policy guidelines regarding environmental and social issues. All above reports have been made available in China and in the Public Information Center (INFOSHOP) of the World Bank.
2. Project Objectives
The project development objective is to reduce the risk of flooding and groundwater overdraft, and increase water supply to industry and water productivity for irrigated agriculture in the arid Turpan Basin of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This will be achieved by transferring water currently wasted through non-beneficial evapotranspiration (NBET) and some of the water currently consumed for irrigation in the agricultural sector to industrial and environmental uses, while at the same time (i) mitigating the risk of flooding, (ii) increasing farmer’s income and productivity of consumptive use in agriculture, and (iii) reducing groundwater overdraft for the preservation of the oasis ecosystems and the ancient Karez water supply systems.
The Turpan Basin covers about 95 percent of Turpan Prefecture which is comprised of two counties (Tuokexun and Shanshan) and a county-level city (Turpan). Two-thirds of the population in these counties belongs to relatively poor ethnic minority groups which are the primary target beneficiaries of the project. The project will promote sustainable water resources development and utilization and sound economic and social development of Turpan Prefecture through the adoption of integrated water resources and environmental management for non-beneficial evapotranspiration (NBET) reduction and new concepts and methods for agricultural water saving irrigation, and improving regional on-farm water infrastructures..
There are about 0.58 million people in Turpan Basin, of whom 77 percent are ethnic minorities including Uygur, Hui, Kazahk, Mongol, etc. but Uygur account for 70 percent of the total. Of about 106,666 hectare of viable land in the basin, the project will pilot ten percent of the area with water conservation irrigation including pipeline and drip irrigation facilities.
3. Environmental Assessment Process and Legal Framework
A full Environmental Assessment (EA) was carried out following terms of reference agreed with the World Bank. The TOR was discussed in public meetings. The project triggered the following World Bank Policies: Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01); Natural Habitats (OP/BP4.04); Pest Management (OP4.09); Physical Cultural Resources (OP/BP 4.11); Indigenous Peoples (OP/BP 4.10); Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12); and Safety of Dams (OP/BP 4.37). Compliance with these policies, and the WB’s disclosure of information policy, is summarized in Table 1. The project is also in full compliance with environmental policies and regulations in China, summarized in Table 2.
Table 1-Compliance World Bank Safeguards Policies
Safeguards Policies / ActionsEnvironmental Assessment
(OP/BP 4.01) / Category A project. Full EIA and EMP have been prepared.
Natural habitats (OP/BP4.04) / Establishment of Ecological flow, monitoring of fish
Pest Management (OP4.09) / Pest Management Plan has been prepared
Physical Cultural Resources
(OP/BP 4.11) / Archaeological salvage by Xinjiang Cultural Relic and Archeological Research Institute before construction. These costs have been listed in the project budget. Chance finding procedures have been prepared.
Indigenous Peoples (OP/BP 4.10) / Social assessment has been conducted
Ethnic Minority Development Plan (EMDP) has been developed
Involuntary Resettlement
(OP/BP 4.12) / Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) has been prepared
Safety of Dams (OP/BP 4.37) / Operational, Maintenance and Surveillance (OMS) Manual, and Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) have been prepared
Dam Safety Panel (DSP) was hired to provide consulting services concerning safety of the new and existing dams
Consultation / Opinion surveys and public meetings were held in the township government, village committee and affected villager’s home during the preparation of the EIA and Resettlement Action Plan and EMDP
Table 2-Compliance with Chinese laws and Regulations
Chinese laws and Regulations / Project ComplianceEnvironmental Protection Law / EIA is prepared according to relevant laws/regulations and technical guidelines Mitigation measures are developed in EMP and incorporated into project design, to be implemented and supervised during construction. Final acceptance inspection will be carried out before commissioning.
Environmental Impact Assessment Law / Full EIA report is prepared, and approved by relevant Environmental Protection Bureau. A dedicated Water and Soil Conservation Plan is developed and approved by water resources authorities.
Notice on Strengthening EIA Management for Construction Projects Funded by Loans from International Financial Institutions / EIA and EMP are prepared in compliance with world BankOP4.01
Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law / A water and soil Conservation Plan is developed, and incorporated into EMP and contracts for implementation. All waste spoil will be reused or properly disposed of preselected and approved disposal sites with re-vegetation plan.
Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law / Mitigation measures are built into EMP.
Wildlife Protection Law / Potential impact is thoroughly addressed in EIA, and necessary mitigation measures developed in EMP.
Water and Soil Conservation Law / A Water and Soil Conservation Plan is developed, and incorporated into EMP and contracts for implementation.
Cultural Property Law / Cultural property survey within area of reservoir project has been conducted by licensed archeological institutes. Chance finding procedure will be followed.
Tentative Method for Public Participation in EIA / Public consultation was conducted following the tentative method during the preparation of the EIA
4. Project Description
The Project consists of 5 main components as follows: (1) ET-based Integrated River Basin Management in the Turpan Basin. (2) Increase of Upstream Storage Capacity. (3) Water Savings in Irrigated Agriculture. (4) Preservation of a Karez System. (5) Institutional Capacity Building and Project Management.
The implementation of project component 1 for the innovative ET-based Integrated River Basin Management in the Turpan Basin will promote sustainable practices and help mitigate adverse environmental project impacts. It will ensure that relevant government policies (e.g. for strict control of groundwater overdraft), and regulatory (e.g. for establishing a ET-based water rights system) and institutional frameworks (e.g. for setting up water users associations) are prepared or established. Most importantly, this component will ensure the implementation of such frameworks in order to improve water allocation in consumptive use terms while making water available for additional groundwater recharge to preserve the oasis ecosystems and the cultural heritage of the Karez water supply system.
