Preparation of an Environmental Study Report for Rakhi Gajj – Bewata 33.84 Km Section of N-70 National Highway
Narrative description of Project: The road section between Rakhi Gajj and Bewata (approximately 33 km long), an abrupt mountainous section of N 70, has been restricting safe and smooth traffic flow mainly due to hazardous condition in terms of rocks and debris falling or sliding from the coarse weathered mountain slopes. In such undulating section, traffic including heavily loaded trucks and buses had to tackle with narrow road width.
As part of the development program, NHA, with the assistance of CTI Engineering International Co. Ltd (CTII), Japan planned for the improvement of the mountain route section to eliminate traffic bottlenecks to assure traffic safety and smooth traffic flow. This required widening of the existing road and re- alignment at several sections.
In the early stages of the project, an EIA document was prepared and necessary approval from Environmental Agency was acquired, however, changes in the project planning required an update of environment study and evaluation of corresponding impacts.
Description of Actual Services provided by your staff within the assignment: The Environmental study aimed at a. Reviewing and verification of environmental aspects identified in the EIA document; b. Assessment of the impacts of new alignment on environmental and social setups; c. Identification of utilities, structures, and land affected by the project; d. Ensure that the environmental guidelines and policies of JICA are complied with during project planning and implementation; e. Envelopment of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for both, the construction and operation, stages of the project to ensure compliance of environmental obligations and conditions identified under the EIA report and JICA guidelines; f. Identification of requirements for environmental monitoring during various stages of the project by the NHA,
Contractor(s) and Supervision Consultants. Institutional structure for implementation of EMP was also proposed in the study.
