well as the daily lives of the citizens. People may be indirectly affected by roads projects, through the disruption of livelyhood, loss of accustomed travel paths and community linkages, increase in respiratory problems due to air pollution. Roads are agents of change and can be responsible for both benefits and damage to environment. Hence it is necessary to understand the various environmental problems encountered during and after the construction of road projects.
Air, Water And Noise Pollution Loss Of Forestry And Vegetation Geological Disturbances Loss Of Natural Sources Of Water Destruction Of Wild Life Land Degradation & Soil Erosion Aesthetic Degradation Interruption Of Natural Drainage System
The Ministry of environment and Forests, government of India have outlined Environmental Guidelines for highway projects. The guide lines prescribe the following procedures, which are EIA, EIS and EMP respectively
TYPICAL CONTENTS OF AN EIA REPORT An executive summary of the EIA findings. The major environmental and natural resources issues that needed clarification and elaboration. The projects impact on the environment and how these impact were identified and predicted. A discussion of options for mitigating adverse impacts and shaping the project to suit its proposed environment. An overview of gaps or uncertainties in the information. A summary of the EIA for the general public
General settings of the region, like topography geology, climatic condition etc. Objectives of road projects like size of area and population it will serve. Technical features is length of the road, width & type of road etc. State of the environment of the belt through which the road will pass Impact of road construction on the environment Measures proposed to mitigate the adverse impacts. Socio-economic concerns.
The basic objective of the EIS is to identify, predict and evaluate the likely impacts of a given activity and then prepare necessary action plans to eliminate or mitigate the adverse impacts as part of the overall environment management plan.
A brief discussion of the project Description of the existing environment Likely impacts of the proposed project both adverse and beneficial, short and long term impacts. Mitigation, protection & enhancement measures. Consideration of alternatives. Effect of non-change alternatives.
The environment management plan is an implementation plan for carrying out mitigation protection and enhancement measures as are recommended by the EIS. EMP gives details how to operate these measures, the resources required and the schedule for implementation.
1. Surface water quality 14.Industries 2. Air quality 15.Habitat 3. Seismology / Geology 16.Resettlement 4. Hydrology & Drainage 17.Archeological / Historic 5. Soils Significance sites 6. Erosion 7. Land quality & Land use 18.Public/Private institution of repute 8. Fisheries & Aquaculture 19.Religious sites / places 9. Forests 10.Terrain & Topography 20.Architectural sites 11.Public health 21.Agriculture and farming 12.Noise 22.Socio-economic aspects 13.Aesthetics 23.Terrestrial wild life Guidelines for environmental clearance
Name of the project
Clearance at state level 1 Tarred roads (Bitumen surfaced) in Himalayas and forest land
Up to 5 Km length 2 National Highways Up to 5 Km length
3 State highways a. Involving forest land Up to 5 Km length
b. Not involving forest land All lengths The roads in hilly regions are aligned in forest and mountain areas. And most these areas are endowed with gift of nature and environmentally and ecologically fascinating these area are treasure houses of flora and fauna.
Landslides, erosion & sediment discharge Poor drainage resulting in damage loading to flooding & degradation of water sources. Formation of new gullies Denuding of forest cover Increase in the concentration of run off causing water pollution. Clearing of road side vegetation for firewood grazing, cultivation and urbanization Increase in traffic litter, noise and dust pollution Air quality affected by vehicles exhaust and spills of toxic hazardous chemicals from couriers using road for transportation such materials. Transfer of vector diseases. Disturbance to flora and fauna. Effect on wild life through loss of habitat and encroachment. Dense forest and heritage areas can be avoided while choosing the alignment Road in cutting is better as it causes less noise pollution and is less visually intensive. Properly designed noise barriers can reduce the noise pollution significantly. In urban areas, the adverse effects can be mitigated by adopting a wide range of policies like control on land use and hierarchical network planning, modification and improvement in vehicle technology and traffic management.Some of the techniques of traffic management are vehicle bans, traffic signal control, speed control in residential areas etc. Grade separated facilities will improve the traffic flow and obviate frequent stopping and starting which are some main factors of air pollution