Final EMP - Gorakhpur Bypass : Package - 1

This is an environmental assessment for the Lucknow-Muzaffarpur National highway Project, which improves road and port transport in India. This report assesses the likely negative environmental impacts and proposed measures to mitigate them. Among them are the following: For every tree felled, two trees will be transplanted and nurtured for two years to ensure tree survival. Soil erosion will result from tree cutting, clearing of roadside vegetation, and unmanaged run-off from equipment washing-yards. Minimize soil erosion by providing slope protection on embankments abutting water bodies by providing brick pitching, stone pitching, Gabion structures, as applicable. Provide retaining walls. For gentler slopes, turf with shrubs and grasses. Excavation of riverbeds and banks will increase sediment load downstream of the bridge site. To minimize soil contamination, provide oil-intercepting chamber to treat surface run-off, provide impervious floor-beds under parking areas, and maximize and reuse of construction wastes and dispose of unusable wastes and hazardous materials. Access roads and vehicle movements will avoid sensitive routes and heavy machinery will not be used on productive land to minimize soil compaction. Cover vehicles to prevent spills and transport borrow materials during daytime only. Use sprinklers to wash down roads and suppress dust emissions during soil transport After activity ends, redevelop borrow pits by converting to dumping sites, redeveloping for commercial use as fish ponds or as constructed wetlands as community-based wastewater treatment facilities. Plant dust screening vegetation along roadsides and at locations sensitive to air pollution like schools, hospitals, etc. Use traffic detours and diversions to minimize traffic bottlenecks. To reduce impacts to water resources, site construction camps away from sensitive water resources, prepare temporary drains to dispose of eroded settlements, providing sedimentation/septic tanks, ditches and drains to catch run-off, and provide oil-interceptors and riparian buffers. To avoid flooding, raise highway embankments, provide balancing bridges, culverts, and boulder aprons. Lessen noise by using noise absorbing building materials, planting noise absorbing trees, provide workers with ear plugs and helmets and generally prevented from prolonged exposure to high noise levels, and prohibit batching and hot mix plants within the vicinity of schools, hospitals, etc. In case of finding any rare/endangered animal species during construction, inform the wildlife authorities.