Main infrastructure components include one small and two medium-sized reservoirs with a total storage capacity of about 90 million m3. Water savings irrigation schemes will be implemented in about 11000 ha., including construction and rehabilitation of canals. A unique but important component of the project will be the preservation of the Karez System in Turpan City. The project is located in Turpan Prefecture (see map)
15
5. Environmental Setting
Physical Environment
Topography and Landscape: Turpan Prefecture is a basin among mountains at the southern foot of Heavenly Mountain. Three distinct landscapes can be identified: high mountain zone, hilly zone, Gobi zone and alluvial plain zone. While all sites of proposed reservoir projects are in the mountainous regions, all other components (water-saving Irrigation，canal construction and improvement and projects of Karez protection) are all in the plain areas.
Regional Geology: The exposed strata in Turpan Prefecture corresponds to the Upper Paleozoic,, the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic Eras. The seismic intensity of Turpan Prefecture is basically of magnitude 7, indicating a relatively stable regional structure for the Turpan Prefecture.
Water Resources: Water resources in Turpan Prefecture are quite scarce. At present, industrial and agricultural development rely mainly on groundwater. All rivers in the prefecture are seasonal rivers, and therefore, very little surface water can be utilized. In order to meet the normal domestic and production needs, people have started exploiting groundwater in significant quantities, and as a result, ground water levels have dramatically declined in the last decade.
There are 14 river systems in the Turpan Prefecture, as shown in Map 5-1. Water availability in Turpan Prefecture consists of surface water (874 million m3) and natural-recharged ground water,( water 915 million m3). . Total precipitation amounts to 286.6 million m3,
The Project involves totally 5 rivers in the prefecture, including Taerlang and Meiyaogou rivers and Yaernaizi galley in the part of Tianshan Runoff Catchment Zone to the east of Turpan City, Ertanggou River in the part of Tianshan Runoff Catchment Zone to the north Shanshan County, and Alagou River in Western Tuokexun Runoff Catchment Zone.
All rivers involved in the Project present good water quality and can meet the Class-II standards defined in the China Quality Standards for Surface Water Environment.
Climate: Turpan Prefecture is located in the hinterland of the Eurasia, characterized by abundant heat, extreme aridity, high temperatures and frequent and strong winds, scarce precipitation, strong evaporation, long frost-free periods.
Ecological Environment
Terrestrial Ecology: Natural vegetation can be found on the reservoir construction areas, while cultivated lands are predominant along the canals. Turpan prefecture is rich in animal species, including birds, reptiles and amphibians. Wild animals in the project area mainly are small-sized ordinary mammals and birds, however in small quantities and with low diversity of species. There are no endangered or rare and protected flora and fauna species in the project area.
Aquatic Ecology: Aquatic fauna communities in the water bodies in Turpan Prefecture include 13 native fish species. These native fishes are distributed mainly in the water systems of the southern Heavenly mountain slopes. None of these species is considered endangered or rare and none are included in any list of protected species. Four of these native species are present in Ertanggou River related with the project.
Socio- Economic Situation
Turpan Prefecture is composed of Turpan City, Shanshan County and Tuokexun County， with a total area of 69,713km2. Many ethnic groups live together, in the Turpan Prefecture including 414,900 Uygur people (70.37%), 135,200 Han people (22.93%) and 39,400 people of other ethnic minorities (6.7%).
The GDP of Turpan Prefecture in 2007 amounted to 17.89 billion RMB Yuan. The contribution of the agriculture is 9.6%, the industry and architecture sector contribute to 68.2%, while the contribution from the tertiary industry is 22.2%. The GDP per capita amounted to 28,907 RMB Yuan, and the income of local finance is 973 million RMB Yuan.
The rural net income in Turpan is about Y4,483 which is not the lowest in Xinjiang Region. But among the three project counties, Tuokexun is a poverty county where the rural net income is only Y3,000 per farmer. While this project rehabilitates local eco-environment and enhance water productivity from Y20 to Y45 per cubic meter of water, it will also help reduce local poverty and increase farmers’ economic incomes by 2.25 times on average).
Sensitive Sites
Main environmental sensitive sites in the project area consist of cultural relics distributed in the inundated areas of the Ertanggou and Alagou reservoirs. These sensitive sites were identified, analyzed, and registered in maps. There are no protected areas or any critical habitat in the area of influence of the projects.
6. Analysis of Alternatives
The project has been subject to intense analysis of alternative options ranging from the project-no project scenarios, dam sites, construction techniques (for canal rehabilitation and construction sub-projects), and various irrigation methods. The optimal alternatives were selected based on the avoidance of or possibility to mitigate adverse social and environment impacts, as well as other economic, technical, and financial considerations for the least cost solutions.
With and Without-Project Analysis: With and without-project analysis is conducted based on environmental costs and benefits and social economic evaluation. Under the “without project” scenario, there will be continuous threats to production and living standards of the local people and retarded economic and social development in the three river basins, since the conflict between water supply and demand and environmental deterioration in Turpan Prefecture are becoming increasingly serious. On the other hand, the “with-project” scenario will generate long-lasting social and economic benefits, while the environmental impacts, mainly during construction period and thus temporary, can be avoided or mitigated by using well known environmental protection measures. Environmental benefits clearly outweigh environmental impacts.